While a return visit to Fich didn’t quite live up to my memories of the first time, it does remain a suburban fish’n’chips shop you’d probably be happy to call your local. With their attention split between takeaway and dine-in, staff can be a bit hard to catch, but when it lands, your Negroni ($15) will be strong and satisfying. Despite a set sharing menu ($60/head) we opted to construct our own meal of small plates plucked from both the chalkboard specials and the regular menu.
From the blackboard, scallop tostada ($7/each) teamed tiny scallops with celery leaf, tomato salsa and onion on corn-based crisps. More meaty Hervey Bay scallops ($7/each) sit like white eggs on birds’ nests of egg noodles with garlic, shallots and seaweed butter. While the blackboard’s last gasp of summer lettuce-wrapped prawn tacos ($10/each) with mango salsa were great, the menu’s raw tacos ($8/each) lost the salmon in a hectic mix of crunchy purple cabbage, crispy corn, lettuce and lashings of coriander dressing. I was also a little disappointed with muted bacalhau croquettes ($5/each) expecting more salt cod oomph from a place of Portuguese origin: Fich is owned by the same team as Sweet Belem and Luna’s Petersham. Their kingfish crudo ($24) on the other hand was both colourful and tasty with tart passionfruit, cucumber, bright red chilli, pickled onion and more of those fat crisp corn kernels for texture.
fichpetersham.com/
