Firefly Lodge Lane Cove

Monsieur Poisson and I stumbled upon Firefly Lodge at Lane Cove quite by accident. If I don’t remember wrong, we were at the nearby Thomas Dux one afternoon when Ben & Jerry’s were having a free scoop day. We were wandering back to our car when we noticed that familiar, green Campos logo and Monsieur Poisson was drawn inside on the promise of good coffee. Whilst we were waiting for his takeaway coffee order I noticed the magical words of “$10 pizzas” scribbled on a specials blackboard. Various tables appeared to be taking advantage of this special and we were encouraged by the sizeable rectangular offerings served on wooden chopping boards. So we made note of the day and time restrictions and swore we’d be back to try them – and we did.

Firefly Lodge at Lane Cove is attached to the recently revamped Lane Cove Market Place with its entrance via the paved street mall adjacent. The $10 pizza deal is no longer available from when we first tried, and has been replaced by a half-price pizza deal which is still excellent value. (Check their website for which days and times it is available.) The thin-based rectangular pizzas are cut into 8 slices and pack plenty of flavour without being overladen with weighty toppings. We’ve tried their ‘Prosciutto, rocket, parmesan’ and ‘Moroccan Lamb’ pizzas to date (pictured above) but their menu changes regularly with new varieties. The ‘Battered potato fries’ (below) are a mainstay and I highly recommend them for their crunchy exterior and fluffy innards only to be enhanced by the aioli which is served alongside. Dip the fries into the tomato sauce if you must, but you’ll be missing out on the cooling, garlicky creaminess which only the aioli provides.

Unfortunately the ‘Zucchini fries with za’atar’ (above) on a subsequent visit with Ms Japan are limp, greasy, somewhat soggy and the complete antithesis of their potato counterpart. The coating on the zucchini is also intriguingly powdery on the palate. We also order a couple of items from the share plates section of the menu – ‘Scallops with pork belly’ and ‘Meatballs in Romanesco sauce’ (above).

Firefly Lodge also offers more substantial meals in the form of pastas, meat and seafood. We’ve tried a pepper linguine with prawns and deep-fried parsley (unpictured) which was simple but done well. Then there are a selection of desserts, from which Monsieur Poisson sampled their apple tarte tatin.

There are three Firefly locations – Lane Cove, Neutral Bay and Walsh Bay – with each serving slight variations of the menu from the others. With extensive wine lists, simple pizzas, share plates and good coffee, we’re keen to try out the other venues after having had positive experiences at Lane Cove.

Firefly Lodge Lane Cove

Lane Cove Market Place (entrance on paved street mall connecting Burns Bay Rd & Longueville Rd), 24 Burns Bay Rd, Lane Cove NSW

Tel: (02) 9420 1629

happy eating!