Former Chef of the Year Paul Farag opens a sibling venue to his two-hatted Aalia, where Middle Eastern bar snacks and wine “curiosities” reign supreme.
Steak frites may be a fixture on Sydney menus, but there’s only one place serving it as a wood-seared rump cap finished with a fenugreek and harissa-spiced “Cafe de Cairo” butter.
You can find it in Aalia Wine Room, a new casual extension of two-hatted Middle Eastern restaurant Aalia at Martin Place.
The menu was created by former Good Food Guide Chef of the Year Paul Farag, who has taken the North African and Arabic flavours of Aalia and adapted them to a relaxed, wine-bar setting.
The more casual format has allowed Farag to “loosen up the rule book a little bit” and add wine-friendly dishes such as charcuterie and cheese.
“That was something people have always asked for in Aalia, but it never really stayed true to my vision of the restaurant because Middle Eastern cheeses aren’t really eaten at the end of the meal like you would in, say, French dining,” Farag says.
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Both will be served mezze-style. The charcuterie currently features squid and truffle salami, beef pastrami and cured pork neck, while the cheese plate includes ashed goat’s cheese and Langres – a French washed rind.
The menu also includes familiar bistro staples reimagined through a Middle Eastern lens. There’s a gilda, skewered with bastourma, pickles and a quail egg, and anchovy toasts spread with muhammara – a smoky-sweet red capsicum and walnut dip.
A fish shawarma is designed to be eaten by hand, wrapped up in flatbread with a Murray cod wing, pickles, lettuce and toum.
Farag will also bring back a few fan-favourite dishes such as the hawashi, a pan-fried Egyptian street-food pastry stuffed with minced lamb, nuts and onions, and terrific with beer.
“It was something we had on the menu for a while at Aalia, and then, as most chefs do, I got sort of sick of cooking the same thing. But we’re putting it back on, and maybe the sujuk-stuffed artichoke will come back too. We want the menu to be fun and fluid and a lot more specials-orientated.”
The wine list, created by sommelier Sarah O’Dwyer, features 235 labels, with 31 available by the glass. It’s designed to encourage exploration, and includes a section on “curiosities”, such as an “Albino Pinot” from L.A.S Vino in Margaret River, and an Austrian blend of zweigelt and blaufrankisch grapes.
A dedicated “discovery hour”, running Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm to 6pm, invites guests to blind-select a wine special, which is revealed tableside.
The design of the venue follows Aalia’s lead. The two-level space is completely glass-fronted, featuring spotted gum timber accents and banquette seating, inspired by Harry Seidler’s original MLC architecture, with seating for 42.
“It’s a beautiful fishbowl. If you like people-watching, it’s the perfect spot,” Farag says.
“We’re going to roll the dice and see if we can get a licence for outside because we would love to have a little area where you can sit in the sun. One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon is share a bottle of wine outdoors and watch people go by.”
Open Tue-Fri noon-late, Sat 5pm-late
Erina Starkey – Erina is the Good Food App Editor for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Previously, Erina held a number of editing roles at delicious.com.au and writing roles at Broadsheet and Concrete Playground.
