Bar Rochford, Canberra – Another visit – Foodies Cucina

Hi foodies,

It has been a while (almost a year) since my last article post – I know. Reflecting on 2022, it has been a big year for Tina and I but I am so glad it is over and we are back on the right track again. Up until recently, I started exploring the Canberra food scene again. After 15 years of blogging and food reviews, my passion now really lies with the produce itself and the good food and wine pairing. Perhaps that is a ‘standard’ of growing (getting) up (old) – I start to understand ‘life is too short to eat bad food’.

Tina and I visited Bar Rochford last week again in Canberra city. This small bar has been one of my top venues to get quality premium food and wine in the capital. For additional information on this venue, please read my previous post.

The drinks of the night came down to one cocktail, Duchess ($20) and the wine special on the night ($20). The Duchess have been included in cocktail recipes since the 1910s and was full of good cinnamon and spicy tastes while the wine special was a south France speciality with soft and smooth palate. Both of the drinks complemented the night very well.

Smoked beef tongue skewers w/ anchovy mayo ($7 each)

Since I didn’t take photos of this starter on my previous visits, this time I took a tantalising photo of it. The skewers were as good as previous tastes and were soft and tender on the palate. The skewers were so delicate for each bite. They were very delicious especially combining with the anchovy mayo’s slight saltiness. A must try!

Galette, Steak Tartare, Tomato, Parmesan, $18

The second starter for us was another all time favourite. Not in its traditional format, this tartare focused on the mouthfeel. The meat was finely chopped into small pieces and literally melt-in-the-mouth after getting into the mouth. The bite sized individual pieces were great as a snack, especially with the crispy galette, while the addition of parmesan added extra cheesy flavour. Highly recommended.

Kingfish Tartare, Capers, Jalapeño, Almond, $24

This was one of the highlights of the night. A good quality kingfish was hand cut into bite-size pieces and mixed with capers, jalapeno and almond to its simplist form. The creamy mouthfeel and fresh flavours of the fish was further enhanced with the combination with nori (seaweed) crisp. The crunchiness of the toasted nori sheet improved the texture of the fish on the palate while introducing slight saltiness to the taste. Both Tina and I thought we would order this dish again on our next visit if it will be still on the menu. A must try!

Margra Lamb Ribs, Caramelised Yoghurt, Dukkah, $28

You wouldn’t think this was a starter, would you? I certainly didn’t expect to have this big serve of lamb ribs when ordering it. It was so satisfying to have a mouthful of meat, cooked to perfection and fell off the bone immediately upon pulling the ribs. The meat was so soft and juicy and the fluffy texture was further complemented with the yoghurt and dukkah. I really enjoyed the lamb – even when writing it right now, my mouth is still watering.

Berkshire Pork Belly, Adobo Sauce, Salt Bush, Chicharron, $38

This is a main sized pork belly. The meat was thoroughly marinated to have flavours throughout and then served with the Mexican abodo sauce and salt bush, topped with pork crackles. The meat was so tender and juicy that I was not able to stop biting! A hint is to cut the meat into small pieces, otherwise it would take a while to get throug it. The pork crackle added cruchiness to the game and contributed to the overall texture. Slightly salty overall but it was easily flushed down with the red.

Wagyu Skirt, Oyster Emulsion, Warrigal Greens, Miso, $49

This was our favourite of the night! When I looked at the menu, a $49 skirt? I thought this was a bit over priced but it was worth every dollar spent. The meat was cooked to perfection with pink in the centre and was tender to a whole new level. The highligh of the dish was the oyster emulsion. This was full of fresh oyster flavour that every dip in the sauce made me feeling eating oyster rather than beef but this experience was further complemented with the texture of the meat. A must try!

Overall, the experience at Bar Rochford has always amazed us. The menu changes regularly but have certain dishes always on the menu (e.g., the beef tongue, the beef tartare). I personally felt their seafood staters and their meat mains are highlights and strongly recommend anyone to try them out if you are looking for a good bar-like premium food and wine venue.

Until the next post, have a lovely time.

James