Sunday, July 5, 2009

24 Young Street
Neutral Bay
Ph : 02 9909 0193

We wandered into this place quite by accident. Driving past Neutral Bay, our hunger dictated that we made a stop and to look for something to eat. Deciding to forgo the usual places such as Oporto and Subway, in light of something a little more… shall we say, cultured? We stumbled upon Firefly. Seeing that there were people inside already, it was a good start…

The place had a great ambience. Wooden panels and wooden tables and chairs give it a warm atmosphere, and the soft jazz playing in the background suited the mood quite well - that of the lazy Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t too full, so the noise level was low.



On the first cursory glance through the menu, the prices seemed a little on the high side, until AL realised that there was a stimulus package special on - it was $20 per person, and you get 2 plates to share, and a drink. So between the 2 of us, we ordered 4 different plates and AL had the house white, whereas I went for the Peroni. It just felt like that sort of an afternoon.

First up were the seared scallops with caramelised fennel and Spanish vinegar. It was so delicious that I doubt it could’ve been improved. This could easily take on restaurants twice the price and still beat them hands down. The combination of the flavours was simply perfectly weighted, and the scallops almost melted in my mouth. It went with the beer really well, and I could not have asked for a better way to start the meal. The potato fries came along with it, and again, fried to perfection. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and lightly salted - just right…


Then came the Chicken Parmigiana with Italian coleslaw. I think this was the surprise dish of the day. The coleslaw was laid on top of the chicken and the crisp, fresh salad juxtaposed with the warm chicken fillet, giving an interesting palette that worked amazingly well together.

Last up was the chargrilled sirloin with celeriac puree. It looked delicious, with enough pink for me to think that it’s not overcooked. Sadly, it was quite firm, so you really had to chew through the meat, which was great if you wanted to give your jaws a good workout, but maybe not the best time… However, again the combination of the beef with the celeriac puree was divine. I was thinking that the dish would’ve been perfect if wagu beef was used instead. I’d gladly pay the extra.




Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and it had exceeded my expectations. (Actually, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I just hoped that it would be half decent.) Definitely a place I would go again in a blink of an eye. I think it’s a great place for a lazy Sunday afternoon late lunch, as there are a few other plates I would love to try. -K

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