I came across a video of Alibi on one of those "top places to take a friend in Sydney" YouTube videos and was immediately captivated by the impressive, dramatic cocktails - they looked nothing short of magical, with over-the-top presentation: liquid nitrogen haze, flower garnish, kitsch bottles (one of them came in a gun!), the works.
Already intrigued, I consulted Alibi's website and discovered that the food is designed by Matthew Kenney, an American celebrity chef who specialises in vegan cooking and has no less than 12 cookbooks to his name. Not only that, they have an 8 course degustation menu boasting of very interesting and creative dishes. As a flexitarian who reduces meat intake for environmental and moral reasons, I'm always keen to discover how non-animal products can be cooked to rival traditional fine dining.
Let's start with the drinks. Though the kitchen is vegan, the bar isn't. Apart from Alibi's creative cocktail offerings, there is quite an extensive wine list. As we know, most wines are not vegan; but if one is a strict vegan, one could always make an informed choice from the vast array of offerings.
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| Smooth Criminal, $25 |
This is Alibi's 6 weeks barrel aged negroni, being a mixture of Poor Tom's Sydney Dry Gin, Alibi's own vermouth mix and campari. I am a fan of Poor Tom's - its signature Sydney Dry Gin is easy to drink and fruity-floral. The presentation is cute: as though one were Alice in wonderland, fitting the whimsical decor perfectly. Easy-drinking is the theme of this negroni: if you prefer bolder tastes, you may well find this too sweet.
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| Everything Zen, $21 |
Though the photo doesn't capture it perfectly, this cocktail came smoking like a dragon. The addition of liquid nitrogen gave the illusion that what's been served is a piping pot of comforting tea. Well, the content is certainly comforting - just in a different way. It is a mix of Brix Sydney white rum, Kunizakari Saika Ginjo sake, shiso and yuzu. Just like the negroni, it is very sweet and barely tasting of alcohol. It is easy to drink and delicious, but the sweetness is too prominent for me.
So, are the cocktails fun and creative? Absolutely, However, if you are the king of cocktail lover who prefers stronger tastes and judges cocktails on balance and nuance, I would advise you to stick to the wine.
The tasting menu, on the other hand, was very much to my liking and absolutely impressive.
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| Sourdough |
The sourdough is generously drizzled with fragrant olive oil and served with viola butter, nutritional yeast and pink salt. I could not for the life of me work out what is viola butter, but it is very soft, very creamy, and though it is lacking that distinctive butter taste (you know what I'm talking about), it is still very satisfying. My bet is on some kind of cashew nut-based mixture. Nutritional yeast has seen a big rise in popularity with the increase in veganism as a cheese substitute, but more importantly, because it is a source of B12 which is scare in a vegan diet. In fact, nutritional yeast is the only good source of B12 on a plant-based diet apart from taking supplements. I was skeptical of the claim that it taste just like cheese, and after trying it, I think it is certainly cheesy in that it has a salty and umami flavour, but I wouldn't say it is a straight dupe. The bread is very fluffy and chewy, not overly-sour, and the accompaniments are simple yet delicious.
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| Kimchi Dumplings |
When those tiny parcels were presented, I thought the green part are leaves - but no, they are paper-thin, absolutely delicate little dumpling skins. The content of these parcels are a rich, deep, slightly fermented (thanks to the kimchi) vegetable mixture, and the dumplings are topped with ginger foam and sat prettily on red cabbage puree. If you are not a kimchi fan, do not fear: the kimchi taste is only a whisper.
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| Brussel Sprouts |
Brussel sprouts is such a falsely maligned gem of a vegetable! Not only is it nutritious, it is one of the most delicious and satisfying vegetables out there, provided, of course, that it is prepared correctly. The brussel sprouts at Alibi are cooked to perfection - a good balance between soft and slightly crunchy, and it is paired beautifully with a gently sweet maple carrot puree and a generous tossing of sesame and pumpkin seeds which gave this dish a variety of interesting textures. I might even venture to say this was my favourite course of a very impressive menu.
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| Beetroot hummus |
The lighting does not do this beautiful dish justice: in real life, it is a beautifully vibrant pink that does not have the eerie tinge that my camera has bestowed upon it. The flavours are balanced - it is not overly sweet (as some beetroot-based dishes can be), and the texture is beautifully smooth without losing the signature graininess of the hummus. Served with colourful and crunchy radish, sesame crumb and a snappy lavosh, I could be fed just this with some wine and I would have been perfectly content.
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| Spicy Udon |
So far, every dish have been not only delicious but inoffensive: even the kimchi dumplings were only mildly-kimchi-tasting. This udon, on the other hand, is where I can potentially see some picky eaters turning their noses up, and that is because of the key ingredient, tempeh crumb. Those little brown bits that look like chicken? They are not chicken. They are fermented soy. It is an extremely nutritious food: not only is it fermented and hence gut-friendly, it is high in protein, vitamins, minerals and is considered a prebiotic. In other words, it feeds the good bacteria that live in our gut. The taste is distinctive in its mild sourness. Alibi does a good job of masking that distinctive taste with miso (another gut-friendly fermented condiment) and cashew hoisin sauce. The addition of shitake mushroom makes this one heck of a deep, rich, umami hit. Despite the name, this udon is not spicy at all, and I actually think it may be improved even further my a hit of chili.
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| Broccoli Steak |
When the broccoli steaks were served, I was wary. I could almost "taste" the raw broccoli grassiness with my eyes. However, I need not have worried, because somehow, the broccoli is cooked to a point where it is still crunchy, but all the flavours have infused perfectly so every mouthful, down to the admittedly-hard-to-cut stem, were delightful. The bed of walnut cream on which the steaks rested, the chimichurri and the cashew Parmesan all did a great job of making this dish hugely satisfying, not to mention all the fiber and nutrients I just consumed with half a head of broccoli!
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| Apple Crumble |
By the time dessert rolled around, I was decidedly full. The apple crumble tastes just as good as its non-vegan counterpart, with the apple pieces delicately spicy and gorgeously soft. The vanilla bean ice cream with which it was served isn't as cold as one would expect - and I think it was soy based, because I could taste a little bit of the telltale soy-flavour. I would say it's more like having apple crumble served with marscapone.
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| Pumpkin Chocolate Pie |
Finally, the pumpkin chocolate pie is a combination of sous-wide pumpkin filling in a chocolate crust, then topped with coconut and cardamon cream. This is not an overly sweet dessert - perhaps I should have had this before the apple pie - but rather, it let the natural sweetness of the ingredients speak for themselves.
Score: 4.5/5
Cost: the tasting menu is $70pp. For an additional $60pp you also get matching wine. Not drinking? There is a $45pp non-alcoholic paring option too.
Note: the photos in this blog post depict a two-person portion, except for the udon, which is a one person portion.
Address: inside Ovolo Hotel, 6 Cowper Wharf Roadway, Woolloomooloo NSW
Website: https://alibibar.com.au/
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