It's me, Eloise.

Stars and Stripes

Classic
Shirt: Topshop
Jeans: Zara
Shoes: I Love Billy
Handbag: Longchamp
Jacket: Zara
Watch: Swatch Watch

Sunglasses: Prada
Necklace: Vintage, Los Angeles

I have been lusting over a pair of J Brand, star print denim jeans for a while now but couldn't justify spending a lot of money on a pair of jeans I am sure I probably won't wear after this season. I finally let the thought of them go until I saw a pair on sale in "Zara" the other day. First of all I was already over the moon that "Zara" had a pair so similar and knew the price would be significantly lower but then I looked at the price tag and they were down to $14.95!! I could hardly believe it, the smile on my face was huge! "Zara" never disappoints me. I think I may be their number one fan! 

ZH and I have a Friday night fish and chips tradition although it usually involves going down to our local fish and chip shop in almost our pyjamas and taking the food away or eating it down by the water (when it is not freezing). Last night, however we decided to branch  out and go to Merivale's "The Fish Shop" in Darlinghurst. It has been open for about six months now and it astounds me that it has taken me that long to dine there. It has been on my list ever since it opened but always gets knocked off by some new restaurant I am dying to go to! Not last night though! 

We knew being a Friday night that we should head in early otherwise we would have to wait for a table. We arrived just after six and it was rather quiet however by half past the restaurant was pretty full and quite noisy! 

Once again, Merivale pays such great attention to detail. When you walk in you instantly feel like you are about to have posh fish and chips on the French Riveria complete with waiters dressed in black and white striped t-shirts. Usually the Merivale staff are extremely attentive and very friendly however last night our waitress had a bit of a snooty, unapproachable vibe about her. The white wooden walls complement the blue accents of the decor well. There are two main dining areas. The area at the front consists of several communal high tables and a wine bar. The wine bar has fishing nets hanging from it giving it the "gone fishin'" look. The other dining room has similar communal tables, an open kitchen and a bigger bar out the back. I guess you would perch yourself in the back bar if you were in for a couple or ten wines with your fish and chips! Each table has a tin of cutlery and an array of sauces and vinegar on it. The menu is a cute little four page newspaper aptly named "Reel News". The specials and market price of the daily fish are written on a chalk board in the main dining area. The writing on the bathroom doors of course was great - "gulls" for girls and "bouys" for boys. 

The menu is concise but includes everything that you need for a great seafood meal. It is predominately seafood minus "Dan's famous cheeseburger" which was adopted from former "Lotus" restaurant menu as it was such a stand out. Starters consist of items such as oysters, potato scallops, seafood dim sims, fish fingers and a bucket of prawns just to name a few. The main affair known as "Fish 'n' Chips" is quite small ... fish burger, cheeseburger, fisherman's basket and "The Fish Shop" platter. The real standouts for me are on the "Today's Market List" board. There were more than half a dozen catches of the day. The sides on the menu accompany the seafood very well. Such things include a couple of light salads (including coleslaw), greens and chips. There are only two dessert options - "Today's Ices" and "Ice-Cream Sandwich" (which I have heard great things about). 

ZH is a sucker for a good old battered fish 'n' chips. It was delivered still on baking paper with the aioli sauce in a jar on the side. She devoured every last bit of oily, battery goodness so I am guessing she was satisfied! She did however mention she would have liked more batter on her chips, I somehow think the usual "Darlinghurst" crowd would not agree! I had the "steamed snapper" in tomato and caper sauce. The sauce was delicious and the fish just fell apart. To accompany my fish I had steamed broccoli and the coleslaw. The coleslaw and broccoli came in a cute take away style tub and plate. It won me over! I could probably have shared the sides as they were quite generous however ZH and I have very different taste buds. Nevertheless, I managed to finish them all myself! I scraped the bowl of the coleslaw, it was so yummy! No mayonnaise overload! 

Top: Fish 'n' Chips $19
Bottom Left: Market Fish - Snapper $29
Bottom Right: Today's Greens $6.5 and Celeriac Slaw $6.5

Overall, it was a much more elaborate, pricey (quite pricey) Friday night fish and chip date but it was great to finally experience what "The Fish Shop" had to offer. Great ambiance as per usual and a classy take on the average fish and chips. If we hadn't finished all of our food I half expected a real seagull to come and gobble it up! Oh, and my favourite part of the night ... receiving the bill! Usually I would be dreading the bill but how could I not smile when it was delivered tucked into the top of a sardine can! 

The Fish Shop
22 Challis Avenue
Potts Point NSW 2011

Overall: 8/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Food: 7.5/10