15 Feb The Firehouse, Ringwood
After an unexpectedly early finish to my day, I found myself in the outer eastern suburbs with nothing to do and it wasn’t even noon yet. What better thing to do than have a food adventure? A quick search led me to The Firehouse – a smart but unpretentious and informal cafe and restaurant not far from Eastland. The building was a fire station in its former life, hence the name. The seasonal menu is largely Mediterranean. An all-day brunch is available, with the lunch kicking in at 11:30am. The lunch menu is more restaurant than cafe-like, with starters like polenta fried artichoke and charcuterie. For mains you might go for spanakopita or gnocchi, or perhaps something more hearty like a pie, burger or steak. Sunday nights sees them fire up the open coal BBQ to the tunes of live acoustic and blues music.
For brunch I chose the potato rosti topped with two layers of Huon smoked salmon and a pile of truffle scented scrambled eggs. The potato rosti itself was a little uninspiring, but still acted as a good vehicle for the smoked salmon and moist and golden scrambled eggs.
I knew it wouldn’t match particularly well with my potato rosti, but when I saw eggplant on the lunch menu I suddenly had an urge to eat some. Tender, fragrant, spiced eggplant was paired with nutty and chewy burghal, dates and dollops of yoghurt, and I actually enjoyed this side dish more than the potato rosti.
The Firehouse was comfortable and cosy, and though not all the food left a strong impression, it showed some promise. It seems like a lovely local restaurant to have nearby.
The Firehouse
253 Maroondah Highway
Ringwood, VIC, 3134
(03) 9876 8100
www.thefirehouse.net.au/
Note: If the thought of parking on Maroondah Hwy daunts you, there’s rear parking off Pratt St.
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