Aambra

Overview

From within the heritage-listed walls of a former Rose Bay church, aambra brings the fire, ritual and generosity of Levantine cooking to one of Sydney's most striking dining rooms. After sitting dormant for more than a decade, the 120-year-old landmark on Old South Head Road — whose foundation stone was laid in 1904 — has been reimagined as a 140-seat restaurant that leans into both history and spectacle.

Behind the transformation is owner Cristian Gorgees, who spent more than three years working with DS17's Paul Papadopoulos to respectfully restore the building into a smart, contemporary dining space. Inside, sunlight filters through original stained-glass windows onto custom Italian marble floors in warm burgundy and peach tones, while Venetian plaster walls are adorned with custom lighting and a statement art deco mirror. Overhead, a sculptural brass-and-linen light installation draws the eye up to the 10-metre-high cathedral ceiling, with a glassed-in mezzanine private dining room floating above one half of the space. Out back, an alfresco garden space with olive trees, lounge chairs and a multi-level wraparound deck offers a relaxed counterpoint to the drama inside.

Vincent Yeung

Running the length of the room, an open-plan bar and kitchen gives diners a front-row seat to the open-flame grill. The refined, share-style menu draws on centuries-old family recipes from Gorgees' Iraqi heritage alongside flavours from Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus and Egypt, with Executive Chef Gianluca Lonati (Nour) at the helm.

Start with snacks like smoked oyster taramasalata, raw beef with lupini and baharat, or a Moreton Bay bug borek with daggah ghazzawieh, before moving to small plates like a tuna kibbeh nayeh, tongue shawarma skewers and woodfired chicken manti with whey. Larger dishes include whole blue grouper masgouf with tamarind and tomato, a dry-aged carob duck crown, merguez-stuffed lamb saddle and an 800-gram wagyu rib eye cooked on the bone.

Drinks are equally expressive, with sommelier Sasa Savic curating a 130-plus-bottle wine list alongside playful signatures like a watermelon martini, arak elderflower spritz and jaffa margarita — all just as suited to slow afternoons in the garden as they are to lingering dinners inside.

Vincent Yeung

Images: Vincent Yeung.