The Firedoor Surry Hills Experience

firedoor aged steak surry hills

I first heard about Firedoor in Surry Hills on an episode of Chef’s Table on Netflix. The visuals and Chef Lennox’s evident passion for cooking were enough to convince me to book a table. First, a bit of background on Chef Lennox Hastie. He developed his skills by working at some of the world’s top Michelin Star Restaurants for over sixteen years. His resume includes tenures at the award-winning Le Manoir au Quat Saisons (two Michelin stars), La Maison du Marc Veyrat (three Michelin stars), and Martin Berasategui (three Michelin stars).

However, his passion for working with fire was born after working with Victor Arguinzoniz at the Asador Etxebarri in the Basque region of Spain. The restaurant’s tradition of wood-fired grilling inspired Lennox to push the limits of what could be cooked in an open wood fire. This form of cooking sounds simple but actually is a remarkably complex art that intends to highlight ingredients in their natural state. 

firedoor logo

Inspired by his work at Etxebarri, Lennox returned to Australia and opened up Firedoor Surry Hills in partnership with the Fink Group in 2015.
As you can expect, the kitchen at Firedoor Surry Hills is powered entirely by a wood fire. A variety of woods are used to enhance the natural flavors of the ingredients being cooked.

And that about sets the premise of this dining experience; fresh ingredients cooked over an open fire.

The Pièce de Résistance - 204 Day Aged Steak

One of the things I saw in the Netflix episode that particularly piqued my interest was their 204 days aged steak. The intricate process is outlined in detail on the Netflix episode; the bit that got my interest was that a layer of butter was painted over the steak each day (!). 

My research also shows that World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants also ranks Firedoor Surry Hills as the NUMBER ONE best steak restaurant in the world.
We thus went into Firedoor with a mission and got the aged steak even though it cost three times that of the regular steak option.
It did not disappoint, and the steak was GLORIOUS!. The insides were juicy and creamy. The outer layer was cooked to perfection, offering a mixture of charred, salt, and buttery flavors. If you only order one thing when you visit this venue, this is IT.

The other dishes we ordered very similarly had varying degrees of smokiness or char to them.

Pumpkin Bread

All the bread is made in-store, and you can taste the freshness. Enough said

Roasted Vegetables

Topped off with a miso sauce concoction

Smoked Bonito

Topped off with pomelo, radish, and wasabi sauce

Donnybrook Maroon

Super fresh maroon flavored with sea blite and emerald finger lime.

Grilled Pumpkin

Pyengana, buttermilk, and garlic chives

Grilled Fish

Another highlight for me. The Mahi Mahi was served with bok choy and seasoned with sunrise lime.

Roasted Pipis

Fresh pips sautéed with XO Sauce

Roasted Lamb

Margra lamb served with snake beans and black garlic. The lamb was cooked to perfection.

Smoked Creme Diplomat

Roasted Apple slice served with a smoked creme diplomat, crimson snow, and mille-feuille.

To finish off dinner, we were served these cute marshmallows as palate cleansers.

Overall I was impressed with the service standard; the sommelier displayed excellent knowledge of the wine pairings, and I cannot recommend the foods highly enough. Simply brilliant

Restaurant: Firedoor Surry Hills

Locations: 23-33 Mary St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Menu and Online Bookings – https://www.firedoor.com.au  

Contact for bookings – (02) 8204 0800

Opening Hours – Wednesday – Saturday – 5.30pm to 9pm

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Firedoor Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Steve Chong

food and travel Blogger

Hi there and welcome to the Phat Life Project a blog dedicated to helping you simplify your travels by showing you PHAT things to see, eat, do and try one city at a time

When I’m not travelling though I’m usually living the PHAT life in Sydney.

Phat (Adjective); Definition: Highly Gratifying

All my content is free to read and watch – I do not specifically get paid to write any articles or to travel

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