Owning a restaurant in Hawker was one of the easiest decisions ever made by long time friends and new business partners Geoff Brooks and Tim Jensen. Both grew up in the area, and still remember the days of attending college in the area.
“We have both been in the Canberra dining scene for a while, and just hit that age and experience level where we were finding it hard to work for other people,” front of house manager Geoff Brooks said.
“My father used to own a restaurant around this area back in 1976, and when the opportunity came up to own Rocksalt we jumped at the chance.”
Hawker shops may be somewhat unusual location for a fine dining restaurant, but Rocksalt attracts diners from all corners of Canberra. The walls are lined with prestigious awards that hint at dining stardom, since its inception into the Canberra dining industry in 2000.
“No matter where you go or what city you are in there is always that special restaurant tucked away that is really good, and these are the restaurants to find.
We have a whole demographic to ourselves in Belconnen; there is no one else like us.”
“We have found that over the years fine dining has changed to being more intimate and refined. And for us, because we are the only restaurant around, we can have that intimate service and get people to really enjoy the experience and the atmosphere.”
With autumn just around the corner, the new menu looks to include a lot of game meat this year.
“Instead of doing lamb shanks, Head Chef Tim is going to try wallaby shanks, kangaroo fillets, plenty of duck and veal too. New dishes like these I’m sure will be popular with the customers. When people come out to eat, they want to eat something that they can’t cook themselves at home.”
Stay tuned to OutInCanberra to see Rocksalt’s new autumn menu, or click here to make your reservation now.
