Day 14: A Restaurant Review. Of Sorts

Today's prompt: A restaurant review. I am reviewing Arugula, a new restaurant in Glebe, which I have neither actually dined in nor believe to exist. But, it could...

Diners looking for a simple old fashioned vegetarian-Himalayan-tapas small bar experience in the West have been at a loss since the argan oil fueled kitchen fire left Big Blue Ox shuttered last winter. SiLken ToFu has been a perennial favorite, but since it only boasts one table with three seats, diners who failed to make a reservation at least 18 months ago find themselves disappointed.

Now open in Glebe, the latest offering by celebrity chef Angus Q, attempts to fill the void with a modern Australian twist on the classic. Arugula opened last month in the space left vacant by the closure of French fixture Phaux, and features a flourishy neo-Mongolian decor with Moorish accents designed by Christina Mitsubishi-Jones, whose mid-century Mediterranean imaginings also set the scene at Q's best known establishment, Aftertaste.

We arrived a few minutes early and stopped for a cocktail at the restaurants "Goat Shed" front bar, which lures passers-by in off the street with its eye-catching lounges, which are, jauntily enough, actually inspired by the design of the yurt Mitsubshi-Jones resided in for three months on retreat in Kazakhstan. Blanko, the bartender, greeted us with a nearly indiscernible head nod and served our orders of the signature mason jar martini, The Green Arugula ($19).  My dining partner declared it the best green drink to arrive on the inner-west cocktail scene since the Quoth the Raven absinthe sparkler at Edgar Allen Poe, but I found the "hint" of fennel overpowered the subtlety of the crushed celery root.

The one and one-quarter hour wait to be seated seemed to fly by, as we perused the menu, printed on antique playbills on theme, such as mine, from a 1914 kabuki version of Carmen. Our waiter, Todd (natty in his uniform of all black, topped with a mauve, tassled fur cap(!)) explained that each night they take turns reciting the specials menu in either Mongol or Portugese accents, which they practice rehearsing most of the day with the same vocal coach who Yael Stone hired to turn her into a Bronx delinquent on Orange is the New Black, so worth coming at least a couple of times to experience the virtuosity of the waitstaff. Tonight, we received the Himalayan treatment, and the special was either Butter Encased Peas or Pad Thai Quesadilla. I couldn't be sure.

We opted to try four share plates a la carte which, at approximately 10 grams of food each, Todd assured us would be more than enough to satisfy two diners.

The first dish to arrive was the entertaining soy curd mole lettuce wraps topped with pineapple wedges ($28 for two). The spicy, tangy, crunchy melange reminded me exactly of a dish I once had in a mountain village while backpacking in Cambodia. Minus the mole. And the lettuce. And the pineapple. My dining partner suggested I may have actually have been thinking about the time when we had the soy curd sweet chili lettuce wraps at Angus Q's Paddington haunt, FooKoo. In either case, they ought not to be missed.

Also memorable was our second dish, feta balls topped with a coconut basil emulsion (Market price). The ironic hint of nutmeg is what set this small plate apart from anything else I've experienced in the range. Strict vegetarians beware, this dish does marinate a few weeks before serving in a yak-based broth.

The beetroot coriander kimchi ($14) seemed like a solid bet, but would have done well with another month of pickling.

The most pleasant surprise of the course was the enthusiastically named Rocket! ($22), which to describe it as merely the sum of its parts - a bowl of rocket served with a paper packet of salt on the side - is to do no justice to its sublimity.

We were far too full to tackle dessert, but Todd begged us to save room when we returned for the fig and goat cheese granita, swearing with a hand to his heart that diners have literally wept from the experience.

It's easy to see the appeal of Arugula, with its sophisticated twists on classic fare and loud but intimate atmosphere. Try to sit at the table directly under the framed pika skin coat for the best view of the ever-lively scene bustling in and out of the Chocolateria on Glebe Point Road. Arugula is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and likely to find a devoted following, particularly amongst the locals who have hungered for a real option in vegetarian Mongol tapas.

Arugula
Glebe
Opening hours: 7p.m. - 11:20p.m. Wed-Sun; 10a.m.-1p.m. for brunch on Thursdays ($3 per diner weekday afternoon surcharge applies)
Licensed and BYO
$$$
Direct message @GreenArugulaGlebe for additional information

Author's note: Ummm, we don't really eat out much these days, but I do read a lot of restaurant reviews on Time Out Sydney.