You may have had lamb skewers before, but I bet you haven't had ones this good! New kid on the block ‘Firepop’ stands out in the hustle of Chinatown’s Friday night marketplace with a fantastic stall, fresh and high quality meat, and eye-catching signage. The brand and chain are fairly new on the scene - but already delighting people with their made to order flame cooked (hot coal BBQ) lamb skewers which are known as “pops”.
Note: They are currently only available on Friday nights between 4:00pm - 11:00pm.
The stall stands out on Little Hay Street among the generic stock standard ‘food stall’ neighbours.
Each pop (skewer) is made to order - which means a wait but the pay off is ‘'fresh off the flame’ lamb
Disclaimer: In the spirit of honesty, and since it’s not likely to ever happen again, I should disclose that I am friends with the owners Ray & Alina. You may think this may be a biased review then, but if you knew me, that actually means I’m more likely to over-correct and be a harsher judge.
MENU:
(Note: There are currently only two options to choose from, so I’ll let their promotional handout cover these).
“The OG”" ($3.95 for 1, or $14.95 for 5)
Signature lamb skewer with lamb rack cap fat pieces (trust me - order this)
The OG is the signature dish and frankly star of the show. The main difference between it and the slim is that the OG has pieces of lamb fat in between the lamb meat pieces. If you are a little put off, or questioning that, may I immediately interject and say - try it. The lamb is high quality and in larger pieces than I would have expected. The fat was a perfect complement and just super tasty. The spices and fact it comes hot off the flame is just amazing.
You get a choice of spice level; no chilli, mild, or extra hot.
No chilli is your basic skewer, no real spice heat.
Mild is exactly what it should be, a nice kick, but not too hot or spicy. (These are my fav)
Extra hot is for the fans of spice. I didn’t actually try these, but my wife who is a chilli fan said these were her fav.
The OG was literally the only thing I ordered - and I ordered 20 of them to share with my wife.
The Slim OG ($12.95 for 3)
Lean lamb pop (no fat pieces)
The slim is the alternate option on the menu lacking the fat pieces of the normal OG. I didn’t get a chance to try these, I am a mega fan of the original OG.
Takeaway!
Now, obviously the pops are best enjoyed immediately, and it’s hard to resist tucking in them, but I was actually sent in by my wife to collect these and bring them home. I got my order to go and was given the neat carry holder as each cup holds 5 pops. I’ll later mention that these carriers are not great for car travel - which may be a problem only for me.
The last remaining pop after we feasted on them at home.
Special details - Eco-friendly and uniquely designed.
One thing I really love about Firepop is the specific brand and little attentions to detail. Their message is great, their social media accounts (Instagram @firepopaustralia) are giving insight into who they are, and lots of little things make it special.
The cups are fully recyclable, including the lids.
The grill has been custom made, he entire unit is built in a special way that emits no smoke out of the stall, and everything is cooked with sustainable “black pearl” coal from QLD that is generated from nut production. It’s these little details that blew me away.
PROS:
Highly moreish.
Big, juicy, fresh pieces of flame cooked lamb are exactly as good as it sounds
Amazing stand/stall that opens and collapses into a deployable display.
CONS:
Limited menu, locations, and times - but that’s because it’s so new (and I know they’ll launch a proper location at some point).
There is a wait for the cooking process.
Takeaway paper handles do not survive driving in a car and ordering excessive amounts is tricky to manage (but I made it home intact - though there was a moment where I had to quickly move half into my car’s cup holders).
OVERALL:
I’m super excited about Firepop and highly recommend that anyone that is in Haymarket on a Friday night (or nearby) make a beeline for Little Hay Street between 4-11pm and get some! I wish them all the best, and can’t wait to see what happens next for them.
Details:
Address: Little Hay Street, Haymarket (approx. #9 Little Hay Street - see map below).
When? Friday nights, 4:00pm - 11:00pm.
Site: Facebook Page / Instagram @firepopaustralia
MAP: