Bushfire Kitchen Offers Up Healthy Comfort Food
By Tony Reverditto
Let me start by saying that this new restaurant, Bushfire Kitchen is my new favorite in Menifee. The food is fantastic and I am super excited to tell you all about it. In a nutshell, two cousins, Brandon Barwin, a self-taught chef, and Clive Barwin, an innovative entrepreneur decided to go into business together, both coming from diverse backgrounds. They would soon find out that they would work well together as they started a gelato company called Melt. They started building a highly successful chain and then the economy tanked and they decided to sell them off to franchisees and move on to another venture.
So, the new concept started in 2012 was inspired by the popular Australian Chicken Shops they had discovered in their travels. The first Bushfire Kitchen starting in Temecula became a success in about a year. The inspiration quickly evolved as “they wanted to create a restaurant they’d bring their family to; something with healthy choices, quality ingredients, and a reasonable price”. Having both lived in Australia, South Africa, Canada, and ultimately Southern California, they brought an eclectic taste and a passion for service to their new restaurant. It caught on like wildfire, pun intended, because, in 2015, a La Costa location was born, then in 2017, Del Mar, now, lucky us, a Menifee location opened up in December 2019.
Another alluring point is how they source their food. Ensuring the very best quality and freshness, just about everything is made from scratch with the best ingredients. They do not use any preservatives, food colorings, or flavor enhancers. The produce is GMO-free and organic and sourced by working with local farms as much as possible seeking fresh, high-quality, seasonal ingredients. All of their meat menu items are humanely raised without antibiotics or hormones and are top grade.
On to the tasting and dining experience . . . We started with beverages, MARTIN RAY CHARDONNAY, delicious aromas of ripe cantaloupe, golden apples, coconut cream pie, & lemon zest, and BUSHFIRE BLONDE draft beer, perfectly balanced floral hop character with slight biscuit malt flavor and Gluten-Reduced. Lots of great options of draft beers and wine.
They have four excellent salad selections, we opted to share SPINACH & STRAWBERRY SALAD, Baby spinach, creamy goat cheese, fresh strawberries, and house-made candied almonds are served with our house-made poppy seed dressing and so flavorful, you couldn’t ask for a more fresh salad.
All of their Bowls are served atop either mashed potatoes or rice accompanied with grilled vegetables, roasted squash, or sweet potatoes. BOWL Options include TRI-TIP, FREE-RANGE CHICKEN, CARNITAS, PACIFIC NORTHWEST SALMON, GRILLED VEGGIE, BRAISED BEEF BRISKET, CHIPOTLE BRAISED SHORT RIBS, and a BRAISED LAMB CURRY BOWL. We love Thai, so went for the THAI CHICKEN CURRY BOWL, authentic Thai curry made with free-range chicken, with a slight spiciness from slowly cooked chilies, coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir limes, coriander, and cumin which was absolutely divine. Another selection was one of my favorites, the SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE which is presented with housemade Bolognese sauce made with freshly ground grass-fed beef and California tomatoes, served on top of spaghetti sprinkled with parmesan cheese and Italian parsley and loved this also.
They have a few burgers to choose from, but I chose and loved the EN FUEGO BURGER 100% grass-fed USDA choice 1/2 lb beef patty with pepper jack cheese, spicy millionaire's bacon, lettuce, house-pickled red onions, local organic avocado, and spicy housemade jalapeño aioli. The FRESH SALMON PLATE, Sustainable Pacific Northwest salmon grilled and then topped with sundried tomatoes, Italian parsley and capers served over basmati rice and with your choice of side was another brilliant flavor combination. There are many other entrée options included chicken, ribs, and a wide variety of sandwiches and side dishes.
For those with a sweet tooth, they have an array of freshly baked cookies such as gluten-free Chocolate Chip, Macadamia, and Lemon among others.
I did want to give a shout-out that a great deal of the success of this location is the leadership of Kate Harmon the GM and Nicolette Holloway the Kitchen Manager.
Happy Hour Menu Daily 2-5:
BEER & WINE 1/2 OFF
EMPANADAS $3.50 (Various flavors from savory to sweet available daily at all restaurants) STREET TACOS $3.00 (Braised Brisket, Spicy Carnitas, Mahi Mahi, or Grilled Chicken Breast)
BUSHFIRE WINGS $6.95 (Signature Peri Peri, Gluten-Free BBQ, Teriyaki, or Maple Waffle)
PITA PLATE $6.95 (Hummus, Olives, Tzatziki, Feta, Tomatoes, & Pita) PATATAS BRAVAS $7.95 (Spanish Potatoes on a Spicy Tomato Sauce topped with Bravas Aioli, Feta Cheese, and Green Onions)
FAMILY PACKS include freshly-baked focaccia bread and scallion sauce for four:
FREE -RANGE CHICKEN & RIBS $59.95
FREE-RANGE CHICKEN $39.95
SLOW-COOKED BRAISES $49.95
PACIFIC NORTHWEST SALMON $59.95
SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE $45.95
Bushfire Kitchen Menifee is Open 11 am - 9 pm daily
30080 Haun Rd, Suite 360 at the Countryside Marketplace.
Information at bushfirekitchen.com and 951.679.9929
