Baz Juan Pablo Sanchez
+4
Incredible experience. Food was amazing and the staff were helpful walking us through the menu. It’s a Kia for people who want to experience new ideas
The experience was amazing - bartender was a delight and great with recommendations. Interior was beautiful and loved the ambiance of the restaurant overall. The set menu overall displayed a whole variety of different meats - some were great but one or two dishes could’ve had stronger flavours. Loved the dessert at the end - perfect dish to end the (very filling) set menu.
Gastronomicamenteincorrecto
+5
Best spot in Sydney. Gastronomy and woodfire. Decor is amazing and the food tasty! Cocktail with woodfire touch also. Counter is the must to watch all the chefs cooking with embers and fire
What does a 169-day dry aged rib of beef taste like, cooked medium rare, over fire, and costing $200? Well, it tastes like steak, the finest steak I’ve ever eaten. The crispy burned bits of fat melt in the mouth. The meat has some give and is tender and is not fall apart or melt in your mouth; it is not that kind of meat. It is juicy. It tastes intense and concentrated. It also tastes like ‘Yum. This is worth every penny.’
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Attended the venue for a birthday function, ate the chef's menu which included 12 dishes. Each dish was well thought out, paired with tantalising ingredients which made the palate dance and drool with each serving. Although the servings were quite small (more bite-size rather than food coma size) it was a nice change of pace to enjoy not only the surroundings but the atmosphere, the scents and the company i was with. Dish after dish of unusual servings left me wanting more, the wait staff were super tentative and catered to our every whim. The wagyu & cod were cooked perfectly over the open flame style cooking and it was a treat to observe the Chef at work. At the end of the night, we were surprised with a special treat of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flamed marshmellow wraps served on sticks, which was the cherry on top of the evening. As we checked there was a minor hiccup with the bill but that was easily corrected by the server, and we grabbed a quick photo in the amazing foyer before eloping. It would be best to book weeks in advance as this venue was packed to the rafters, street parking is easily achievable, if you arrive a little early there is a cool little bar serving nice drinks which will tie you over. The venue is hard to spot from the street if it's your first visit but take note of the red circle logo hanging outside of the venue, and of course, follow your nose. All up was a great treat and everyone had a great night. Will be back. Thanks for the great experience!
Honestly nothing to fault. It was a superb meal and fantastic service. The fire concept is so clever and a real talking point !
What a great place. Everything was cooked on fire and I love smokey flavours so what can go wrong? I wasn't even hungry when I got to the restaurant but got tempted into the chef's menu. Boy was I glad I was persuaded. There's also a good selection of cocktails to choose from. The service was great, the food was delicious, and the accompanying wine was on point. Highlight: the kangaroo and mini pita bread was a standout- just divine. All dishes were pretty good. Lowlights: Nothing really. My wagyu had a bit too much fat on it, but I was already full so it's OK!
They use different types of woods in the kitchen to provide the natural essence to the food. They are damn costly but the food makes it up for them. They have an amazing ambience and staff.
Absolutely brilliant food...real flavourful and cooked to perfection. It's great for meat-lovers. Best to book for weekend dinners. Place can be packed then. But with food so good and great hospitality, that's no surprise!
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Amazing experience ! Attentive welcoming staff and memorable food. Would definitely recommend booking at least a week prior, to reserve a good time. I was seated at the bar right in front of the chef's working and I would recommend this for those interested in watching the process of prepping the food and finally cooking it beautifully on the flames.
Ordered half a dozen oysters to start which tasted sublime followed by grilled mackerel that was super soft. The highlight of the night was definitely the dry aged steak that we got to see Lennox cut up and cook over a wood fire. Having tried quite a few steaks in Sydney for comparison, I truly believe the wood fire and type of wood they use create such a unique flavour to the meat ! While it is slightly pricey $184 I still think it's well worth it's money.
The service staff were all very genuine in their approach of our experience. I will definitely be coming back to try the chefs menu. Also, as they change their menu I think daily according to what's best available - everyone who served our food was knowledgeable about the dishes/produce. A restaurant you must experience if you want honest fantastic food, warm atmosphere and an engaging experience !!
Wow had dinner here this place is amazing got the chefs menu which is like a set menu was so worth it i guess u never know what to expect when the food comes out food 10/10 service 10/10 realy relaxing place.
Special thanks to angelica for ur hospitality.
Amazing service, ambience and food.
All the dishes we ordered were delightful. Everything tastes fresh and the staff are very professional and knowledgeable.
Came here on a Saturday night and it was busy so be sure to book a table to secure a spot. Had oysters, steak and so many more. The highlight would most definitely be the steaks, so flavourful and tender.
Will definitely be back when I’m in Sydney!
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I came here for Valentine's Day with my fiancée on a Friday lunchtime.
Food: we ordered the lamb loin and Australian fish (name escapes me, started with N). The lamb was beautifully tender and perfectly matched with a smoked eggplant sauce and charred zucchini. Fish was equally delicious and reminded me of tasting an Australian river but without the gritty aftertaste - quite a sensory dish. It was also superbly moist and flaky, not dry in the slightest which I imagined would be difficult using a wood fire based grill.
Service: Highly attentive staff but the food took about 35 min from ordering to arrive. Given we came on a relatively quiet Friday lunchtime I thought this was a bit unusual. We also ordered two proteins which are best served with minimal cooking. I imagine this was because the heating system is a wood fire so regulating temperature on the grill is difficult.
Value: $97 for two dishes overall which was not unexpected but I anticipated we would get a bit more lamb than we did (about 200 g at most).
Overall Firedoor has a really awesome ambience and quality meals. We even sat next to a pile of firewood and the menu specified that apple and birch wood were being used to fuel the fire the day we were there. The theme works really well in the space and the aromas of smokey meats and charred produce permeate the hum of patrons.
Amazing place. Had a great dining experience. The staff were super friendly and attentive. We had abit of everything from the ala carte menu. Almost everything on the menu. Also the $176 dry aged steak. Which was very good but abit over priced I believe.
Also another thing to note was the entrees were lacking abit of flavour but everything else was excellent.
We sat at the counter and the staff was super friendly. They do have a prie fixe menu for 90pp but we decided to do a la carte. Their dishes are mostly tapas style, and every single dish we had was amazing. They definitely bring out the freshness of the seafood and accentuate the taste with the right amount of sauce so that it doesn’t overpower the main ingredient. However, the portions are quite small and as expected it’s pretty expensive. For its price, a little more creativity or a unique touch might make the price more readily accepted.
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I came here with my husband to celebrate my birthday and even though we managed to get a table last minute, they were nice enough to give us the big corner table for the two of us. We could see the chef busy in the kitchen with the occasional smoke rising up.
While the chefs menu looked good, we decided to go a la carte. We shared their marron with fingerlime, squid with caramelised onions, beef chuck and with the recommendation of the staff, the Brussel sprouts. Omg, the char of the fire gives the food a good depth of flavour and we enjoyed everything we ordered especially their Brussel sprouts! I could seriously eat a bowl of just that and be happy! Their beef chuck while good wasn’t anything special, we have had better steaks and I wouldn’t get it again (that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good).
To end our meal we shared their white chocolate and rhubarb bombe which came with a birthday candle for me to blow out which was a lovely touch and then they lit the bombe up which was a great theatrical end to our meal. I would love to come back once I go through my long list of restaurants on my wish list.
Fabulous service and lovely staff!
Great experience here, was recommended by a colleague. Will not disappoint! Particularly enjoyed the fish, bread and marron. Interesting mix of flavours and something for all tastes. Try the orange wine!
Henry's Food Reviews
+4.5
When you can only understand around 70% of the words on a menu in your native language, you know you're in for a fine dining experience. This was perhaps the second or third time I have ever had "fine dining".
What distinguishes it from regular dining experiences? For me, it was the fact that everything tasted good. You have something that has rarely impressed you in the past, like some octopus, and you discover that you had never had it so succulent before. You see some things that you think are called finger limes, but are actually sea bananas, and they taste good in a blackbean sauce even though you think you have a mild allergic reaction to them. Even the bread with butter and random rye seeds just hits the spot and it's - all at once - savoury, tasteless, chewy, soft, crispy, tasty and smoky.
Sometimes, the dishes draw out an "oh, that was good but not that mind-blowing", but most of the time they're delicious and experiment with flavours you've never had before.
Firedoor is also to be commended for their attention to detail in terms of design (see photos of cutlery, plating and amazing business-card).
I won't go into too much detail about the dishes except:
> the octopus was wicked sick and the potatoes were to die for
> enoki wrapped with dried meats. So good
> crab was a little unwieldy and tasted like Asian canned fried dace but also sweet (which is cool)
> dry aged steaks were packed with flavour. Grain fed was perhaps a bit too fatty. Best steak of my life nonetheless. Was just a tad upset that our steaks weren't cut up as attractively as some others I've seen in reviews.
The menu changes every day though so you'll have your own culinary adventure.
PS. Can you afford to come here on a teacher's salary? For special occasions, of course! But be prepared to utter some language that will make a sailor blush when you get the bill.
We ordered the set menu and included pizzeta, fish, octopus, beef and dessert, as per the premise all the courses had something special about them, and different degrees of smokiness which I really enjoyed.
I love sweets and the dessert was definitely my favourite! loved the theatrics with it too.
Any restaurant with a furnace that resembles something out of a Saw film, must be operating on some higher level. I learn from one of the cooks that it exists to facilitate the scorching of hot coals, inevitably to be utilised for the cooking of, well… everything on the menu. Our seat at the bar opposite the action is like being placed in front of the speakers as a Slayer concert. Except instead of being belted with beats, you’re hit with heat. Still, it provides good access to the chefs for the odd culinary query, and a great view of this unique restaurant’s functional logistics. Something I can’t say for a Slayer concert.
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Who knew so much can be done on an open fire? I experienced such a wide variety of tastes today - each ingredient tasted distinctly of itself, eg, I got 4 different kinds of brassica vegetables in my various dishes today...all grilled - cabbage, brussel sprouts, gai lan and kale - and each one was uniquely memorable and individual! The wild mulloway wings today were an absolute revelation to me and a highlight of my life lived intimately with delicious foods so far.
Roasted almond milk, lassi spices
(...deliciously creamy sweet with a spicy lemon tang...)
Bread with butter and toasted sprouted rye
(...the toasted sprouted rye was so much fun!...)
Pipis, chilli, garlic shoots, sea bananas
(...flavourful, juicy pipis with pungently fragrant garlic shoots...)
Wild mulloway, cabbage, spring onions
(...are you kidding me? This was the best piece of fish I've had in my entire life! I never knew fish cooked over an open fire could be SO OVERFLOWING in its own juices and TENDER!! The flavours on the plate were amazingly intense - who knew grilled cabbage could be so intriguing? With a fragrant tang of lemon, this dish was perfect! Get run over by a car after eating this dish right now and I'll still be happy while dying!...)
Octopus, smoked potato, chorizo, grilled brussel sprouts
(...packed full of flavour, one of the tastiest potatoes of 2017!...)
Gai lan, smoked ricotta, bottarga
(...clean and fresh gai lan, enhanced by the subtly smoked and delicious house-made ricotta, perfectly seasoned with the bottarga...)
Chuck steak, shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, grilled kale, raisins
(...fantastic interplay of textures and flavours - including salty, umami, bitter, smoky and sweet...)
It was a GREAT day at Firedoor today! I must save room for their desserts next time, woot woot!
Firedoor captured my attention upon opening and when I went to dine, I was very impressed. I has the aged rib eye to share with some sides and it is safe to say that Firedoor makes its name prominent in the food. The meat was tender and succulent and the smokey charcoal flavour transformed the steak into something extraordinary. I will be back, hungry for more!
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The newly reopened wood-fired restaurant in Surry Hills was as vibrant and energetic as its predecessor. Though its service and hygiene (I have dealt with it separately) was tragic, terrible and atrocious - The worst among all hatted restaurants, their dry aged steak probably ranks among the top 3 steaks I have tried in my life.
Service was atrocious - I went for the degustation course but the kitchen and service crew mixed up the sequence. For instance, I got my third dish before my second and my fifth before my fourth. Furthermore, I could wait for 45 minutes between two dishes. Hygiene lapses were obvious - cockroaches (a family of five) scattering around the restaurant and tabletops but the service crew defended staunchly and laid the blame at the dilapidated building. I have dealt with the issue of hygiene separately but the service was terrible.
The entrees and supporting cast of the tasting menu - whether the octopus, sardine or gurnard were all forgettable and ordinary.
I am fast forwarding my review to the ultimate highlight - the 154-day dry aged grain-fed rib of beef. The extraordinary angus beef rib which was cut to order with a band saw, was marinated with fleur de sel or salt and grilled over a wood fire which enhanced an indescribable awesomeness. The smoky, scorchy and savoury beef rib was perfect in terms of its proportion of fat and meat. The deep and rich taste of the rib is absolutely memorable and must be one of the best dishes ever made in Sydney and probably the whole of mankind.
Yummy. 😋😋
We absolutely loved this place. What a unique dining experience! We tried a selection of dishes and I can honestly say everything was not
Only delicious, but impressive. There are no electrical cooking appliances in this kitchen, so I'm told, everything runs on wood fire or coal, from the grill to the oven. Different woods are chosen for different dishes, depending on what compliments them. Smoked ganache? Yep! Honeycomb? Yep! Pumpkin? Yep! Meats? Yep! Do yourself a favour people, try this place.
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I have been to Firedoor once before about a year ago. I was really impressed by the tasty food and fresh ingredients, especially the fact that all things were grilled with different kind of woods to give the food subtle differences in flavour, even for the desert! The experience was truly unique.
We tried to go back to Firedoor with friends but we were really annoyed by their booking system. At first I thought they have only two seatings if we book in advance, which is inevitable because they are popular.
We were shown by their online booking system for dates which was 3-4 weeks ahead only 2 slot of times available. 6pm was too early for dinner and 9pm too late. We only found out much later that if we booked for months ahead then we would get a more flexible time slots to choose from.
We are not ones to plan dinner so far ahead as we believe long anticipation generates high expectations and often lead to disappointments. So we eventually gave up the idea of going back.
However, we knew that it would be easier to get a seat if you don't mind to sit at the counter. You could try to walk in or phone ahead.
As we had a late lunch and felt like a revisit today, so called up to check availability. We were told that they have counter seats available at 8:30pm. When we were there we found out that the table seats were all full but the counter seats were mostly available for singles or couples. There are two counters, one the normal bar counter and the other look into the open kitchen with all kinds of grills and fire where the masters are at work. Between the counters, the waiters walking in and out serving drinks and food.
The Asian waitress with blue dyed hair was friendly but not very professional. As the noise was loud, instead of standing between my partner and me to explain the details or saying anything. She just stand where was the most convenient for her, spoke and explained only to my partner. He was on the first seat between the two counters. She walked up and down and stop occasionally to chat with my partner. So I was left out during our entire stay and could not hear what she was talking about. It become annoying as she did that every time she served us food.
Bread, Smoked Butter, Sprouted Rye $8
Very fresh and tasty bread but not as impressive as the ones served at Bishop Sessa or Fred's, or the one we just had at The Paddo Inn the night before. The smoked butter was truly amazing, it was smooth, soft and tasted heavenly! Highly recommend! The sprouted rye was a small amount of roasted nuts, they added a nice layer of nutty flavour, don't forget to add them to your bread.
4/5
Live Marron, Finger Lime, Native Herbs $53
We were presented a live Marron a few minutes after our orders and saw it cut into half. Nothing can be fresher than that. It was juicy and perfectly grilled. However the taste was not as sweet as I expected. The finger lime and native herbs dressing was subtly sweet and tangy, it was nice but not mind blowing. For a $53 dish it lacks WOW factor and the size of the Marron is on the small side (see picture). I have definitely had better tasting Marron somewhere else.
I find Marrons and Yabbies such an overrated and overpriced crustaceans. I have never been impressed by Marron in restaurants but I have often been surprised by how good prawns, pipis, muscles and crabs taste in more masterful hands. You can tell this is my least favourite dish of the night.
3/5
Pumpkin, Seeds, Toasted Spelts $19
The small wedge of pumpkin has a wonderful smokey/grilled flavour but slightly under seasoned. The toasted spelts tasted like tougher, more chewy brown rice. Pumpkin seeds were surprisingly not as plentiful. After all a really nice dish with an extra little pinch of salt.
3.5/5
Cauliflower, Alpine Cheese, Grape Musk $17
Again, the cauliflower has a wonderful smokey/grilled taste. Although the serving is surprisingly small it is quite a filling dish with the melted cheese. This is probably the dish of the night packed with flavours and surprises. I will certainly order again if this is on the menu in our future visits.
5/5
Mirror Dory, Broccolini, Lemon Confit $43
After all the small servings of previous dishes, this come as a big surprise for such a generous portion. In fact we couldn't finish it but it was so good we did. The fish was fresh, juicy and succulent, the flavour was great and I love the subtle sweetness from the sea. The lemon confit was not overpowering and a perfect companion. The broccolini nicely charred.
4.5/5
It was a great experience after all during our second visit but the wait between dishes was too long especially for the first few dishes as they were smaller servings. Although the kitchen dramas were fun to watch, the wait could be slightly testing if you were a lone dinner or your dining partner not a chatty one.
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After hearing MANY good reviews about this restaurant, I was excited to finally try this place out for myself. According to their website, the menu changes daily based on available local produce so I wasn't sure what was going to be on the menu upon arrival. I was most keen to try their 227 day dry aged rib of beef which is probably what they're most known for.. let me just say right off the bat, one of THE BEST pieces of steak I've ever eaten in my life. Cooked perfectly and just melts in your mouth. I generally don't eat meat all that much because it tends to taste dry and overcooked, but the guys at Firedoor was bang on and the meat was so tender and delicious. We got the chefs menu of the night but the highlight and standout dish is the rib of beef. Everything else was nice as well but I'd personally recommend ordering the 500g rib of beef and probably about 2 sides to share and a dessert and you'll be good. The rib of beef was the last dish before dessert on the chefs menu and we were pretty stuffed by the end of it. All in all a great dining experience and would come back just for that rib of beef!
|Best steak in Sydney| ★★★★½
Ordered: Dry aged beef rib, clams, eggplant, side dishes, Quay x Firedoor tasting menu.
Visited 3 times.
The steak is tender and juicy in the inside while beautifully caramelised on the outside. The steak is remarkable and everyone must order this dish.
*Chef Hastie have previously worked in Extebarri No.6 on World's 50 Best Restaurants.
Tip: the steak can be shared among 4 people
評價：★★★★½
烤牛排必點 （悉尼最好吃牛排）☑️
餐廳特色用柴火烤製☑️
Tip: 牛排很大4人份量
Interesting and different menu that changes everyday. Incredible service, switched on, great explanation of the dishes and menu. Lovely atmosphere, good change of crowd with families on a Thu night. Lovely atmosphere. Took a friend for their birthday and a candle as put in their dessert!
Smokey, smokey deliciousness. And because different woods are used for different dishes, they don't just all taste the same. The flavours are subtle, yet complex. The service is attentive without being intrusive
Great night out for a special occasion. This is a terrific spot if you love your wood fire and don't mind sharing your dishes (trust me it's worth it). Our meal was superb and the wait staff were enthusiastically friendly. Overall we had a great night out and will return in the near future.
Possibly one of the best meals we've had this year! Every dish had perfectly balanced flavours with a touch of smokey-ness from the fire - simply remarkable! The portions are perfect for sharing and the atmosphere is a mix of rustic and modern. The menu changes very frequently so we're looking forward to going back in the near future.
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I went here last night after wanting to come here for quite some time - it was great I finally did because the food and service was INCREDIBLE!
We sat at the bar after reading reviews that it's a better spot than the tables for taking photos, which definitely was as the table area did seem quite dark. We did the Chefs 6-course degustation ($75 each) which apparently changes every night, which is also the waiters recommendation if you've never been to Firedoor before.
The first thing that was served on the table was the Woodfired Bread - oh my word, this was the most incredible starter bread I've ever had, it was extra thick and so dough-like - I said to my boyfriend that I'd come to Firedoor just for there bread! But then the other dishes came out and those were excellent as well.. Stand outs we got in our banquet were the raw tuna, blue eye fish, the pork crackling dish (omg I drooled when this got presented on the table) and their banana ice cream with smoked ganache and honeycomb - TO DIE FOR!!
Definitely come to Firedoor if you love fine dining & smokey woodfired dishes. The 6-course menu was also enough for us to get full bellies, so I'd recommend that option as well!
The struggle is always real when with what the heck we're gonna order. We're the painful ones who ask for what our waiter recommends. Tuna, kohlrabi, grilled pomelo ~ $31. That colour. The likes that brought me back fond memories of the life-changing tuna sashimi I'd had in Japan. Solid presentation, where the seared sections remained at the bottom to ensure the brilliant vibrant cuts were acknowledged. A truely refreshing starter.
On arrival you would think you were at another Surrey hills eatery where share plates are the trend and you'd be right. Bringing overseas guests really shows off how the hip modern Australian likes to eat. But thats where the feature of this restaurant puts a different spin on the experience. Vegetables, fish and meat all cooked with a variety of wood including nectarine and apple and styles of preparation. Clever, well executed but not cheap. We went with the chefs selection and no course disappointed. The wine list is amazing and features Spanish and Italian gens. Expect to pay the same price as a night at one of the best silver service places so don't let the decor fool you that this is not your average night out.
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Fire door: burning the cash out the door
Hankering for a good slab of meat as well as wanting to try something unique here in Sydney led us to making a booking at the ever so adeptly named Fire Door. The location is somewhat reminiscent of Tonka in Melbourne; reminds me of those basements under an office block where the facilities management check on the vitals of the building.
We briskly entered through the heavy wooden door to some prompt maître-d service leading us to our table. The menus lay out simply in the middle of the setting atop some wood-fired ceramic plates. Modern and simple
The glasses were heavy-bottomed thin lipped; tick
Mineral water was $5 bottomless per person; tick
The carafe of water sat atop a leather coaster; massive tick.
Simple things that set the scene for what you’d expect to be a memorable meal. Chef Hastie's team look to create unique flavour profiles with burning wood of different varieties.
We promptly browsed the daily changing menu, settling on a la carte over the 6 Course and Chefs menu thinking we’d get better value. Definitely not the final outcome.
The official order being:
- Wood fired bread $8
- Borlotti, pumpkin, stracciatella $17
- Live marron, finger lime, native herbs $51 (N.B. this is for ONE marron)
- Brussels sprouts, smoked ham hock $17
- 248 day (that’s right almost one year) dry aged rib on the bone 500g $149
- Plus a carafe of a pinot noir that I can’t recall the name (commending the waiter’s service in helping pick this one out)
Bread promptly came out alongside some house-made smoked butter and a (miserly) small bowl of extra virgin olive oil. You would not doubt that this was wood smoked. I personally love butter (even eating blocks of it) but this butter was overly salty to my palate imparted from the smoking. The oil definitely seemed to cut into the earthiness of the black crust of the bread making me wish for more of that extra virgin goodness as promised to the devout.
Borlotti, pumpkin and stracciatella… needed more pumpkin. It was roasted over mandarin wood from recollection which definitely imparting a citrus flavour which enhanced the freshness of the stracciatella alongside the richness of the pumpkin. Those borlotti beans could have been left off. Never been a fan of the aniseed resemblance of the white beans (and the recent revival of fancy baked beans).
Next up came the marron – for those who aren’t sure what this is it is essentially a mini lobster with the slight sweetness from a crab. A yabbie/crayfish to others. So the waiter tells us it’s flown in daily from WA. Must be on business class cos it’s goddamn nothing for $51. The finger lime ‘roe’ gave it a surprising citrus kick but the price tag left a question to be asked; how much better would I have been with a kilo of crab in Campsie?
The brussels sprouts were served with generous lashings of smoked ham hock – a surprising highlight of the night. The leaves were gently roasted with the hearts wood-fired to bring the usually hated vegetable from the old folklore of adolescent nightmares to a modern sophisticated vegetable. I did feel a bit hypocritical inside for having jumped on the sprout bandwagon but this was worth it.
Not long after came the princess of the ball; that magnificent piece of brown gold (yes this alludes to a turd). You could smell it coming a mile away having been rotted for 248 days accumulating all the bacterias to make this taste delicious. Marbling was a 5 from memory so definitely a good balance of lean and fat. Don’t order this between 2 is my recommendation otherwise you may be falling into that food coma before you can say Jack Robinson. This was actually one of the best pieces of meat I have ever had. Melt in your mouth goodness each piece oozing the seed of beef. Oh almost forgot to mention it came with a side of a lettuce. Yes a LETTUCE with delightful vinaigrette dressing to help cut into the steak’s fat. Having sufficiently died and with nothing inspiring about the desserts on offer for the day, we promptly asked for the cheque.
$320 later for 2 people we scurried away into a cab wanting to collapse into bed. Only to wake up the next morning with the regret that we actually had quite an expensive meal that was nothing that spectacular…
VERDICT
Flavour 7/10 (pulled down by dem beans da devil’s kidney stones)
Quantity 8/10
Presentation 9/10
Service 9/10
Atmosphere 8/10 Intimate date night AND good for groups
Consistency N/A – but I imagine for this price it would be 10/10
Value 4/10
Will I be returning? Only if work pays x2
Substitutes? Only ‘fire-only’ but Sydney is not lacking in a good steak
Concept there, execution almost there, price…
RF out! (No, I’m not Roger Federer @theruthlessfoodie.wordpress.com
Fantastic and delicious food. Modern Australian cuisine. Exceptional and friendly service without being too much in your face. A gastronomical experience to be repeated. The food just dances in your mouth. Recommend if in a group of 4 or more to order the Chefs menu as you get to try out 8 courses.
We got -
wood fired bread served with butter/olive oil,
borlotti, pumpkin, pecorino
Tasmanian oysters with seaweed pearls,
grilled baby cos, guanciale, pecans
duck hearts, red elk, pistachio
flathead, kale, riesling vinegar
cauliflower, aged tallow, hazelnut
new season lamb, carrot, salsa verde
banana, smoked ganache, wildflower honeycomb
Firedoor, it’s an interesting name for a restaurant isn’t it. Housed in an old fire station perhaps? Or are there traces of a fire long ago that danced through the premises? No, Firedoor is the perfect name for a restaurant where everything is cooked with fire. There isn’t a gas line to Firedoor’s kitchen, nor will you find an electric oven. Instead you will find a selection of woods like pecan, orange, apple, ironbark and olive. They use 13 different wood types in total at Firedoor, all adding their own distinct smoky flavours to the dishes.
Been here for a birthday dinner with my friends and we booked for a big group. I advice to book an early dinner instead of late as they will rush you to finish the meals.. the food is great, service is average, the ambience is great too.
This place has been on my list for such a long time. Glad I finally made it because I love it! We sat at the bar and really, if you're a photo taker, then this is the only spot to sit. The tables are far too dark. The bar is where the action is anyway, so it works out superbly for us. The service was friendly, the wine was great and the food was just downright amazing. We plan on becoming regulars!
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Somehow I have missed all the buzz about this restaurant until one of my friend suggested this place for our group catch up. It proved how popular it is, when we have to make a booking for a week night dinner at 8:30pm 2 weeks ahead. The atmosphere in the restaurant is also buzzing, lots of people chatting, but not too noisy so you can still hear your own table chatting. The menu is perfectly designed for group sharing, and with 6 of us, we pretty much ordered most of the day's menu (12 out of 19).
The food were mostly great, very consistent quality, except for the prawns at the start, and desserts at the end. The school prawns with garlic shoot was difficult to eat as the small prawns came shelled, the waitress told us we can eat it with the shells, but it was just unpleasant. Not a fan of the strong garlic shoot taste either. Marron was delicious, but small, so between 6 meant we all got about one bite each. The snapper was moist and well complemented by the lemon confit & capers, it was my favourite dish of the night. Both the meat dishes were great. Quail was served with spelt (yum) & rhubarb (too tangy). The sirloin needed no accompaniment, no sauce or sides, it was juicy & tendered and well favoured. We also had all of the veggie dishes on the menu, all were delicious & had a character of their own (maybe except the garden leaves), not the standard sides you normally get. Desserts are definitely 2 steps behind the rest of the menu, the smoked chocolate ganache was way strong, and hard to take pass couple of bites.
Overall a great dinner, will definitely be back, but probably give the dessert a miss, which will help save the dent in my wallet, as they certainly know how to charge for good food!
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One of the best meals and experiences we have ever had! We were given a gift voucher as a wedding present, and from the moment we set foot in the restaurant we were treated like royalty. All of the staff seemed to know about the wedding present and could not have been more warm and good fun - Lennox Hastie has clearly picked a great team to deliver a fabulous experience. And they were so accommodating for my pregnant wife, frequently separating a seafood dish to cook hers a little more, etc.
The food is also exceptional and really different from anything we have had in Australia... Just fresh ingredients, either chargrilled over coals or smoked in the Etxebarri style, and simply presented without too many fancy sauces or theatrics. A real breath of fresh air. Hard to pick a best course... the 220 day aged wagyu ribeye is beef perfection, the smoked/grilled seafood is incredible (I especially liked the WA marron), and they do a lot of grilled vegetable courses that are spectacular. And all in a simple, unpretentious setting, accompanied by a very different and interesting wine list.
We can't recommend it enough... both for the food and the overall experience. Thanks to all those who looked after us.
This place is outstanding. Possibly on the dear side of upscale trendy dining but wow Lennox Hastie is a magician with fire. Some of the most elegant flavours by wood fire. I love this place and have been many times. The staff are also what make this place so special. The Euro waiter from day one is outstanding and the Asian girl in the bar is personable and lovely as they come.
The Marron, aged rib, pipies are all a work of magic. The Marron is the best!!!
Being on my hit list for awhile and no reservations we walked in with hope. The service straight off was amazing and our server was attentive all night. The 'black market' beef made the night and enters my top spot for the best steak in Sydney. Whilst not cheap overall, the steak and service justified everything!
For a fancy lunch, we headed to Firedoor in Surry Hills, ready to try their daily menu with dishes cooked up in their giant woodfire oven! To drink, we decided to go with the Tropical mocktail, a refreshing blend of summer fruit juices, and a Kombucha, which is a brewed and fermented tea. While it’s definitely a rare and unique taste, it grew on us with each sip, and we were so satisfied with our choice of drink!
Amys_food_adventures
+4.5
Top of the list of places to go! Large open space with lots of tables. Good list of wine an cocktails.
The menu is simple and straight to the point. We tried the whole snapper when they had it on the menu and it was great!
Large open plan kitchen where you can see where most of the magic happens. Staff attentive and helpful. Would indeed go back!
Very Hungry Caterpillar
+3.5
Overrated albeit seating next to Mel Gibson
Food was very expensive for the mediocre taste. It took forever to get our table that was reserved.
They tried hard but failed, would not be back again.
Expensive sides, good stake but it's Australia, a lot of places have a good stake you don't need to pay over $100 for. My cocktail was undrinkable and had to send it back. No, thanks!
Finally went to Firedoor and it lived up to expectations. The venue has a good atmosphere and the seating is not overcrowded. The staff were great and provided menu recommendations without being pushy. We started with the live grilled marron that was freehand tasty. The Jurassic quail with spelt and rhubarb was cooked to perfection with a nice balance of flavours and decent portion size. We finished with the lamb rump and borlotti beans which was sensations, it was cooked medium rare and fell apart in your mouth. I could not fault any of the dishes and the lamb stole the show as our last dish. The restaurant had a great wine list that is paired well with the food. I will definitely return and next time will try the chefs menu.
Loved it,
Fresh produce, especially the magnificent Marron, treated with the utmost respect, and cooked to perfection.
The massive 500g , 180 day dry-aged t-bone looked insanely delicious, but how could you eat half a kilo of cow.!!
I was bursting at seams at the end of the tasting menu and struggled to get that last piece of lamb rump in.
The sheep milk ice-cream managed to escape the smoke treatment, the peaches that came with it were lightly bbq'd and this combination was perfectly balanced.
I kind of get what the dude below said in his 1.5 rating - (overly harsh b.t.w. ) about the lack of ' variety' I think he called it - but to slam a whole meal over a wilted green is just a bit too Surry Hills for me.
A firm, pointy, green, something shoved somewhere might satisfy that whiner.
Perhaps he's an envious restauranteur who didn't come up with the idea, or maybe just a restauranter with little else to do.
Chef-crushing. I sat at the kitchen bar and watched the men (slightly disappointed no women were rocking in the kitchen) work their magic. I ordered the macadamia squid on a bed of ink. I wanted to lick my plate it was so darn yum. The staff were attentive friendly and fun. The food delicious and the menu was quite edgy. Perfect place to dine with your lover or perfect place to impress a client. Thanks Lennox
You’re in a bit of trouble at Firedoor if you don’t like a hint (or a whack) of smokiness in your food. In the electricity-less kitchen, everything is cooked on fire, and the taste is distinct. One of the hot openings of 2015, in the early days it was near impossible to score a table, and we’re glad we finally get to road test it and see if it is worthy of its one hat. Our friendly waitress gives us the menus and suggests an appropriate number of dishes to order between four – the menu is designed to share – and leaves us to ponder.
We had an amazing dinner at firedoor. One of our best experience in Sydney. It's simply really tasty, honest and generous. No dehydrated element or purée or any micro herbs, just nice produces, amazingly cooked and served directly. I hope Firedoor will keep on and I'm looking forward to go back. Thanks again for welcoming us.
Absolutely delicious! The 140+ day dry ages rib on the bone was the standout dish. The cocktails were yummy (strawberry daiquiri was especially nice), as were the non-alcoholic cocktails. Would definitely go back.
Chefs menu at Firedoor was outstanding. Every dish here are cooked by smoked fire and the waiters are so professional and friendly.
Absolutely enjoyed all dishes.. Despite one fish dish w a hair on it.. 😓😓😓 but no fuss.. Happy that I tried!
To quote their own website “The kitchen will burn a collection of different woods daily to create coals that will then be used to enhance the natural characteristics of the ingredients” this is evident when tasting the dishes a smokey flavor of varying intensity is present in the food providing another layer of flavor. The menu changes every day and consists of 20 or so simple dishes as you can see below most have only a few ingredients. The restaurant its self-has a modern open plan fit out with an open kitchen so you can see the chefs work the fire in the ovens and grills.
Bestowing the gift of fire onto humanity wasn’t the smartest move by Prometheus. While he’s doomed to an eternity of “liver-picking” (definitely not going into detail on that), we have been using fire in more inventive ways than ever. Fire is a beautiful thing. Not only is it mesmerizing in its brilliance, the difficulty of mastering this fickle beast is both an art and a science. It’s no wonder why modern recipes focus so much on thermometers, cooking times and precision measurements in order to rein the capriciousness of flame.
Amazing food. Even the grilled lettuce tastes great! Also a great wine list.
Jacqui's Food Fetish
+4.5
Firedoor is the hottest new place in Sydney, and not just because all of their food is cooked over hot wood charcoal or in the flaming furnace. Firedoor boasts 10 different woods that they use for their cooking, including ironbark, mallee root, pecan, pear, and grapevine. Different woods are matched to particular ingredients based on their unique properties. For example, grapevine burns a rich robust aroma well suited to red meat and game, while pear offers a gentle sweetness. It’s a great concept.
Jacqui's Food Fetish
+4.5
Firedoor is the hottest new place in Sydney, and not just because all of their food is cooked over hot wood charcoal or in the flaming furnace. Firedoor boasts 10 different woods that they use for their cooking, including ironbark, mallee root, pecan, pear, and grapevine. Different woods are matched to particular ingredients based on their unique properties. For example, grapevine burns a rich robust aroma well suited to red meat and game, while pear offers a gentle sweetness. It’s a great concept.
Lovely warm space and attentive service. We went for the set menu which was a plentiful selection from the main menu including dessert. The focus was on fish and vegetables with the lamb coming last. The lamb was the highlight, if a little on the small side. I would have preferred more red meat but it would have cost more. Hold onto your wallets because the prices here are very steep. $20 cauliflower a case in point. This would have cost 20c for the vegetable alone. ACCC anyone? Overall good but a similar, better value for money experience can be found at LP Quality Meats in Chippendale. The wait staff are bearded, skinny and handsome.
Helen | Grab Your Fork
+4.5
You could say that Firedoor is the hottest restaurant in Surry Hills right now - dotted with food journalists, celebrities and chefs every night of the week - but that would ignore the real reason they're here: Lennox Hastie. His obsession with fire is at the heart of Firedoor. This is a kitchen without gas or electric stoves, a concept not seen before in Sydney. This is a kitchen where all the action centres around the wood-fired grill.
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Very interesting venue no doubt; they have an open kitchen which makes it fun to sit at the kitchen counter area as you can see chef Lennox work his magic and cook some damn good food. The open style kitchen adds tremendously to the décor with the smokey smells wafting throughout the dining area.
Their daily menus is impressive, makes each visit interesting and keeps it fresh. The lack of standard soft drinks makes the bar menu very appealing - expect to taste some flavours you've never had before. The cocktails are spot on and the wine list has some very unique wines on it.
I had the pleasure of being able to move my seat, started at the bar chatting with the bar tenders and moved to the counter area in front of the kitchen.
However... there was one rather annoying thing. The steak cutting.
I get it that they're cutting a T Bone steak straight off the cut but the sound the band saw makes when they cut the bone is really loud and annoying to say the least (I guess it can't exactly be fixed),
All in all, service was great, the staff knew the menu (and if there was something they were unsure of, they would immediately ask the chef or manager), food and drinks were brilliant.
*thumbs up*
Does My Bomb Look Big In This
+4.5
“It's big, it's heavy, it's wood. It's log…" Ren & Stimpy aren’t the only ones obsessed with logs. Firedoor’s log is the first gnarly object to catch your eye, right after the fancy sliding door spits you unceremoniously into the Surry Hills warehouse, your arm awkwardly half-raised.Fink Group backing makes this the perfect sibling to Bridge Room; oozing the same casual luxury.Ned Goodwin has curated a great wine list, and Bar Manager Phil McElory delivers it with aplomb, steering me into
My favourite sydney restaurant. I love this place.
Have had the pleasure of dining twice. The first weekend and again last week. It's amazing how John Fink finds these brilliant chefs. Bridegroom and Firedoor are Sydney's best.The service is brilliant. Warm, attentive, genuine and just very comforting.the food is simple, brilliant produced cooked perfectly on the lighter side, cooked intelligently over fire to add flavour. The Marron is out of this world. Simply cooked perfectly with finger lime herbs and the aroma and flavour of wood.pippies are fantastic too, however the extra chilli the first time round was more to our preference.the steak is possibly the best in town but good for 4 to share I think.
It's a red-hot thumbs up from me, purely for the food. But it would be remiss not to mention we suffered extremely slow service. Yes, it was their opening week, so allowances can be made; but we were still a bit surprised how a one-hour wait for food resulted in little more than a mumbled, sheepish apology from one of the waitstaff.
Still, when it did come, the food was terrific. And the room is abundantly smokey and toasty. An exciting addition to Surry Hills.
Sit at the bar and observe. I dined at Firedoor on their fourth night since opening and it was heaving. The menu revolves around quality produce cooked simply over coals to let the flavours shine.
Each dish we tried was cooked perfectly - the Balmain bug and beef rib were crowd favourites, but even the house-churned butter was memorable with its rich smokiness. There were a few service issues that need to be ironed out as the place finds its feet.
Tip: Sit at the bar opposite the kitchen if dining alone or as a couple to get the best views in the house. Otherwise sit at the long table opposite the kitchen. Be prepared for your eyes to water a bit and to go home smelling like a delicious camp fire!
Finally got to try out Firedoor after many months of waiting. It didn't fully live up to expectations but that isn't to say that we didn't have a good night.
The service was unfaultable, from the moment we entered the venue until the moment we left. The servers were professional, attentive and very friendly. The restaurant and decor was charming and we enjoyed the open kitchen. I think the best seats in the house would be by the bar.
The cocktails we ordered were pretty good! The food was cooked well and tasted great but given the hype this place has received, I think it was just a bit lacking in the "wow." We added on steak to our set menu and I was a bit disappointed by it. We did end on the best dish which was dessert. Yum!
Glad we got to try it out because overall it was a good experience.
PS. Shout out to the wood-fired bread - so good!
A great evening out to Firedoor. The aroma of the woodsmoke welcomes you as you walk through the front sliding door. Amazing hospitality, cocktails spot on, dishes kept minimalistic and executed well. We got the additional squid and DB wagyu also, delicious! *chefs kiss*
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Bring friends!
My wife and I FINALLY got to experience Firedoor after a COVID hiatus of about a year. The team are great there. They were super helpful with our booking and very friendly on the night. I went with the wine pairing option and would thoroughly recommend this. Their wine was on point! Especially liked the chilled dessert wine which was mixed with cherries.
But onto the food, the reason to bring your friends is that there is the set menu which can't be changed, but there are also tasty additions that you can opt into. We opted into the marron and 250g steak, BUT, we really wanted to try the 750g steak and the pippies. There was absolutely no way we could have gotten through all of that food. Especially when the team also throw a small starter and finisher at you too. Don't get me wrong, definitely not complaining. The food was amazing and we'll definitely be back once we can secure a booking again. Hopefully it doesn't take us soo long next time.
Thanks Firedoor for living up to the hype!
Very very good. We were spoilt as enjoyed Hentley Farm degustation 2 weeks ago, which was superb and I’d argue better.
The service was good. But felt rushed. We upgraded to order the $89 steak but this arrived as we just started our lamb. So not ideal timing and service.
Clearly the embers and flavours are terrific. And a feature of the establishment.
What a Fantastic experience. from the service level, to the quality of the produce.
Love every minute. Go here if you looking for a unique dinning experience. the flavors of the woodfire and charcoal cooking technics really shines. Will be back again
Been on the bucket list forever and did not disappoint
Staff - attentive, fun and professional. On the ball
Ambience - very cool, open kitchen is a hive of activity that draws the eye and smells amazing
Food - unbelievable and not just about meat. Really delicate seafood, vegetables and desserts all part of the experience
One of the best experiences I’ve had - will not forget!
Superb food and excellent service! All the dishes came out strong and, honestly, were all my favourites. We also added the 200/250g steak and it was cooked to perfection! That capsicum sauce with it was divine!
Thank you firedoor for making the night special ecpecially for my partner who celebrated his birthday.
We look forward to dining with you again, hopefully, up close to the legendary chef Lennox Hastie!
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