Red Squirrel Restaurant: Wholesome, Creative Seasonal Fare
Small, stylish and effortlessly serene, Red Squirrel restaurant is an elegantly meditative space, decked out in red and white and subtly decorated with votive candles, sculpted stone Buddhas and rustic bamboo blinds. The 37-seat Red Squirrel restaurant is tucked away in a tiny group of shops well away from the beach, and the tourist-focused, burgers-and-beer fare that typifies the Coogee dining scene seems a million miles away.
Red Squirrel is wholesome and sincere, a place for diners with a conscience to enjoy creative modern Australian cuisine with a focus on locally sourced, organically grown produce. The meats are all free-range and free of chemical nasties and hormones, and most of the dishes can be modified to accommodate the dietarily challenged. Vegetarians are catered to with kindness and consideration and the meat and seafood ingredients in some of the dishes can be substituted for tofu and vegies.
The menu is a varied and enticing read that changes with the seasons. A perfect place to start is with a selection of “squirrel bites”– your pick of two entrees with olives and bread to share. Choices could include fig bruschetta with goats cheese, olive tapenade and wild rocket, or scallops in the shell with chorizo and Schezuan green apple relish.
Mains on the summer menu include duck breast with caramelised peaches, cardamom and orange, or dukkah-crusted lamb backstrap with sweet potato, steamed greens, roast red capsicum, beetroot and ricotta.
Desserts change weekly but are never anything less than luxurious, covering everything from sticky date and chocolate pudding with vanilla gelato to a fresh fig, raspberry and custard tart.
Posted by Fiona Davies
