Firebird

Overview

The Commune Group's (of Tokyo Tina and Hanoi Hannah) flame-driven Prahran restaurant, Firebird, is inspired by the smoky street food stalls of Vietnam and Southeast Asia, which rocks a distinctly Melbourne edge. The High Street haunt has capacity for over 100 diners and with interiors by Ewert Leaf, the space has a modern industrial feel with exposed beams, distressed concrete and soft timber pendants. Custom-built chargrill and woodfired ovens take pride of place in the open kitchen, and dictate the tastes and flavours of the menu.

The vibrant and fresh menu is rich in smoky finishes and charred elements. For snacks and smaller plates, expect the likes of grilled scallops with calamansi butter, woodfired flatbread with whipped tofu and black garlic, beef carpaccio with finger lime and charred betel leaf, and smoked lamb croquettes. And we haven't even got to the 'from the fire' portion of the menu yet.

From this fiery section, try grilled King prawns with broken rice and shellfish bisque, charcoal chicken with burnt chilli nuoc mam, or go big with a 500g ribeye served with lemongrass jus. One of Firebird's famed dishes is a reimagined duck l'orange, which features a 14-day dry aged roast duck, with orange, 'excellent sauce', and burnt ginger relish. If you're looking for something hearty, consider the smoked pork belly curry with charred pineapple, or the char siu fried rice with tomato and garlic shoots.

Just in time for the change of seasons, Firebird has launched its Lunchbreak Special. This 90-minute share-style lunch experience, which is available on the weekends, includes free-flowing spritzs, prosecco, wine and beer, and a generous amount of food for just $76 per person (for a minimum of two people). The special menu features oysters with pineapple mignonette, fried rice and an epic skewer platter loaded with char sui pork, nuoc mam chicken and lemongrass sate prawn skewers, pickles, sauces and veggies.

Images: Parker Blain and Jana Langhorst