Arthur Restaurant Surry Hills, rebuilt from the ground up and betting on the Australian prawn
Arthur Restaurant in Surry Hills will reopen next month as an entirely new restaurant, rebuilt from scratch. The only thing carried over is the name and the all-Australian philosophy, and even that has been pushed further than before.
Every ingredient on the menu comes from Australia, with no exceptions. Not inspired by Australia, not mostly Australian. The sea salt is Olssons from South Australia. The flour is Provenance. The chocolate is from Daintree Estates. The olive oil is Alto. If there is no Australian version of an ingredient, Arthur does without it.
That constraint is what drives the cooking in a more interesting direction. The cocktail list follows the same rule: the Negroni loses Campari and finds Okar amaro, the Gimlet gets snap pea, cucumber and chilli, the Paloma runs on agave blanco with grapefruit and thyme. The new room is warm and lived-in, with ceramic sconces by Sydney ceramicist Alessandro di Sarno, candlelight throughout and outside tables along Bourke and Nobbs Streets. Walk-ins are as welcome as bookings.
Their Australiano Hour is sure to become an afternoon ritual with snacks under $10, cocktails from $10, $10 wines and $7 beers, alongside a rotating selection of dishes from the main menu at reduced prices. Plus $3 prawns, served cold and pre-peeled.
Quick Bites
EAT: Braised kangaroo tail, finished with warrigal greens and potato. Or the wattleseed custard tart.
DRINK: The Negroni with Okar amaro in place of Campari.
PLAY: Australiano Hour. $3 prawns, $10 cocktails, one of Sydney’s best addresses. Make it a ritual.
VIBE CHECK: Warm, lived-in, entirely Australian
