Waterfront, The Rocks

First Impressions/ Service - Poor

We visited Waterfront on a weeknight as walk-ins. It was half-empty at around 7pm, with a massive sign out front advertising a steak special. When we approached the greeter (who was right next to that big sign), she didn't bother to look up from her paperwork. When we managed to get her attention, she looked at us with the expression of Grumpy Cat. She asked if we made a booking, to which we answered in the negative. Without saying anything, she turned around and headed in. We looked at each other, shrugged and assumed (correctly) from the amount of available tables that she was leading us inside.

Our table wasn't set properly, lacking salt and pepper shakers and napkins. I brushed it off, thinking that the table might have been recently vacated. Once we were ready to order, it took quite a bit of waving to get the attention of a waiter. This turned out to be a chronic problem for the rest of our stay, from asking for napkins to asking for the bill. It would have been understandable if the staff were busy, but there were always a couple of waiters/ waitresses who would hover at the borders, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

The Food - Better

Food arrived promptly - in fact, we were done with our meal within an hour.

We commenced with the "Seafood nibbles", a platter made up of prawns, scallops, calamari and a small pot of black mussels. Just quickly - The tiger prawns and flash fried baby calamari were battered lightly - calamari was a little dry but the prawns were great. The grilled scallops were the most visually appealing part of that platter, with a mouthwatering topping of garlic butter. Mussels were cooked in a light sauce which didn't interfere with the briny flavour of the meat.

Seafood nibbles ($39.00)

My main was the "Twice cooked pork belly". My favourite part of the dish by far was that lovely layer of sticky, caramelised crackling. The lentils tasted a little odd at first in combination with the pork, but it started to grow on me mid-way through.

Pork belly ($35.00)

After nagging him about eating too much steak that week, the Boy had graciously ordered the "Roast chicken breast 'coq au vin style'", which he reckoned was on the small side. The chicken was moist, made more so with the mushrooms and the wine-based sauce.

Roast chicken breast ($34.00)

Did the food make up for the service? We used an Entertainment Book voucher, so, in our case, it somewhat did. I doubt we'll return, though. There are other restaurants nearby with better food, service and the same view. A tip for those who plan to visit, sitting outdoors can expose you to the elements at night, so bring a coat.