There’s plenty to love at two-hat Aalia’s new wine bar. Shame it breaks this important rule

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Lovers of chef Paul Farag’s Middle Eastern cooking, rejoice – there’s a new bar in town featuring his food. Best of all, you don’t need to make a booking to try it − you can walk straight in.

The latest jewel in the ESCA hospitality crown (see also Nour, Henrietta, Ito, Joji and Besa) is a wine-focused casual offshoot of the group’s two-hat restaurant, Aalia, where Farag has helmed the kitchen since it opened in 2022. Here, the former Good Food Guide Chef of the Year winner presents a Middle Eastern and North African-inspired menu that bridges the gap between snack and meal.

Aalia Wine Room’s party line is “wine without rules”. I’m here to tell you it’s definitely not “food without rules”. We find out, once we’re seated and attempt to order a bite to eat, that we’re not allowed access to the full menu until 5pm (it’s 4.45, and they won’t budge).

We wait the requisite 15 minutes and order raw kingfish, lifted with the citric pops of finger lime caviar, served on a piece of crisp bread. Globe artichokes, fried to an inch of their fleshy, earthy lives, are garnished with a lick of tahini. A puff of scorchy pita bread made on khorasan flour is the perfect foil for labneh housing a pool of caramelised onions, dusted with sumac.

Squooshy Egyptian-style eggplant is cooked down in tomato sauce until it kind of resembles a paste. Lamb hawashi translates as shredded lamb encased in beautifully fine layers of golden pastry with an intense, concentrated black garlic sauce, best served with a squeeze of lemon to cut the richness.

Sommelier Sarah O’Dwyer is behind the drinks here. The curation is pretty thorough. There’s some fun stuff on offer including a crisp, citrusy new-style sauvignon blanc from Tassie producers Torchbearer, and a fruit-forward field blend rose from Blewitt Springs vineyard MMAD. Further from home, there’s a dry, oaky and slightly funky ribolla/friulano from Oslavia winemakers Fiegl. Build your own flight from $69 for the standard offering, or spend a little extra and try a few of their rarer drops. And if wine doesn’t cut it for you, they make a potent Manhattan.

The 42-seat bar, spanning two levels, is designed by Sydney-based architect Matt Darwon. Downstairs, the light-filled space is spare, mixing stainless steel, timber and iron. It’s best for a quick plate and a glass. Upstairs, a softer, more intimate palette of greys, and low-slung tables dotted around banquettes, makes it better for settling in.

Wherever you choose to sit, the people-watching is primo. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow the most incredible views of Martin Place, where a mix of cashed-up shoppers, local office workers and rubbernecking tourists all breeze past. It’s a wonderful mix of humanity.

So here’s the rub. Staff don’t make a huge effort to be friendly or helpful. Water glasses aren’t filled when we’re seated. One floor member seems actively shocked to see us when we arrive. It could easily be because the bar spans two levels and they’re still new (they opened in late January). Or maybe 4pm on a Friday is a weird time to meet a friend for a glass of wine. Maybe we’re not wearing enough vintage YSL. Whatever the reason, the team could definitely work on bringing some relaxed, friendly energy.

This is a strong offering on the plate and in the glass – there’s plenty to love here on both those fronts. Ultimately, though, I’d love to see this wine list and those bar snacks in a setting that feels a little less cool to the touch. Break all the rules you want, except this one: be hospitable to your customers.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.