You can sink into a leather armchair by the bar or tuck yourself under a white linen tablecloth in one of two dining rooms and prepare for a thoughtfully prepared meal that is free of pretension. With a winter menu recently revamped by chef Adam Ingles (formerly at Rococo in St Kilda), there is a great selection of heart-warming food on offer.
We paused over the marinated zucchini with whipped ricotta and the caponata with salsa verde, but opted to start with a simple Caprese salad – thick cut Roma slices, soft bufala mozzarella and a sweet balsamic glaze, fresh and bursting with flavour. Adam Bonola, who runs Fireflies with mum Tina, recommended a wine, a fruity cleanskin Shiraz from McLaren Vale. It’s one of two dozen wines they serve by the glass, alongside a dozen bottled beer varieties and three different flavours of cider, all priced for the budget-conscious drinker without skimping on quality.
Our second course was delivered with warm slices of soft ciabatta, a sweet and salty pumpkin soup finished with parsley, sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika, served piping hot. We sipped our way through it with an eye on the mains, a familiar range served with a subtle twist – baked salmon with a grapefruit hollandaise, pork belly served with red wine apple compote. The braised lamb shoulder on cheesy polenta was full of flavour while the pork was topped with tasty crackling and delivered on a bed of perfectly cooked cabbage – both hearty, satisfying meals. Groaning under the weight of food, we opted for one dessert between two, a delicious honey and vanilla bean panna cotta with peach sauce and crumbed almonds scattered across the plate. We finished up with a glass of lovely Langhorne Creek Shiraz – another great and surprisingly cheap drop.
It’s the prices that are truly remarkable here. Fireflies balances fine dining influences with a homely palate, turning out recognisable standards with a confident hand. With such excellent food at under $25 a main, it’s a great alternative to pub dining – the perfect option for a lazy weeknight dinner with a little bit of class.
