RESTAURANT REVIEW: WILDFIRE, THE ROCKS, SYDNEY

Wildfire has one of the most spectacular views directly overlooking the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour. This is the primary reason for its premium pricing because the mains were very expensive  (above $40+).  It certainly was a beautiful restaurant.  As you walk inside the restaurant you have lights in the shape of it's own branded name, like a 'Wildfire' with beautiful aligned tables.  Towards 2009 to 2010, this restaurant is known for its more for its wine rather than food.

Restaurant waterfront

I don't exactly remember what is my fascination with Wildfire? Is it the name Wildfire or did I hear my friend in the past years (say prior to 2006) rave on about how delicious this restaurant is and when you have an anniversary you should come here?  So anyway, I joined Dimmi and they have a special where if you book a restaurant online via their website and then leave a review then they'll offer you a $50 credit towards your next dining experience.  I booked Wildfire online via Dimmi and originally booked for the $28 main special which includes a wine but ended up having the Churrasco (Brazilian BBQ) special $35p/p - all you can eat meat and seafood.  I think I should have had the main special of $28 because for lunch having the Churrasco was a bit overboard.  So much meat that we had to order a side salad and some potato gratin to complement our meat overdose.

We had a good looking waiter serve this lamb marinated and cooked so well.  It was tender, juicy and  tastier than the beef that was served next.

Lamb

Juicy tender lamb

Included were the salsas and sauces for the carved meats and a glass of handcrafted wine (a wild shiraz).  The sauces were coriander and olive oil, some creamy white sauce and salsa with tomatoes.

condiments for the Churrasco

The wine was quite nice but I prefer the Pinot Noir from Quarter 21.  Shiraz is a spicy wine with berry like flavours.

Glass of Wine Shiraz

The beef was a disappointment.  From the outside the beef looked burnt but cut it open and the flesh is still pretty rare so in this case, it didn't get cooked properly and suspect it's to do with this thickness of the meat. The condiments were particularly useful in this instance because the beef was pretty tasteless on its own.

Beef

Close up of the beef

Spicy sausages and chicken thighs came rolling out next.  The sausages was medium in terms of spiciness and the chicken thighs was marinated in herbs and was cooked very well that it was moist and yummy.  The sausages were tough on the outside but good on the inside.

Sausages

The squid was a little bit chewy but not too bad but it's spicy marinate did not seap into the skin as it tasted like it was just the top surface that had the spice.  We couldn't fit anymore meat after the squid as a roast pork came out afterwards.

The squid

I must admit besides the lamb and the chicken, the potato gratin was a call-out. Strips of potato and sweet potato layer upon layer topped with crispy brown crust using breadcrumbs and grated cheese.  I loved the sweetness from the sweet potato combined with the saltiness of the standard potatoes.  The potato gratin served in a hot plate doused in herb butter.

Potato gratin ($13)

The service wasn't attentive enough but they were friendly and tried to be accommodating.  It's no wonder why the average score is as poor as 5.7/10 in eatability.  The only top rating I could give it is it's ambience but both service and food were not top notch.

Summary Review of Wildfire:


Food rating: 6/10


Service rating: 6.5/10


Ambience rating: 8/10


Price: $$$(expensive)



Overall rating: 6.8/10



Wildfire restaurant is within minutes walk from Circular Quay station.

Wildfire restaurant
Ground level, Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay West  The Rocks  NSW  2000
PH: (02) 8273 1222
Website: Wildfire Website

Opening hours:

Lunch
Sun to Fri Noon - 3:30pm
Dinner
Sun to Thu 6pm - 11pm
Fri to Sat 6pm - Midnight