The Rock — Restaurant in Gauteng

It was my second time at this restaurant. My first experience was not a good one and the manager gave me a voucher in a attempt to rectify my bad experience. This was my partners first experience. I ordered a motjito and it was a bit to sweet and required more lime. I did not send it back I requested some lime pieces. As a starter we requested squid heads, we were very grateful that we were allowed to order squid head as a starter which is not part of the menu. We did not want the squid head with peanuts. The squid heads were amazing and my partner and I have both agreed that The Rock serve the best squid head we have ever had (and we wine and dine out quite often). My first time here I had come in the afternoon and I had the squid head as a starter and it was delicious. For my main I had surf and turf (steak and prawns). I requested my steak to be medium to rare. My prawns were delicious, flavor was on point and cooked to perfection but my steak was bland and over cooked and dry. My salad was fresh and I really love their salad dressing, it is perfect. The manager came to apologize and agreed the steak was very dry. The kitchen had just closed but he agreed to have another steak made. My second steak was to rare and some seasoning had been thrown on the steak and not cooked in hence the steak was to rare. I could not eat it. I was a bit disappointed but I understand as the kitchen staff were in a hurry to go home. The waiter did advise us to "not put our order through to late as the kitchen tend to rush and he wanted us to have a great experienceto make up for my previous experience." My partner ordered "the rack of lamb" which is generally means a minimum 6chops but he received three skinny chops. This is misleading and this meal should not be advertised as a "rack of lamb" and rather as (lamb chops). My partner had the same issue with his chops (not being seasoned), he did not complain as he was hungry and did not want to send the chops back. I don't think R199 is good value for money for this particular meal. If the three chops were decent sized chops, yes. We were very happy with our waiter Patrick, he provided us with excellent service, the managers were friendly. The restaurant is in a great location and has a lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. I am not sure if I have been unfortunate on two separate occasions with my steak and whether or not their specialty is not red meat? I know their prawns and squid heads are incredible. I think their seafood could be their specialty. We ordered a chicken burger as a take away for my dad. He chose vegetables instead of chips and the carrots were so thick and a...

A Rock-Solid Experience at Design Quarter!

If you’re looking for a place where your taste buds throw a party, and your team leaves feeling like a well-fed, slightly tipsy, bonded tribe—The Rock at Design Quarter is it. I took my crew there for a bit of team-building and a belated birthday celebration (read: an excuse to feast and sip on fabulous drinks), and wow, did they deliver!

Armstrong, our waiter, was an absolute legend—think hospitality ninja meets mind-reader. He ensured we had everything we needed before we knew we needed it. And the food? Oh, the food! We devoured a platter so glorious it deserves its own TED Talk—ribs that fell off the bone like they had better places to be, crispy fried halloumi that made us question all life choices that didn’t involve more cheese, tender chicken, perfectly golden calamari, and enough chips to fuel deep conversations and questionable life advice.

Now, let’s talk drinks. If cocktails had a hall of fame, The Rock would be a VIP member. The Whiskey Sour was a tangy, smooth masterpiece. The Strawberry Daiquiri was the perfect balance of sweet and sassy. The Old Fashioned made us feel like sophisticated grown-ups (momentarily). The Cosmopolitan was the peak of Carrie Bradshaw's energy. And the tequila… well, that was a life choice we don’t regret (yet).

Only downside? The bees wanted in on the action a little too much. That is understandable, really. With food and drinks this good, even nature wants a seat at the table. But a little extra pest control could take this place from fantastic to flawless.

Would I go back? In a heartbeat. Would I bring my team again? Absolutely—because nothing builds morale like great food, strong drinks, and a waiter...

Last night I was taken to your restaurant for my 55th birthday. The service stunning, I ordered the 700g ribeye which promised to be really great. Medium on a skillet with crispy chips. The food arrived, chips cold and steak cold unbeknown at this stage and more rare than anything. I asked for my chips which were not very crispy to be reheated. The service was great and the chips taken away for me to discover the steak also cold at this point that was returned to be heated and made medium. This was the same problem for both my wife and son who had also ordered steaks. The sushi thankfully great. The chips arrive and you guessed it were cold again, quite frustrating for me as well as the chips arrived back at the table without the steak. I'm meant to eat the chips on their own or wait for the steak and have it with cold chips? Their steaks and chips returned and also cold again. The beer tepid, no condensation even. My son sent his chips back again only to get them returned cold once more as well as a cold steak too. It is sad that the crew in front shop were attentive and I cannot charge fault there, you need to sort your kitchen. I come from the industry and know that you have ability to get this right. Half an hour after getting home I had violent gastro and know that due to a busy schedule that it was either something doing the rounds or what I ate as I never ate anything during the day. Dissapointed at paying R1300 for 4 and even after sending the food back twice got pap cold chips, raw cold meat and think that such shouldn't be what the consumer should expect from an upmarket...