Bondi’s Best Seafood – Fish and Chips and Then Some

By Vicki Heath on September 18, 2012 in Food

Photo: Grant Brooks

Push yourself – or your scooter, bike, car or skateboard – as far as Campbell Parade will allow and the reward will be well worth the journey. Smack bang in the middle of the Ben Buckler strip of shops is Bondi’s Best Seafood, and they won’t break their promise that you’ll “taste the difference”.

On offer is some of the best seafood in Sydney, with a combination of traditional and gourmet fish and chips, and a fine selection of sushi and sashimi.

The vibe at Bondi’s Best is reminiscent of the popular morale-boosting book ‘Fish’, about a bunch of dudes working in a Seattle fish market. The venue portrayed is world famous due to the energy and attitudes of the staff. It’s fair to say that the team at Bondi’s Best have got this enthusiasm covered.

Owners and mates Joel and Ross are all bustle less hustle, flipping smouldering pans of tasty stuff and generally having way too good a time. They opened the doors a year ago having both come from gourmet seafood restaurant backgrounds.

The boys’ passion lies in sourcing, storing and preparing our saltwater friends in the best way possible. There’s a focus on sustainability, and the manifesto scrawled on the wall tells us that they use the best possible produce from Australia and NZ, line caught where possible. You can even keep up with what’s come in fresh each day on their Facebook feed.

Patrons at Bondi’s Best can dine in, takeaway, or tread the line between by sitting out the front, breathing in the ocean air and enjoying a glass of grape or a beer. It seems blokes regularly volunteer to pick up dinner, sneaking in a cold one while they wait.

When it comes to the food, the Japanese element works well, offering everything from edamame and miso to mixed sashimi with preserved lemon and sushi rolls made to order. The sushi chef is a bloke named Hiro and what a hero he proves to be with his raw salmon san choy bow. This stuff flies out the door for takeaways and I can certainly feel an addiction coming on.

For the naughty diners (yes you are), get into potato scallops, a fisherman’s basket, calamari, fish cakes, or tempura king prawns. The grilled salmon burger and gluten free salt and pepper cuttlefish also come recommended and the adventurous should ask for the cured salmon with pastrami crust. It’s not always up for grabs, but it’s what regulars hang out for. The pea soup with poached scampi is just as awesome.

Bondi’s Best is all over the sides too, with fragrant rice, crushed potatoes, steamed greens, potato gratin, salads galore, roast carrots, beans and more, Oh yeah, and there’s chips, potato and sweet potato.

Dessert? Nah, but you may score a vodka shot from the stash under the counter if the boys get to know you.

Bondi’s Best will (cliché alert!) reel you in – hook, line and sinker!

Bondi’s Best Seafood

Address: Shop 1, 39–53 Campbell Parade, North Bondi
Phone: (02) 9300 9886
Website: www.bondisbest.com.au
Price: $3 – $25
Seats: 25
Licensed/BYO: Licensed