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Firedoor Restaurant Surry Hills Reviews
Ignore the Noise - Firedoor is Worth the Hype
Fine dining experiences are truly just not for everyone, and that’s okay. But the feedback in these reviews is startlingly misplaced. Criticizing the staff at a MICHELIN STAR restaurant for replacing cutlery and *explaining* the content of the carefully curated dishes? That seems so silly; this is a standard practice for restaurants that care deeply about their food and the customer experience. Not enough food after 5-7 courses? You *must* be kidding. Complaints about a prefixed menu? No one is trying to hide this. A simple search on Firedoor’s website explains the dining style. Same can be said for the price complaints, this is all available openly online. No one is being hoodwinked. Personally, by the time I left I felt like I had robbed a bank! I was coming to Sydney from NYC and had been lucky enough to get a reservation. After reading these reviews I was beginning to reset my expectations. Maybe I had overhyped what this might be like.. Simply put, the experience of dining at Firedoor was exquisite. In my opinion, the critiques are entirely misleading and missing the beauty of this restaurant. There is no acknowledgement or appreciation for how the creation of these dishes is entirely remarkable. The difficulty level in perfecting the menu can’t be overstated. The technique required to achieve what the team has done at Firedoor is spectacular. Elevating basic ingredients like cabbage and kimchi. A cod dish that had the crispiest skin with a mouth watering, moist interior. Serving lamb that could have been cut with a butter knife. Cooking a wagu steak that perfectly, giving it a lovely char on the outside with a perfectly even pink center. Roasting plums, infusing them with a smokey undertone that makes an ice cream dish pop. All. Done. On. Open. Flame. It’s art. It was actually art. You can get a traditional culinary experience damn near anywhere. Some people that commented here need to stick to ordering off QR codes so the rest of us can enjoy something singularly unique. The staff was impeccable. The food a delight. The open kitchen mesmerizing. 5-stars today, tomorrow, and every day.
Slightly underwhelmed
I am really disappointed to say that our 3 month wait was not worth it. I didn’t like the fact that you have no choice but the “degustation menu’” which is a minimum of $195 ea. The servings , while tasty were very small- and I too left the restaurant hungry- and in a hurry as the emphasis from the team seemed to be the requirement for us to be rushed out in our allotted time. Also the cutlery and plates are constantly updated, and each course comes with a detailed explanation which had the impact of interrupting your conversation regularly…it didn’t feel like a special evening or place despite the rave (?) reviews
Unique experience!
My daughter's restaurant choice for her birthday and she was thrilled with the experience. It is a meat lovers delight and the very best quality presented. Our family of 4 were truly satisfied with the quality of produce and food preparation. Although I am not overly keen on red meat, the quality as expected was of a high standard. Very pleasing that some indigenous ingredients like paper bark were used. Service were superior and ambiance with attention to detail commendable (loved the cutlery and timber). Very happy to recommend for a special occasion as this is not your average priced eatery.
The Emperors Clothes
The experience was very disappointing after waiting so long to get a booking. I asked to upgrade from the pork to wagyu steak and was charged $35 a head for 3 people. The steak portion was the size of a 50cent piece and whilst it had a nice flavour we felt completely ripped off . We had 5 courses and all 3 of us are experienced diners and normally this is more than enough food. Unfortunately we were all hungry when we left so had to stop for a sandwich at 7/11 on the way home. Save your money and go to a restaurant that actually feeds you !!!
Sophisticated menu and presentation.
More waiters than guests. Big open grill in eating area. Five or six course set menu and optional wine pairing Quite expensive. Food a bit exotic for my taste but really first class. Apparently booked 4 months in advance. We got a last minute cancellation-is this standard? Some street parking and no outdoor seating
Everything we had was amazing, and service was exceptional!
Everything we had was amazing, and service was exceptional! If we come back to Sydney, I'm definitely coming here again.
A world class meal.
Outstanding, wonderful adventure in fine dining. Seated at the bar/counter overlooking the kitchen and able to interact with all the players. Lennox Hastie is a consummate professional, yet very approachable and engaging. We had the 6 course menu with wine pairing and each course was wonderful. The food and wine pairings were spot on and featured much of Australia's finest food and drink in a complementary manner. The restaurant was busy, yet the staff worked well together and the patrons were given full attention for their needs. At the end of the seating people were able to pose for photos with Lennox and have short conversations concerning their experience. This was a memorable experience and the food was center stage.
Firedoor? More like TerriBle
Firedoor, touted as a culinary destination in Sydney, left much to be desired during my recent visit. With a Valentine's set menu priced at a staggering 265 AUD, accompanied by an additional 220 AUD for a half portion of their signature 325-day dry-aged Rangers Valley rib, one would expect nothing short of perfection. However, the reality fell far short of expectations. The evening commenced with a promising start with the Wagyu skewer, enhanced by green plum, but the disappointment ensued as it arrived cold, a grave oversight in a restaurant of this caliber. Cold Skewer, what a “great duo”! The first course, featuring kangaroo with blood plum slices and macadamia sauce, offered a glimmer of hope amidst the disappointment. The flavors were harmonious, with the kangaroo proving to be the highlight of the five-course set. Regrettably, subsequent courses failed to maintain the momentum. The mussels, a lackluster choice for a menu of this price point, failed to impress, leaving diners questioning their inclusion in such a premium offering. The barramundi with grilled lettuce and currants, purportedly the main event, suffered from a lackluster execution. While the grilled vegetables offered a semblance of redemption, the fish itself was marred by an abundance of tendons, detracting from the overall dining experience. The crispy skin, medium rare lamb with pepper and onion, provided a fleeting reprieve with its well-executed preparation, showcasing the chef's skill in handling the delicate flavors of the lamb. However, any semblance of enjoyment was swiftly overshadowed by the ill-fated addition of the 325-day dry-aged Rangers Valley rib. Despite its extravagant price tag, the beef was disappointingly tough and full of tendons, akin to chewing on rubber, rendering it nearly inedible. Each bite felt like an endurance test, requiring a Herculean effort to break down the tough, sinewy meat. After mere minutes, the beef fat congealed, leaving diners with a sensation reminiscent of visiting a Sichuan hot pot restaurant, but without the anticipated depth of flavor or culinary satisfaction. The final dessert, featuring fig, failed to salvage the meal after the culinary missteps that preceded it. Its forgettable taste paled in comparison to the lingering disappointment left by the subpar offerings throughout the evening. Firedoor? More like TerriBle.
Unique experience, good wine pairing - don’t eat the insects! (Unless you like insects)
We were SO excited to go to Firedoor as we are AVID BBQ fans (& smoke meat a lot) both at home and dining out and were underwhelmed - especially for the price. The ‘long-aged’ steak that was aged ~350 days was a special experience (fat melts right into the meat) and the mixes of flavors were interesting for the other dishes but frankly not amazing for the price. In addition, my husband received a wine glass (we did the wine pairing) with a very large bug in it with the second course which was pretty gross to say the least. And while we could see the staff trouble shooting - to make sure that not only was the bug removed, but they were ensuring no more bugs would be served to guests - they didn’t give any extra effort to apologize by any staff member, senior staff member or otherwise and we were not offered any discount or free dish or anything else. This seemed really crappy. If you are spending a LOT of money for this special food and experience, this was quite disappointing. We are glad we were able to get in and try this place given our love of “all things cooked on an open flame” but were pretty disappointed in value for $ which was likely also tainted by “large bug incident.” Buyer beware
Well worth a visit
Great room. Interesting food. Well presented. Menu is interesting but could be a little more creative. Quite expensive. The wine list is good. The service is attentive. Difficult to get a booking but worth the effort.
Pretty amazing place
Pretty amazing place.Loved the fire cooked food.Opted for the 5 course menu($185 per head) plus some very special oysters.Look out for the Murray Cod dish which is fantastic..Reasonably priced wine list circa $120-150 a bottle of wine on offer.First rate service by Angelica and her colleagues.Not to be missed.
Superb meal! Unforgettable.
What a superb meal. We actually discussed cancelling our reservation because of poor reviews on Tripadvisor. Thank goodness we didn’t. We experienced a wonderful meal, with outstanding service and excellent wine. The quality of the saucing was outstanding throughout. The glorious tomatoes in the bonito starter are smoked for three and a half hours to bring out the flavour. One of the highlights was an outstanding course of gem lettuce, anchovy and bullhorn pepper. We all agreed it was extraordinary, particularly when accompanied by home baked bread. The trout and pork were perfect. The maitre de has probably spoiled me forever by giving me a taste of the beef, which was undoubtedly the best I have tasted in 73 years, and that from a Scotsman. Staff were knowledgeable, experienced and enthusiastic. The whole meal was a triumph and we could not find a single fault with it. We enjoyed it so much more than a three Michelin star meal in London last week.
Very very disappointing
Food average. Couldnt discern any bold smoky beefy flavours in the underwhelming menu. Overpriced & very very disappointing. Wont be back.
NOT " the same as it ever was....."
Some context....had eaten here previously pre-Covid just after it opened and had an exceptional experience. This is now an internationally acclaimed restaurant, three hats, purportedly the best of the best that Australia has to offer. Set menu only now so one expects that is a complete, balanced meal and at $180pp it is fairly priced. Incomprehensible however that the verbally presented three beef up sells (ranging from $90 to $300+) were not on the written menu and were not offered to replace the pork dish on the set menu, but as additions only. Too large a meal and too much protein would have resulted. Did order the extra mushroom starter which was excellent. However the elements of the calamari dish failed to cohere and the following cabbage and bread combo a fail. The cabbage lacked any complexity while the bread was doughy with poor crust. The Murray cod was perfect and the pork would have been if we had seen more than a mouthful each. Variable portion sizing generally an issue here. Seating is tight enough so one sees what guests either side are getting. Our pork portions were massively undersized in comparison to the other tables (as were our calamari and our bread) Suspect that the kitchen too slow to cook the pork so opted to stretch what they had. This in turn likely a result of overall poor timing and sloppy service. We had dishes arrive on top of each other with unacceptably long gaps for others. No real engagement by the staff; no explanation of the dishes as we had previously experienced and when we left no acknowledgement of our leaving.....got your money and you can bugger off! Last word on the food....the pear brulee not in fact a brulee at all, but ice-cream based and bland. To add insult to injury, even after letting staff know earlier we wanted a dessert wine, no one asked. The dessert arrived, we ordered, we waited, the ice-cream melted.....at which point we gave up on the meal. Unresponsive, inattentive sommelier curating what is now a really ordinary wine list. Over hyped, over priced and a bit of a disgrace. Given that we had built a trip to Sydney around this booking, massively disappointed. Won't be returning. . it
For a special occasion
This place is a bit of a wow! A little on the pricey side but not unexpected from a 3 Hat restaurant. There is really one choice of a menu consisting of 5 courses. You can add extras to that if you need to, but we found the set menu was more than adequate. All courses were great with the the final desert being out of this world, we have never had something as flavoursome and delicate as this before. It is pretty hard to get into as bookings are taken 3 months out and it seems to be pretty well booked out, but if you phone up you may get lucky with a cancellation spot, as we did. The only down side was the noise level. Being a large room with plenty of customers it is difficult to have a quiet conversation.
A unique experience as the Chef's Table: BBQ featured.
The food has all been touched bite fire or smoke giving it a unique taste. I'm more of a big bold flavor person but I can appreciate the subtlety of the food expertly prepared. Shared the 250 day dry aged Wagyu ribeye. It is too funky for me but again I'm glad to have experienced it. Firedoor is a destination experience but unless you really enjoy the food which I moderately did, it may be more of a one and done experience.
Over-priced, Over-hyped, Rip-off
We went to Firedoor to celebrate a special occasion only to be bitterly disappointed and underwhelmed. I had read all the glowing, over the top critic reviews before making this reservation and my conclusion was that the quality and service had dropped tremendously or the reviews were rubbish and biased. The 5-course dinner for two people at Firedoor (@ $370), including their 250+ day dry-aged steak add-on (@ $395), without drinks was $765. An eight course dinner at Quay without drinks was $710. Firedoor in my opinion is not in the same league as Quay and that price point was absurd. What made things worst was our server who told us the steak add-on was $195 but it turned out to be $395. Bonito – 6/10, a “fishy” start to dinner and the citrus did not cut through the fishiness of the bonito. Kangaroo – 5/10, cooked rare, great texture but bland game meat with no wow factor. Artichoke + wood fired bread – 7/10, lovely flavors and the first dish in the course that really showcased the potential of wood fired cooking. Murray Cod – 9/10, was excellent and served on a paper bark which imparted subtle smoky flavors and the fish was cooked to perfection. Very juicy and tasty. Wagyu Lamb – 7/10, the marbling on the lamb gave it a nice flavor however it was incredibly rich and overwhelming. Everything on the plate just added to the density of the dish to the point where after a few bites it was sickeningly rich. Steak add-on – 6/10, 700grams, on the bone, 250+ day dry aged. It was good, but definitely not worth $395. We both heard the waitress say $190 which I thought was a reasonable price point. The waitress was adamant she was right and we heard incorrectly. Disappointing. Next time, I will ask for the price in writing. Dessert – 8/10, burnt celeriac with hazelnut and apple. This was nice light and refreshing end to dinner I would not recommend Firedoor. There are plenty of first class restaurants that are at a better price point.
Wow This dinner was amazing.
All is done with smoke and no mirrors. We had the five purse meal with each item better then the next I will refer you to the menu and my photos for more info or check out u tube You will not go wrong here.
A special night out.
Everything about Firedoor is special. We had been trying to get a reservation here for months and finally got lucky as they are limited and spots go very quickly. From the moment you walk in the you can smell the wood fire and the excitement of being here and knowing that your in for a feast. The staff are great and explain everything to you from how the menu work to the different drinks and cocktails. We sat at the edge of the kitchen and were able to watch the chef's work their magic. The kitchen is fast and dynamic the way they constructed our meals. They explain the different ingredients and they use a lot of local and natural ingredients. The food was amazing and we had about eight or nine courses by the time we had finished. Having seen videos and a documentary about Firedoor make you realize the extent of the care and enjoyment they put into creating your dishes. We live every dish and especially the 200 day dry aged rib eye steak. It was amazing and melted in your mouth and I just wanted to pick up the bone and gnaw on it like a dog it was so good. But didn't obviously One of the best experiences and meals we've ever had and we look forward to coming back here and highly recommend it and Lenox and his team are amazing at what they do.
Firedoor - once and done!
We travelled to Sydney to experience dinner at Firedoor. The ate the five course menu with paired wines. The staff were abrupt and at times condescending to us, especially when we asked for the more extensive wine list as the only list that was provided was an abbreviated one page list which was explained to us the sommeliers had chosen as it represents the wine by the glass or their preferred wines. Given the amount of publicity atoned to the awards the restaurant has received for its wine list being only presented with the one page version was disappointing. The food was pretty underwhelming, the best course of the night was actually the bread and smoked butter! The paired wines were poor, and in some cases pretty undrinkable. They definitely resulted in a delicate head the next day which is often a sign of cheap wine. The decor and furniture of the restaurant are quite mediocre given the price point and clientele it is attracting. All in all it was an average meal, with poor wines and rude staff. I am definitely once and done!
Fun, partially exceptional food. Good for a group
Buzzing, theatrical and definitely worth a visit. Some dishes stunned us with their intensity and balance, others were a bit underwhelming. Not cheap and for these prices we would have expected a bit more consistency in the execution.
6 of us dined here last night .
We thought the dishes were beautifully executed and presented . only Hiccup was that the trout was undercooked and they promptly re- did the dish and it was succulent. One in our party did not eat his fish as he did not like fish .., the staff were very attentive and brought him lamb instead which was cooked to perfection . ( not sure why it's not part of the regular menu ) . Reason for not giving the extra star is because .. the restaurant was not conducive to dining "al fresco "., it was so warm and uncomfortable . When dining on a rich menu such as this , the room needs to be comfortable . Saving on electricity? it's A little pricey .. for what it is .. we did order the addtional steak . 450 grams .. at $325.00.. 6 of got to a slice each . It was so good but not worth the price tag . Again , why this is not on the menu ., ? it's almost as if you get the low cost food which makes up the menu (175.00) and the choice stuff is at an additional cost . I woukd happily pay a lot more just to have enough of the 234 day old steak .. then waste my appetite on the 175.00 menu . Maybe firedoor should consider having a second menu with the steak and lamb on it . Pity...that these are all add - ons at a premium price tag !!! Overall . We enjoyed the experience .. but would we go back for that price knowing the only meat we had was pork . .. not really . Unless a new menu comes out with the said two meats that were unbelievably tasty ., maybe !!
Way too expensive
The food was nice, wouldn’t rave about it and or hurry back. Overly expensive for $325 per couple. Don’t understand what the hype is about! Been there fine that, thank you
Fantastic dining experience at Firedoor.
Everything was cooked over the roaring fire in the open kitchen style. If you're seated at the chef's table, you'll definitely feel some of that heat. Everything tasted great including the drinks.
Underwhelming, disappointing
If the price had been a bit more than what you’d expect from an ordinary steakhouse, this would have scored a 5. The service was good and the food was pleasant, but for what you pay and after all the hype, pleasant just isn’t good enough. The extra price for the steak was outright theft. Avoid.
We had high expectations but in the end, this was a good,
We had high expectations but in the end, this was a good, average experience. The biggest problem was the dry aged Rib eye, while absolutely amazing, came last since it was an add on. Combine this with the a few carb heavy dishes or ones with larger than expected portions, and we ended up too full to really enjoy the steak. The steak is clearly the highlight and I wish the menu was portioned better to cater to it. The rest of the dishes were good, with any fire infused vegetables having a nice flavor, and the kangaroo was well cooked and not too gamey. The crackling on the pork was top notch. Dishes like the potatoes were just fillers and should have been skipped. The coral trout was also bland.Overall, the cooking by fire concept has potential but it's not executed well here.
Beware portion size if ordering the (optional) steak
We had high expectations but in the end, this was a good, average experience. The biggest problem was the dry aged Rib eye, while absolutely amazing, came last since it was an add on. Combine this with the a few carb heavy dishes or ones with larger than expected portions, and we ended up too full to really enjoy the steak. The steak is clearly the highlight and I wish the menu was portioned better to cater to it. The rest of the dishes were good, with any fire infused vegetables having a nice flavor, and the kangaroo was well cooked and not too gamey. The crackling on the pork was top notch. Dishes like the potatoes were just fillers and should have been skipped. The coral trout was also bland. Overall, the cooking by fire concept has potential but it's not executed well here.
Worst restaurant I have been to
After over a year of trying to get in to the hyped up “firedoor” I finally got in. I walked away feeling so let down, disappointed and actually annoyed I bothered to come there. I did not like not one item on the menu. Nothing tasted nice and the restaurant experience is very long. To top it off they do not sell soft drink so they told us they make their own drinks which I ordered but it tasted horrendous. I’d say the only high light was the tablespoon size sorbet at the end. I can confidentially say I will never go back there and it was a waste of over $800 which we paid for 4 ppl. Very very disappointing Don’t waste your time or money
Not as good as expected
The chef wasn't there and it all felt very commercial. expensive, underwhelming and didn't feel like we received an experience. At almost $800 for 2, it was very poor. I wouldn't recommend it.
Underwhelming
The food is of high quality. The wine pairings were touch and go. Some wines were very good, others almost disgusting. The biggest dissapointment was the total lack of atmosphere and uncomfortable seating/surrrounds. The restaurant does not have a high end feel. Fortunate to get three stars. Not a price to value proposition in my view.
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