On paper, the Melbourne bar s minimal-waste philosophy is an ode to worthiness, but the menu will show you a fun and often surprising time, reviews Michael Harden.
Melbourne is never shy of a restaurant opening, but there s a certain buzz when you realise you re at the start of a relationship that s going somewhere. I strongly suspect Aru is the new squeeze you ll rush to tell your friends about and want more of as soon as possible.
Maybe it s the drama of half a crisp-skinned suckling pig s head, fringed by leaves and condiments for wrapping and rolling. Or seeing a breakout star of last year s lockdown, chef Khanh Nguyen s banh mi-flavoured pâté en croute, here at Aru full-time.
Perhaps it s the sensory thrill of a space where all the elemental tones of rock and timber are a pitch-perfect match for the heady smell of sweet smoke, and where a whip crack service team guides and lifts the experience in a way you d have killed for while locked at home. What is certain is that the good times come fast and furious at the long-awaited sibling to Sunda, and it may be the shot in the arm that our people-starved CBD needs.