While out at lunch or dinner, have you ever thought about the history of a building that you’ve sat in? Perhaps what might have happened in it or who might have built it? When in The Rocks area of Sydney, chances are sometimes there is a deeper story than you might think. At Scarlett restaurant in the historic Harbour Rocks Hotel, a hotel I’m ashamed to say that I had no idea existed until today, you might be surprised to learn a few things. For starters, it is a convict constructed building.
The sandstone bricks were placed by the convicts and if you look carefully at each one, you can see that each sandstone brick carries different markings. That is because the convicts were paid for each brick that they laid and each brick carries each convict’s signature marking. This made it easier for their bricks to be identified and importantly, easier for them to get paid.
I am here for a reunion lunch with the journalists that I travelled around the world with a couple of months ago. The menu shows a photograph of the original building way back. Service is deferential and friendly although it does take a while for each course to come out which may be a consideration for business lunches when you have to get back to the office by a certain time. Starting at 12:30pm we ended finishing around 3:30pm.
Sydney rock oysters from Pambula with cabernet sauvignon vinegar and shallots $30. Shot with a Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS lens, ISO 400, focal length 25mm, 1/25 shutter.
I’m a sucker for oysters and these are from Pambula near Merrimbula. Usually I love them plain with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice but the cabernet sauvignon vinegar and shallot is a sweet and tangy addition and brings each briney oyster to life.
Mediterranean fish consomme, mussels, prawns, pernod, fennel, saffron $19
I decided to eat lightly as I had a big dinner that evening so I went with a fish consomme entree as my “main.” There are cubes of red and white fish, oyster, mussel and a single prawn and the soup was good although very strong in aniseed flavour from both the Pernod and the fennel.
Roast barramundi, corn puree, yellow oyster and shiitake mushrooms, tarragon $34
I tried some of Gaynor’s roast barrramundi and it was delicious with the sweet corn puree. There was also a savoury element from the mushroom medley. If I were to have ordered a main it would have been this.
200g fillet steak, cafe de Paris butter, hand cut chips, watercress salad $36
Rice pudding, coconut, pandana leaf, roast pinepaple, kaffir lime leaf sorbet $14
We were told that this dish was a creation of the Thai chef in the kitchen and indeed the rice pudding with the distinct flavour of pandanus leaf and kaffir lime leaf sorbet were both tropical and tangy. I found the rice pudding a little watery preferring a creamier pudding but the sweet roast pineapple, in two half moons was delectable. A knife would have been good for this dessert to help cut up the pineapple.
Warm red wine and chocolate cake, poached pear, vanilla ice cream, ganache $14
The chocolate cake was a little unexpected and wasn’t as chocolatey as we all were hoping it to be. Although it looked beautifully glossy it was more nutty than chocolatey and the inside reveals a pale, almost hazelnut looking cake rather than the deep, dark chocolate beauty we were hoping for.
Four cheeses $24
The four cheese were a Maffra cheddar, a camembert, ash rolled goats cheese and a creamy blue. They came with an assortment of accompaniments including small cubes of quince paste, sliced pear, poppyseed lavosh and a toasted fruit bread. The ash rolled goat’s cheese was a favourite of the four although there was the temptation to linger and eat cheese for the rest of the afternoon!
So tell me Dear Reader, what is your favourite type of cheese? And do you order cheese platters or sweets for dessert?
NQN and the rest of the table dined as guests of Accor Hotels
Scarlett
Harbour Rocks Hotel, Ground Level, 34-52 Harrington St, The Rocks NSW 2000
Tel: +61 (02) (02) 8220 9999
Breakfast
Mon to Fri 6:30am – 10am
Sat to Sun 7am – 10:30am
Lunch
Mon to Sun Noon – 3pm
Dinner
Mon to Sun 5:30pm – 10pm
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31 Comments | Add your own
I love historical buildings – a couple months back we took the ghost tour around the Rocks and it was so creepy to know so much sad but frightening history of convicts!
This restaurant looks beautiful, with classy dishes and due for desserts – great review
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The oysters do look good, here in NZ you can go to the beach and harvest your own there is so many untouched! Next time you’re here I’ll show you where to go. Have you had our Bluff oysters, larger meaty ones, delicious
A good blue or a bloomy Brie are my favourites although I do love all cheeses equally. If there is a chocolate fondant on the menu I just have to order it though
I love old buildings and I especially like when an old building is updated they keep some of the old bits to honour the past. What a beautiful meal!
I love atmospheric old buildings – they really help set a scene for a special meal.
You had me at the thick cut chips. Fish consomme sounds great but does sound like the aniseed was a bit heavy. Love the photos and the desserts look divine especially the choc pudding.
The Mediterranean Consomme looks so good. You eat such great food every week
I am quite envious. Love the post and the photographs.
Mmm, seafood heaven… That corn puree, or polenta, is just perfect. No desserts for me, please, but yes to a cheese plate. I can’t tell you just one favorite cheese. I love good soft cheeses like brie with grapes, I love unpasteurized Camembert with pear or grapes, or even red currant (yes, I know I have a weird taste)…:) And one of my favorite hard cheeses is Pecorino Romano. I also love cheeses that I make at home from raw milk…:)
The food all looks quite delicious, I would order the Mediterranean Fish Consomme but like you Lorraine, don’t get the doubling up of anise through the fennel and Pernod (which is quite strong).
I love all cheese varieties and can’t go past a strong, creamy Gorgonzola served with fresh fruit or mustard fruits. I don’t normally order a cheese platter when dining out as my husband is not big on cheese and I would not forego my dessert in lieu of but will certainly devour if it’s part of a degustation menu.
So excited to see this review. I worked at The Harbour Rocks Hotel back in the mid 90′s. Such a lovely old building. The place is seriously haunted… Did they tell you??
Back in convict days it was a female boarding house at one stage & later a brothel.
We used to have live jazz there on Friday evening. It’s a great location. I used to visit the modern arts place across the way in Circular Quay on my breaks quite often.
Whether it is a historic building, an old garden setting or a place of modern architectural wonder, my surroundings when eating out have always been very important to me. Cheeses: love them way ahead of any dessert [and pretending Ms Cholesterol, that nasty one, is not there
! ] I love a good brie, an unusual goat cheese or roquefort with a few pieces of fruit . . . 
!
What a cool history of the building. Fascinating story of the signature bricks. I love a building with history–that makes it special, not part of the cookie cutter world. And that is probably the prettiest seafood soup I have ever seen–with Pernod. Yum.
I prefer cheeses to sweets for desserts and that is saying something as I love dessert. I don’t think I could pick a favorite cheese–just give me a selection of flavors and textures. Preferably French.
Sounds like a lovely lunch in a place with some history. Always sweets for dessert for me!
I’ve never heard of this hotel either! The steak in particular looks mouthwatering.
In the top picture the hanging light looks like a nail polish bottle lol.
My favourite cheese at the moment is St Agur, a French blue. I also like truffled pecorino and Brillat Savarin. Never order cheese after a meal, I prefer to eat cheese for afternoon tea when I am hungry enough to appreciate it!
I’m a convict, woooot! Or descended from one, that is. Sometimes I order cheese for mains and then dessert, so I don’t have to make that choice
Thanks for the tip – its now on my list for the next Sydney visit.
I like cheeses, and I like dessert. I choose which option based on whether the desserts turn me on (so to speak), and if not I have a cheese platter. Both normally require sharing though to an option in the first place.
The corn purée and corn pieces look great with the barramundi!
The rice pudding sounds lovely, but it definitely needs to be rich and thick. I love a building with history and the colonial architecture, a bit thin on the ground here in Canberra!
I love old buildings. I’m a bit of an architecture fan full stop. I had an incredible experience when I first moved to Exeter in Devon 18 years ago. I was in a pizza restaurant that is part of a chain and I commented on the beautiful wall. I was casually informed it was built by the Romans! I had trouble chewing after that. Your fish consommé shot is beautiful. This place looks lovely. I’m a dessert girl although cheese platters always look good.
It seems having pineapple for dessert is good reason to bring out the knives. This is a lovely looking restaurant but probably better for a night visit where you can relax and not watch the clock with as much intensity xx
I love the story about the stones, Lorraine. They were really remarkable. What a fabulous texture. The food looks delish (will try that roast fish and corn idea very soon).Thanks for another great tour.
Ahhh…Scarlett…I’ve been there before you then, twice
I had the fish consomne, lamb backstrap, and the thyme panna cotta with granita. What I love most are their choices of tasting plates such as pork belly roast with chilli, prawn in a pot, etc.
Love how they put out these dishes too.
As always, Lorraine, your posts are a treat.
Love your perspective on considering the history of a building while enjoying a spectacular meal.
That’s fascinating about the stones. I wonder if anyone every got cause changing the pattern on other people’s stones to make them look like theirs?!
I am obsessed with Jindi brie at the moment. It’s so creamy and delicious!
I love a cheese plate – but I hate lavosh and would much rather have bread or water crackers.
I am fascinated with the history of old buildings so thanks for filling us in!
Favourite cheese?! Where do I start?! To many to list….at the moment I am going through a lot of the good old standard feta with baby beetroot in a French puy lentil salad with an apple balsamic vinaigrette that my 15 yr old asks for every second day (I can’t fill him at the moment)
I love cheese, no matter which one, I just can’t stop eating it. We have several local cheese and my favorites are the ones that comes from the south of the country, those are called “Paria”. But of course, I also love to eat manchego, blue cheese, goat cheese…everything.
Thanks Lorraine we dined there today for lunch on the strength of your story. We were nearby at MCA and decided to go there rather than eat at Sailors Thai or the MCA cafe. Cute hotel for future reference too. Roz
Yummo!! I just drooled over the selection of plates photographed.
The oysters and the cheese plates were top picks…the cheese plate was such good value.
A
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