Matt Moran’s restaurant is set to open in a few short weeks. With the hype surrounding its impending arrival, I can safely say I’m not alone in being swept up by the excitement.
The restaurant in question, Bea (named after the ‘B’ in Barangaroo), resides on the middle floor of the three level Barangaroo House. With an impressive capacity of 180 seats, Bea will be a celebration of contemporary Australian cuisine. And contemporary it will be.
Led by Cory Campbell, former head chef at Melbourne’s Vue de Monde, the menu will feature local ingredients in fresh, new culinary interpretations. From a re-imagined steak tartare, to seared kingfish “… rolled in burnt leek ash with an oyster emulsion…”, and even eye fillet that has been rolled in a dry powdered form of native fruits, Bea promises to take you on an odyssey of flavours.
“The journey of each dish starts when reading the menu,” says Campbell. “I could write down the meat is cooked over coal, or slow-roasted for 24 hours, but where’s the intrigue in that? It’s not about technique, it’s about the flavours on the plate.”
Even more intriguing, Campbell plans on serving tyrant ants with asparagus. A dish that will be sure to challenge the sensibilities of diners, yet please them all the same.
“It’s all about fun dining rather than fine dining,” says Campbell.
Sommelier, John Paul Wilkinson, has also been hard at work. Wilkinson has been curating a specific list of wines, said to be an accessible fusion of both local and global producers.
The date to mark on your calendars is December 16th, and you’d best get to booking if you want any kind of chance to experience this soon.
Bea is now accepting bookings for their opening night December 16th, and subsequent dates onward. You can find this restaurant of the summer inside Barangaroo House, underneath Smoke (Moran’s rooftop bar).
