After 6 years, I finally returned to one of Sydney’s most iconic restaurants: Aria, an Australian fine dining establishment awarded one Chef’s Hat year after year. Mick didn’t join me on this food adventure because it was a fun date with my mum and sister; both of whom were eating fancy for the first time in their lives 🥰.
We opted for the a la carte menu at $195 pp.
We opted for the a la carte menu at $195 pp.
Entrée
These two items were actually complimentary entrées.
First was this cheesy puff which was a light and soft pastry with a decadent cheddar cheese filling. It was a tad rich for my Asian mother – actually everything on the menu was 😗 to her LOL.
First was this cheesy puff which was a light and soft pastry with a decadent cheddar cheese filling. It was a tad rich for my Asian mother – actually everything on the menu was 😗 to her LOL.
The other item was a folded radish over some American cheese (Curd? I missed what the server said). The radish was a delicate, cold blanket. It was a refreshing bite with a nice touch of tartness.
Next was the staple bread and butter. The bread was baked in house, a white kind with fluffy interiors and a soft crust. The accompanying butters were a salted Pepe Saya butter (no description needed, just pure yum! 🤤) and a creamy butter infused with kombu and chicken juice. This was b-o-m-b! It was so rich and flavourful.
First Course
To start the courses, the coral trout crudo, fennel yuzu, wood sorrel was an interesting combination of salt, umami and citric. The trout was fresh and thinly sliced, wrapped delicately in a flower shape. Its mild fishy flavour was enhanced nicely by the oceanic salt of the dried fish crackers.
If we ate it by itself, the trout was washed out by the yuzu and left a tart taste on our tongues. The wood sorrel by itself was also too salty so both components had to be eaten together.
If we ate it by itself, the trout was washed out by the yuzu and left a tart taste on our tongues. The wood sorrel by itself was also too salty so both components had to be eaten together.
The fraser spanner crab, wasabi, radish, shiso was really delicious. It had a cold mouthfeel. The light sweetness of the crab contrasted smoothly with the refreshing radish and zing of wasabi. This dish would make a perfect summer dish 😍 – if I knew how to cook haha.
Next was the liver parfait, mushroom, chestnut, sauternes. The parfait was smooth and moderately rich, not overpowering in flavour or salty as most other parfaits at different restaurants. It had a fatty, almost oily, texture to it.
The mushrooms surprisingly had a grape-like texture which I (a mushroom hater) thoroughly enjoyed. This must have been caused by the Sauternes, a French sweet wine. The chestnut was infused into the biscuits so it gave the overall bite a nutty taste.
The mushrooms surprisingly had a grape-like texture which I (a mushroom hater) thoroughly enjoyed. This must have been caused by the Sauternes, a French sweet wine. The chestnut was infused into the biscuits so it gave the overall bite a nutty taste.
Second Course
For our second course, we picked the vegan option of sweet corn, macadamia, erbette & black garlic. My mum said this was too sweet however she ate hastily and didn’t even try to put each element on her spoon LOL. Leave it to the expert 😏.
This was a good balance of sweet (corn) and savoury (black garlic). There was an earthy relish to the bite, with a soft Eben flow of Macadamia drifting in to the mouthful. The texture was a soft crunch.
This was a good balance of sweet (corn) and savoury (black garlic). There was an earthy relish to the bite, with a soft Eben flow of Macadamia drifting in to the mouthful. The texture was a soft crunch.
The abrolhos island scallops, artichoke, morcilla & miner’s lettuce was very delicious with a unique flavour profile. The artichoke and morcilla (blood sausage) added a crumbly and crispy texture, with a warm hint of smokiness to it. The scallops were plump and sweet, and the charred side added more dimensional smoke to the bite. It was like being near an umami fireplace. The lettuce were earthy touches that elevated everything.
This port Phillip bay snapper, leeks, turnips & vin jaune was the favourite dish of the night and the only one approved by my mother.
The supple soft flesh of the snapper was super fresh and cooked perfectly, with a light fishy taste. Its white flesh was enhanced by the creamy vin jaune sauce. Oooft, this sauce was delicious 😍. It had subtle curry, citris and anis notes hidden underneath the thick viscosity. The crunchy greens balanced the sauce with a touch of refreshing earthiness.
The supple soft flesh of the snapper was super fresh and cooked perfectly, with a light fishy taste. Its white flesh was enhanced by the creamy vin jaune sauce. Oooft, this sauce was delicious 😍. It had subtle curry, citris and anis notes hidden underneath the thick viscosity. The crunchy greens balanced the sauce with a touch of refreshing earthiness.
Third Course
The cowra lamb, celeriac, cime di rapa & horseradish was delicious in its simplicity. The lamb was a huge, dense piece and oozing with juices. Despite the ‘dense’ appearance, it was very tender with a refined gamey taste. In fact, I didn’t feel ‘sick of it’ as I usually do with lamb dishes. This could have been the result of the horse radish heat, which burned slowly at the back of my tongue, and the zesty pickled radish slices.
The dusky flat head, hispi cabbage, cauliflower & kombu was another seafood dish executed well.
The white flesh was moist and compacted, seasoned with the natural oceanic salt of the seaweed. The fish skin was crispy, with a nice charred layer. And the accompanied vegetables absorbed a lot of the salt. It did get slightly dehydrating eating this towards the end but that would have been caused by the lack of refreshing vegetables.
The white flesh was moist and compacted, seasoned with the natural oceanic salt of the seaweed. The fish skin was crispy, with a nice charred layer. And the accompanied vegetables absorbed a lot of the salt. It did get slightly dehydrating eating this towards the end but that would have been caused by the lack of refreshing vegetables.
Our last savoury dish for the night was the glazed maremma duck, witlof, fig & pomegranate. I enjoyed this a lot more than the lamb.
The duck was flavourful and succulent with a sweet soy-based lacquered skin. Its fatty juices were refined nicely, blending in with the soy-based sauce. The onions and pomegranate elevated the sweetness.
The duck was flavourful and succulent with a sweet soy-based lacquered skin. Its fatty juices were refined nicely, blending in with the soy-based sauce. The onions and pomegranate elevated the sweetness.
Surprisingly the palate cleanser was better than some of the desserts! This could have been because of how well balanced and refreshing the generous serving was. It was a blood orange sorbet with almond milk.
Dessert
The passion fruit souffle, matcha & yuzu was very sour overall. The yuzu and passion fruit combination was overpowering, especially in the ice cream and in the custard layer underneath the souffle. We tried to balance it by eating a bit of everything but the matcha did not help soften the tartness. The souffle on its own was the most enjoyable part.
This chocolate, hazelnut, banana & cacao was a gorgeous dessert but it melted too quickly – considering I’m a 1-shot wonder with my camera. It was a rich bite, with a mellow sweetness balanced by the refreshing, icy banana.
Lastly the custard apple, pear, vanilla & choux was another delicious dessert that did not look good on camera 😂. This one actually toppled over after the server brought it out.
The choux was crispy, filled to the brim with vanilla cream. The apple and pear flavours were subtle enough to be masked away by the vanilla cream, but also strong enough to enhance the overall flavour profile of the dish.
The choux was crispy, filled to the brim with vanilla cream. The apple and pear flavours were subtle enough to be masked away by the vanilla cream, but also strong enough to enhance the overall flavour profile of the dish.
My sister got a birthday cake for free, This was an orange cake with light orange cream. The cake texture was light and spongy, with a moderate amount of flavour. I liked this a lot more than the yuzu/matcha dessert – and this was free 😂!
Finally, to end the night, the petit fours. This was a dense and rich chocolate sponge ball with cherry filling and chocolate flakes. We were so full by the end of this meal that we struggled to eat it but 😮💨 I did not pay $500+ to have leftovers.
Service
The service was above average. They were attentive enough, and gave my mum and sister a lovely fine dining experience but compared to other hatted restaurants, there was a slight casualness and awkwardness to the service, especially considering the price range and expectation.
Review
This was a returning visit after 6 years of fine dining experiences. I’d have to say this was a better experience than my first one however in comparison to other restaurants, Aria has dropped its A-game an inch. It could be why there weren’t many tagged posts on their IG page.
I did enjoy this menu though, with 80% of the dishes being delicious, however none were gastronomically outstanding. I’d still recommend Aria for a good, enjoyable meal with a beautiful view.
Thanks for reading! Happy eating.
I did enjoy this menu though, with 80% of the dishes being delicious, however none were gastronomically outstanding. I’d still recommend Aria for a good, enjoyable meal with a beautiful view.
Thanks for reading! Happy eating.
