epicure reviews: Aura

What do you do when you’ve got stunning interiors, a tourist magnet of an address, and unbeatable views over the city? Aura’s chef-owner Beppe de Vito could’ve taken it easy, slapped up a couple of casual Italian plates and waited for the tills to ring. But he didn’t. Instead, he’s fashioned a timelessly elegant venue poised to become a dining destination in its own right.

On an evening visit, barely weeks after the restaurant soft opened, we arrived to a full house, all dressed to the nines with wine bottles on each table. Revisiting a week later, we were among groups of suited lawyer types jocundly tucked into corporate lunches.

We understood why when our own starters arrived: an oft-Instagrammed starter of Scallops Crudo ($25) tastes as delightful as it looks. The sweet creaminess of the plump scallop wedges were accentuated by smoked quail eggs, while pomegranate sacs and a julienne of truffle and green apple coiffed atop add bursts of acidity and festive colour.

Excerpt from the December 2015 issue of epicure.