Arthur, one of Surry Hills' most beloved restaurants, has been reimagined with a new menu, fresh fitout, and reinvigorated direction. At its core, the reimagined venue is deeply and authentically Australian, with a menu that is 100 per cent Australian. While Arthur retains its moniker, everything else is entirely new. Not an evolution or transformation, this is a complete rebuild for the venue, offering its patrons a fresh experience. "By choosing to use only ingredients produced in Australia, we've created a framework that pushes us to be more creative. If there's an ingredient from overseas that we feel a dish needs, we can't just buy it; we have to either make our own version or find someone here who's producing something similar," says chef-owner Tristan Rosier. There's no exception to Rosier's 100 per cent Australian rule, and that goes for the drinks too. The sea salt is from South Australia. The chocolate from Daintree Estates. The sparkling is even Australian, bypassing the expected champagne producers to spotlight Australian makers. Noah Lust, who leds the bevegrage program, says, "Every classic cocktail comes with a set of assumptions built into it — like which vermouth you use in a martini, the Campari that goes into the Negroni, or the Angostura bitters that go into an old fashioned — when you commit to a fully Australian menu you take all of those ideas away and realise how much of a drink can be rethought and rebalanced. The next step is sourcing seasonal, local produce and finding ways to integrate it into the drinks to make each one an Australian version of the classic styles." Rosier is joined by Beth Patterson, Group Executive Chef, and Head Chef Juwon Gwak, creating a menu with a strong focus on Indigenous Australian Ingredients. Slow-cooked kangaroo tail is finished with warrigal greens. South Australian mussels are served with a native curry blending bush tomatoes, native peppers and roasted macadamias. A wattleseed custard tart is elevated with hand-picked vanilla from far North Queensland. "The food, the room, the drinks, the service, they all carry equal weight. Every part of the experience is considered. The atmosphere and the vibe are as much the point as what's on the plate," says Rosier. Images: Supplied. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
