Aalia Restaurant

January 27, 2023

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AALIA organically emerges from Harry Seidler’s original iconic MLC architecture. Their ambition is realised in space, an experience that fluidly blends the past with the now, the interior with the exterior. Sculptural architectural features, tactile materials, and furnishings are used in perfect synergy to create intimate and relaxing spaces.

AALIA’s culinary team led by Executive Chef Paul Farag, who received two hats within months of opening, has spent years exploring dishes and techniques from lesser-known regions and coastlines of the Middle East and North Africa. They discovered forgotten ingredients from millennia ago and uncovered recipes from within the pages of 10th-century Arabic cookbooks.

AALIA beautifully combines ingredients from across territories and times, contrasting tradition with modern techniques to offer diners an Arabian nomadic time-traveling odyssey of dishes.

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“Through food, we’re trying to showcase a beautiful region of the world which almost everyone seems to forget has a luscious coastline, flanked by oceans, rivers, and seas,” Farag says. “I want this menu to reflect a lighter way of shared eating — in the same way you assume a Mediterranean restaurant is going to be bright and fresh in flavour, this is truly the same principle for Middle Eastern cuisine.”

Diners will be presented with a wide array of raw and mezze options to begin their meal. Oysters, king salmon, potato and lentil tart, king prawn skewers and hand-stretched haloumi are all on offer for those looking to create an abundant table of shared dishes or ease into the meal before turning to the impressive selections of seafood and meat.

As for the larger dishes, think Murray cod masgouf, almond-crusted john dory, lamb neck shawarma and mb5+ dry-aged wagyu rib. There’s also Persian caviar service on offer, served with malawach, shallots, labneh, and a sprinkling of chives.

Now Open: Aalia Is the New Middle Eastern Restaurant from the Founders of Nour