On a balmy summers afternoon in Canberra, Siren Bar and Restaurant in Gungahlin definitely stands out as the premier venue in the area, offering a trendy and comfortable environment with a great menu and drinks list.
With a huge deck and bi-fold doors, patrons can choose to enjoy the outdoors in the comfy chairs or chill out on the bar stools. Inside there is a lounge area, with an ambient fireplace casting a warm glow over the comfy couches.
The staff in Siren were incredibly friendly, and more than willing to recommend a beverage off their award winning cocktail list as we arrived. The cocktail list offers a range of beverages to suit all tastes, and on Thursdays they offer a $10 cocktail special.
Impressed by the varied list of drinks, my friends and I left our orders in the capable hands of Jenny, the functions manager, who returned with a selection of the most popular drinks off the menu, from fresh and fruity to cold and creamy.
We ordered dinner while we sipped on our cocktails.
Our entree consisted of Siren’s famous chicken wings, zucchini balls with a Tzatziki dipping sauce, garlic prawns accompanied with rice and toasted crusty bread and calamari served with a diced roma tomato salsa.
Each dish was presented immaculately and did not disappoint on the taste test.
The chicken wings were tender and with Sirens signature spicy sauce and vodka lime dipping sauce were surprisingly delectable.
The zucchini balls were light and fluffy and the Tzatziki provided the perfect addition.
The garlic prawns, presented in a small clay pot on a wooden board, were just delightful. Unlike some garlic prawns, where the garlic is overpowering, Siren nailed this one, with the creamy sauce really complimenting the dish, bringing out the freshness of the prawns.
The tender calamari, lightly coated with salt, pepper and a hint of lemon, was presented stacked on top of the salad in a lovely big bowl. The chopped roma tomato salad added a pleasant freshness to the dish.
The mains arrived shortly after our entrees were cleared. We had ordered a souvlaki pizza, an eye fillet steak requested medium rare and stuffed field mushrooms.
The souvlaki pizza was a delight, with a generous serving of toppings and a crispy sweet potato garnish, it held it’s own as a pizza.
The Eye Fillet topped with a compound butter, was cooked to perfection. Served on a bed of mashed potatoes with fresh crispy baby carrots and snow peas, the meal offered a melt in your mouth steak experience which is so hard to find.
Our last main, the field mushrooms stuffed with fetta cheese, fire roasted capsicum, baby spinach and pine nuts was served on a bed of roquette and roasted walnut salad topped with a napolitana sauce dressing. The mixture of flavours and the density of the mushrooms made this dish a complex yet supurb dish.
Absolutely satisfied we pondered the desert menu, knowing that even with three of us we would be unlikely to be able to finish a single desert.
The desert menu offered something for all tastes. We settled on the peanut butter parfait cake.
The dessert did not disappoint. Presented on a large rectangular plate with ‘Siren’ emblazoned across the plate in chocolate sauce and a fresh raspberry dipping sauce, the parfait cake looked and tasted luscious. Served slightly frozen, the cake was such a refreshing way to finish the meal, and accompanied with one of the best decaf cappuccino’s I have ever had, rounded off the night perfectly.
Siren Bar is the best thing to happen to the Gungahlin region, setting the standard for dining and entertainment in the area.
With specials such as $10 pizza and 2 for 1 drinks on Mondays or $25 for 2 tapas and a bottle of wine on Tuesdays, this venue is my tip to be the best dining venue in the outer North of Canberra.
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