Jiwon Kim
Australians are changing the way we like to eat. We’re time-poor and in many cases poor-poor, and we like to be tucked up in bed before the clock hits double figures. All these considerations undoubtedly contributed to the decision by Arthur’s team to flip their format. From July this year, Arthur, which opened in 2018, ditched its multi-course dégustation in favour of a breezier à la carte menu that allows diners to pick and choose, nibble or feast, to their own schedule.
For the most part, the new direction seems to be working. Creative director Tristan Rosier does his best work when he looks at a complete dish and, to borrow an idea from Coco Chanel, takes one thing off. The old menu was sometimes burdened by too much technique, muddied ingredients, excess fuss. Arthur 2.0 − a collaboration with executive chef Beth Patterson − strips that back into food that feels far more confident, approachable and plain old good to eat.
Take the abalone and shimeji mushroom skewer. Grilled on the plancha in Arthur’s brand-new custom kitchen, it’s charred and savoury, with a ripple of salinity from saltbush. Then there’s the lamb ham − a generous pile of leg meat, brined and cured, served alongside a sweet and spiced jam made from muntries, which feels like a fresh take on an Aussie Christmas.
The ham and cheese quail parmy is soft and crisp in all the right places, its fattiness cut with a ruffle of bitter herbs. I’m particularly impressed with the cook on the dry-aged swordfish, with its aniseed-rich dressing of fennel, chervil and Geraldton wax. Rosier is a stealth fish chef; it was always the strongest course in the old Arthur line-up.
The entire menu is Australian − every herb, every protein, even every ingredient in the cocktails, such as the nicely balanced spritz made with Autonomy Amber aperitif from Victoria and Blak Brews Earl Grey tea.
The wines, too. This must keep the kitchen busy sourcing ingredients and maintaining relationships with producers to make sure they never have to sub in a foreign fish at the last minute. The floor team could use more warmth but perhaps they are also adjusting to the new normal: it’s twice the work to accommodate the snacky whims of a casual diner versus trotting out a predictable set menu.
The fiercely independent Arthur − Rosier and partner Bec Fanning are co-owners − may not be as slick as some of its more moneyed contemporaries. But it’s proven it has something that’s more important than polish: an eagerness to listen, adjust and soldier on. They can polish as they go.
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