Bedrock Bar & Grill

Tucked away in the back corner of a serviced apartment foyer with a construction site ominously surrounding the restaurant entrance, I am fearful that Bedrock is going to be like dining in the prehistoric home of The Flintstones. Thankfully, as I round the corner and lose the view of a half-finished shopping mall, my fears are allayed. This place does resemble a Stone Age cave – if it were a cave that mated with a New York steakhouse and French bistro, that is. With its warm timber interiors, dimmed lights, brown leather booths and an unexpectedly rocking Red Hot Chili Peppers-meets-Jimi Hendrix soundtrack, it’s pretty clear this is no stuffy steakhouse. The stage feels set for a memorable meal once the menu is delivered – a selection of US and Australian steaks, starters, side dishes and desserts.

Sadly, for all its great interiors, service and mood, there’s a but, and it’s a big one: the food is not great. And what’s more, it’s ridiculously overpriced. For $68, you’d expect a striploin steak to be tell-all-yourfriends delicious. It’s not. It’s chewy and full of fatty sinew. It comes with a choice of four sauces (the pinot noir reduction is the best bet, the béarnaise is too rich), but that’s it. The other side dishes are all $6 to $8 a pop. So a sirloin with a side of fries is $74.50, not including service and GST. Luckily, the side dish of truffled mac and cheese is a decadent winner, as is the creamed corn with pancetta. But at these prices, I want to feel like I’m eating the best meal of the year. It’s not even close.

Seabass at Bedrock Bar & Grill

Other dishes fare slightly better, although they’re far from knock-outs. The $42 grain-fed ribeye is the cheapest cut of steak on the menu, and although it’s tender and well cooked, at least a quarter of it is fat. The crispy-skinned sea bass with olive tapenade, caper berries and roma tomatoes is nicely balanced, if a little forgettable. The starter of marrow on toast is a tasty surprise – a parsley salad cuts through the richness beautifully. Scallops with chorizo are wonderful, although this should be a main, not a starter; it’s a big enough portion to serve three people.

The steak tartare might include excellent-quality beef, but I’m not sure about the make-it-yourself style. While it looks pretty on the plate, I don’t really want to mix the ingredients myself at the table if I’m paying to eat out, and again it’s too large for a starter. The oysters are a major disappointment. They’re touted as freshly shucked but look and taste like they’ve been frozen. Desserts are also lacklustre: a calamansi pie is overwhelmed by what’s described as a ‘whipped meringue’ but is essentially a ton of cream. A salty ice-cream sandwich is no better.

If you’ve got cash to burn and favour quantity over quality when eating out, Bedrock may be right up your alley. It’s a slickly designed space with a great look and feel, but the middle-of-the-road food and bloated prices make me feel ripped off. It’s a shame, because I really wanted to yell a joyous ‘Yabba Dabba Doo’ as I walked past that construction site on my way out.

Costs: Main courses $36-$98.