Firebird
Popular destination for char-grilled dishes.
Critics' Pick
Contemporary$
It’s been a hit since day one, and four years later Firebird’s dining room indicates little has changed. The tile-topped tables of the double-decker former furniture warehouse are regularly full, and video motifs are beamed onto concrete walls.
From a quick scan of the menu, it’s not obvious you’re in a Vietnamese restaurant. You’ll also spot influence from Thailand, China and beyond. There’s betel leaf topped with honey-glazed pork and crackling. Duck is a signature, but steer to wood-fired chicken that could feed three. It comes slathered in nuoc mam and over-delivers on both succulence and size.
Please-all rice dishes are essential – special fried rice is dotted with char siu pork – and desserts are refreshing counterpoints, evidenced by mango custard with coconut jelly and billowing coconut cream. Firebird is fast, fun and a welcome south-of-the-Yarra fixture.
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Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/vic-good-food-guide/firebird-20240418-p5fkxz.html