QLD
Dunalley Fish Market
“1 person = $12, 2 persons = $20,
3 persons...” That’s the menu
at Dunalley Fish Market, where
a table inside the shed comes
with bushfire memorabilia and
houseplants, and a table by the
water might come with a friendly
seal floating nearby. Diners are
handed a newspaper parcel
filled with thick, golden chips and
whatever fish is fresh (one day
lightly crumbed flake or flathead,
another trevally) and always a
generoushelping of flash-fried
calamari – rings, tentacles and all.
11 Fulham Rd, Dunalley, (03) 6253 5428TAS
Ol’ School
First brined, then twice-cooked, Ol’ School’s bronzed,
skin-on, hand-cut sebago chips are as good as fried
spuds get. Then there’s the fish: Sunshine Coast mahi
mahi, perhaps, or goldband snapper, dry-filleted then
grilled, or deep-fried in a light beer batter laced with
turmeric and a splash of vodka to encourage compact
air pockets and a crisp result. Just add house sriracha,
or a dollop of yoghurt-based tartare.Ol’ School, 58 Hope St,
South Brisbane, 0402 360 432, olschool.coSails
The view of Noosa Main Beach may set the mood,
but it also raises expectations. Chef Paul Leete’s
beer-battered fish – mahi mahi from MSC-certified
Walker Seafoods, or occasionally local mulloway –
meets them. Fat sebago chips, skins partially left
on, are cut by hand before being steamed, then
twice-fried. Dill, capers and tarragon keep the tartare
sauce classic, while pickles (red onion, cucumber,
carrot) add some acid.75 Hastings St, Noosa Heads,
(07) 5447 4235, sailsnoosa.com.auBanter Bar & Seafood
Banter’s batter uses Eumundi lager, a schooner
of which (or any other of the craft ales on pour)
happens to be a perfect match with crisp hot
chips sprinkled with vinegar salt and a fried fillet
of barramundi or king snapper, or local whiting in
a crumb spiked with lemon zest. Specials include
flounder and smooth dory. Bonus: a separate fryer
used only for gluten-free items caters for coeliacs.
708 Main St, Kangaroo Point, (07) 3391 7680, banterbar.com.auSA
The Port Admiral Hotel
Front-bar fish and chips is a dead-serious offering
at this refurbished dockside pub. The catch changes
daily, but the preference of cook, and hotel partner,
Angus Henderson is smaller fish with full flavour, such
as Coorong mullet or Tommy ruff. He coats the fillets in
a fresh batter, made a litre at a time and featuring the
pub’s house lager, The Port Local (made by Pirate Life),
and fries them crisp and golden. The fish also stars in
a burger with iceberg lettuce, tomato, cheese and aïoli,
which is served with fat, fluffy crinkle-cut chips dusted
with paprika-accented seasoning.55 Commercial Rd,
Port Adelaide, (08) 8341 2249, portadmiral.com.auThe Stunned Mullet
Since opening their small suburban take-away fish
shop in 2005, Dino and Amanda Papadopoulos have
sourced sustainable, locally caught seafood from
wholesalers, markets and individual fishermen to
ensure freshness and variety. Dino offers at least eight
varieties – he’s especially fond of flathead, crumbed
then fried, but also steers customers towards coral
perch or silver dory from SA’s Spencer Gulf, dipped
in a cold batter, without beer, to ensure maximum
crispness. And yes, sometimes they serve Coorong
or red mullet.8 East Tce, Henley Beach, (08) 8356 7696●Top right:
Ol’ School’s
beer-battered
fish with yoghurt
tartare sauce.
Left: Dunalley
PHOTOGRAPHY JULIAN KINGMA (IKI-JIME). Fish Market.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 81