Scents of PLACE

Chef PAUL FARAG takes us on an exciting culinary journey to the Middle East with some of his favourite dishes from Aalia.

- JORDAN KRETCHMER

It’s been two years since Paul Farag and his team first discovered the Aalia site, located below Harry Seidler’s MLC Centre, now refreshed as 25 Martin Place. Incorporating the skills learnt at Monopole and Fish Butchery, Farag has set out to rethink the idea of Middle Eastern cuisine. “I wanted to create a venue that championed and pioneered a respect for a culture and cuisine that’s been around for such a long time,” says Farag.

It was his head chef posting at Surry Hills’ Nour that was a springboard for Farag to explore his Egyptian roots, before delving deeper at Aalia. The menu is made up of elegant dishes with a sharp focus on seafood. “When people think of the Middle East, they think of dry, desert land. Not many think of the water,” says Farag. Rather than hero one location, Farag’s cooking traverses the sprawling region. “Dishes from the East – Persian, Iraqi or Saudi – are heavily spiced. But towards the Mediterranean like Tunisia, there’s more seafood.”

Heady spices are a common thread of the menu. “Something I’ve started teaching my kitchen is that spices aren’t always the same. You could get three batches of Aleppo pepper and they will be different,” he says. It’s here all the senses – like spices – can transform a meal. “When you’re cooking with spices, that is where your senses come in; smelling, tasting,” he says. “Cooking is a feeling – it’s not robotic.” 25 Martin Place, Sydney, NSW, aaliarestaurant.com