The new Fish Market: What you need to know
The new Sydney Fish Market is an $836 million beast of a building, and on a Sunday lunchtime, (even though it’s pouring down with rain) it’s absolutely heaving. Think zoo-level crowds, tourists wielding cameras, and families trying to wrangle excited kids. There are epic queues for cooked food, which, you have to wait in line to pay for, then good luck trying to find a seat. The secret is to book a restaurant. Our choice is Touch Wood.
Touch Wood – The Team
Full disclosure, we are Glebe locals and EVERYONE loves Dirty Red – in a way that Badde Manners owned breakfasts. Tyson Rowsell co-founder of Dirty Red in Glebe and Rozelle, and former Group General Manager at The Grounds of Alexandria knows how to look after customers..
The kitchen is led by Courtney Blyde, (ex Cho Cho San, The Apollo and Baba’s Place) Hello!! This power house team has taken a seafood-led approach to Australian dining, using local produce and market-driven ingredients. Then there is Liam, their GM – more on him below.
The Venue
Wowsers. This is an iconic place to dine.
What a spot, it occupies the north-facing corner terrace of the entire complex. There is poetry here. Sitting in a $836m seat and looking at the history of the old fish markets, as Sydney embraces the new. It’s a moment of nostalgia for those of us who visited weekly.
The restaurant has a beautiful fit out. The best tables are outside, around 100 of them, with picturesque harbour views and ample spacing between tables, which other venues lack. I’m equally tempted by the option to sit at the bar, which feels fun and social. It’s a clean and contemporary fit out with a fish mural at the back. This is all looking good.
The Service
Let’s chat about Liam, the Irish-born GM, who is an absolute delight. He says he is “Jack all trades Master of none’ – I would argue he is already the master of the most elusive skill – hospitality. He is honest, warm, chatty, attentive, genuinely lovely. He’s the kind of person who makes us feel like regulars even on our first visit. We know, as we had a drink here, a few weeks ago with our greyhound Maggie and he made her feel like royalty.
We chat about kedgeree and reminisce about Restaurant Balzac that used eel, though as a Brit I miss smoked mackerel. Liam shares that growing up in Ireland he used to fish for mackerel so successfully that he started a side hustle selling fish to his neighbours, till his ‘Da’ told him off, “We give them our fish, we don’t sell to our neighbours”.
Something tells me that this random story says a lot about Liam’s values, approach to people and a sense of generosity. Great food can be found everywhere in Sydney, but service cannot. His career spans the Welcome Hotel in Balmain, The Glebe Hotel and also Jamie Oliver’s restaurants in Canberra. We are all the better for his return.
The Menu: seafood-led, sourcing done properly
We have a seat outside which is perfect for people and pooch watching. We arrive at 1.30pm and kick off with two glasses of Adelia Prosecco from King Valley ($24 for a large).
Their signature Fish Chowder Pie is out of action (Nooo…Sob). Instead, we order the kedgeree with smoked fish, not seen on many menus and I love it. It’s a sexy looking bowl. The fragrant yellow curry-spiced rice is topped with a wobbly, 63° egg and coriander. Mr G loves to smash the egg and jumble it up, I prefer to be able to taste each element. Choose your overly enthusiastic dining partner carefully… It’s a cracking dish, balanced, and beautifully smoky.
The Lobster Poutine is not your standard gluggy mess. Don’t make the mistake of not ordering it. It’s refined, clever, anti-dish, which has the elements of the poutine but tastes nothing like it. A half WA rock lobster sits on top of crispy fries which are going soggier by the minute in a divine masterstock bisque created from roasted prawn heads. It’s clear, clever and whilst I spot a blob of cheese, this is more like lobster and chips in a stock sauce. $75 and a great share dish.
They nail a classic Fish n’ Chips with multiple soldiers of flathead, which I wield like a medival jousting rod. Crisped in golden batter the flesh is juicy and rich. It is classic done exceptionally well, which is harder than it sounds. Compare spending $32 to have it served here at your table v standing in a queue to have something inferior for $26ish. No competition.
The fish burger is a ‘slippery little sucker’ in the best way. A slim house-made fish and prawn patty is topped with a fried egg, hamburger cheese and tartare sauce. Served in a glossy milk potato bun. The egg is running down my wrist. Zero regrets.
Then the garlic prawn spaghetti arrives in a twisted croissant-shaped pasta furl that looks like edible architecture. The prawns are finely chopped (genius as Mr G can’t sneakily steal the prawn stars in one scoop), its tossed with shell oil, preserved lemon, and gremolata. It’s elegantly executed.
The coffee: an immersive adventure we need to come back for
Touch Wood takes its coffee seriously – and when I say seriously, I mean they’ve created what they call an “immersive coffee adventure” curated by industry expert Paul Cabezas-Heathwood. We didn’t try it on this visit (rookie error), but after reading the menu, I’m planning our return.
There are two espresso options: White Horse from Sydney with Guatemalan Bourbon beans (plum and grape notes) and Leible from Sydney with Colombian Chiroso (yellow peach and hazelnut). Both are washed, both look exceptional, and the menu gently suggests these are best enjoyed black to fully appreciate their complex flavour profiles.
Then there’s the pour-over situation, which takes approximately 25 minutes and looks worth every second of the wait. We’re talking hand-crafted brews from roasters like White Horse (Peru, Geisha varietal, jasmine and nectarine notes), Diggy Doos from Sydney (India, natural processed Catuai with cherry and raspberry), and Proud Mary from Melbourne (El Salvador, SL-28 varietal, apple and blackcurrant). The premium option sits at $40, and honestly? For coffee this good, I get it.
What we’re Addicted to? Touch Wood manages to feel spacious even when the Fish Market around us is packed to the rafters. Liam’s service. Our corner terrace position with harbour views. It’s a creative menu, with dishes not found elsewhere. Dinner will be launching mid February and we can’t wait to return. Oh and pup friendly for outside tables.
What we need to be more Addicted? The biggest draw back of the Fish Markets is the toilet situation. There are only 2×6 womens toilets for a few thousand people. So that detracts from a great dining experience. Liam has the low down on secret toilets on the car park level. I didn’t find them, but drop in to get his secrets.
Touch Wood, A2/1B Bridge Road, Glebe
Hours: Mon–Sun: 7am–4pm (dinner from Feb 12th, Thurs–Sun)
