Ides

Where fine-dining spells are cast.

November 18, 2024

1 / 9Ides is an intimate restaurant and bar.Josh Robenstone

3 / 9Pineapple melon pre-dessert.Gemima Cody

4 / 9Goat cheese, macadamia nuts, artichoke.Eddie Jim

5 / 9Roast snapper, green onion, broccoli.Eddie Jim

6 / 9Inside Smith Street’s Ides.Simon Schluter

7 / 9Asparagus with wild garlic.Paul Jeffers

8 / 9Stuffed shiitake mushroom. Paul Jeffers

16.5/20

Contemporary$$$$

Intensity takes many forms at Ides. An inky-dark room big on sensual details like felt and leather, and a marathon menu of bone marrow, scallops and wagyu, with plenty of knockout flavour punches.

Celeriac puree is enriched by flame-coloured egg yolk and curls of truffle that bring boujee to the barnyard. Cured mackerel is covered in a kaleidoscope of salty things, from wrinkly capers to crumbled sobrasada. The full-throttle flavour of wagyu short-rib is intensified by a rocky crust of sesame and wild rice plus a battalion of sides (roasted bone marrow with fermented garlic puree leads the pack).

Gestures such as the etching of butter into a honeycomb pattern, with laser-sharp edges and a hue just as yellow, are a statement of high-end dining’s superpowers and a reminder why we go to restaurants such as these.