A'Mare

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Since its opening at Crown Sydney, I have had several foodie colleagues recommend A'Mare to me, so when I finally found a fitting occasion, I was excited to try their degustation menu. 

First, A'Mare is a beautiful restaurant. During the day it is bright and vibrant, overlooking the waters. At night, it transforms into something elegant and sleekly intimate. Another aspect that sets A'Mare apart from other restaurants is that there are a lot of table-side service, which adds another dimension to the dining experience. 

Burrata caprese

The burrata is presented whole and cut open at the table, then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with pepper. It is a rich, creamy burrata with very little salt; accompanied by green tomatoes and salsa verde. 

Focaccia

The bread is, of course, served warm. Springy and pillowy, with a satisfying bounce, it is accompanied by Pugliese extra version olive oil and an aged balsamic that tastes mildly bitter - presented by staff and drizzled table-side. THe focaccia has a light, gently fruity taste of olive oil.

Vitello Tonnato

Paper-thin, melt-in-mouth veal tenderloin is paired with a beautifully smooth tuna mayonnaise sauce, with a scattering of toasted pine nuts and baby capers. It is rich, salty, deeply flavoured but well-balanced. 

Spaghettini tonno, arancio e bottarga

Another example of the table-side service that elevates the dining experience, spaghetti is served in perfect swirls right before one's eyes, and topped with chunky raw tuna and bottarga slices. The sauce is a rich, creamy orange sauce, which sounds and tasted rather unusual - but it absolutely works. It's like a creamy lemon pasta, but slightly sweeter and deeper in flavour. 

Cotoletta Milanese

Crumbed veal cutlet topped with semi-dried cherry tomatoes which are tart enough to cut through the grease, and fragrant rosemary. By this point of the meal, one would be absolutely groaning - it is a surprisingly filling feed. The cutlet is served alongside a vibrant yet simple rocket and parmesan salad and enormously thick chips so creamy inside it's like eating mashed potatoes. 

Tiramisù al cucchiaio 

Regardless of how full one feels, someone walking around with a large bowl of tiramisu and spooning a decadent chunk into your plate is always a welcome sight. I am not a big tiramisu fan myself, but the version at A'Mare (for which they are well-known) is divine. Not overly-sweet yet clearly boozy, it is the perfect way to finish off the evening. 


The cocktail selection at A'Mare is surprisingly not as traditional as one would expect, though of course they are happy to make up any classic. For example, the martini is clean, balanced and extremely smooth. A'Mare's own cocktails seem to be rather on the sweet , fruity and fun side (which departs rather significantly from my personal preference, but would no doubt please many others). 


In addition to cocktails, A'Mare has a respectable list of amaros, with which they serve on the rocks or make into a delightfully easy-to-drink yet bitter and punchy spritzes. These go rather well with the tiramisu. 


Score: 4/5
Price: the A'Mare experience 5 course degustation is $146pp
Address: Level 1 (Ground), 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney
Website: https://www.crownsydney.com.au/indulge/amare

 

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