Review - 'All Fired Up' Sydney Magazine February 2004
On a sultry summer night, being on the harbour isn't just a good idea - it's the only idea. By Anna Cronin
We're headed for a little wine bar called Firefly, spurred on by a local Walsh Bay resident who swears by it for a glass of wine and a light meal.: "You've got to go there before everyone finds out about it," she urges.
We understand once we get there. The place is amll, only about 15 tables, each seating two or three. they don't take bookings, but suggested we'd be more likely to get a table after 8pm, as that's showtime accross the road at the new Sydney Theatre.
It's a gorgeous spot - raised slightly and overlooking the harbour and some extemely stlyish apartments - and the pearl-pink evening light, along with slinky lounge music, gives the place a bit of a Hollywood touch. (No Academy Award tantrums here - everyone's whcih means you never have to look around for long, before someone materialises before you bearing food and drinks.
It's an espress and wine bar, so the needy can find refreshment here at anytime of day (it closes about 10 pm).
If you like your spirits on the rocks, this is the place to go - even the ice blocks are made with spring water, so there's no chlorine to taint your 12-year-old Strathish scotch.
Or you can sip on an interesting wine (the list, designed by sommelier Paul Scales, is predominantly local but contains some interesting French and Italian wines) by the bottle or the glass, and pcikc from a dozen or so tast snacks.
Tapas is the wrong word for the menu - there's nary garlic prawn in sight - but the Mediterranean style of ordering a couple of small dishes each, to share between two or three drinkers, is a delicious and light way to finish off a working day.
We order sauteed calamari, on a bed of mint, corriander, almonds and mango, fresh and delicate, alogn with a robust baby beetroot salad with roma beans and hazelnuts.
The closest things to fries on the menu, deep-fried zucchini sticks, are salty and crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, while the prosciutto and goat's cheese salad, on a bed of baby leaves, is a crisp foil to the fat bocconcini risotto balls with their spicy tomato sauce. Making up six dishes is a plate of spicy Portuguese sausage (sort of a mild chorizo), doused in slippery, sweet pepperonata (red peppers and eggplant).
It's a great place to unwind after work, perfect for those nights when you don't feel like a slap-up dinner out. We were satisfied with our three dishes each, two glasses of wine and coffee with petits fours (pistachio and saffron nougat and handmade fruit Turkish delight).
Firefly Espresso and Wine Bar
What: Six dishes, two salads, one calamari, risotto balls, zucchini chips, Portuguese sausage, plus a plate of petits fours. Drinks: Four glasses of wine, two coffees total: $123
