The eight-hour slow-roasted suckling pig ($36) is a quiet triumph on its hotplate - tender and meltingly fatty underneath and crisp skinned on top, though the skin could do with a little more puff, like a piece of chicharon.ĭab on some apple sauce and let it cut gently through with fat with sweetness and a hint of acid. While the wine list is reasonably wide with plenty of pinot and shiraz to go with all the meat and a liberal scattering of Spanish vintages, a warm summery post-work dinner calls for sangria and a jug is duly delivered in time for the mains. A plate of smoked ocean trout goes nicely with a tangle of fennel and zucchini strips and dabs of capsicum or tomato romesco ($18) though a pod of finger lime on the side doesn't add anything to the dish. The beetroot is a little thick and not crisp enough to eat quickly and easily but it's a neat little play on the macaron and there's a contrasting smear of pecorino puree underneath it. The beetroot macaron is just that, two slices of baked crunchy beetroot with a lamb neck mousse sandwiched inside. The wagyu is good quality meat, tender and well flavoured, the bone marrow lending an extra earthy punch. But everything looks intriguing so we settle for a couple of entrees: wagyu topside with bone marrow and mustard seeded mash ($6 each) and a beetroot macaron with lamb neck ($6 each). In modern fashion, each dish is described in full, a whole sentence for each one. It's large with what looks like too many choices - there are sections for first courses, mains, cured meats, vegetables, wood-roasted meats, even sauces. His menu is Mediterranean with a Spanish and Italian flair. Paolo Milanesi is one of the owners and rules the kitchen after running Bicicletta in the old Diamant Hotel and Locanda Italian Steakhouse in the old Rydges. And the open grill where the meat sits roasting in pride of place. There's wood and a couple of bits of greenery on the wall, and two large black chandeliers over the bar. But it's packed inside on a weeknight and we're lucky to secure a table down the end near the entrance to the private function room. It's a pretty unobtrusive spot - dark glass frontage, a very inconspicuous sign, just a couple of tables out the front. So here we are, sitting down at Black Fire and trying to decide which slow-roasted meat to order from the menu. Now the restaurants are moving into Mort Street and Elouera Street. A colleague joked this year that we should rebadge Food & Wine as Braddon Restaurant Weekly - another day, another restaurant opening on the already crammed Lonsdale Street strip, where you can't walk 10 metres without tripping over someone having brunch.
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