Restaurant Review: Arras Too, Sydney

I've had Arras on my wish list since the start of the year. Unfortunately it hadn't quite reached the top when the restaurant closed back in June. So I was excited to learn Arras was soon to re-open on the old Bécasse site, giving me a second chance to visit.

The restaurant is still a month away, but the Arras Too café opened on Monday. Simon and I popped along to check it out.

We were lucky enough to have a chat with owner and chef, Adam Humphrey, while we were there. His passion, enthusiasm and strong views on food really came across.

He believes cafés should be all about the coffee, with the food playing second fiddle. (Big brother Arras next door will be doing that.) Arras Too promises lots daily changing English / Yorkshire specialities. Scotch eggs and pork pies were on the menu the day we popped in.  Tomorrow it might be a gala pie. Is Sydney ready?

Adam hinted that those hoping Arras will have been simply transported from Walsh Bay to the City could be a disappointed. Changes are afoot. I'm hoping for good lunch specials!

I wish a fellow Brit flying the culinary flag in Sydney all the best.

Now this is a proper looking pie! The Yorkshire Pork Pie was hearty and filling. The pastry held together well and the pie filling was tender and tasty. It tasted traditional and proper.

There wasn't a layer of jelly in between the meat and the pastry that you get in some pork pies, but that pleased me as I'm not a fan of the jelly.

Mum used to make scotch eggs when I was a kid. She never managed a runny yolk though! The pork surrounding the egg had an almost red chorizo look, but wasn't that spicy. Again it tasted traditional, a bit like my mum's!

Adam recommended the walnut bread so we had to give it a go. Shaped a bit like a friand, with the texture of banana bread and a subtle taste of walnuts.

Our final treat was a custard tart. The pastry was impossibly thin and light. The custard filling was soft and liberally flavoured in nutmeg. Possibly a bit too liberally as it prevented the custard flavour from coming through.

If Adam could do a deal with nearby Redoak to serve their English Bitter I'd be a happy man. A pie and a pint. Bliss.

Arras Too 
204 Clarence Street 
Sydney 
2000