Aalia
A former Chef of the Year has opened a Middle Eastern wine bar in Martin Place.
Aalia Wine Room
Middle Eastern$$
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. Find it in Aalia Wine Room, a casual extension of two-hatted Middle Eastern restaurant Aalia at Martin Place.
The menu features plenty of smart, spice-laden snacks from a bastourma and quail egg gilda to anchovy toasts spread with muhammara – a smoky-sweet red capsicum and walnut dip.
The wine list, created by sommelier Sarah O’Dwyer, is designed to encourage exploration with a section dedicated to “curiosities” for the adventurous drinker.
Good to know: A dedicated “discovery hour”, running Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm to 6pm, invites guests to blind-select a wine special, which is revealed tableside.
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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.