Aura
Stunning View and Hospitality at Aura
A group of us chose Aura for a birthday celebration for a colleague. We wanted somewhere special, with that Wow!! factor. Aura certainly delivers! It is on the 12th floor of the Crown Plaza in Hobart - a rooftop restaurant with stunning views out across Hobart through the huge windows. Previously John and I have dined here for lunch but this was our first visit at night. The views are amazing whichever time of day you choose!
The ambience of the room is warm and stylish with a huge bar area in the centre. It is possible to go to Aura simply for drinks - their cocktail menu was very alluring :-) We might have to do this in the future...
Our group was seated a a long timber table. The service from Leigh and his staff was impeccable. We were very well looked after from the moment we arrived. The wine list has a good range from Tassie and further afield. We started with Ghost Rock rose bubbles and then moved on to a very interesting red from the McLaren Vale which went beautifully with the food. As a group we had the set menu which included a wonderful procession of food - entrees, mains and desserts. The flavours were fantastic and each dish provided a new taste sensation. We were very full by the end of our meal.
The whole venue is very accessible as there is a lift to access the restaurant, accessible toilets and lots of space in the restaurant. They also cater really well for dietary requirements, even when offering the set menu as we had. One of our party had his own dishes throughout the evening, sometimes adjusted from the set menu and sometimes something different.
Here is what we had to eat:
Gnocco fritto with mortadella and Peruvian corncakes with fetta and salmon roe. Both were a delicious start to the meal.
This was followed by poached beetroot with labneh and sumac. These were so beautifully cooked and had a wonderful depth of flavour. We also had quail with pistachio and meyer lemon. The photo below also shows the interesting cabernet franc which we enjoyed.
Then came the main meals. The first photo is of the Cape Grim beef short ribs served with picante sauce and silverbeet. This was melt in your mouth deliciousness. We all loved it - this was definitely a highlight.
This is jerusalem artichoke which was baked and served with labneh(I think!!). Yummy!
I loved the next dish - Murray Cod which was thick and meaty with a wonderfully crisp skin.
Next up was gnocchetti made in-house and served with mushroom ragu and dashi. Its delicious crunch and subtle spiciness were irresistible. The pasta was cooked perfectly to al dente and the flavours in this dish were divine.
After all of this deliciousness some of our party opted to try some non-alcoholic beverages as the designated drivers - there were some great options for gin and beer. The 'Heaps Normal' beer was a winner!
The desserts were amazing and we got to try so many which was awesome!
Dark chocolate with beetroot sorbet - creamy, chocolatey and delicious.
Saffron creme caramel - light texture, rich flavour, silky and smooth.
Rum baba - OMG so delicious and full of rum.
Definitely an adults only dessert! Loved this!!
Special dish for the birthday girl! Vegan cheesecake with mandarin sorbet and yuzu. You could definitely taste the yuzu so a highlight for me! We also had a lime cake which I didn't capture in a photo but that was also delicious. I loved the citrus influence in the desserts and this was perfect for our birthday girl as she shares my love of citrus!
After dinner we were treated to a special after dinner tipple with a glass of what Leigh termed their 'after dinner mint'. It comes from a collaboration with Rude Boy and includes sherry and a mint liqueur. It was a fabulous end to a fabulous dinner.
We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening at Aura. It was a perfect venue for a special celebration. The service was stylish, the venue beautiful and warm, the food delicious and plentiful and the drinks interesting. The company was awesome too!! I highly recommend Aura on all fronts!
I notice that they have also recently earned their first AGFG Chef Hat. Well deserved!
Aura website:
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