Aria - simply stunning

http://www.ariarestaurant.com/default.asp?action=article&ID=21620

There is a proliferation of cooking shows on TV now days and with cooking shows comes the concept of the celebrity chef.  To be honest, I have mixed feelings about celebrity chefs; I mean they have usually done really well to be at the top of their game to get the opportunities........  but on the other hand, when going to the restaurant of a celebrity chef, it's really unlikely that they will be there.  Do they need to be?  I think so.

Aria's owner is one of the most recognised names in food and Matt Moran has a reputation for uncompromising quality in his two Aria restaurants (Aria Blue & Red).  Aria is located at Eagle Street in the old Pier Nine building and went through extensive renovations a few years back.  Aria Brisbane is a multi award winning restaurant with two coveted chefs hats from the Brisbane Times Good Food Guide as well as being ranked number 34 in the Gourmet Travellers list of top 100 restaurants.  I still remember the first time I went to Aria on the 18th of August 2009, it was a couple of days after it opened to much fanfare and was my birthday!  I loved it then and each time I have been back since.

There was no special occasion today, just lunch with a mate.  Aria has a pretty amazing deal on for lunches; 1 course for $35, 2 courses for $55 and 3 courses for $70.  This represents amazing value for one of the top restaurants in Brisbane.  The menu for the lunch deal is pretty much the same menu for dinner, with only a few small changes, but has a wide range of fantastic options.  EC and I opted for the 3 course option

Before we got started we were presented with a Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Veloute amuse bouche. Traditionally a veloute is a sauce and is one of the five 'mother' sauces in French cuisine, but today was presented in a shot glass as a soup.  Butternut squash is ordinarily part of the vegetable kingdom that I am not particularly fond of, along with pumpkin and sweet potato.  However, I know well by now that rarely does a fine dining dish with these ingredients taste like the vegetables a grew up with and disliked so much.  The veloute was rich and creamy, with a mild earth flavour that went down well.

There was a great selection on offer for entree and I took my time considering the best way to start off the meal.  I ended up with Quail; ballotine with sugar snaps, celery and a tomato and shallot dressing.  The ballotine of quail was cold on the plate and had clearly been cooked to perfection, with two different textures combined.  Surprisingly, there were panko covered wings of the quail as well, which were cooked and warm.  They were exceedingly tasty and the panko crumbs added extra texture to the dish.  The tomato and shallot dressing was absolutely perfect with the subtle taste of the ballotine, with the sugar snaps adding texture and sweetness.  I really like food that I can eat with my hands and had to pick up the quail wings to suck the meat off the bone.  This was a really well balanced and well thought out plate of food.

My lunch buddy EC opted for the Pork Belly;  twice cooked sweet pork belly with apple puree and endive salad.  I have had this dish a number of time so did not experience the usual amount of food envy when I miss out on such a spectacular dish.  As usual, it was presented beautifully on the plate and was indeed pretty as a picture.  The pork was perfectly cooked, with crispy skin that yielded nicely under knife, but was clearly succulent.  EC commented about how much he loved this dish and called it unbelievable.  The apple sauce, such a classic combination with pork belly, worked perfectly and accented the sweetness with just a gentle level of tartness.  EC cleaned the plate in record time and I am positive that he would have licked the plate if no one was around to see.

My main was Chicken; roast breast and leg with sweet corn, leeks and crispy onion rings and it was EC's turn to experience the pangs of food envy.  It must be my week for brown dishes, because there was not a lot of colour on the plate, but wow, was amazing.  I think chicken is often overlooked by people who attend restaurants as it can sometimes be seen as 'Sunday Roast', but I don't fall into that trap (mostly because I never have Sunday roast).  This dish was good, very good.  The chicken was cooked a number of ways with roast breast and leg that was shaped to look like a pork belly.  Very tasty on its own, but when combined with the sweet corn puree and the jus, was taken to a new level of taste sensation.  The onion rings added a little texture to the plate, but the star was the chicken and corn. I would rate this as one of the best chicken dishes I have ever had.  You need to get in and try it!

My lunch companion opted for slightly more simple fare, the Fillet; black angus 150 day grain fed and asked for it to come out medium.  I used to like my steaks cooked the same way, but lately have opted for medium rare, which is how chefs normally like to send out their fillets.  The meat comes out without much accompanying it, so the recommendation is to have sides and EC opted for spiced roast carrots with yoghurt.  EC also opted for a number of sauces to cut through the meaty goodness.  The fillet was perfectly cooked medium and looked exceedingly tender.  The carrots were soft and looked really nice and added some much needed colour to the plate.  Again EC commented about how much he loved the steak, so at this stage of lunch we were both happy chappies!

There was never a discussion about dessert, it was happening.  We looked at the menu again and enquired about the fate of the banoffee, which was a staple of the Aria menu for such a long time and in my opinion the best dessert I have ever had.  We were advised that it had evolved into the Banana; banana and brown sugar parfait, banana sorbet with toasted marshmallow.  We agreed that EC would try this one and I would have a lighter dessert.  When the banana dish came out it was an awe inspiring sight and my food envy meter went up substantially.  There was a beautiful banana flavour and texture, which was offset by a smear of caramel underneath.  The sorbet, marshmallow and parfait mixed together perfectly in what EC could only describe as the perfect dessert.  I think I missed out here and will need to venture back some time to check it out.

I selected Berries; salad of raspberries and strawberries with a buttermilk sorbet.  I have had very similar desserts at a number of other restaurants in the Eagle Street precent most notably at Esquire and Organic Char.  This was up there with with the best of them, but not quite mind blowing like the banana.  There were a heap of different textures on the plate, including jellies, dehydrated raspberries and different cuts of strawberry, along with raspberry sorbet and the delicious buttermilk sorbet.  It was the buttermilk sorbet that pulled this dish together, with a lovely sweetness to cut through the tartness of the berries.  While it was not as decadent as EC's dessert, it was just what I was looking for after such a delicious main.

I was really surprised at how quiet it was both at Aria and the Eagle Street precent in general.  There were only about 8 or 9 tables of people there for lunch today, a mix of families and business people, so to be honest the vibe was not quite there today.  The GFC must still be impacting, but with the sensational deal that Aria has for lunch, I would encourage you to take advantage of this.  The wait staff were really friendly and professional and were there when we needed them, but did not seem to intrude on our general chat throughout the meal.

By the end of the three courses both EC and I were raving about the whole meal and commented that perfect meal would have included the pork belly as an entree, followed by the chicken as the main and finished up with the banana.  So between us we did have the perfect meal, but individually we would need to settle for near perfection.  It was a great lunch and pretty much exactly what I was expecting from one of the great restaurants in brisbane.  Was Matt Moran in the kitchen today, I highly doubt it, but its clear that his high standards continue regardless of his presence.  For this I am eternally grateful and will count the hours until my next visit.

@FoodMeUpScotty