Aalia
Spice-fragrant oasis in a corporate precinct.
16/20
Middle Eastern$$
Dining at this sweeping, gleaming post-work go-to above Martin Place must be a conflicting time for vegetarians. The menu is rife with plant-centric goodness, from heirloom carrots with carrot top sahawiq salsa, to Egyptian baked rice heady with earthy baharat spice, to carrot ice-cream spooned across turmeric sponge. (Chef Paul Farag really likes carrots.) But a table near the dry-ageing fridge also means looking at a squadron of headless ducks all night, each carcass waiting to be roasted and teamed with a tangy walnut and pomegranate sauce based on Persian stew fesenjan.
That duck, however, is straight-up delicious. See also, black cardamom-fragrant beef nayyeh; zippy fattoush reimagined on a cracker; juicy quail skewers; and cuttlefish enhanced with ummak huriyya, a type of Tunisian carrot salad. More Middle Eastern adventures like this in the city, please. The duck-averse can always request another table.
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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/nsw-good-food-guide/aalia-20231023-p5eso1.html