Harbour Rocks Hotel - MGallery Literary Event
34 Harrington St
The Rocks, Sydney
The Harbour Rocks hotel is a lovely beautifully restored and appointed 59 room hotel nestled in Sydney’s famous Rocks precinct. Literally a stone throw’s away from the iconic Harbour Bridge and a short walk down to the Opera House and Circular Quay, The Harbour Rocks Hotel is a perfect choice for any type of Sydney stay, business or pleasure.
The Harbour Rocks hotel is part of the MGallery Collection where each hotel is inspired by one of three themes: Heritage, Style or Signature (our guess is this hotel falls under heritage).
This evening The Counts had the privilege of attending a most special event, part of the MGallery Literally Collection series, an intimate dinner with award winning author, Alison Croggon. Alison, who has written everything from opera Libretto to fantasy novels, is the perfect guest at any dinner table and tonight she was seated at ours. To say we were excited, is an understatement.The Harbour Rocks hotel has a very impressive heritage dining room which, for this evening, was converted into a private dining room for the occasion.
The dining table was custom made from Australian wood with seating for about 15 people, enhancing the intimate effect of the evening. There was an impressively long mirror on the wall just above us which was the perfect enhancement for such a lovely room, tiled at such an angle so that we could see the entire table.
Upon arrival, we started with a glass of Veuve Cliquot NV. It’s a fine French champagne and a perfect precursor to any special evening (The counts love champagne).We then took our seats and along the beautifully set table was the menu for this evening. A scrumptious 3 course meal with matching wines.
Oh life is good.
Our entree was a an impressive presentation of Seared Scallops wrapped in crispy prosciutto, served with cauliflower puree with raisin and caper vinaigrette. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the luscious prosciutto wrapping added a salty texture. The cauliflower puree was creamy with a hint of cheese. Our entree was accompanied by a delicious Eden Valley Riesling.
Next our main arrived. A juicy Roast Beef fillet with grilled shimeji mushrooms, asparagus, a bone marrow all drizzled with a Shiraz jam. We love beef fillet and this was perfectly medium cooked and so easy to carve into. We loved the mushrooms flavour and texture too. We didn't really master the bone marrow extraction but we definitely had fun trying. Our main meal was matched with a beautiful 2012 Otago Single Estate Pinot Noir.
Dessert was quite extraordinary as it was a clever twist on a couple of classics. Banana creme brûlée served with peanut brittle Ice cream. To say the dessert was amazing is an understatement. The creamy texture of the perfectly cooked creme Brûlée was enhanced by fresh banana, and the peanut brittle ice cream was a heavenly combination of crunch and softness. This was one dessert that had us scrapping our plates!
Such an intimate experience at the Harbour Rocks Hotel, with a menu and wine list to rival any other fine dining establishment. It's sure to satisfy any appetite or mood. But good food isn't the only thing on offer here, with a great bar and private outdoor area, it's also a great choice for an after work drink. Combine this with the boutique style rooms on offer and you have yourself a pretty impressive city-stay package, We'll definitely be back!
The Counts, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of the Harbour Rocks Hotel. Big thanks to Janelle Neeve of Accor Hotels for the invitation.
