Ceviche Restaurant, Coogee Beach

Beachside dining at Coogee has undergone a few changes in recent years, with some restaurants and eateries closing down, changing owners or even downsizing. Ceviche is of the latest reincarnations with chef Niklas Eberhardt moving from the original Ceviche at Randwick Rugby Club to a vantage spot at the southern end of Coogee Beach.

It’s a pleasant autumn day and while Sydney decides whether to put on her best skies, we go down to Coogee Beach to try Ceviche’s $25 Lunch Specials. The menu, which changes daily, is available from Tuesday to Sunday and includes an entrée, a main course and a glass of wine.

We are greeted at the door with a brief hi and a nod. We ask if we could sit on the balcony and we are shown to a table with views of the beach and the green of the park.

Before we settle down, we are immediately presented with the menu and asked if we’d like to start with a drink or a mineral water. We tell our waiter that we’re interested in the $25 lunch special and he hands us the flyer-style menus and walks away. There are two choices for each course, both are tempting us from the Thursday menu.

“Red or white?” he asks after taking our order. There’s a choice of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in white wine but he offers no more information.

Ceviche has three dining areas. By the footpath, a couple are sitting on the outdoor deck enjoying a coffee. On the balcony, three other tables are occupied by patrons who have also ordered the specials. Inside, the restaurant has a large dining area with a sizeable bar and open kitchen.

The leek and ricotta tart with pumpkin coulis is the first entrée to arrive, a thin segment served warm with flaky pastry with salad greens on the side.

The second entrée, Black Eden mussels cooked in white wine, garlic and herb sauce looks better value for money. The mussels are plump and moist. Some are barely open in their shell but they are cooked nonetheless. The dish gets the thumbs up for flavour. My only gripe is not offering a small piece of bread with it to mop up the broth.

By now, the sun is beating down on us (and our plates) with the kind of welcome warmth that spells the end of summer.

The main courses soon arrive. The roast pork is served with wedge-like baked potatoes, snow peas and topped with an apple sauce. My friend gives it his approval and comments that the pork pieces are tender and sweet.

The other main course is Flathead fillet in crispy tempura batter, chips, salad and tartare sauce. The tempura batter is light and crunchy, the fish is flavoursome and the generous serving of crispy chips makes an enjoyable lunch dish with the Sauvignon Blanc.

Service oscillates between being standoffish to that which is efficient and comes with a smile, depending on the waiting staff in question. Mostly, we are left alone after our order was taken.

Sitting on the balcony section of the restaurant with timber chairs, banquettes with turquoise cushions, we are oblivious to the ambience of the restaurant inside. With the blues of Coogee Beach not far from us, we are relaxed and satiated and can pretend to be in holiday mode.

Ceviche’s $25.00 lunchtime menu presents as good value for its offering and beachside location. The daily changing specials menu encourages another visit to try more of the chef’s cuisine.