The Firehouse — Restaurant in Melbourne

The restaurant’s ambiance is a compelling study in industrial-chic design, its cozy atmosphere meticulously crafted through the juxtaposition of exposed brick, Edison bulb illumination, and rustic wooden elements—a space that feels both historically resonant and contemporaneously inviting. The service, I must note, is executed with a commendable level of professionalism, striking a balance between attentiveness and unobtrusiveness, which elevates the dining experience.

That said, the culinary offerings, while not wholly deficient, fail to ascend to the lofty standards one might anticipate from an establishment aiming to rival the finest smokehouses. I opted for the "Feed Me" menu at $60, a proposition that promised abundance but ultimately left me wanting, both in terms of satiety and satisfaction. The dishes, though conceptually intriguing, revealed shortcomings in execution and portioning that undermined their potential.

The entrée, for instance, was conspicuously modest in scale—a solitary deep-fried macaroni nugget, diminutive in stature, accompanied by a pair of ribs, also deep-fried, which at first glance appeared deceptively substantial. However, the ribs proved to be a disappointment, their thick batter overwhelming the palate, encasing a meager portion of dry meat that clung to the bone, offering little in the way of succulence or depth. The dish, rather than delivering a harmonious interplay of flavor and texture, felt more like a superficial exercise in crunch, with the meat itself relegated to a secondary role.

Turning to the mains, the brisket acquitted itself reasonably well, its preparation demonstrating a competent, if unremarkable, adherence to smokehouse tradition. In contrast, the pork rib—limited to one per person—was a lamentable affair, a diminutive specimen with scant meat, its presentation on the platter bordering on the forlorn. The chicken, however, emerged as a highlight, its flavor profile robust and its portion more substantial, offering a redeeming note amidst the otherwise uneven spread. The potato salad, unfortunately, was an exercise in blandness, lacking the vibrancy that might have justified its inclusion on a menu ostensibly centered on the artistry of smoked meats. For a dining experience predicated on the allure of quality meat, the paucity of such offerings was a notable misstep, leaving me to reflect on the missed opportunities for a more robust and...

JUST DON'T BOTHER. We booked out staff xmas party here we were so disappointed. When we arrived, we were not greeted by the staff we had to ask to be attended to and then when giving our details they all seemed to be completely clueless about the function and were it was being held. The room we were allocated was dull and lifeless and they had 50% of the seating back to back so we had to re-arrange the tables so we could face each other and interact with each other. We had requested an open bar with but they had taken it upon themselves to exclude cocktails and mocktails and all spirits, this may have been because the bar tender would have turned 18 the day before and knew nothing and could not even pour a beer properly (but nice kid not his fault). It took them all most an hour to bring out entrée which was all part of their xmas menu (all share platters) after our full party arrived and then they just dumped it on the table and left, with no explanation of what it was and did not even bother to give us serving ware to take it from the platters so we had to use our own personal cutlery. The food was simply boring pancetta, prosciutto, smoked salmon, some dry hard toast and some kind of cheese, and a revolting congealed mac 'n' cheese deep fried Pattie NO dips no nothing to add any flavor or pizzazz.

The main was most likely beef, lamb and turkey but just guessing as they just dumped it and ran, all served slightly warm but not hot, no sauces, jus, no cranberry sauce for the turkey, NOTHING..

The salad was three cold yellow carrots and chunks of beetroot and zucchini noodles and the smallest serve of coleslaw I have ever seen. (how cheap and nasty).. Dessert must have been left over from another party as the size was tiny, pecan pie slice would have been no bigger the a 20c piece , the tiramisu would have been no bigger than a ladies middle finger and they were sparsely sprinkled on a share platter... And to finish the night we waited approximately 45 min for all of our coffees to be made, apparently waiting on clean cups...

No quality customer service No serving ware No...

Apart from the initial waitress calling me "darl" several times in a row, I found the service prompt and friendly, and the atmosphere quite warm and inviting. The experience, overall, was quite lovely - except for the food.

As a vegetarian, I was initially annoyed to have only one main option on a fairly extensive menu, but was then offered an alternate menu which marked out which dishes could be served vegan, vegetarian, gluten- or dairy-free. I found the menu a little too elaborate and over-exotic for my personal taste, and settled on a sweet potato agnolotti, and requested just a plain garden salad for entree. I was served a bowl with roquette, spinach and possibly dill that had a light avocado smear and a very bitter taste - so much so I gave it to my stepdad to eat as I could not.

When my main came out, I found it quite tasty, but it was unfortunately swimming in olive oil - I would guess there was probably a good cup of oil in the bowl. While the agnolotti was delicious, the overpowering olive oil was so strong I had to tip it out on to a finished plate, and even then found I couldn't finish the last bite as the oil had me wanting to be ill.

My mother and stepfather both enjoyed their meat-based meals (the lamb dolmades, hanging ribs, salmon with parsnip and the firehouse burger) and found they were brilliantly done. As it was my mother's 60th, they presented her with a complimentary glass of wine on arrival, and put a single candle in the frangipane tart she had for dessert.

For those with less exotic or elaborate tastes, I would recommend viewing the menu on their website before deciding whether it will appeal to you; as a vegetarian, I would not recommend it unless you definitely enjoy elaborate tastes in a meal. Otherwise, all the food was exceptionally well-prepared (if expensive), and all the portion sizes were more than adequate.

The service was wonderful, and the atmosphere quite warm without being too busy or rushed on a Sunday night, and I found wait times to be relatively short for a busy restaurant - no more than a 15 minute wait...