It’s been a while since we dined out so when our friend asked for recommendations, we immediately suggested the luminous Aalia, a Middle Eastern restaurant we had been seeing all over our Instagram feed. Located in Martin Place behind a few corporate skyscrapers, Aalia’s golden glow brought an inviting warmth to our cold Winter night.
We dined as a group of 7 for their à la carte menu, with a total bill of $1200 🤗. We skipped the Raw section because our friend was allergic to fish.
We dined as a group of 7 for their à la carte menu, with a total bill of $1200 🤗. We skipped the Raw section because our friend was allergic to fish.
Mezze
One of the best things about sitting near the kitchen was the beautiful aroma of freshly baked Khorasan pita drifting towards us. We immediately ordered 8. They were $9 each. The exterior was a crispy, enjoyable shell with a sprinkle of garlic powder and salt. The inside was soft and fluffy, like a light but dense cloud. This was paired with the eggplant.
Apologies for the blurry photo. This was a one take wonder 😗. It may not look appealing but boy, this eggplant and spiced tomato was incredibly flavourful. It had a wet and cold mouthfeel, contrasted by the warmth of the irressitabily delicious garlic pita. This was $25 each; we got two.
This was smoked buffalo yoghurt, beetroot molasses for $20. It was a smooth textural bite, with a creamy and light aftertaste. There was a slight acidic tone (quite nice to our Asian tastebuds!) and it was complemented well by the refreshing leaves.
The hand stretched haloumi, kohlrabi, marjoram for $23 was well seasoned with a crispy crust. Eating it with a slice of pickled radish wrapped around it really enhanced the sweetness and cheesiness of both elements. The haloumi was tender and not too chewy. It was a good portion.
Again, apologies for my blurry photos 😗 This was quail skewer, Egyptian spinach, barberries for $16 each. The lamb was succulent and tender, coming right off the skewer. It was savoury and delicious, with minuscule drops of sweetness from the barberries. Everyone ate this with happy nods and mmmms.
This bone marrow, chermoula, pickled walnut for $28 was soft and flavourful, melting into the bread underneath. It had a very moist and soft mouthfeel, with patches of refreshingly swee and chunky tomatoes.
It was one of the last dishes brought out so by this point, a lot of us were full. I was the lucky candidate to finish this dish but I found the oil and bone marrow combination too greasy. If you get this dish to share, it’s a great choice. If you’re a fatty who wants the whole dish to yourself, you may find yourself heavy breathing.
It was one of the last dishes brought out so by this point, a lot of us were full. I was the lucky candidate to finish this dish but I found the oil and bone marrow combination too greasy. If you get this dish to share, it’s a great choice. If you’re a fatty who wants the whole dish to yourself, you may find yourself heavy breathing.
I don’t know why Mick ordered two of this Pharoah’s foie gras, pickled grape, broad beans for $46 each. The server said this was designed to be enjoyed on its own, without any bread, but my gosh, there were pockets of salt that made it too overwhelming (which was so unfortunate for my friends who were trying foie gras for the first time! 🙃).
The nuts and grapes helped balance it a bit but it was not enough. The foie gras itself was very smooth, rich and flavourful. For a fanatic, this was good (but some bread would have made it better) however for a newcomer dipping their toes into the exotic foods, this was too much and we do not recommend ordering it.
The nuts and grapes helped balance it a bit but it was not enough. The foie gras itself was very smooth, rich and flavourful. For a fanatic, this was good (but some bread would have made it better) however for a newcomer dipping their toes into the exotic foods, this was too much and we do not recommend ordering it.
Mains
For our mains, we ordered the AACO full blood wagyu striploin 9+ with North African mustard
for $140. This was delicious, executed well (medium rare) and hit the spot for all our steak cravings 🤤. Some of the end pieces were a little too fattening even with the sharp mustard sauce, which made it hard to finish, but overall it was a satisfying dish.
The dry aged duck, walnut, pomegranate for $44 was definitely the best dish of the night. The duck was sooo juicy and tender, with a fine crispy layer of skin and rendered fat. The additional pomegranate were perfect accents of refreshing sweetness throughout the bite. This was the only main dish that was licked clean.
The lamb neck shawarma, tarator, pickles for $56 was pulled apart at our table by our server. It was a little greasy and heavy, but that was to be expected of lamb due to its saturated fats. There was a good amount of pickles and lemon juice (tarator sauce) to cut through the greasiness. And the mountain bread was thin and light, so it made it easier to soak up the protein.
The persimmon, golden beetroot, cara-whey for $16 was a revitalizing side dish, much welcomed among the heavier meat dishes. The thin slices of persimmon brought about sweet and sour tones in a refreshing way in the bite.
These heirloom carrots, carrot top chili, yoghurt for $18 was very straightforward; roasted sweetness with a touch of acidity.
The watercress, pomelo, sumac for $16 was also another simple dish; refreshing and acidic.
Finally we had the burnt cabbage, garlic butter for $16. This was really delicious and buttery. It was a dimensional bite, with the charredness and addicting savoury flavours of garlic. The texture was soft and creamy.
Service
The service was impeccable. Our server was seriously on the ball with all his recommendations, his attentiveness and his charisma. He reminded all of us of Gong Yoo (from Squid Games) 😍.
Review
We were very impressed by Aalia. There were so many options on their menu. The food was mostly delicious (some were hit and miss but that is subjective to our palate). And the interior design was magnificent. We had an amazing time celebrating our friend’s birthday so again, apologies for the blurry photos and the simple review – sometimes we want to enjoy the moment too 🥰.
Thank you for reading! Happy eating.
Thank you for reading! Happy eating.
