There are some desserts menus which are so popular that people make them into a full meal instead. Some examples includes waffles which are paired with fried chicken or crepes which are paired with savoury ingredients.
When my colleague suggested that we have our dinner at pancakes on the rock, we were game to give it a try since we arrived too late to make it to the fish market for fresh seafood. Pancakes on the rock is located at Darling Harbour and appears to have many good reviews online. The restaurant itself reminded me of a 90s fast food bistro with mostly booth seating.
There were many sweet and savoury choice that comes with pancakes, crepes or as mains on it’s own.
We had nachos for sharing and while the nachos served was the common ones you find in most pub, the toppings were quite disappointing. Firstly, the salsa itself was very dry and meat sauce was very flat and because they threw all the toppings together the taste and looks of the dish was messed up. Usually with the carne sauce, the salsa, sour cream and guacamole is provided on a separate dipping dish to not mess up the carne taste.
The pancake breakfast set was available all day so my colleague ordered that for dinner and the serving was simply huge. There is nothing to fault about the dish but at the same time, there is nothing special about the dish as well. The pancakes were soft and done well and the ham and bacon servings were very generous that it takes 2 to finish this plate.
The savoury crepe was the chicken wrap which had salsa and guacamole at the side as well as salad served on the side. The meat itself was generally well seasoned but the crepe itself was very limp and oily and with the guacamole and salsa, it feels like the nacho being reconstructed into a different dish.
The fish and chip we had was generally ok but there was a slight mud taste to the fish and the batter of the fish and chip was very light and almost non existent. The fish itself was still moist but not juicy enough. The chips were very well fried and were from freshly cut potatoes instead of frozen packed ones.
The crepes for dessert were slightly different from the savoury ones and it is less oily and limp. The strawberry sauce provided was extremely sweet and artificial from those squeeze bottle.
The best dish we had that night was this black forest crepe which had real huge rum soaked berries and creamy semi bitter chocolate sauce topped with chocolate ice cream. I am not sure if our standards were lowered throughout the meal or chocolate really wins over anything, this was the only plate we cleared out.
Overall, I would not return for a meal unless I crave very badly for pancakes and even so, only the chocolate black forest pancakes made the mark. The main meals and the crepes are really mediocre so in my opinion, only the pancakes are at least worth the visit.
Address: Shop 230 Harbourside Shopping Centre, Darling Harbour
Operating hours: 7 am to 10.30 pm ( midnight during weekends)
Bear Travels . Bear Eats . Bear Cooks 