Fishface (Sydney)

[PhilD]

Fishface has been around for a long time and was our cheap and cheerful option when we wanted a quick, good quality, meal without the hassle of reservations when we lived in Darlinghurst. Since we have been away it has gone up-market with a focus on only serving the best fish at, not surprisingly, top prices. In many respects it is the same operation: you can’t book (OK they take bookings for tables before 7:00pm) but they take your number and there are lots of good places for a drink in the area; it is still small, cramped and basic; it is still mainly BYO; and it is still only fish, although they now have a shashimi/sushi counter as well.

What has changed is the quality of the fish, and the overall quality of the cooking, which have reasonably led to higher prices. On Saturday night we waited 30 mins for a table which was fine. Lots of choice on the menu with quite a number of specials. To start we had a Mediterranean tuna salad and a beetroot and eel dish. Both are very good, the beetroot, horseradish cream and eel work wonderfully well together. The tuna is served really pink, which is nice after many massacred tuna dishes in Europe, but the salad is a bit odd why sun dried tomatoes not fresh? After all they grow lots of tomatoes in Mediterranean countries, and use them with other seasonal ingredients i.e. salad leaves to make salad.

For mains I opt for fish and chips and my partner chooses ocean trout in filo. Both very good renditions, the Flathead in the F&C is very moist with a crisp batter, the batter has done its job of sealing the fish for cooking, chips aren’t bad either. The ocean trout in filo also works really well, with a perfectly cooked piece of fish complemented by mushrooms and spinach then wrapped in pastry.

The bill with BYO wine comes in at $110 which is OK for the food, we skipped dessert because it was getting uncomfortable on the tiny chairs and cold on the pavement. So still a very good spot for a quick, last minute feed, but now serving top quality food.