AmyHuang
Jason KingAlio
March 29th 2006 06:42
5 Baptist St Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia - (02) 8394 9368
Like the proverbial diamond in the rough, you can find Alio off the main street rush, and in a dimly lit Baptist Street; a swanky restaurant unashamedly in East Redfern. Alio is a well established restaurant and bar, and offers fantastic food at rather kind prices. In a wonder of international influence, Aussie chef Ashley Hughes, having trained both in Italy and at London's River Cafe, delivers modern Italian food with a southern influence in a very New York-esque space, and is the perfect night out. An amuse-gueule of delicate cauliflower soup in little coffee mugs is wonderfully quaint, and while being intensely creamy it sets the tone for the rest of the night, the restaurant taking care of most of the little, usually-forgotten pleasures.
Potato gnocchi with pork sausages, chestnuts, and salsa rosa is a generous serve of melt in the mouth gnocchi, with a rich and complex tomato sauce, given a wonderful sweetness and nuttiness from the pieces of chestnut which lift the dish. This is a favourite, and is passed around. One person remarks "If I could make a sauce like this I could retire"; it's that good. And it's this type of care that makes Alio worthwhile. Sure, some dishes seem to lack that same flair, despite being textbook perfect technique; like a risotto of borlotti beans, pancetta and peas - the rice is cooked perfectly al dente, and is suitably rich and creamy - but it lacks a spark to separate it from other efforts. But this is perfectly excusable in light of brilliant touches such as the sorbet mid-course, a scoop of pineapple sorbet presented on a cute soup spoon. It's rejuvenating, and wonderfully fresh, being house made everyday from real fruit pulp. A definite must.
It's this confidence with fresh flavours that the Alio crew demonstrates, also evident with the bresaola, rocket and goats curd salad, dressed simply with a good balsamic. And does anyone recognise the green, white and red combination? No, I'm not giving you a hint.
The waiters are dressed uniformly in black, and are always helpful and friendly, despite sometimes being a bit vague in terms of the menu. They come bearing the pork loin with artichoke and spinach; a wonderful, rosy pink loin perfectly paired with saut‚ed spinach and artichokes in a dark jus. The edge of the meat is crisp, and the fat, succulent and melting, marries brilliantly with the salty leafy spinach. A piece of strong, salty crackling is probably unnecessary; it overpowers whatever else you eat it with and is best left aside. But don't take this as a criticism; you can easily remove it, and this is definitely a memorable dish. As is the fresh pasta with crab, fennel and lemon, wonderful homemade pasta receiving the much lighter and delicate flavours it deserves. A well considered wine list has a nice mix of Italian and Australian wines to choose from, with many by the glass which we sampled, and is not too expensive for this standard of restaurant. As a plus, there is also a bar for pre or post drinks (or both if you're that way inclined). The very modern room can be slightly noisy, but the chairs are comfortable, and the tables thankfully spaced far enough apart to quell the temptation of interjecting into the neighbouring discussion.
Desserts are right on the money too; a vibrant strawberry, raspberry and blueberry tart with raspberry sorbet is the essence of summer. It is wonderfully refreshing, and the perfect combination of light fruit with a biscuity crust and cream base. The apple and chestnut tart with chestnut icecream is a brilliantly thin, crisp tart which is fruity and nutty, and nicely counterbalanced with a much richer icecream. Both are testament to a kitchen which pays attention to detail.
It's a pleasure to find a place where there is an honest effort to make good food. Alio goes the extra yard; thought has clearly been put into the little aspects of the food and the restaurant. And the result is an experience which leaves you satisfied, awoken to wonderful Italian food, feeling inspired to return, and with change in your hand.
Like the proverbial diamond in the rough, you can find Alio off the main street rush, and in a dimly lit Baptist Street; a swanky restaurant unashamedly in East Redfern. Alio is a well established restaurant and bar, and offers fantastic food at rather kind prices. In a wonder of international influence, Aussie chef Ashley Hughes, having trained both in Italy and at London's River Cafe, delivers modern Italian food with a southern influence in a very New York-esque space, and is the perfect night out. An amuse-gueule of delicate cauliflower soup in little coffee mugs is wonderfully quaint, and while being intensely creamy it sets the tone for the rest of the night, the restaurant taking care of most of the little, usually-forgotten pleasures.
Potato gnocchi with pork sausages, chestnuts, and salsa rosa is a generous serve of melt in the mouth gnocchi, with a rich and complex tomato sauce, given a wonderful sweetness and nuttiness from the pieces of chestnut which lift the dish. This is a favourite, and is passed around. One person remarks "If I could make a sauce like this I could retire"; it's that good. And it's this type of care that makes Alio worthwhile. Sure, some dishes seem to lack that same flair, despite being textbook perfect technique; like a risotto of borlotti beans, pancetta and peas - the rice is cooked perfectly al dente, and is suitably rich and creamy - but it lacks a spark to separate it from other efforts. But this is perfectly excusable in light of brilliant touches such as the sorbet mid-course, a scoop of pineapple sorbet presented on a cute soup spoon. It's rejuvenating, and wonderfully fresh, being house made everyday from real fruit pulp. A definite must.
The waiters are dressed uniformly in black, and are always helpful and friendly, despite sometimes being a bit vague in terms of the menu. They come bearing the pork loin with artichoke and spinach; a wonderful, rosy pink loin perfectly paired with saut‚ed spinach and artichokes in a dark jus. The edge of the meat is crisp, and the fat, succulent and melting, marries brilliantly with the salty leafy spinach. A piece of strong, salty crackling is probably unnecessary; it overpowers whatever else you eat it with and is best left aside. But don't take this as a criticism; you can easily remove it, and this is definitely a memorable dish. As is the fresh pasta with crab, fennel and lemon, wonderful homemade pasta receiving the much lighter and delicate flavours it deserves. A well considered wine list has a nice mix of Italian and Australian wines to choose from, with many by the glass which we sampled, and is not too expensive for this standard of restaurant. As a plus, there is also a bar for pre or post drinks (or both if you're that way inclined). The very modern room can be slightly noisy, but the chairs are comfortable, and the tables thankfully spaced far enough apart to quell the temptation of interjecting into the neighbouring discussion.
Desserts are right on the money too; a vibrant strawberry, raspberry and blueberry tart with raspberry sorbet is the essence of summer. It is wonderfully refreshing, and the perfect combination of light fruit with a biscuity crust and cream base. The apple and chestnut tart with chestnut icecream is a brilliantly thin, crisp tart which is fruity and nutty, and nicely counterbalanced with a much richer icecream. Both are testament to a kitchen which pays attention to detail.
It's a pleasure to find a place where there is an honest effort to make good food. Alio goes the extra yard; thought has clearly been put into the little aspects of the food and the restaurant. And the result is an experience which leaves you satisfied, awoken to wonderful Italian food, feeling inspired to return, and with change in your hand.
| 50 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
