Fich At Petersham — Restaurant in Sydney

2023: (3.5 stars) 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 fat crisp corn kernels for texture.

2021: (4 stars) With a split business model that is perfect for the COVIDSafe milieu we find ourselves within, Fich at Petersham is your contemporary neighbourhood fish’n’chippie. It’s one part takeaway fish and chips shop, the other part smart casual seafood restaurant. Co-owned by Jose Silva, Fich is also somewhere where you can get your Sweet Belem Portuguese tart ($6) fix when his popular bakery up the road is closed.

The menu, supplemented by chalkboard specials, is divided into snacks, shares and grilled fish fillets. We kick off with Coffin Bay Oysters ($48/dozen) too quick and devoid of liquor to have been shucked to order, but tasty when lubricated with lemon & looking the part with the best oyster plating I’ve seen in ages! Continuing the drive to put potato back into potato scallops, the Fich potato scallop ($3/each) celebrates the Sebago encasing it in thin, crisp batter against tomato sauce. We upgraded to garlic sauce ($3) and had an improved experience.

Harvey Bay scallops ($6/each) served on the half-shell with vermicelli noodles and XO sauce wanted for some golden caramelisation. Fich popcorn ($16) was the piece of genius. Sriracha and maple sauce replicates Korean fried chicken treatments using battered nuggets of fish, finished with shallots and sesame seeds. While you’d think it would drink best with white sangria ($28/carafe) it was actually the offerings on the short but thoughtful wine list that delivered best: a French 2018 Clomarin Picpoul de Pinet ($9/glass) and an off-dry 2018 Thanisch Kabinett Riesling ($10/glass) as the sangria was a bit boring. We ended our meal with pan roasted calamari ($25). While the pale calamari was beautifully soft (rather than rubbery), the promised garlic and chilli was so muted it was lost when eaten against the accompanying...

Came here as a walk in and they were nice enough to clear a table for us when it was busy.

Atmosphere was very nice, nice chatter of people, and the environment gave a nice restaurant vibe. However, because this place is popular, there is a good amount of families that come in with their little ones. So bare that in mind if you want to a nice quiet dinner! My partner got hit in the back by a flying bottle from a child behind us and frankly the child ruined our once in a long while date night with their screaming. Definitely not the restaurants fault, in fact, the waitress stepped in to help quiet the child which I found was both hospitable and courteous!

The best way to describe this place is it’s not your ‘local fish and chips’ shop and not a ‘fancy beach side’ eatery. It’s perfectly in the middle. Selling seafood cooked in different ways with table service or takeaway. The menu for dine in and takeaway caters to you wanting a burger and chips in a nice dimly lit place, or wanting a deep fried fish to go!

We ordered the seafood platter with a green salad. Hand cut crisps were a nice little personal touch, but definitely not what I would want to use as a solid plate/tier in a seafood platter- instead should’ve been an accompaniment. Seafood was fresh, oysters were lovely with the sauces. My only tip for this would be to have this plate on the bottom tier so that anything underneath it won’t catch water droplets from the ice melting. The plate underneath this had a kind of stir fry mixed calamari and mussels, then deep fried calamari rings, deep fried battered fish, pan fried fish fillets, deep fried bugs, and tartare sauce. Although the variety was there- it wasn’t the best thing I had. It was kind of greasy considering everything was quite together and fried. Batter was perfect though! Great crunch. Salad that we ordered was under dressed and was more like a second thought.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely will come back! But if you walk in here and think you’re going to get super fancy food, even with really nice and friendly staff members, you’re going to be disappointed. This place is PERFECT for a night out of the house but you don’t want to pay $$$$ for dinner, and want you to be satisfied hunger and all!

Next time I come, I won’t order this platter, but I’ll definitely get...

My first time buying from here. Didn’t know the customers have to pay extra 2 dollars to dine in. So I paid and was looking for a seat suddenly the lady came out from no where and told me that I only paid for 17 dollars so I can’t sit inside. It was so embarrassing as everyone was looking at me. I don’t mind spending another 2 dollars to sit in your fancy restaurant but you should have told the customer first when you’re taking order that the price for take away and dine in is different . The food taste okay but there’s hair in the food. So disgusting. Omg I’m so disappointed. Will never eat from here again. here are pictures to prove that I’m not lying. There’s really hair in the food. also you told me that prices are different after I paid 17 dollars already. And no you didn’t say it in a nice way. You should have told first when you’re taking order that prices are different then I would just pay for 19. Not everyone has been here before. How would the new customer know that prices are different? like I said I’m a new customer here. I didn’t know there are two prices for dine in and take away. You should at least ask whether I want to dine in or take away. Other restaurants have one price for both dine in and take away so as a new customer I didn’t know I have to pay extra to sit there. You never mentioned until I asked and that was after you rudely told me I can’t sit inside. how you replied to my review reflected on your service mind which is rude both in person and online. Hope you see there’s really hair in the food. Decent staff would have said sorry. No more buying from this place. Very...