When the news seems to be filled with endless stories of restaurant closures, it’s a refreshing change to take some time out to celebrate a true enduring success story. Sydney icon Aria marked 25 years this year, with the restaurant hosting a special event for staff past and present. 

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For owner Matt Moran, who opened the restaurant when he was just 22, it’s these people who have made Aria the fine-dining institution that it is today.  “I think they’re the key to Aria,” he says. “When we had a party for the 25th, I was looking around the room full of people who had worked there for a long time. There was a person from the front desk who had been there for 21 years. Chef Simon Sandall was there for 17 years; Ben Turner for 15 years; Ben Russell, 15 years. There was Elvis Abrahanowicz from Porteño, Jason Staudt from Stokehouse, Matt Abé is head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, three Michelin stars. It’s not only about the importance of keeping staff and looking after staff, but the importance of how much they contributed to Aria, and how much they went on to forge their own careers.”

Credit: Steven Woodburn

While retaining such talented staff for so many years is a clear sign that Moran has been doing something right, he also readily admits that there were times when he didn’t quite hit the mark.

“I think it was 2003, when Aria lost a chef’s hat,” he says. “I suppose we were more experimental back in those days. I still always believed that it was a two-hat restaurant, but it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It was very humbling. And you know, it’s not bad to be humbled every now and then.

Credit: Will Meppem

“It reshaped me as a restaurateur and as a chef. It’s when I vowed to make Aria a better restaurant every year. And I still believe that – I still think Aria gets better as it goes along.”

The menu has certainly changed over the past quarter century, with a far greater focus now on diverse quality local produce in dishes that let the ingredients do the talking. 

“I was French-trained so, you know, back in the day, we used to take scallops and puree them and add egg whites to make them into a mousse, and then shape them back into the shape of a scallop,” Moran says.

“What were we thinking? Now, it’s all about getting that perfect scallop and letting it speak for itself. Simplicity is not a bad thing in fine dining.”

Such an impressive milestone anniversary is certainly one for celebration, but it’s also one for reflection. For Moran, it’s a chance to marvel at just how far he has come with the restaurant that will forever be his “baby”. 

“When we opened, it was a bit of a pipe dream,” he says. “It was a big restaurant, a big spend, and I was very young at the time. I just wanted to create something special. And I think over time, that’s exactly what has happened. “That’s the beauty of it; the romance of Aria.”

Aria, 1 Macquarie St, Sydney