By Franz Scheurer
With glorious views of the Opera House, the aptly
named Aria commands respect. It serves great food, and caters for the pre-, and
post-, performance crowd as well. Situated on the first floor of the infamous
toaster building, with the entrance in Macquarie Street, literally every table
in the restaurant has a good view.
Peter Sullivan and Matthew Moran originally met at
La Belle Helene in Roseville in 1988 and an instant rapport propelled them into
establishing three successful restaurants together: The Paddington Inn Bistro,
Moran’s Restaurant and now Aria.
Aria has a wonderfully quiet, well-stocked and
comfortable (Alexander Tzannes designed) bar.
A good place to arrive early, sit down with your favourite Pastis or
other aperitif, and use the time to immerse yourself in the imaginative and
diverse wine list; this is a real gem, and again, commands respect.
The dining area, a design based on a vintage
Mercedes (with fabric imported from Mercedes) is perfectly arranged with enough
space for privacy for that special business lunch. Although modern, it is warm
and cosy, perfect for that special occasion dinner with your spouse… or lover.
A place to be seen… maybe the secret dinner with the
lover is not such a good idea, here.
The food is modern Australian, full of flavour,
perfectly presented and catering for just about any taste. Vegetarians will
find plenty to chose from. The quality of the produce is first rate and the
kitchen knows how to prepare it for maximum impact, with a healthy respect for
seasonality. The ‘Boudin of bug meat with home made taglierini, roe and lime
butter’ is a perfect match of subtle tastes and slippery textures and the
‘Double cooked sweet Bangalow pork belly’, served with caramelised apple and
balsamic, is a marvel of contrasting textures with a taste to match. A ‘Guinea fowl and foie gras galantine’
presented with onion jam and hazelnuts, has just the right consistency and
looks terrific (personally, I would like to see some sourdough toast served with
this dish). A main course of ‘Potato gnocchi and baby vegetables’ shows off
deliciously light gnocchi and the flavour of the burnt butter matches the scent
of the summer truffles very well. My favourite dish on this visit was the ‘Duck
and pea pie’. An absolutely beautiful presentation! The pie looks like a
dervish’s tent captured and immortalised for a fleeting moment in pastry,
sitting in a green oasis of pea puree.
Desserts, again, shine with their presentation and substance.
I also like the fact that the guys at Aria are
prepared to be generous with the amount of food they serve. I really object to
leaving a restaurant after a four-course meal (or worse, a seven-course
degustation) and still being hungry.
Service is friendly and very professional and they
get the timing absolutely right. They also know how to smile, one of the most
important attributes of front of house staff.
Having eaten at Aria both at lunch and at dinner, I
must say that this is one of the few establishments where I don’t have a
preference. Both dining experiences, although different, are immensely
enjoyable.
Score: 8.5/10
For more information or bookings:
Aria Restaurant
1, Macquarie Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel.: 02 9252 2555