The restaurant itself is intimate, mirroring the petit size of the house. As you enter, it opens into a courtyard with a pond in the centre, flanked by ancient tiles, past wooden sloping panels to the sky above. The doors are open to the long garden beyond, letting in a gentle and welcoming breeze. Tables are placed around the room, and there are two side rooms that can sit additional people and are integrated into the main area by decorated wooden shutters and open doors.
The open kitchen in the far corner catches your eye, filled entirely with stainless steel culinary equipment from the United States. Its openness draws you to watch the rigorous tossing, stirring and grilling carried out by the smartly dressed kitchen staff who receive intensive training from Alex, himself an exceptional chef. This shows in their manner and the preparation, presentation and taste of the food.
The freshest ingredients from Sri Lanka and abroad are used in the cooking; each one picked and rigorously tested for its suitability. The menu, always evolving, features exquisite dishes that fuse the cuisine of East and West in a creative and innovative way. There is duck imported from Canada - seldom found outside Colombo - pork, beef steak, tofu and the usual representation of Sri Lanka’s freshest seafood and fish. All are accompanied by vegetables, sumptuous sauces, aromatic rice and a multitude of leaves, seeds and nuts.
Firefly serves up a varied selection of starters and salads from ginger carrot soup and confetti spring rolls to the deliciously crispy duck confit with sugar roasted pecans and pomegranate over mixed greens and salad of roasted beets with toasted walnuts and gorgonzola that bring the three textures of crunchy, smooth and soft together in an imaginative dish that melts in your mouth. Tuna, shrimps, and calamari also feature in the starter menu, as well as some simple salads of mixed greens and pureed papaya.
There is a good choice of main meals. Fish and seafood are represented by the ponzo grilled tuna with black bean mango salsa and saffron basmati rice, the grilled balsamic catch of the day with Saigon pumpkin and mixed greens and the seafood crepe in orange marisco sauce with yellow coconut rice timbale. The black bean mango salsa was delicious and emphasised the tuna, while the catch of the day was tastily accompanied by soft, creamy pumpkin and a crispy salad.
The pan-seared green peppercorn duck breast with wild mushrooms and glazed baby carrots is a speciality. The duck is cooked so it is enticingly pink and juicy, while the peppercorns give it some kick. This was my favourite dish purely for its quality and rarity in south coast restaurants. |
