Firefish is the latest addition to the Kove Collection portfolio and is located at the V&A Waterfront. The restaurant is situated on the outside of the mall, harbour-side and overlooks the quay. This position affords it a beautiful view of the harbour itself, as well as looking onto Table Mountain. It’s a great position to take in the comings and goings of the busy wharf.
There are a few indoor tables but the outside terrace is where you want to be. In the evenings if it’s cooler, there are heaters to warm things up but as the busy summer season rolls around the restaurant’s sunny location will be ideal. The space is casual enough for daytime, with fabulous leaf print cushions adding colour to the leather banquettes. It works equally beautifully at night with the twinkling lights of the V&A Waterfront providing a backdrop. The colour palette is neutral and stylish with signature Kove Collection chicness.
We’re guessing the name Firefish is a combination of the two things that the restaurant specialises in – grills cooked over an open fire on the Josper Grill and the great selection of fresh seafood.
You can check what seafood is on offer by popping by the iced counter at the front of the restaurant and there are great choices daily.
The menu is a blend of fish and grills, as well as a great selection of Japanese-inspired small bites and sushi. The fried chicken bao, off the Little Bao, menu were absolutely amazing – crispy, succulent chicken, hugged by a soft bao bun. The pulled beef dim sum was some of the best we’ve had – light and full of delicate flavour. Other delicious bites included the duck pancakes and the KFC – Karaage fried calamari, with a jalapeno dressing adds a great kick (the Kove Collection has the Karaage style down pat).
Each dish was expertly prepared and very tasty.
It is extremely tempting to get stuck into the small bites menu, there are so many tasty sounding options and everything we ordered was true to form. Portions are generous though and there is still a fantastic menu of mains to look forward to. If you are in a group, it’s a great idea to order a few small bites and share these accompanied by a glass of house wine.
The ‘Land’ menu has signature dishes such as Charcoal Grilled Dry Aged Rib Eye served with bone marrow and truffle roasted quinoa and Smoked Lamb Cutlets with anticucho peppers. We, however, opted for fish and went with the Signature Pan Fried Sea Bass with yuzu miso sauce, pickled ginger and crispy lotus root.
The fish was sublime, perfectly cooked and the freshly pickled ginger added a wonderful freshness to every bite. It’s not often you find a place that does its meat grills and seafood both well but Firefish manages to do so.
To end off, we couldn’t pass up the amazing sounding Chocolate Macaron Pie – essentially a giant macaron with strawberries, raspberry cream and coulis. What’s not to like about that?
There are a lot of places to dine at the V&A Waterfront and diners are essentially spoilt for choice. It can be hard to stand out but Firefish Restaurant brings that signature Kove collection style, along with a decently priced and very tasty menu. We’ve no doubt that with a busy season ahead Firefish is bound to be packed to the gills.
See our visits to other properties within the Kove Collection group – Lily’s | Umi | The Alphen Hotel | The Marley | La Belle Bistro & Bakery | Zenzero
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