If you were at uni as the 1980s turned into the 1990s you might be carried back, like me, to those unthinkable student flats, where candles were shoved in bottles, vinyl scratched its way around the turntable, an open fire in every bedroom was the only heat, and nothing in the house or the random personalities ever matched.
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For sure, the kitchen at Bar Rochford is small while an actual kitchen that's many times more smart than the rotten-benched lean-to at the back door that sufficed in the flat, but there's the unmistakable romantic air of 19-in-1989 about the set up. Albums are stacked on shelves, with other random things, yellow lights hang from the ceiling, the floor is concrete, the tables wooden, with a large bar in the centre of the room, and the end of the room is dominated by the beautiful Melbourne building half-round windows. The tealights on the tables and candles in bottles and humble candelabra are lovely in the dim light, but we fear leaning too close to them so their light can help with reading the menu in case our hair catches fire. Yes, as eyes get older, disaster scenarios crowd closer; not sure why that would be.
But there is no disaster tonight; only lots of good things on a very short and well-priced menu. Gollion Farm figs, from a farm in Sutton which the guy assures us produces the best figs in the area, with taleggio and preserved lemon ($16) are as simple as can be. The figs are indeed good, served quartered but otherwise untouched, with strips of preserved lemon, little squares of creamy cheese and crunchy sweet walnuts.
Old Bay galette ($11) is, vaguely, a version of chips. The potatoes have been sliced super fine and sandwiched together, then cut in big squares and deep-fried, with Old Bay seasoning - one I haven't heard of before but which seems to be essentially salt, pepper and paprika. So what we have it fried squares that taste like good salty chips, with a light mayo. Given the set up is as much bar as eatery, this kind of food is sensible.
The wine list is succinct, like the menu, and pretty much stellar and focused on wine by the glass. We really enjoy Le Clou 34, a French chardonnay made by Claire Naudin, which from memory, I could be wrong, the waiter described as "hairy", oxidative but lean. We're sold with those words.
The menu here is like a spare list of ingredients, so you're never entirely sure what might appear. "Quail and kale" ($22) turns out as roast quail and, well, kale, so pretty accurate in this case. It's a dark dish, not too much going on and no compromises. It's dark and well seasoned, lovely roast quail on pureed kale and really good chicken jus. Alongside are big pieces of kale fried to within an inch of their life and actually with not much flavour.
Padron peppers, lap cheong, mandarin ($11) comes as a dish of green peppers, roasted and in a warming oil that I guess if flavoured with the Chinese sausage, so mouthfilling; we really like it. Mandarin is grated on top of the peppers. But the main game is the peppers themselves, and the waiter tells us that at this point in the season, one in six will be pretty hot; the rest reasonably mild. Earlier in the season, it's one in 10. That's on average and leaves us playing a game of Russian roulette. Woo, that was pretty hot. Is that what he means by hot? No, perhaps not. Maybe it's still to come. I'm at the fourth pepper and panic is setting in. There's a bit of sweat already; surely it's not going to get worse. Oh but yes it is. The next one kills me, aflame and in tears, bravado all gone. Perhaps this is a drinking dish.
Much more accessible are the flatbreads with anchovies and pickles ($16) - cucumber, red cabbage and cauliflower - all crunchy, lightly vinegary, with great flatbread, all of it very homemade and from that teensy Rochford kitchen. The anchovies are clean and high quality.
Chocolate caraway hazelnut ($12) is dish of chocolate mousse with candied bits and caraway seeds - the taste of the caraway so odd here. Mousse makes makes sense, given caraway is often used with butter, but it's a strikingly unusual taste, while likeable. It's mild and topped with seasalt flakes. The nuts are heavily candied.
Watermelon coconut fingerlime ($12) is not in the least unusual, and it's really good. Cubes of watermelon are shozu infused and delicious. "Coconut" turns out to be sorbet, sticky and excellent. And fingerlime comes as little poppy seeds. This is a very sympathetic dessert about taste and respect for the fruit.
In sum, Bar Rochford is highly enjoyable this visit and an easy place to recommend.
Bar Rochford
Address: 65 London Circuit, Canberra
Phone: 6230 6222
Owner: Nick Smith
Chef: Josh Lundy
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 5pm-late; Friday, 3pm to 1am; Saturday, 5pm to 1am.
Noise: Can be rather noisy
Vegetarian: Good choices from a brief menu
Score: 15.5/20
