the rocks

below average. this place has so much potential. perched by the water's edge, the place had the right concepts but somehow fails to deliver.
the menu was a confusing mix between asian, italian and moden australian.
1) not a lot of value for money. serving size was too small! paying $42 for a spaghetti marinara which you can get for about $30 in the city is ridiculous. especially when it was dry and tasteless.
2) the flavours of the dishes (esp the salads) seem a bit odd and does not really compliment the seafood that much... when i order a chargrilled octopus salad, i expect chargrilled and not blanched octopus
on the bright side, the sevice was great and the live oysters was exceptionally fresh. but unfortunately, the positives were heavily outweighed by the negatives so i would be very hesitant to venture back anytime soon.

have you seen the renovations fantastic atmosphere, great new menu, my wife and the kids loved it. prices really good, alot of share style dishes that are kid friendly. we love it and am sure will pump this summer.

we hear what yur saying!. as an employee of the rocks in mornington, i monitor and follow up on all comments that are made on this site. these comments are discussed with the chefs and waitstaff... so please the more the feed back, the better we can be!

rather than self-posting a lot of positive propoganda.. (the industry norm!)... we prefer to learn from your experiences.

one last thing... please tell us when you are with us... if you love us or otherwise!

embarrassed. took 2 of my friends for a quick lunch,prior to one guest catching a bus to the airport.on arrival at 11.45 am service was non-existant, we stood for several minutes until one guy asked if he could help - helloo -we'd like a table for lunch.
much dithering by 2 guys unlil we were finally seated at a long trestle which we were told was reserved for " the car club" if they turned up. they did not.
another wait, while others, seated after us had their orders taken, the waitress was totally unimpressed when we explained one guest had to catch a bus at 2.00pm.
order taken, including bread for one who had to take medication prior to eating. another wait.
food served. excellent presentation, but on the small side for the cost. salad of green leaves $8.00 (6-8 butter crunch leaves with a drizzle of dressing on a saucer)
rose wine poured, no ice bucket for the rest. $42.00 a bottle. had to ask for the bread in the middle of the meal,
no apology from the unsmiling waitress.
one guest decided to have a dessert, again another long wait.
we finally left at 1.35pm - in juuust enough time to catch the bus.
while we all agreed the food was very good but exxy, the service was deplorable, there seemed to be adequate staff on - but no direction or continuity of service from the senior staff.
the setting & the food are worth another try, but it will be a while before we do.

opportunities lost. a menu for fine dining, but missed the mark.

did not start well with our booking not being recorded, but the manager came in to fix the problem, when approached. .

adults menu, selected was the black angus and quail legs. selected wine was a favourite of the reviewer being konrad pinot noir (marlborough, nz) which suited the dishes well. dishes were presented oddly (small wooden board) but i could see what they were trying to do. meats were cooked as requested, quail was fiddly but very nice. no effort in the cos lettuce side dish, jst some leafs thrown on a plate, (only meat in mains price) & mash was almost tasteless.
dessert was vanilla bavarois and affogato. affogato was very good, bavarois was a miss, no favour in pistachio.

kids menu;
not much to say as clearly kids menu although written well wasn't plated to a level i would even touch if not for review. chicken main was dry and overcooked, bland and no care given, just thrown on a plate. ice cream dessert toppings were from a plastic bottle.

clearly no pass (quality control in kitchen before plates are given to diners).

service was mediocre, not the best, just ok...

fine dining this is not.

had breakfast there with a group of friends on a windy sunday morning. we loved the view and thought that the portions were large and generous especially for the big breakfast. bacon was delicious! will definitely stop for brekkie again!

very rude staff, exreamly slow service and very expensive food which had the entire range from over cooked through to under cooked. wouldn't eat there again and don't recommend it to anyone.

grd. on a sunny autumn morning, what could be better than looking over the bay from the mornington pier at schnapper point, whilst eating a hearty big brekky. my coffee was great, strong and rich in flavour. our meals were equally good, served so quickly i could hardly finish reading the headlines of the herald sun. the content was superb,with really tasty bacon and srambled eggs served nice and hot. i reall couldn't fault this place, so i will have to come back.

thought i'd try the local schnapper fillet in cider batter with a tomato, watermelon and yogurt "salad". was able to put up with the tedious preparation time as i was in good company, but when the minuscule, almost flavourless meal was finally presented to me i was in no rush to order supplementary drinks or even stay for dessert. will not be returning in the near future, definitely not value for money.

all rounder. the food, view, service, and wine was fabulous. the staff knew the menu and how it was prepared and explained it well. the food in particular, the home made golden gaytime was amazing, i would recommend it to anyone who doesn't normally eat deserts to definately give this one a go. you won't be disappointed.

i will definately be returning

the rocks at mornington was recommended to us with a disclaimer that service can be slow but it's still a good place to go. it is in a lovely location and the deck area is a fun place to sit with a view of all the boats. service was friendly and although the food did take a little while it fitted in with the laid back style of the place. we probably arrived just after the lunchtime crowd and although the deck was busy it wasn't overly so. there was a pleasant hum of activity but not so much that it was too

very dissapointing took an hour for food to arrive and when it did arrive 2 of my parties food was overcooked and another persons was cold. expected a lot more for the price of the meals. will not be going back

average service. variable food-mussels not open, calamari cold. great views but with access to the penninsula there is a plethora of other great restaurants that are better priced with better food and service.

the rocks is located adjacent to the mornington pier and harbour, and is an ideal location for a winter breakfast by the sea. breakfast is well portioned with fresh ingredients, the big breakfast is very big and nourishing. coffee is ok but not great. all in all, worth a breakfast visit.