Aria Sydney 4 Course Review
Hi there everyone, and yes it is that time again for another If you cant stand the heat post. i noticed i got a lot of positive feedback about the review i did on Restaurant Gordon Ramsay a couple of months ago so i thought i would try my hand at a new review. This review comes from from my home town and a place that has inspired me for many years now, and has given me the privilege to work with this fantastic chef. He is the name on tip of everyones tongue in the Australia restaurant scene it is of course Chef Matt Moran from the stunningly beautiful Aria Restaurant on Sydney harbour.
When we talk about a restaurant that has the whole package i cant think of many better than the stunningly pretty Aria. The Restaurant is located on the steps of the Sydney opera house and with its full length windows and panoramic views which overlook the Famous Harbour bridge, my words really don't do it justice, it is one of the most beautiful restaurant locations in the world. But enough on the scenery lets get on to what matters, the food and the service.
My table was booked for 8pm i always arrive early as i like to see how i am greeted and how the staff are trained to deal with such events, as i expected it was faultless my jacket was taken i was walked to the restaurant bar where i was met with fabulous leather wing back chairs, and was offered a drink, and given complementary olives which i find is always a nice touch. soon after my table was ready.
i took a look at the menu and saw many influences on it, this varied from south east asian all the way to french for me i prefer a tighter menu. i studied the menu and had a long chat with the the head waiter josh who as you can expect was extremely knowledgeable. after our talk i had picked my menu for the evening. and al i could do was wait in anticipation for what awaited me.
Amuse bouche
To start my meal was the classic amuse bouche this consisted of pickled red cabbage, puffed wild rice and a truffle foam, it was fine and by fine i mean it wasn't spectacular it just did its job it was light, slightly luxurious with the truffle element and it woke up my palate , so technically a well executed dish just missing that x factor.
The Starter
My starter soon arrived and i had chosen West Australian octopus, house cured bacon and baked potato foam served in a granite bowl. My first impressions visually not that impressive, every element was covered in the this white foam which had been sprayed with some tasteless powder. however as i deconstructed my foamy mystery, this dish grew on me the boring looking foam had a surprising depth of flavour, the octopus was cooked perfectly but there was a lack of the signature ingredient, surprising the star of the dish was there house cured bacon the saltiness and crispness tied the dish together and gave the dish a real kick.
Second Course
I once again choose to pick josh’s brain in-between courses i can not speak highly enough of a well trained front of house staff this is equally as important as the food. josh soon was once again by my side with the dish i was looking forward to most. the terrine of duck foie gras and veal tongue, this was accompanied by some spiced pear and seeded mustard, At first this seemed odd elements to add to this dish but i have to tell you they worked they brought great balance and acidity to the dish, but back to the terrine one skill i can not rate enough in a chef is the ability to take a lesser cut and make it something special that is something that separates a cook from a chef and i have to say on this plate of food Mr Moran you have shown your skill and talent. the terrine looked beautiful rolled and pressed to perfection. The luxurious flavour and silky texture of the foie gras combined with the bold tougher texture of the veal tongue elevated and combined to a level i simply didn't expect. as i said earlier the pear and mustard cut through the dish in the most complementary way and it was truly a pleasure to have this in front of me.
I told my new friend josh to send my compliments to the kitchen, and to bring more to the troff as i was warming to this diverse menu, from seafood to offal the next obvious choice was game right ?
well by that logic i had to go for the charcoal venison loin with green roots, puffed buckwheat, glazed with a red wine and roasted bone marrow sauce. just writing those words again has my mouth beginning to water as it did those few weeks ago. So the dish was visually very impressive nice colour contrast, plted delicately, sauced to perfection and the aroma was nothing short of delightful. i sat and wondered if the flavours could match the looks of this art on a plate. as you can probably tell i like to pull my dish apart and examine the elements on the execution before combining anything. so lets begin the green roots these where cooked perfectly
seasoned with lemon juice which cut the dish to perfection. the puffed buckwheat did add texture and dose add fantastic colour contrast, but it terms of flavour it was lacking this is not the right element for this dish and is simply lost to the robust flavours elsewhere in the dish. Venison cooked sous vide in charcoal oil then caramelised in the pan cooked perfectly pink seasoned delicately and the charcoal brings out the natural game flavour found in venison stunningly simple. Now
My bone marrow sauce where did i begin this has to be one of the best sauces i have ever tasted, its robust, fantastic clarity, depth of flavour, perfect constancy as it coasted my venison it was just simply delicious the perfect co-star to this high quality dish.
The finale
In the words of one of mentors Mr Raymond Blanc, “The pastry course is where memories are made, it is the lastings of a meal the thing you take to bed”. i try to think of this to a certain extent every time i have a desert in a restaurant i rate of class or of a particular standard. This needs to be the show stopper, the knock out punch, the memory you take to bed. a dessert need to be faultless, and as i read the menu i almost cringed when i read the combination of caramel and cep tart, espresso ice cream, hazelnuts and mandarins. my natural chef curiosity forced me to order this horrific sounding combination. as the plate was sat in front of me i studied its presentation and it was passable but nothing more. The aroma of the fresh mandarins were intoxicating and where inviting me to the plate, i hesitated as i brought the tart filled spoon to my mouth i was not confident to the flavour combination of rich caramel and earthy ceps, but I've come this far as i moved the creamy silky mix around my mouth it was clear i was so wrong and Chef Matt Moran was showing why he is the name on the tip of everyones tongue, he is clearly a firm believer in his plate and knowledge of flavour because this tart was nothing short of fantastic, crisp short pastry with a hint of cocoa powder through it, a velvet filling with just a hint of those glorious ceps and the malarian brought tremendous flavour and cleaned my palate just so i was i wanted one more bight every time. truly a happy surprise.
This Dinning experience for me was a rollercoaster ride from views beyond belief to a pointless buckwheat, to the surprise of the year in the cep and caramel tart. its been some time since i cooked with chef Matt in his brigade and he is still as bold as ever some things work and somethings in my opinion need some tweaking. so i can do no more now there rate his sganture restaurant a 7.5 out of ten, i wanted it to reach above 8 i really did but the small techiqual errors and issues with presentation, it just didn't deserve it but i do believe Aria is on the road to perfection but we all know that is a long bumpy road, i cant wait to dine there in future and see what they have next.
Thanks everyone for reading this long long review but this restaurant was important to me it was the bench mark as i went through my training as a young chef, and the fact i had the honour to work with this talented chef mean i had to do him justice with a proper review. once again guys thanks for reading all feedback is really appreciated you can find us on Facebook and on twitter
@standtheheat92 and of course at our website www.ifyoucantstandtheheat.net
theartofmadeline
yousharknotpass