Salamanca restaurant institution still rockin’

I was expecting the eatery, which has recently changed hands, to be fairly quiet on a Monday night but on the contrary, the joint was jumping and I was glad I’d made a booking, writes TasWeekend food reviewer Alix Davis

ROCKWALL BAR + GRILL

89 Salamanca Pl, Hobart

Opening hours: Mon-Fri, noon – 10pm, Sat- Sun, 5pm – 10pm

On the menu

Share platter for two, $38; Reef and beef, $52; Maple-glazed pork cutlets, $37; Brussels sprouts, $8; Banoffee pavlova, $14.

A perfectly cooked steak is truly one of my husband’s great joys. So, when I told him we were heading to Hobart institution Rockwall for a not-meat-free Monday dinner, he was thrilled. Given it was a Monday, I was expecting the restaurant to be fairly quiet – surely most people were at home enjoying their meat-free meals?

On the contrary, the joint was jumping and I was glad I’d made a booking. Every table was full and our waiter told us this was “quieter than a usual Monday”. Despite the hubbub, we could chat easily and enjoyed watching the dinner theatre of chefs working the grill in the semi-open kitchen, waiters weaving their way between tables and happy diners enjoying their meals.

Rockwall was created by former Aussie rules football player Garry Baker and business partner Susan Catchpool almost 15 years ago and every day since then it has welcomed Hobart locals and visitors for family occasions, special anniversaries and birthdays as well as regular meals. Recently, the venue changed hands and is now owned by experienced hospitality couple

Garry Baker with business partner Susan Catchpool and new owners Marisa and Luke Richmond. The former Melbourne Football Club player and Hobart hospitality industry icon Baker sold his Salamanca restaurant Rockwall to the Richmonds after 15 years, in March. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Marisa and Luke Richmond. “The first couple of weeks were probably the most stressful in our lives,” says Marisa. “Garry and Susan have created a Tasmanian dining institution at Rockwall and we’re acutely aware of the importance of maintaining the excellent bar they have set.”

Regulars will be thrilled to see that most of the staff have stayed and, says Marisa, “we were extremely lucky to have an extended handover period with Garry and Susan working with us, showing us how they do things. There are so many regulars that are an integral part of the Rockwall tapestry so Garry and Susan’s introductions have been really important. We’ve not just met the regulars, we’ve made new friends, and importantly, we know how they like their meals and drinks served!”

Rockwall Bar and Grill’s Share Plate for two. Picture: Chris Kidd

The Rockwall menu has something to please everyone and, while there’s an emphasis on steak, there’s no shortage of vegetarian, seafood and other options. We begin with a shared entree platter ($38). Plump Australian prawns are encased in a crisp, feather-light batter and the tender calamari is delicately crumbed. An Asian inspired dipping sauce is bright and flavourful, cutting through the richness of the deep-fried chunks of pork belly. The table next to us (regular visitors from Melbourne) are enjoying a platter of fresh Bruny Island oysters (6/$20) and the Tasmanian rock lobster pate ($18), which Marisa describes as iconic dishes.

“So many customers expressed to us their worry that we would come in and change things,” she says. “They value the quality and consistency of Rockwall. The iconic things like the coffee rub with shallot butter, the Rockwall Blue, the Tasmanian Lobster Pate, the Bruny Island Oysters and local seafood sourced from the Fishman at Constitution Docks will not change.”

Rockwall Bar and Grill’s reef and beef which includes a juicy 400g scotch fillet topped with creamy garlic prawns. Picture: Chris Kidd

Our mains arrive and I instantly feel like I shouldn’t have eaten lunch – maple-glazed pork cutlets ($37) with apple roasted potatoes are in fact two full-size pork cutlets. Which is one more than I need to eat at a single meal. The thick cutlets are moist and well cooked, with a hint of maple coming through.

Baby spuds have been roasted with chunks of apple and it’s a dish that perfectly suits the autumn vibe that kicked into gear the moment the clocks changed. I couldn’t go past the brussels sprouts ($8) with shallots and bacon, topped with cheese, and my only disappointment is that there weren’t more of them.

The Banoffee Pavlova topped with fresh cream, banana and a drizzle of toffee sauce. Picture: Chris Kidd

My husband ordered (spoiler alert!) a steak and opted for the reef and beef ($52) – a 400g scotch fillet topped with creamy garlic prawns. Luckily, our waiter had previously armed us with cutlery that was up for the job and he slices into the tender steak with an implement not dissimilar to a Bowie knife. He likes a steak cooked to medium and has sent more than one back to a kitchen for being underdone – not so in this case as the steak is cooked exactly to medium and the creamy prawns negate his usual call for hot English mustard.

Rockwall’s dining room where you can see the chefs working the grill in the semi-open kitchen. Picture: Chris Kidd

Given the size of our mains, I’m in two minds about dessert, however, reminded by the Melburnians next door that there’s a whole separate stomach for dessert, we decide to share the banoffee pavlova ($14). The crisp brown-sugar pavlova (with just a hint of marshmallowy centre is topped with fresh cream, banana and a drizzle of toffee sauce. The perfect light (ahem!) finish to our meal.

“Rockwall doesn’t need to be the newest, happening thing in Hobart,” explains Marisa of the venue’s enduring success. “It’s the classic menu favourites, the consistent quality utilising local produce, the lovingly curated wine list ... our task is to continue this.”