Little Red Robin sets up perch in Birdwood Lane

This stylish establishment is setting the tone for what is destined to be premium dining destination on the north shore.

Michelle Warren is the General Manager Marketing & Operations & Co-Owner of Little Red Robin Restaurant & Wine Bar which has been a key dining venue since it opened in November 2018. Though she and partner, Alessandro, don’t live in Lane Cove they feel very much a part of the community.

“Since having the business in Lane Cove, we have become somewhat like locals,” says Michelle. “We love the village atmosphere, the buzz of lots of families around, lots of small businesses and we love that it is a growing foodie hub too. I also LOVE my coffee from Birdwood Café!”

They chose to locate their restaurant in Lane Cove because they wanted to be surrounded by other restaurants.

“We are super excited about the dining precinct at The Canopy. When we found the site, we were opposite the old car park, but we knew in time it would be a great spot being opposite other restaurants on Birdwood Lane,” Michelle explains. “We are eager for them to open and know that the businesses that are coming are going to enhance the area even more.”

Little Red Robin offers a beautifully presented degustation menu.

“The degustation dining experience allows us to take patrons on a journey, where they leave the decisions up to us,” says Michelle.

The timing and order in which menu items are served (with matching wines if selected) reflect the expertise of the chef and contribute to a more sophisticated dining experience. There is a formal dining room as well as the wine bar and each has its own consummate new menu.

“This new degustation menu has allowed our head chef, Alberto Ranalli, to be very creative. He has enjoyed this process very much. The flavours, produce and presentation of dishes are all amazing and some dishes really surprise – such as the Jerusalem Artichoke / White Chocolate / Almond dessert,” says Michelle.

“Food presentation is critical to our style of dining – it’s the attention to detail that sets one apart. However it is also the produce that is critical.”

Poor produce, no matter how well presented, will lead to a disappointing dish.

“We believe we achieve both presentation & produce quality. I also believe that quality images are critical, as they have to tell the story. I have a brand and marketing background and have always valued the quality of brand presentation,” says Michelle. This is reflected in our branding, marketing and our images. For the latest shoot, we engaged Kitti Gould, a well-known Sydney food photographer and I was thrilled when she took us on as a client. The latest images are just brilliant.”

They’ve just launched a brand new degustation menu with both a short & long options, plus a casual wine bar menu. Michelle has some recommendations:

“Right now, my favourite picks are the Chicken Liver Parfait on the Wine Bar Menu and the O’Connor Angus & Hereford / Koji / Silverbeet and the 3yo Gouda / Sherry Caramel / Grapefruit Tart on the Long Degustation… (plus a nice glass of red of course!)”

The wine menu is its own gustatory journey.

“We have a stunning all European wine list available which has been carefully developed by Alessandro Nelli. We like to take customers on a journey with the wines, and we love to see them try something they have never heard of before. We have drops from places like Turkey, Greece, Austria and from the favourite areas of Italy, Spain & France too! We are now offering a range of SAKE as well and we will soon broaden our range to include some really special Australian wines from boutique and bespoke wineries.”