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Awards
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2007 |
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SMH Good Food Guide 2007 - Two Chefs Hats |
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User Reviews on Aria
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 249 comments
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| Overall |
 
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
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Our table by the window viewing the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the bustle of Circular Quay in between was just magic. My daughter and I had Yellow Fin Tuna, Scallops, Hapuka, Beef, Passionfruit Soufflé & Pear. Passionfruit Souffle was amazing. Presentation was superb and everything we had was delicious. We loved the whole special experience!
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tsm -
See my reviews 8 , 02 October 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 5 |
Value 5 |
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Went here for a special evening with my wife. Had organised for my wife to have the vegetarian degustation (one of the few places in Sydney that advertises one of these) which you can get as long as you give 24 hours notice. The food was amazing - only 2 out of the 14 dishes (between the two of us - one normal degustation and one vegetarian) disappointed, the other 12 were superb.
The best two dishes were the scallops (with black pudding and celeriac and caper/sultana dressing) and the vege gnocchi. The dessert was brilliant and the wines amazing. The sommelier did a fantastic job - very informative but not too over the top!
The service was a bit unusual. For a two hatted restaurant we did feel quite disappointed. My wife was served a dish with meat on it (despite being on the vege menu), wine glasses were put down by one waiter and then removed again by another waiter within seconds, my wine glass was taken away with wine still in it, and one of the chairs on our table (that was empty) was constantly being taken away and put back without explanation.
Service was generally well paced although dessert did take 30 mins - a total of 3.5 hours for 7 courses, which we thought was good. We're only being so picky because of what you pay - when you pay $434 for two people you do expect near perfection.
Also, after requesting a window seat (with a month notice and a guarantee that we would have one) we were stuck almost in the middle of the hallway and had to strain our necks to see anything. All in all we did enjoy the evening but it wasn't worth $434.
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roscoe_k -
See my reviews 57, 07 September 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 8 |
Value 8 |
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Aria is a difficult proposition to assess as we experienced a little bit of everything across the hatted scoring spectrum on this visit. Our early arrival for the post theatre sitting was handled professionally, allowing us to leisurely indulge in our competently executed cocktails at the bar.
The table with a view which we had requested on booking was duly accommodated for, however our request on the night for the tasting menu to be paced a little slower than normal was immediately brought unceremoniously unstuck when our clearly unfinished Amuse bouche’s were literally pushed aside to the left for the first tasting dish.
I would have thought with Aria’s ethos and aspirations, that such a fundamental error could not have occurred and especially not without apology or comment from the waitress who had unprofessionally broken the first tenement of service. How that dish was even sent, when the Amuse bouche had clearly not been finished was unfathomable in an establishment of this calibre. I let it pass without comment, partly because I was still in shock, however in fairness to Aria it never happened again and service was flawless from that point on.
However, serious questions have to be asked how procedurally that could have been allowed to occur, especially since the Yellow Fin Tuna was not a warm dish and could have simply remained on the pass until it was confirmed that the Amuse bouche had been cleared. The dish itself was a textural pleasure, even if the basil puree was fractionally over seasoned.
The second dish of Buffalo Ricotta unfortunately was a total nonsense. A pointless bland strip of Focaccia, I suspect placed for aesthetic balance, made absolutely no sense whatsoever to a dish that was already totally flavourless and without any conceptual merit, even allowing for the Jamon. Perhaps, it was simply a filler on the tasting menu, but it was a very poor one at that. Things from our perspective were clearly looking grim at this early stage, however from that point on Aria shone.
The Peking duck consommé was a warming triumph of flavour and the Scallop with sweet corn, cauliflower beignet, caper and sultana dressing was clearly of a three hat standard. This was followed by the Kurobuta sweet pork belly which was delightfully succulent and a signature dish worthy of Matt Moran. The final savoury dish was a superbly poached Angus beef fillet accompanied by braised silverside with a seriously flavoured bone marrow and beef consommé.
A palette cleanser of Mandarin and earl grey tea punctuated the transition to the dessert of Vanilla ice cream with strawberry wafers and strawberry salad. Whilst solid, I had expected something more sophisticated and inspired, especially given the lofty reputation Aria has rightfully earned in this regard.
Special mention should be made of the Sommelier on the night who matched our wines superbly by the glass, making adjustments to suit both the dishes and our palettes. The intended matching characteristics were highlighted with each course, and the very generous gesture of substituting the Chateau Coutet for the Domaine Ogereau was much appreciated. Apart from the early abomination by the waitress in question, every dish was announced well and all questions asked were answered by the wait staff who were clearly well briefed by the kitchen on all aspects of each dish.
On an ambience issue, the dress circle location is slightly undermined by the toilets which are looking tired, and at the very least need some urgent regrouting work done to the very unappealing and dated tiles. Whilst that may seem a tad pedantic, attention to every detail of the restaurant is expected at this level.
The real paradox of Aria is that the simple correction of some of the issues raised could conceivably see them attain three hat status, providing everyone is on the same page and working towards that collective goal. Unfortunately that did not occur on our visit, and accordingly after much deliberation, I scored them at 16.5 out of twenty. I personally think Matt Moran, who has made an immense contribution to fine dining in Sydney, deserves a little better and hopefully his staff can make that possible as all the elements and potential for more were clearly evident.
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le bon vivant -
See my reviews 15, 04 September 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 8 |
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Terrific. Matchless views, great staff. Most certainly go for the lamb. A consistent performer that doesn't disappoint.
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drax1 -
See my reviews 4, 30 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 10 |
Service 10 |
Value 10 |
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What a fantastic experience, from the moment you walk in the door you are welcomed by friendly, helpful staff. As for the view, what a position. The waiters have great manners and a skill in remembering what you order without writing it down. But above all the Food is to die for.
I don't think I have ever experienced such flavours and textures. Divine and delicious are just a few words that come to mind. I would have no hesitation to tell anyone to try it out. Matt, Ben and all the boys and girls in that fast moving kitchen. Congratulations you are truly Australia's number one restaurant (that is my view anyway)!!
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putrino -
See my reviews 2, 30 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 9 |
Value 8 |
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A restaurant that has passed the test of time and it is easy to see why. Will be returning soon.
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Mick5 -
See my reviews 2, 25 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 10 |
Service 10 |
Value 6 |
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Brilliant. Great service, unbelievable food and a view to cherish. Even got a peek at Matt Moran who was talking to friends at another table. The whole experience was lovely. You can tell Matt doesn't let small details pass by. From start to finish, it was a night to remember.
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Pete&Lynn -
See my reviews 4, 18 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 7 |
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Lovely views with food and service to match. We had the duck consomme, pork belly, beef, lamb and chocolate and they were all fantastic. The wines were quite expensive, but that won't stop us from going back again.
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SB80 -
See my reviews 11, 17 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 3 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 6 |
Value 5 |
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Food was certainly not exciting, very overrated! Wine list was very good with competent service but certainly not the best. Others are better at it in Sydney though the list is well composed. Service seemed scared.
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navi -
See my reviews 3, 09 August 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 9 |
Value 6 |
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At the end of the day it is always a case of managing expectations at the higher quality establishments. Aria did this admirably and it was good to see Matt Moran in the Kitchen as well. Food is top quality. Good produce, composed and presented perfectly.
I had the Squab and Trevalla. My wife had the Lobster Ravioli and the Petuna Ocean Trout. Couldn't fault either, although if anything the squab was ever so slightly off being perfectly cooked. Service was perfect and the sommelier recommended a fantastic wine to accompany our meal.
Aria is comparable to some of the well known overseas 2 and 3 Star establishments (with the price tag to match!)
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jd_aus -
See my reviews 9, 05 August 2008
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