The April Hit List: Aalia, Parlar, The Mayflower St Leonard, and More

With Aalia, executive chef Paul Farag wanted to reconfigure what people’s expectations of Middle Eastern could be. Inspired by some deep research – he picked up Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq’s Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook for his personal library, as well as Ottoman and Egyptian volumes that are more than 500 years old – he’s created a menu that uses ingredients that you might not instantly associate with the region (tamarind, taro, marjoram). He’s also transformed ummak huriyya (a Tunisian salad) into a butter for couscous, flavoured a tart with muhammara and created a version of om ali (Egyptian bread and butter pudding) that’s influenced by French kouign-amann. His eggplant mes ‘a’ aha is built on memories of the version his Egyptian dad made on a near-weekly basis through his childhood. Its spiced tomato sauce is perfectly designed for scooping with Aalia’s khorasan pita.

Call +61 2 9182 5880 to make a reservation.

The team behind Franca brasserie has a new venue and its menu mines the region where the Spanish border meets the south-west of France for ideas. At Parlar, executive chef José Saulog evokes Catalonia with his take on pan con tomate (grilled tomato bread), remixes patatas bravas as a gratin and is reimagining manchego as ‘stracciatella’. And if you’re after dessert, this blending of French and Spanish influences continues: the crema Catalana is sweetened with caramelised white chocolate, while the many-layered crepe cake is flavoured with dulce de leche and hazelnut.

Gunjan Aylawadi has relocated her Flyover Fritterie eatery from its tiny CBD location to a more expansive Redfern site. Its original menu of pakoras (Indian vegetable fritters) and chai has been upsized, too. Settle in for a jaffle with dosa potatoes, bowl of tomato rasam khichri or the nut-topped kheer (rice pudding) with saffron, cardamom and rose flourishes. Her vegan-friendly options are available to take away, which also provides a good excuse to stockpile her excellent pantry-friendly items for your home (her coconut crunch, tamarind chutney and achari mango will add a crucial zap of flavour to anything they’re added to).

Call +61 415 908 085 to make a reservation.

Some venues compare their site to an art gallery, but The Mayflower St Leonards has a legitimate claim to such a description: the eatery is host to Refik Anadol’s hyper-colourful and dynamic Quantum Memories, which previously appeared on the biggest LED screen at Melbourne’s NGV during the art institution’s Triennial exhibition. Mayflower St Leonards is also currently home to Don De Lamour’s Butterfly Habitat installation, which shows thousands of the pretty winged insects mid-flight. These are just some ways this recently opened venue is setting itself apart from its Darlinghurst predecessor. Its extravagant menu is about living large: there’s a caviar tasting, lobster sashimi and plenty of high-roller Champagne, too (if your budget can cover a $670 bottle of Cristal from 2013).

Rafael Barrozzi and Gionela Zottola have Venezuelan heritage, but they want to make their La Latina canteen as representative of Latin America as possible. They acknowledge that certain dishes have both Colombian and Venezuelan roots (such as the arepas, or the wonderful grilled cheese bread that’s known as cachapas where they’re from). When they became new owners of the venue last April, they also broadened the selection to include burrito bowls and more vegan and vegetarian options, too. La Latina also operates as a handy spot to pick up pantry items for regional staples (like corn flour for arepas) and its menu is conveniently very takeaway-compatible, too (especially the obleas dessert: supersized wafers sweetened with Colombian arequipe).

Walk-ins only.

Since it opened a few months ago, Odd Culture in Newtown has been getting decent notices for its menu: from the smoked pork jowl pancake with chilli maple and fried egg (one of many wake-up calls from the brunch selection) to the chicken liver pâté levelled up with fish sauce caramel. Credit goes to chefs Jesse Warkentin and James MacDonald, who previously were at Continental Deli and Hubert respectively, but the venue also has a secret weapon in Darwin Su, who is known for his Ferments’ Lab side hustle (where he’s experimented with tempeh – a staple of his native Indonesia – as well as miso, soy sauce and other fermented foods). The tomato garum served with the celeriac ‘maltagliati’ at this all-day eatery? That’s his handiwork and it’s one of Odd Culture’s vegan hits, too.

Call (02) 8317 3057 to make a reservation.

Bridget Raffal is a force to be reckoned with. At Sixpenny, the sommelier noticed there were barely any female winemakers on the drinks list, so she bumped up their representation significantly – they accounted for more than half the wine list when she finished up at the three-hat restaurant. Her dedication to spotlighting female talent continues at Where’s Nick wine bar, where she is currently beverage director and general manager. Here, the award-winning sommelier might pour you something good by the nuns who tend to the vineyards for Monastero Suore or some ‘Obstgarten K’ riesling by Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown, which is co-run by Tessa Brown.

If you venture down Chippendale’s Kensington Street, there are many culinary detours you could take. Slip into Paripé’s cosy hideout and the Cantabrian anchovies, serves of Jamón ibérico and burnt Basque cheesecake might send you into Spanish territory. You can also expect Paripé’s take on classic tapas bites –croquetas, patatas bravas, garlic mushrooms – and the Mediterranean atmosphere is further reinforced via the drinks list, with Santamanía’s Madrid Reserva gin, La Bota malt whisky and other drops from Spain to chase your thirst.

When Sarah O’Brien and Mejdi Grira decided to open Best Bagel Co., they must’ve known there’d be a big-time pressure to live up to such a name. But they’re getting there by doing good for the community – via their charity-minded specials (chef Colin Fassnidge’s potato mayo mash and thick-cut ham creation has helped raise money for OzHarvest) – and being transparent about paying staff above-award wages (given how many underpayment scandals have rocked the hospitality world in recent years, this is a noteworthy thing). Ingredients and packaging are picked with sustainability in mind, so when you order the Reuben bagel with grass-fed wagyu pastrami or the one with the organic mushroom, roasted kale and ricotta filling, there’s a good chance you’re doing the right thing.

Walk-ins only.

Alma in Avalon has a new addition to the family, just a half hour drive away: St Alma in Freshwater. Both venues have Mexican-inspired menus, breezy, Northern Beaches locations and certain dishes in common – corn truffle empanadas, prawn aguachile, al pastor pork belly and grilled fish tacos for instance. St Alma, however, does its own thing by presenting tuna crudo, glazed Jerusalem artichokes with charred tomatillo, dry-aged John Dory with sage brown butter and other unique offerings.