Restaurant: Rockpool

He’s the founder of the Rockpool empire and the culinary face of Qantas airlines – Neil Perry is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most influential chefs.

Perry’s career began at Sails restaurant at McMahons Point and in Rose Bay. Neil climbed the ladder of success quickly, becoming head chef at Barrenjoey Restaurant, Palm Beach and was also given creative control over Perry’s in Paddington. In October 1986, he opened the Blue Water Grill at Bondi Beach and took the site from a 20-year failure to an overnight success. He then opened Rockpool in February 1989 with his partner Trish Richards, which has developed into a world-class restaurant, winning many awards both here and overseas.

His renowned flagship brand, the Rockpool Group, includes Rockpool Sydney, Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney, Spice Temple Sydney, Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne, Spice Temple Melbourne, The Waiting Room and Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth, as well as Rockpool Consulting.

The endless list of his restaurant accolades are testament to Perry’s passion for consistently producing food that is only of the best quality. Rockpool was a recipient of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year award and Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year. It was also voted in the top 50 restaurants in the world by ‘UK magazine ‘Restaurant’ seven years running. Additionally, Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne won The Age Good Food Guide’s Restaurant of the Year award in 2008 and Gourmet Traveller Wine’s 2011 Wine List of the Year.

But Perry’s success does not stop in the kitchen, he is also author of five recipe books; Good Food, The Food I Love, Rockpool, Simply Asian and Balance & Harmony, with a further book based on Rockpool Bar & Grill due out in October this year. He is creator of a range of Neil Perry Fresh food products; a television presenter on The Lifestyle Channel and most recently, was an Iron Chef on Channel 7’s Iron Chef Australia.

Anna Lisle