For our end of year farewell dinner we decided to go somewhere decidedly different to our casual Newtown Thai haunts. Aria was available at short notice and had at least enough vegetarian options for a set menu [one in each course], so Aria it was.
Course one: Burrata with beetroot, oregano and blood plums
This was visually so striking, with the deep red of the beetroot and plums sandwiching a smooth globe of burrata. Poking the burrata led to cream oozing everywhere, and every bite of this dish was luxurious.
Course two: Slow cooked Cornucopia egg with broccoli, macadamia and black truffle dressing
The broccoli had been split in two, the stems deeply caramelised to a char (almost looking like a bone!) and the florets blanched and refreshed to perfection. The shavings of black truffle were generous and bound the dish together.
The most amazingly velvety mash that came with our mains. I ate some of this on bread, it was that good.
Pre-dessert: apricot foam with muscato granita.
A perfect palate cleanser to move into the sweets.
Course three: Valrhona chocolate ganache with cherries and warm chocolate doughnuts
All the desserts looked amazing but three out of four at the table opted for this one. The cherry sorbet was an amazing accompaniment to the rich deep chocolate ganache, and the sugar dusted chocolate doughnuts brought the whole decadent dish together.
Raspberries with chantilly cream and meringue.
This was pretty as a picture and light as a cloud, but the chocolate one won hands down.
Petit Fours
So many little nibblies to go with our after dinner coffees.
Aria is really a special occasion place ($135 for 3 courses is pretty steep...) but I was happy to see that they ventured beyond the normal vegetarian options and put some thought into it. It was a beautiful atmospheric place to have dinner overlooking the harbour, the service was impeccable and the presentation of all the dishes befitting the whatever number of hats they happen to have. Now if only I could eat all the desserts...
Amuse bouche: buffalo milk ricotta with yellow nectarine
Just a snippet of perfectly creamy ricotta that just melted in the mouth, accompanied by a little sweet & sour note from the nectarine. This was visually so striking, with the deep red of the beetroot and plums sandwiching a smooth globe of burrata. Poking the burrata led to cream oozing everywhere, and every bite of this dish was luxurious.
The broccoli had been split in two, the stems deeply caramelised to a char (almost looking like a bone!) and the florets blanched and refreshed to perfection. The shavings of black truffle were generous and bound the dish together.
A perfect palate cleanser to move into the sweets.
All the desserts looked amazing but three out of four at the table opted for this one. The cherry sorbet was an amazing accompaniment to the rich deep chocolate ganache, and the sugar dusted chocolate doughnuts brought the whole decadent dish together.
This was pretty as a picture and light as a cloud, but the chocolate one won hands down.
So many little nibblies to go with our after dinner coffees.
Aria is really a special occasion place ($135 for 3 courses is pretty steep...) but I was happy to see that they ventured beyond the normal vegetarian options and put some thought into it. It was a beautiful atmospheric place to have dinner overlooking the harbour, the service was impeccable and the presentation of all the dishes befitting the whatever number of hats they happen to have. Now if only I could eat all the desserts...
It has been so long since I visited Aria but the food looks gorgeous. And the vegetarian menu looks like they have taken care with it too :)
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