Set on the eastern side of Circular Quay, ARIA has magnificent views of the Opera House. The interior is smart and subdued, accentuating the glittering lights of the harbor, and while there is certainly a complement of businesspeople here, there are also couples sharing romantic meals. The food is contemporary, with much of the produce, meat and fish locally sourced. Among the starters, the succulent crab comes with toasted quinoa, peas, garlic chips and, for a rich extra touch, foie gras. Main courses include a rich combination of lamb two ways — a roasted fillet and a confit of lamb belly, with flavorful accompaniments of eggplant purée, tomato and basil fondue in a black-olive sauce. The international wine list, not surprisingly, is strong on Australian bottlings.
Overview
From Andrew Harper
For Americans, the daunting logistics of traveling to Australia frequently confine visits to a few locales: the Great Barrier Reef; Uluru; Sydney. As any of the 20 million Aussies who live happily scattered around the perimeter of this vast desert continent can attest, this is a shame. Australia contains multitudes: lush rain forests; lunar desert landscapes; mountain ranges redolent of the Rockies; swaths of pristine beach; and a diversity of eccentric wildlife that beggars description.
A month spent here would begin to do the country justice. Attitudes are relentlessly genial, from the jungle-clad enclaves of the Northern Territory to the Victorian manors of the Barossa Valley. While Sydney remains a perennial culinary and cultural draw, once-provincial Perth on the west coast has quickly evolved into a buzzing pan-Asian metropolis. The heart of the Australian experience, however, is a communion with nature: the tented quarters of Longitude 131° in the country's awe-inspiring Red Centre define rustic luxury; and the private island resorts off the coast of Queensland offer a chance at a secluded, intimate dalliance with the world's largest marine ecosystem.
December-March is summer in the southern coastal cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, but it is the rainy season on the Barrier Reef and in the Northern Territory. Conversely, June-September is winter, but the cool, dry season on the reef. Nearly half of Australia (which is the size of the lower 48 states) lies within the tropics.
Hotels
All recommended hotels in Australia
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Capella Lodge Tranquil, recently renovated lodge offering a chic and sophisticated beach-house ambience. |
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Four Seasons Hotel Sydney Stylish and recently revitalized 531-room tower hotel overlooking Sydney Harbour/Opera House in the historic Rocks district, within walking distance of the major business and shopping area. |
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Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort & Spa Beautifully refurbished country house-resort amid English gardens along a panoramic ridge overlooking the canyons of the Jamison Valley and Blue Mountains National Park, two hours west of Sydney. |
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Park Hyatt Sydney Fine contemporary hotel at the edge of Sydney Harbour facing the Opera House, a short stroll from the city’s best shops and central business district. |
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The Observatory Hotel A short walk from the lively Rocks area, this is a refined, personalized 100-room hotel. The overall feel is of welcoming comfort, especially in the rooms, which are handsomely designed with mahogany furniture and rich fabrics. |
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Tower Lodge Mission-style lodge (the creation of Australian winemaking legend Len Evans) surrounded by vineyards in the heart of the famed Hunter Valley wine region. |
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Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa Splendid new destination resort on a 4,000-acre former cattle ranch, three hours northwest of Sydney in the Blue Mountains of the Great Dividing Range. |
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Longitude 131 Unique desert hideaway straddling an isolated red dune and providing unobstructed views of Ayers Rock, 20 minutes from the Ayers Rock airport. |
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Hayman, Great Barrier Reef Lavish island resort in the Whitsunday Passage. Low-profile wings house 210 accommodations; eight new Beach Villas feature private pools and provide sweeping views of the Coral Sea. |
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Lizard Island Sophisticated resort on a remote 2,500-acre island surrounded by white-sand beaches and crystalline lagoons. Forty guest quarters offer spacious living areas leading onto private decks. |
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Dining
All recommended restaurants in Australia
As lively and appealing as downtown Sydney is, you cannot fully understand or appreciate life in this beautiful place until you visit one of the city’s spectacular beaches. Bondi, to the east, is a particular favorite for its stretch of inviting yellow sand and legendary surf. Ideally situated on the cliffs at Bondi’s south end, this bright, predominantly white restaurant offers not only the best panoramic view of the stunning setting through huge windows, but also some of the top food in the city. The menu has an Italian inflection, so you’ll find starters such as luscious tortellini stuffed with scampi in a rich twice-cooked chicken broth with black mushrooms, as well as wonderful main courses such as the free-range Berkshire pork cutlet with pan-roasted yellow peppers, almonds and currants or fresh whole fish with a wide range of condiments such as almond aioli or classic lemon butter. The excellent wine list is particularly good on Italian bottlings. If you can’t secure a reservation, consider sitting at the bar, ordering from the light menu and soaking up the glorious view.
It is hard to beat the view here, right on the water, facing Sydney’s two iconic structures, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Inside, Quay is a bit glitzy, but no matter. The food and the service are superb. The four-course prix fixe is full of tantalizing choices. Among them: a rich congee (Chinese rice porridge) with a generous portion of mud crab meat; the unlikely-sounding but fantastic slow-braised pork cheek with ginger milk curd, heart of palm, greenlip abalone and a chestnut-mushroom consommé; a confit of Suffolk lamb loin with smoked white carrot cream, fennel-infused milk curd, capers, nasturtiums and green almonds; and a chocolate cake that incorporates its main ingredient in eight textures. The extensive wine list offers 29 by-the-glass selections, including sakes and sherries, and an appealing selection of half-bottles and magnums.
Chef Neil Perry is one of the progenitors of the new Australian cooking, and he opened Rockpool 21 years ago to showcase his innovative cuisine using the best Australian products with influences from Asia. Always in the forefront, Perry has recently restyled the restaurant to “Rockpool classic,” rather than the informal place that was its most recent incarnation. For diners, this means white tablecloths and crisp, professional service. What has not changed is Perry’s imaginative cooking. Look for wonderful dishes such as lobster congee with star anise-scented peanuts, Chinese fried bread and chili oil, bass groper fillet poached in a spicy mix of coconut milk and garam masala served with semolina noodles, Chinese roast pigeon with prawn-stuffed eggplant and a black vinegar sauce, and a pain perdu filled with chocolate and hazelnuts with banana ice cream. The 54-page wine list is a joy, with extensive selections of wine by the glass, half-bottle and magnum, and many reasonably priced bottles such as the 2006 Even Keel Tumbarumba Chardonnay (US$56) and the 2006 Henty Estate Shiraz (US$61).