The Rocks Mornington

The Rocks is the type of place that references its dazzling waterfront location on the plate rather than in the decor. It's open all day, but dinner is where things take off. The seafood-heavy menu casts a wide net, geographically speaking (rice-paper rolls one minute, quesadillas and gyozas the next) but the common thread is the great quality. Creamy Coffin Bay oysters are shucked fresh from the saltwater tank, crab tostadas are one-bite wonders pepped with jalapeno, and the scallop betel leaves tingle with finger lime and radish. Paella arrives studded with mussels and ringed with a pleasing crust, and a salad of pea, mint and broad beans, surrounding a lily-white globe of mozzarella, is as refreshing to the eyes as it is to the tongue. For dessert, chocolate dacquoise arrives accented with shards of peanut brittle. Service is swift, kind and helpful, and the decking is the place to be for A-grade sea-gazing.