From the very first glance we had of Firefly, my husband and I knew we were in for something extraordinary, and I’m happy to say our first instincts about this incredible restaurant were spot on.

Parking around the back, and walking up to the impressive garden gate, we wandered through the softly lit outdoor area, viewing the white exterior of an original 1906 miner’s house, from which the restaurant is run. We were cheerfully greeted at the gate by Laura, our waitress, a local who has been working at Firefly Eating House for over 3 ½ years, before stepping indoors and being introduced to co-owner Dell, who sported a colourful turban and lovely red top. She was warm and gracious, ushering us into the beautiful candlelit room, and seated us next to a crackling fire which instantly warmed us up from the chilly evening air.

Background on the Business

We discovered that Dells daughter Sanchia was the head chef, and that the mother-daughter duo does all the cooking together. They come up with their unique dishes by bouncing ideas off each other and playing with flavours before service. It must be said that Dell has a love of the earthier African and Moroccan influences while Sanchia loves focusing on the exotic Asian and Thai flavours – and these blend beautifully together in the menu. All dishes are individually cooked and all meat is filleted, with no skin or bones. The seafood is done similarly. Only the prawns, which are de-shelled, have their tails left on for décor purposes.

The duo started out by running a sushi stall at the Sedgefield market, but discovered after a few months that waking up at 1am to prepare the sushi so it was still fresh for the market was very draining. Soon after, some 12 years ago, Firefly restaurant was born. They originally ran Firefly as a tea house by day, restaurant by night but have since switched to evenings only.

Our First Impressions

From the soft music floating through the air, to the cold water, warm atmosphere, flickering candlelight, and beautiful table setting, we felt immediately at home and amongst friends. We chatted easily with Laura and Dell (later joined by Sanchia), and there were no awkward silences during our courses, which to me is a mark of true hospitality.

We had 12 beautifully presented tasters in total, leading me to consider their very unique restaurant, which is incredibly hard to pin into one genre due to the flavour fusions, to be a blend of haute French cuisine with an African, Asian, Moroccan, and South African flair.

Their fresh, organic seasonal products are complimented by their unassuming friendliness, dedication to food, and amazingly in this economy, their cost-effective prices. All their food is cooked on-site, as are their spices and preserves, from atchas to their incredible mint chutney and their innovative ice-creams – which have been featured in Woolworths Taste magazine.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that each meal was absolutely amazing, and even after savouring each of them and animatedly discussing their tastes, my husband and I still cannot say which course was the clear winner that evening, or which drink pairing was the most impressive.

1. Our first taste of the delights offered by Firefly was an amuse bouche consisting of sweet wasabi popcorn, in a black hand-made origami bowl, served alongside an unfermented green rooibos. The most incredible touch was the warmed hand towel, scented with cinnamon oil, and topped with cinnamon bark to wipe away travel stains and tiredness.After towelling my hands, I tucked into the popcorn, and being a wasabi fan, I was amazed that their soft popcorn had no bite to it at all! The unfermented green rooibos complimented the meal by off-setting the sweetness of the popcorn with a mellow tang.

3. The second course was a gin taster, with sides of Fitch & Leedes tonic, lemon, water, and locally produced olives. The presentation was gorgeous, with the three gins having their main ingredient placed before them, though as most of you know, all gins contain juniper.The first gin was Strettons, consisting mainly of juniper, citrus, and coriander which I found a bit dry. The second (and my favourite) was the Inverroche Classic, which is produced in South Africa using fynbos botanicals. It had a sharp green edge and paired wonderfully with the lemon wedges. The third gin was Bombay Sapphire which went down very smoothly. Amazingly this last gin contains 10 botanicals: almond, angelica, cassia bark, coriander, cubed berries, grains of paradise, juniper berries, lemon peel, liquorice, and orris root.
4. TomKha Soup was our first taste of some heat, and can only be described as a creamy, rich, slightly sweet soup that left a soft ginger like bite in our mouths. The zesty lemongrass flavour paired beautifully with the spicier galangal, and the lightly seared mushroom (the Tom) suspended above the soup was a very nice touch. When Sanchia has her recipe book out in stores, this is likely the first item I’m going to attempt to make if it’s included!
5. The Umngqusho, a traditional African dish consisting mainly of beans, was our next dish, and it balanced out the TomKhas spiciness by providing a stable, earthy fragrance and taste from the coriander and bay leaves. It was presented in picturesque hand-woven baskets that the owners picked up while in Umgazi. The dishes texture was both soft and gritty, and I found it comparable to creamy chowder, without any seafood or meat.
6. Sumac Prawns were our first seafood taste and oh how heavenly they were, paired with a roasted white peony tea. They were presented in a small bamboo basket, on top of a bed of sprouts, and the prawns were parcelled up in Dim sum, with a sticky soy sauce side. The dumpling recipe is Sanchia’s own, and it was absolutely delicious!
7. My first complete surprise of the evening was the 3 Pepper Fish Lollipops, which came next, served on top of vibrant green leaves and paired with Mitchell’s Brewery’s Foresters beer. When this dish was brought out – and I kid you not – my first thought was that it smelled exactly like KFC! The beautiful brown coat with the three peppers cooked in it – pink, black, and white – was lovely, leaving a light tingle in our mouths after each bite.
8. My husband’s surprising love of this next dish matched my own, as the Oak-Smoked Oysters, atop wood chips, paired with a peaty whisky and smoked Chinese tea (Lapsong souchong) was woody, succulent, and we really loved the texture and taste of it (my husband by the way ranks oysters as one of his least favourite foods … until this dish that is).
9. A palate cleanser came next in the form of a Pineapple and Buttermilk sorbet. It was fresh, light, and strangely enough reminded me of mangoes. It brought a touch of summer fun into the richer meals we’d enjoyed.
10. The 5 Spice Sinchuan Pepper Noodles had a very distinctive Asian touch, from the spoon on which the noodles topped by a mixture containing 5 spice, to the bright pop of colour the flower added, set beside the sprout salad. This was a tasty and warming option.
    
11. As soon as the Chicken and Prawn Koei with Black Rice came out the kitchen, my first thought jumped to volcanoes. This dish certainly did its name proud (Fire Starter), and only the thought of the remaining dishes stopping us from asking for more. I would suggest saving half of your chickpea flour biscuit for the very end of your meal – it magically takes the lingering burn away.
12. The Cape Malay Bobotie Spring Rolls are a firm favourite among the regulars, and Dell mentioned that many enjoy this dish as both a starter and a dessert. I was a little sceptical at first, as in my mind Bobotie is a savoury dish, but after dipping the quartered spring rolls into the home-made mint ‘chutni’ I realised that it was indeed possible. The Bobotie spring rolls were topped with a light dusting of coconut and icing sugar, and the mint ‘chutni’ complimented the unique dish. It was paired with the surprisingly easy-drinking Boplaas Tinta Chocolat port, winner of the Port & Wine Challenge 2012, which helped bring out the sweetness in the Bobotie, and also served to temper the savoury side. This is a must-try if you visit!
13. The last course of the evening was from their Sugar ‘n Spice dessert menu and it consisted of heavenly homemade ice-creams. The Earl Grey ice-cream, served alongside a special Firefly branded ice-cream stick was creamy and flavoured just like Earl Grey tea – highly recommended. The Masala Chai ice-cream was next, and it had the expected chai taste, without being gritty. The winner of the evening however was their popular Liquorice Root ice-cream, which was written about in Woolworths Taste. It was a purple-grey colour with tiny silver cake topping balls dispersed throughout it. Sweet but not too sweet, creamy but not too rich, and all too easy to wolf down and wonder longingly about getting seconds – or thirds!

Sated and completely satisfied, my husband and I then sat and chatted with Dell and Sanchia for several hours, drinking in their thoughts of the area, cooking procedures, and getting to know them personally. All in all this was a one of my highlights of our Knysna weekend, and comes highly recommended!

Let us know if you’ve ever sampled their amazing range of flavours from around the world!