The relatively new location for Arras has the one-hatted restaurant smack-bang in the middle of Sydney CBD and in prime position for foodies all over to discover their fun-filled menu. There are three choices at Arras: 3 course a la carte ($90); Arras kitchen menu ($105) with accompanying wine ($55); and the degustation ($140) and accompanying wine ($80). My guest and I chose wisely and decided to try the full degustation: 10 dishes of some of the most well-prepared and well-presented food in the city.
The restaurant is brightly lit and has a simple layout; spacious tables are spread around the centre of the room and white is the colour of choice. A massive mural is painted across one of the walls by graffiti artist Andy Steel and is covered by thin, white curtain-esque fabric, making for a very slick and stylish scene.
As we get used to our surrounds, our waiter quickly brings out two beautifully presented carrot cakes as an amuse bouche to tide us over before the degustation begins. The cake was perhaps a bit too sugary to leave much of an impression but did its job at lining our stomachs with a little sweetness before the feast.
The neighbouring bakery ‘ArrasToo’ is represented well by their generous selection of fresh bread. Some delicious potato and rosemary rolls preceded an excellent starting dish of marinated fetta, courgette, and smoked eggplant puree. The small serving was an excellent example of the quality ingredients used at Arras and the distinctive flavour of each of their offerings. The smoked eggplant puree was the winner here, and mixed well with everything else on the plate to do more than satisfy.
The ambition of each meal is obvious just from the presentation. Whether the poached salmon with pickled daikon with matching rice wine wins you over; or you are in awe from the combination of Catham Island blue cod, fennel, salted grapes, and eel broth, you are guaranteed to fall in love with much more than just one of the many courses.
One of their most popular dishes was, unfortunately, my least favourite of the night - Rabbit of Arras Hill, grains, pistachio, and carrot. The rabbit was a bit tough but very tasty, what failed here were the many grains scattered around which were too dry to go well with everything else on the plate. Though, Heirloom carrots were a very nice touch, and appearing in more than one of the night’s dishes, is an obvious choice for the kitchen’s secret weapon.
A very fine selection of cheeses was offered with some beautifully-presented lavash and grape mix. The chefs at Arras obviously take pride in offering some of the finest and most obscure cheeses they can find; with many of their selections coming from all over the world, any cheese-lover would be crazy not to go for this tempting platter.
The kitchen really pours as much effort, if not more, into their dessert than anything else. As such, all three dessert courses were to-die-for takes on favourites and served the purpose of reducing a very adult atmosphere into a children’s playground – this is a good thing.
First up was Rhubarb, cranberry, raspberry, and chai tea. This beautiful, layered cake was dripping with tea, which is poured on it at the table. It’s a very wet and soft couple of bites, with none of the flavours overpowering each other; rather, the range of tastes remained very balanced and came together unsurprisingly well.
If I had to pick a least favourite dessert it would be the Mascarpone, coffee ice cream, and grappa jelly. The dish looked gorgeous of course, but the mascarpone was hard to love, made up for only by the perfect coffee ice cream.
Arras enjoys many glowing reviews all over the blogosphere, and one of their most talked about – and the quintessential offering – is their dazzling petit fours tray. Mini ice-cream cones, coconut chocolates, and marshmallow lollipops [amongst so much more], are all custom-made over a couple of days and scattered on a stylish Perspex tray. We are told to pick as many goodies as we want. Already heavily satiated, my guest and I chose very few of the offered treats, but were impressed by every single one. Each rich and sweet, melt-in-your-mouth greatness which almost made us regret filling up on all the previous dishes. If you want to try this, I highly suggest saving a bit of room.
The food at Arras is taken very seriously, but also presented with a tongue-in-cheek sense of fun. As such, almost everything we tried was impeccable; from the ever-present vegetables, and the decadent proteins, to the lush matching wines, and joyful desserts – our lovely chefs are obviously out to impress.
Address: 204 Clarence Street, Sydney, NSW 2000.
Contact: 02 9283 1922
Website: http://www.restaurant-arras.com.au/