The Fishery

Served by a guy that had been handling food moments before. Didn’t wash his hands before or after handling the money.
Waited 35 minutes for an order of fish and chips. Then they got the order wrong!
Bland, over-​crumbed and over-​cooked fish.

Great, knowledgable, friendly staff. Good selection, but prices are a little high for a fish market.

I’ve had pretty bad experience with seafood before, so when I was looking for a place to get fresh seafood close to the city I came across ‘The Fishery’ in Milton. They are conveniently located close to the train station and definitely worth a visit even if you have to rely on public transport.
The guys serving us were really knowledgeable. We were going for fresh tuna and salmon steaks and they were sashimi grade! You are going to roughly pay $ 10/​kg more than in supermarkets, but the value in freshness and taste that you get from the Fishery is priceless.

Did you know that most prawns sold in standard supermarkets this Christmas will have been frozen in February or earlier? No. Me either. But standing in the kitchen of The Fishery, being shown how to make gravlax with a side of freshly-​flown-​in –that-​morning salmon, I learnt that stark fact and began reconsidering the choices we make each and every day about where we buy our food and produce from.
I used to live in ridiculously easy walking distance from The Fishery and would often pass it each day on my way home from work or to and from the gym. It was so easy to pop in, pick up a few fillets of fish for dinner that evening and have a moderately smug grin on your face knowing you had bought local and two, purchased fresh fish that was caught perhaps days ago, if that.
Yes it might be «yuppie» of me, but I love the idea of going to a butcher for your meat, a baker for your bread and baked goods and a dedicated fish monger for your seafood. What I love more about The Fishery is the guys behind the counter are qualified chefs. Not only can they advise on the best fillets of fish, prawns or what oyster to get, but they can give you plenty of easy to recreate at home tips on how to prepare your newly purchased seafood. It’s a winning combination!
Plus, they’ll often have a daily lunch special advertised out the front and I believe often via their Facebook or Twitter profiles. For under $ 10 you’ll be able to try things like your standard fish and chips, a prawn po boy or whatever other concoction takes their fancy on that particular day.

I get fish and chips fairly regularly from here, being on my way home and very convenient on a Friday night to stop in for a fast dinner when I don’t feel like cooking (which is often). They do pretty good fish and chips that easily feed two with plenty left over for less than $ 15. I love their homemade tartare sauce which is the best I’ve ever had from a fish and chip shop. As well as take-​away they have a great selection of fresh seafood. If you prefer to have your deep fried goodies hot and fresh on-​the-​spot instead of slightly soggy at home, there are plenty of plastic tables and chairs around outside to eat at.

I stopped at this newly established fishmonger for a Sunday lunch recently with my brother and sister and we were all impressed at the specials we got for under $ 10. For just $ 7.90 I got bream fish cakes with chips and salad. My siblings both opted for the blue-​eye cod, salad and chips for just a little more than I paid.
After ordering we went and sat at one of the outside tables and enjoyed a city view I didn’t even know existed. Who would have thought you could see the skyline from a vantage which earlier in the year was almost underwater?!
Our numbers were called within about five minutes and the meals came in cardboard trays inserted into a paper bag. The plastic cutlery was notably sturdy and got the job done well. As for the food, it was quite fresh and wholesome, with a nice serving of salad with a side container of dressing. I would have appreciated a little less potato i my fish cakes and a bit more in the form of chips, but hey, for the price I paid, I can’t complain.
The cod was starting to approach its used by date I suspect, and was a little fishy tasting (probably why it was a lunch special). A real standout was their tartare sauce, which we suspected was homemade, with delicious chopped up capers in it.
They also sell fish fillets, prawns etc by the kilo, and you can have your choice of fillet cooked in store for the per kilo price + $ 4.