Restaurant of the Year review: Fine dining by fire at Firedoor

Man versus Fire has been the narrative of Firedoor since it opened its heavy metal door in 2015, with all the attending subtexts of brawn, fat, machismo, and bloody big steaks.

When chef Lennox Hastie returned to Australia after five years of tending the coals at the Michelin-starred Etxebarri in the Basque foothills of Spain, the concept of a kitchen fuelled purely by fire was exciting.

No gas or electricity meant lighting and tending the fires was a full-on commitment. Add the demands of an a la carte menu and service was a serious inferno of extreme, sweaty focus.

Seven years later, Hastie is a different chef, and Firedoor is a different restaurant.

The narrative has changed, now told by a five-course set menu ($165 a head) that traverses vegetables, greens, seafood, and lamb or pork.

The mighty, dry-aged beef is still there, but only as a premium supplement.

Far from being a steakhouse, Firedoor is now in the business of fine dining, brought to you by fire.

The long, saloon-style share tables have gone, and smaller tables are angled towards the leaping flames and glowing coals of the kitchen in an acknowledgment of its theatre.

The set menu frees up the kitchen to such an extent that it can cope with two full sittings, the earliest starting at 5.30pm, which necessitates a spiced negroni ($26) to convince me it's not actually mid-afternoon. (Get used to this drive-time dining; it's here to stay.)

Hastie's microseasonal menu changes daily so the dishes you see here aren't the ones I had, and won't be the ones you have.

There will, however, be a similar flow, from, say, a vinegary pickle of grilled greens and radishes, to something like a sparkling seared crudo of Chris Bolton's coral trout with the tang of preserved cumquat cheong (jam).

Bread is sensational – the dough from Pioik Bakery is baked in-house, sour and crusty; the butter smoked.

There could be a smoky, grilled mushroom dish with a swish of Jerusalem artichoke puree, earthy but subdued; or kangaroo with macadamia and pepperberry.

A fat tranche of Murray cod is grilled over paperbark and served with pil pil (the smooth Basquaise emulsion made from the bones and fat of the fish) and the pop of finger lime. Shimmering and crisp-skinned, it sets a new benchmark for Australia's finest farmed fish.

Instead of beef, there's full-blood Hampshire Down lamb, often touted as the new wagyu, from Kinross station in Holbrook, with a broad hem of buttery fat and log of celeriac fondant.

It's so good, you don't actually need to add the premium supplement of 220g wagyu 9+, or the dry-aged, sweet and juicy Spanish Rubia Gallega beef that David Blackmore has been working on for the past 10 years – but if you do, it will be memorable.

Dessert is somewhat crazy – a crystallised and caramelised Breton kouign-amann pastry with a crisp, soft, buttery heart, served with blood orange caramel and smoked buttermilk ice-cream.

It circles off and on the menu, so if you get it, just shut up and eat as much of it as you can before anyone else wises up to how good it is.

Firedoor is still about the grill and the skill, the science and the purity of intent; but there's more subtlety and nuance.

This may be fanciful, but the fire seems to be a collaborative member of the team now, more than a brute force.

Hastie is also more collaborative, working closely with his team, from restaurant manager Angelica Patawaran to sous chef Ahana Dutt and manager/sommelier Benoit Jackman.

The dining format and kitchen culture may be more inclusive but, with a reservations system that releases tables online three months in advance, it's damn hard to get in.

And now the Good Food Guide has given Firedoor three hats and awarded it Restaurant of the Year. It's Diner versus Online Reservations System now.

The low-down

THREE HATS RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 18/20

Firedoor

Drinks Bespoke cocktails (Smoked Old-Fashioned), and a compact, award-winning wine list that floats between Europe and Australia.

Vibe Fine dining by fire

Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023 magazine is available for $9.95 from newsagents, supermarkets and at thestore.com.au