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Neil Perry and his business partners,
Trish Richards and David Doyle continue to expand
their award-winning restaurant group with the opening
of Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth at Burswood Entertainment
Complex.
Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth has a capacity for 180 diners
including two private dining rooms as well as a 58-seat bar.
Designed by Grant Cheyne, the restaurant is softer and more
relaxed than its Sydney and Melbourne sisters, it features a large,
light and spacious dining room with central open kitchen and
signature, wood fired grill, custom designed furniture and
lighting, and views into the impressive wine cellar and meat
ageing room.
Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth is the seventh Rockpool project
for Cheyne, who has worked closely with Perry and his business
partners, Trish Richards and David Doyle over the past five
years on the creation and evolution of the Rockpool group
of restaurants, consisting of Rockpool, Rockpool Bar & Grill
Sydney, Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne, Spice Temple
Sydney, Spice Temple Melbourne and The Waiting Room.
While Cheyne has deliberately imparted a similar handwriting
to the Melbourne and Sydney restaurants, Rockpool Bar& Grill Perth is unique and distinctly different.
"If we liken the Melbourne restaurant to a good piece of
steak and the Sydney restaurant to a fine bottle of Champagne,
Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth is a breath of fresh air.
"Arriving on site in Perth, on a sunny, summer day, it was
obvious that the dark surfaces of Melbourne and the formality
of Sydney would feel out of place here. Instead, the sensation
was sensing the other extreme of a continent, the presence of
the coastline and above all, the relaxed and casual atmosphere.
"Consequently we decided that this restaurant needed to be
different to its two predecessors in the eastern states. It would
be lighter, softer and relaxed," says Cheyne.
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Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth's arrival experience is one of
discovery and surprise as guests traverse a long and tranquil
passage, preparing them for a complete change of scene.
Inspired by a beautiful candle-lit, stone cellar of a European
Chateau, this space is well suited to the storage and preservation
of wine and provisions, which form the cornerstone of the
Bar & Grill concept.
To complement, there are commissioned photographic artworks
by Earl Carter with glimpses into the wine cellar and meat
ageing room.
At the end of the passage, an automatic, amber-glass sliding
door reveals the dining room beyond, and step-by-step, the
spaces and theatre unfold to each side.
The central open kitchen, with its signature wood fired grill,
is positioned in the centre of the space and the full team of
chefs are seen at work.
The entire side of the long room is devoted to the preparation
of food and beverages, and forms a lively backdrop for the
dining experience. Unifying the preparation kitchen is a
symbolic, lacquered aluminum bulkhead, like the traditional
hood over a hearth.
Cheyne adds, "The dining room for 180 is designed to generate
both the excitement and theatre of great precedents such as
Le Dôme or La Coupole in Paris.
"Conversely, since the menu is influenced by a traditional
steakhouse, intimate spaces have been created and warm
surfaces and textures form the enclosure. To one side of the
dining room, following the perimeter glazing, a carpeted
section with a lowered ceiling provides a more intimate setting
for a series of dining lounges," he says.
All furnishings, decorative light fittings, joinery and carpets
have been custom-designed for Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth,
and the creation of intimate spaces and attention to detail ensure
that the dining experience is memorable and worth a return
visit, or two.
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