Alira Restaurant

We purchased the $49 for 2 people deal from Spreets which included four course with beer or wine. Boasting an ex Bentley, ex Universal head chef, it was an extremely enticing invitation considering both restaurants produce innovative creations.

It was quite a journey walking to Alira from Town Hall on a freezing winters night but we were greeted by an exotic cosy hideaway. Unfortunately we couldn't admire the wharf views at night.

Our waiter was attentive (and quite attractive!) who carefully explained our meal. Influenced by the flavours of Spain, Middle East and North Africa, the utilisation of spices is Alira's signature.




I adored the beer and wine menu which features beer and wine i have never heard of! The amazing list consisted of a selection from Spain, Italy, Portugal and Austria as well as cocktails and the usual pleasers.

The meal comprised of tapas, starting off with a chef's selection of four share tasting plates served with lebanese bread. The highlight was definitely the sweet tender baby Mococcan carrots which were lightly spiced and fragrant.






Next came the coca escalivada with Persian feta which is a Catalan-style thin base pizza with roast onion puree, roast peppers and eggplant. The portion was miniscule and could be devoured in one mouthful. A bit disappointing it was such a small plate to share amongst two people.



What came next was even more disappointing in terms of portion size. One plate with four pan seared pork belly cubes served with salsa mojo rojo and with shaved brussel sprout and almond salad. The pork belly skin was extremely crunchy that you can hear your neighbour's crunch. It was beautifully seared and well balanced with a lighter almond salad. However it is not possible for 2 people to have one plate of that size to share as a main.





The meal ended on a good note when the Moroccan doughnuts with spiced custard and barberry jam made an appearance. The doughnuts were guey on the inside but crunchy on the outside which were perfectly complimented with creamy custard and a distinctly sharp acidic barberry jam for some oomph.





It was a scrumptious meal but not satisfying if using the spreets voucher. To do Alira justice you will need to visit and order a lot more tapas to share to truly enjoy the experience.

Alira Restaurant
Shop 120
26-32 Pirrama Road
Pyrmont
Tel - 02 95184884
www.alira.com.au