Your very own Aria

No, not your very own elaborate Italian melody – but your very own two-hatted, modern Australian restaurant-catered fare at your next function or event.

Aria Catering launch party

Acclaimed chef Matt Moran and business partner Peter Sullivan have officially launched Aria Catering; the catering venture formed out of their successful Sydney restaurant and existing Sydney Opera House functions arm, Opera Point Events.

"People have been asking us for ages to cater for special events and private functions, but we’ve been blown away by the increase in these sorts of requests over the last twelve months," said Moran, Aria co-owner.

Harbour view

This means for your next occasion soiree, lunch, dinner, or indeed any meal, at home or a public venue, or indeed private residence, you can feed your guests with canapés and full menus, as well as wine lists, designed by the Aria team. There’s no standard menu – every event will get its own menu based on what is in season, the occasion, theme and so on.

Strickland House, Vaucluse Road, Vaucluse

The Aria Catering launch party was held at Strickland House, a sprawling 1850s villa in Vaucluse with killer harbour views.

View from Strickland House

Back view of Strickland House

We headed first to the serenely stunning gardens for canapés and drinks to start, the grassy space almost as big as the house itself in area.

Taittinger champagne

Taittinger champagne and Echolen wines circulated the grassy gardens, while for some, the views competed with croquet for attention.

Croquet

Along with great white tables, there was a fabulous garden party feel about the evening with both Moran and a selection of Aria Catering’s canapés doing the rounds, courtesy of former Aria head chef and current Opera Point Events head chef Simon Sandall (who will be heading up the Aria Catering kitchens).

Crispy scampi with aioli

We first descend on a wooden tray of crunchy, golden scampi stuck down with aioli. One of my favourite shellfish, the scampi were wrapped in strips of spring roll pastry and deep fried to form crunchy, golden, fan-tailed morsels.

Grabbed by the real scampi tails, these explosively crunchy and delicately encased scampi were a cracking start to the night, the shellfish maintaining some natural sweetness though less firm than a prawn (but I still prefer my scampi raw). The micro coriander furthered the Asian touch.

Smoked salmon and cream cheese terrine

Next to approach us were cubes of strikingly layered smoked salmon terrine. All-sorts cubes of smoked salmon, cream cheese and nori seaweed, topped with salmon roe, were an interesting take on same-old smoked salmon canapés, a little salty and possibly nice with thin crispbread.

Lobster tail with artichoke

The decadence continued with lobster tails and artichoke served on a silver spoon. The firm slices of lobster tail appeared to have been lightly broiled, served without a sauce to let the quality of the ingredients shine. I wish I was able to hunt down a few more of these for more rigorous tasting.

Duck and pea pithiviers

Puffed, golden brown pastry rounds signalled a more filling item in the duck and pea pithiviers. The pastry flaked away to reveal a duck crammed package, richly savoury and dotted with sweet green peas.

Quail ballotine with foie gras

The quail ballotine may not have been in the running for prettiest canapé of the night, but it was certainly a meaty mouthful with foie gras filling, wrapped in thin prosciutto and topped with a dab of sweet raisin-ish sauce.

Cherry tomatoes with cream cheese and pesto

The most visually stunning prize would definitely go to the cherry tomatoes. The cooked and half peeled cherry tomatoes were stuffed from the bottom with cream cheese and a basil pesto; the latter superbly fresh and overall, a clever twist on a classic Italian insalata caprese.

I found the ideal way to eat these was whole and without the slightly tough tomato skin, though they were still a little juicy and drippy – keep away from white tops and dresses.

Seared scallop with chorizo and tomato

I was excited to see more silver spoons coming around on long wooden boards, each with a plump, seared scallop sitting on a vivid dice of tomato and chorizo. The saucy accompaniments surprisingly did not overpower the scallop, which was beautifully cooked and sweetly luscious.

Lamb croquettes with sauce gribiche

The panko crumbed croquettes seemed fresh out of the fryer, still crisp and hot, the crunchy golden crumb hiding an all lamb affair – a little gamey, or lamb-y as I called it – and ideally paired with a creamy sauce gribiche.

The balcony and garden

There was certainly no shortage of canapés, or bubbles really. My heels seemed to be sinking into the grass even more than at the beginning, so I was rather glad to see Moran take to a microphone for the only formal part of the evening before moving out of the garden.

Matt Moran says a few words

He was brief in introducing Aria Catering and thanked those involved in the venture and the launch party. Of course, news from the man himself about the new catering business was exciting, but I admit that I was more excited by the announcement that there was more “entrée style” food inside the house, with rooms set up in themes of more substantial fare.

Seafood display

Jaws dropped at the sight of the seafood 'room', quite the feature piece, perhaps more aptly called “the gigantic pot of ice, oysters and other seafood”. Piled high with ice, the display held an awe-inspiring array of oysters, Alaskan king crab legs and a whole salmon which didn’t really seem intended for eating (lest we grab a bite then pass it around), along with cheesecloth wrapped lemons and sauces.

Oysters, Alaskan crab and salmon - oh my

The (not Sydney rock) oysters covering the ice were fresh, plump and subtly creamy, served with a choice of soy, cocktail and red wine vinaigrette dressings, the latter being my favourite. It took willpower to move away from the display, if only to put the oyster shells on nearby plates for disposal and come back.

Oysters, crab legs and more

No one seemed sure if the Alaskan king crab legs were meant for eating or display, like the fish, although later in the night, encouraged by Moran, a few took crab legs into their own hands.

Cured meats set-up

The cured meats section was also pretty amazing – whole legs of jamon and salamis were strung up above a slicer, and long, wooden boards of capocollo, jamon and biltong, aside huge pots of cornichons and pickled onions.

Biltong, salami, jamon and more

The darkened biltong was by far the softest version I’ve ever tried, almost like a well done steak; perhaps not dried as far as other versions, but also not quite as tasty.

Slicing the jamon

Slicer for the capocollo

Capocollo

The jamon, cut by hand, was bright red, chewy and salty, but no match for the fat streaked capocollo, sliced paper thin with figs and peach segments, almost melting on the tongue with its fatty pork shoulder goodness.

Sourdough bread

Cheese, figs and breadsticks

Next to the meat set up was a huge, rather lonely wheel of parmesan cheese, with sourdough breads, breadsticks, grapes and figs; the cheese conveniently pre cut and quite strong and sharp in flavour.

Asparagus and French mushrooms risotto

And then there was the freshly made risotto, with asparagus, French mushrooms, piled onto a wooden board which was a little unusual. With freshy shaved parmesan cheese on top, it was an intoxicating aroma that drew a crowd around.

Adding cheese to the risotto

The texture of the rice was spot on, possibly just a little over al dente which I don't mind at all, with measured creaminess although a bit too salty for some palates.

View from inside Strickland House

Oh what fun it was to meander from room to room, picking up bits and bobs, eating and then moving to the next bit or bob. I don't think I've ever seen an event catered this way (usually just canapés, buffets or alternate drop three courses). Not only is it novel and exciting, but it's also a great way to get people circulating the rooms, chatting to others and appreciating all the space and not just a dining table.

Beetroot salad with Old Telegraph Road cheese

There was also more food doing the rounds, with waiters ferrying around risotto as well as entrée style salads. This pretty, colourful arrangement featured baby beetroots and possibly even baby turnips (bad memory) with a soft, white, curd-y cheese by Old Telegraph Road.

Seared tuna with seaweed salad

The roll of seared tuna was served on a plate made for the outdoors and a glass of bubbly or wine. I'm quite surprised that I've not seen this before but it's ingenious - no more awkward juggling of glass and finger food; you can have your fish and eat it, and then follow it with a sip.

The barely seared tuna was served with a dab of a ponzu gel; the citrus flavour made for the red raw tuna. The thin circle of daikon beneath was acting more like a suction cap on my portion while the salad was eaten with some difficulty given the toothpick-like cutlery.

DJ and pianist

We'd barely begun to chill in the room with both a DJ and pianist and limited, enviable seating when I spied dessert platters doing the rounds. This was in addition to the never-ending Taittinger and ever-so-helpful waitstaff who kept bringing me fresh glasses as I seemed to misplace my others.

Chocolate coated ice cream pops

Taking me right back to my childhood were (dry ice) smoking plates of ice cream pops, in neapolitan flavours at that. Small balls of ice cream, dipped in respectively coloured chocolate and frozen hard, these were a delight in so many ways - cold, crunchy, sweet and nostalgic.

The vanilla was definitely an ice cream of quality, as too the chocolate while the strawberry tasted a little more artificial despite being my childhood favourite.

Pineapple tarte tatin

The toasty looking pineapple tarte tatin were small in size, yet still such a rich experience. Flaky puff pastry held a ring of caramelly pineapple, sweetly spiced and quite divine even without the addition of whipped cream. This was light years better than any apple tarte tatin I've had - I'm afraid I might only eat pineapple versions from now on.

Dessert platters

There were also tiered platters of desserts, petite sized sugar hits that wouldn't look out of place at high tea. I'm not sure if I'm proud that I had at least one of each, though I was definitely happy after it. The mini pavlova would have to be the favourite of the lot. Topped with diced mango, it was a sweet, chewy summer explosion in one bite.

The little cheesecake and chocolate ganache squares were decadent and thankfully small, while two types of mini macarons - strawberry and something purple - were a little softer than I'm used to but easy enough in two mouthfuls.

The aftermath of the seafood display

It was getting late on a school night when I managed to get myself out of my seat post desserts and another glass of bubbles, with the crowd thinning a little (not lots) and the oyster coverage on the ice having thinned much more. I wonder who's job it was to empty the giant vessel out of seafood and fishy ice water, or if some machine was needed.

Snaps with Matt Moran (centre)

Moran was still circulating, probably taking in the awesome launch party and likely positive responses to Aria Catering already. I desperately needed to leave, before I was tempted to eat another mouthful or put that salmon and some crab legs in my handbag.

Jamon - it's time to go

It had been a seriously awesome night, with much generosity in the food and booze department. It was a real taste of what it could be like to have my own little version of Aria - and I liked what I saw and tasted.

Many thanks to Aria Catering and Starr Public Relations for the invite to the launch party - hope it all goes as well as the launch.

The price of precious metal

Taking part in the weekend yum cha crowds doesn't top the list for my favourite weekend activities. But it must be done if you're after a huge variety of freshly steamed dumplings, or golden fried  tidbits, or other traditional Cantonese yum cha fare.

We're at Zilver one Saturday morning with half of Sydney it seems; all patiently waiting and craning to hear the inaudible, jumbled raffle ticket numbers being called out. Fear sets in that you may have missed your calling - I think we checked with the front desk three times to see if our number had been called.

Dai ji gow - scallop dumplings from Zilver, Hay Street, Haymarket

Eventually we get into a slightly crammed spot and sigh, then immediately look out for desirable food. For me, scallops have an irresistable magnetic attraction - I have to work real hard to not order them if they're on a menu. The scallops are a little difficult to find in these dumplings, which also felt like they'd done a few rounds while we were waiting outside. Dunked in chilli sauce though, it's hard to really tell.

Braised honeycomb tripe

Not my offal of choice, these honeycomb-patterned strips, while vibrant in colour and marinade, were a little too chewy for ladylike consumption. Don't try talking with an entire piece in your mouth unless someone nearby knows the Heimlich maneuvre.

Pai gwut - pork spare ribs

The steamed pork spare ribs were easier eating, although still a little messy with bone-littered plates all over the table. This dish came with large pieces of taro steamed with the pork ribs; a very nice surprise as I have taro so rarely in its pure form (that is, not powdered in a milk tea or in sweet bun).

Siu mai - pork and prawn dumplings

The siu mai are boisterous little things; stuffed to the max with minced pork with a whole prawn and fish row added on top for mostly visual purposes. Delectable with chilli sauce and an absolute must-have.

Har cheung - prawn rice noodle rolls

The har cheung here also seemed to have done a few rounds, presented to us in a lukewarm state and as ever, drowning in a sweet soy sauce. These rice noodles are delicate stuff: too hot and they stick, too cold and they just don't have the silkiness that makes them so great.

Prawn wontons

We don't normally get the deep fried items, but one of us are unable to resist the perfectly formed and fried prawn wontons, like beautiful, golden yellow crowns filled with nothing but prawns. This was served with a plain mayonnaise and a green tinted wasabi mayonnaise.

Beef balls

This was actually the first time I'd ever had the beef balls, ordered by a devotee. Despite their intimidatingly large size, they are actually really light, the meat taking on a mousse-y texture and thus making for delightful, slightly whimsical eating. Who thought beef could be so light? These are steamed and served with a vinegary sauce that had mandarin peel notes.

Har gow - prawn dumplings

Last but not least, good old dependable har gow - these ones fresh hot from the steamer and an appropriate end note, with chilli sauce, of course.

Tofu fa - tofu dessert

In absence of my favourite coconut jelly (they only had the one with red beans in it), I had tofu fa, which was not at its best. It lacked smooth silkiness, which is one of the primary traits of this dish, but was still edible, especially with the subtle ginger syrup.

In all, the weekend yum cha affair takes a good couple of hours including the wait, though lunch is seldom needed afterwards. And that's the price of Zilver.

High and certainly not dry

As part of the Crave Sydney International Food Festival last month, I dragged some girls up several flights of escalators in the city’s Queen Victoria Building to feast at the newly opened Bacco Wine Bar Pasticceria on level 2. With beautiful surrounds and Bacco’s own fitout quite impressive, we’d decided to take it all in and linger over Saturday afternoon high tea.

Sparkling wine with high tea at Bacco Wine Bar Pasticceria,
Level 2, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney

We have the sparkling wine option – a flute of something fizzy and frivolous to start the session in one of the shop’s inside booths. Most of the seating options are actually outside of the store, tables and chairs in the plush retail surrounds of the QVB’s level 2.

Bacco high tea

It was one of those days to be indoors with food – and sure, why not a drink – wiling away time with gossip, advice and all things girly. Having never had high tea before, I was mostly excited by the thought of tiers of food before me, especially the cakes.

Our second high tea stand

The descent of our high tea platters is a rather exciting moment – two three-tiered stands filled with our high tea goodies and so tall that I have to get up to view the cakes. They’ve arranged our high tea for three over two stands, although the first thing I notice is that there’s only two halves of a cannoli – that already does not bode well.

Middle tier plate of savouries

We naturally head to the centre of the stands first, savoury to start. Rather than finger sandwiches, there’s a bit of an Italian theme to these bread creations, on foccacia and looking very appetising.

Smoked salmon, cheese and dill sandwich bite

The smoked salmon item was on a little square of bread with a crumbly white cheese (feta, perhaps), topped off with a small piece of jewel-orange salmon and fresh sprigs of dill. It was a cute bite on the slightly crisp bread, the saltiness of the cheese just right with the smoked salmon.

MiddleRoast capsicum and olive tapenade

The other bite was topped with an olive tapenade and bit of roasted red capsicum – the former a little overpowering on the tiny bit of bread, while the capsicum provided some offsetting sweetness.

Prosciutto, bocconcini, tomato and basil mini sandwich

The unanimous favourite was the one most resembling a sandwich: thick squares of foccacia sandwiching prosciutto, a slice of bocconcini, tomato and basil – salad and indeed sandwich perfection. Reminds me of a deli sandwich I had on the southern Italian island of Capri.

We got through most of the sandwiches pretty well, but then realised that there was a long way to go and only limited stomach capacity left. This high tea thing was not going to end in a ladylike fashion.

Friand on bottom tier plate - carb fest

The scones plate was not just scones at all. There was a plain scone for us each with jam and cream on the side, but there were also friands, brioche slices and an apple Danish, all garnished with scattered fresh strawberries and dried apricots. This was the scary carb-loaded plate of flours and sugars.

(Clockwise from top)
Scones, brioche, friands and whipped cream

I start easy on the small brioche slice with a sugared top surface, itself rich and buttery but cut so thin as to fool me into a false texture of lightness. I’m not the hugest fan of friands so I skipped my half in favour of the apple danish, which was flakey and crisp under its sweet glaze with a filling of custard and diced apple.

Scone with strawberry jam and cream

And then it was time to take on, essentially, the main course - the scone. I’ve had many a hard and stodgy scone before, which probably contributes to my non-appreciation of them. However, after splitting this floury monster on my plate, slathering a thin layer of whipped cream and dolloping on copious amounts of strawberry jam, I realise that this is not a stodgy version but a surprisingly light one with fluffy insides. QQQ88P6QKHMD

While the outsides maintained a softly crisp layer, the insides were almost to the point of springy and simply divine with the jam (which seemed gracefully low on seeds). Definitely one of my better scone memories, but even then I could only get through half of it if I had any chance of trying the cakes.

Top tier plate of cakes

Probably more than an hour in – cake time, finally. Despite being about 85% full, I was determined to get through as much of the last plate as possible. However, it just wasn’t going to happen. I decided to stake my claim on one of the cannoli halves, knowing well the Bacco cannoli and its potentially life changing capabilities.

Ricotta cannoli

This sweetened ricotta filling was dotted with bits of fruit, glacé cherries and candied peel among others, and I simply adored the flavours. But the cannoli shell was unfortunately a little on the soft side, as if it had been filled many hours ago and had taken in moisture from the filling – a shame really.

(Left to right) Triple Cioccolato, ricotta cannoli, passionfruit macaron

Next up we attacked the macarons as I thought they would be less rich than the rest of the chocolate and mousse cakes – I seem to have forgotten about the sugar content of macarons.

The white macaron was coconut flavoured; the orange we guessed as passionfruit and the pink overheard as being black cherry. Each was rather subtle in flavour that without the shredded coconut top and eavesdropping, I possibly wouldn’t have known the flavours of the first and last. The passionfruit remains a guess.

While the flavours were a little light, the textures were spot on with the chocolate ganache filling of the black cherry macaron a highlight. Further eavesdropping revealed plans for Bacco to open a dedicated macaron store directly opposite the current QVB shop – look out Zumbo.

(Left to right) Triple Cioccolato, coconut macaron, Pear Caramello

My next piece of gluttony was the pear caramello cake which had, oddly I thought, a chocolate crackle base. The middle layer of golden butterscotch mousse was sensational with pear pieces floating about, while the chocolate layer tempered the sweetness a little. The caramel, chocolate and crunchy popped rice reminded me a little of a Streets Golden Gaytime, although nothing really compares with the Gaytime biscuit crumb.

It was here the wall was hit and the only word I knew was “No”. I couldn’t have another mouthful, even a taste of Bacco's signature triple chocolate cake, and definitely not of the walnut topped Americano dark chocolate brownie. Even many minutes later and after a strong, reviving skim cappuccino, the answer was still “No”.

I did, however, avoid mortifying food wastage by requesting the leftovers to take home (well, not the smoked salmon leftover – can you imagine that next to the pear, caramel mousse?), making a lovely treat later that day and the next.

In fact, the Triple Cioccolato cake was probably ideally served cold out of the fridge as I had it later, rather than the softened, near melting texture it was taking on at the top of the high tea stand after hours of our picking at it. It was a fabulously decadent cake of milk, white and dark chocolate layers, and undoubtedly sexy. The chocolate brownie was probably my least favourite of the lot, simply as it wasn’t as spectacular as the other or unachievable at home.

The grape lights of Bacco

At the end of our high tea, with me clutching one of those gorgeous Bacco cake boxes, I’m not quite sure how it’s supposed to work, especially if it’s meant to be an afternoon tea type affair. There is just way too much food (or maybe just enough for the beefy fellows) that would result in (a) wastage, (b) skipping the next meal, or (c) stuffing oneself silly – all of which are most unladylike.

Is this specific to Bacco who might be trying to compensate for ambience and the very average service? Or is high tea really just so much food and sugar that it gets you on a consumption/sugar high?