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Guest reviewer - Katynna Gill
My Rocks Experience- Spring 2010
Guest reviewer Katynna Gill, and her mum Jeanette, spent a weekend enjoying some of The Rocks' gourmet and cultural delights.
Picture perfect was the best way to describe our 22nd-floor room at the Shangri-La Hotel. It had the perfect view of Sydney Harbour, with the Opera House and bridge framed like a postcard.
We were lucky to have a sunny winter weekend to make the view sparkle, although I can imagine even in grey weather, the vista would be admirable. What a gorgeous city we live in!
The warm cream and brown tones of the bedroom furnishings gave a luxuriously welcoming feel. The plush towels, robes and slippers were all perfectly indulgent.
Our first stop on our weekend in The Rocks was a delightful lunch at Baroque Bistro Patisserie. The quiche du jour-cheese and onion-was served up on cute wooden slabs with a side salad.
We also opted for two tasty sides: the perfectly crunchy French fries and the green beans which were made punchy with morel mushrooms and shallot butter.
Then it was onto the real treat-the patisseries. I had the Fleur De Lys-an amazing dark chocolate mousse, crunchy almond praline and flourless chocolate biscuit. My mum had the Pompadour-a raspberry and passionfruit mousse, with pine nut, nougatine and almond sponge, decorated with passionfruit macaron halves on the outside and two plump raspberries on top. She loved its delicious fruitiness.
Five of Baroque's famous macarons were served up on ordering desserts-an unexpected treat and a charming touch. We sampled strawberries and cream, cassis, passionfruit, jasmine, and pistachio and sour cherry. All perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside-probably Sydney's best macarons. We loved them so much we bought another half-a-dozen to take away.
Baroque was truly a wonderful place to lunch. The staff were lovely and the patisserie delights were to die for! I absolutely recommend it, even if all you have time for is a quick stop for a macaron while shopping in The Rocks.
Next up was a wander around The Rocks Markets which is home to a great collection of handmade jewellery, crafts, clothing and home wares. I was inspired by some of the jewellery, as I make necklaces and bracelets. On our sunny Saturday afternoon, the markets were buzzing with people buying up unique designer goods.
Dinner at Pony Lounge and Dining perfectly encapsulates The Rocks-sophisticated and modern, but with the area's history clearly visible in the heritage walls and ceilings from the building's time as a warehouse.
We had a cozy table indoors by the window, so we could appreciate being half way between the quiet couples indoors and the celebratory group gatherings outdoors on the deck-Pony really offers whatever Saturday night experience you seek.
Wanting to really try out the offering of small plates, which take the place of entrees on the menu, we ordered seven of them to share. All were wonderful, with the highlights being the smoky eggplant and white bean dip served with grilled Italian flat bread; and the French-style aged goat's cheese and caramelised onion tartlet.
My mum's main meal was the wood fire-grilled salmon and king prawns on a bed of almond couscous, decorated with a flavourful moat of harissa sauce. She exclaimed that it was one of the best pieces of salmons she's ever had!
Linguine with sautéed wild mushrooms, truffle and chives, was my main course-a pleasing combination of fresh pasta and tasty mushrooms.
After so much food, we debated dessert, but after exploring the menu it was just too hard to resist. My mum chose the delicious honey panna cotta with pineapple and mandarin, topped with a triangle of coconut wafer. My choice was, of course, the chocolate option-a trio consisting of a gorgeously soft centred chocolate pudding, a chocolate and raspberry delice, and chocolate ice cream.
The team of kitchen staff working from the open kitchen at the front of the restaurant did an amazing job, as did the wait staff who were attentive and helpful.
Sunday brekkie at the Shangri-La Hotel was a spectacular buffet with pretty much anything you could want. We loved the gourmet breads and yogurt, fruit and muesli combinations.
After breakfast, we headed to the S.H. Ervin Gallery to check out The Shilo Project, where 100 Australian artists 'completed' the sleeve on Neil Diamond's 1970 album Shilo. It was fascinating to see each artist's interpretation.
Sipping cocktails at Blu Bar on 36, which is nestled on the 36th floor of the Shangri-La, was the perfect Sunday evening end to our wonderful winter weekend in The Rocks.
While we watched the sun disappear and enjoyed luscious fruity Tiki Tac Toe cocktails, we were literally able to look over our weekend in The Rocks from the bar's panoramic windows-a stunning end to a great weekend.
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