Aalia, Sydney

Ummak huriyya. Sea urchin waraq simsim. Quail skewer with molokhia and barberries. If your experience of Middle Eastern food is limited to kofta and hummus, a visit to Aalia can feel like swapping a mono speaker for seven-channel surround sound.

Paul Farag was an apprentice under Michael Moore at The Summit, before head roles at Four in Hand, Monopole and Fish Butchery. It was Surry Hills’ Nour, however, where the chef really tapped into his Egyptian heritage, diving headfirst into Arabic food culture and history, and transforming conceptions of what Middle Eastern cuisine in Sydney could be.

At Aalia, Farag took things to another level of precision, and his cooking has only become stronger and more innovative at the Martin Place restaurant since it opened in 2022, redefining family favourites and street food staples of Lebanon, Turkey, Iran and North Africa.

Importantly, he also nurtures the talents of younger chefs, boosting individual team members’ confidence to follow their own point of view and ambition in the kitchen.