Poolside Bar & Grill

We had to try Neil Perry's signature restaurant in Perth. The place is amazing starting from the elegant long hall entrance which features aged meats in the windows. The setting and ambiance were simply sensational. On top of all that the service was amazing and difficult to fault. There was just one thing - the food was pretty average - especially considering the prices. The oysters were very fresh and tasted of the sea - so was the local fish. But the rest was disappointing. The butterflied BBQ prawns were very dry and pretty average. My steak was presented perfectly and cooked - aged grass fed rib eye on the bone. But sadly very 'chewie' and tasteless. For $60 / 350 grams my local RSL does much better,,,and bigger. Later I read many reviews online & particularly on Google. Seems people are either really disappointed or quite happy - not much in between. I guess my expectations far exceeded the reality of the night. Seems Mr.Perry needs more than the best produce. It may be the cornerstone of good cooking but it's not enough to get the results a lot of people expect for their hard earned dollars.  Still, the restaurant has everything else going for it including a fantastic wine and beverage menu. I think I counted 13 pages of Pinot Noir's alone. Pretty impressive. Just wished I had something nice to devour with the wine. Ratings out of 100 Variation of menu: 90 Quality of produce: 95 Service: 95 Cleanliness: 90 Ambiance: 90 Dollar for value: 10