THE FISH SHOP POTTS POINT

In a side street in uber cosmopolitan Potts Point lies a little piece of the seaside. A fish and chip shop that feels as if it was dreamt up with Cape Cod or the Hamptons in mind. Just small enough to feel local and  friendly (as all good fish shops should be), The Fish Shop is one of Merivale's latest wonders - and what a wonder it is! 

I'd heard the reviews - all glowing - but although I'd had it in the back of my mind for months, hadn't felt the notion for seafood in a while. With the sun burning and with some nautical threads on my back, today was going to be the day. Despite the growls in our bellies, we took the scenic route and kept our pace as close to sunday strolling as we could...

Though it was bustling, we managed to snag (see what I did there?) a table inside. You've gotta love this decor, right?

I felt like I was in a SpongeBob episode come to life and gleefully dived into the very creatively themed menu:

First up: blood orange daiquiri for me, and a coke for the kid ;-)

We settled on a selection of entrees - our very own fish shop tapas, if you will. First was a pile of delicious fried school prawns seasoned with chilli salt and served with a delicious aioli. More moreish than malteasers, you cannot go past these little 'uns:

I'd so have ordered a second serving but thought I'd make room for another delicious cocktail. This one was the Bonnie Sour, a potent concoction of Hendricks Gin, Pomme Verte, lime and rhubarb that smelled and tasted like Christmas. Delicioso!

Next up was scallops. I don't remember all the details, but I'm going to dub them "stuff your face scallops" because there's no way you could hold back when you've had a taste of them. 

Look at that garlic buttery, breadcrumby goodness...

Only slightly more awesome than our plates!

... I digress. We then tucked into super fresh oysters served with a glorious vinaigrette and the cutest bottle of tabasco I think I've ever seen! 

I'm a big time potato scallop fan. I never ate seafood as a child so potato cakes (that's what I called them) were always the 'fish' in fish and chips for me. I couldn't resist a trip down memory lane, so we ordered one each. Though the potatoes were cut thick, they were cooked to perfection. And don't even get me started on the batter...

Never too full for dessert, we couldn't go past the ice-cream sandwich with salted caramel sauce. If I could have licked that plate, I damn well would have.

After empty plates came an ingenious bill plate:

I thoroughly enjoyed every morsel I ate and drank at The Fish Shop and I'm so glad I made the trip. If you fancy trying it for yourself, you can check out their website here. I recommend going during the day and then taking a stroll down to McElhone Reserve like we did, to take in some sun and the wicked water view. I'll leave you with a pictorial...

Have you been to The Fish Shop? Perhaps you've got a bar or restaurant recommendation you'd love to share. I wanna hear it!

THE BEST SALAD I'VE EVER MADE (AND SALAD'S MY MIDDLE NAME)

James and I are quite proud of ourselves today. We had a pretty full-on session at the gym (yes, we attended the gym ON A SATURDAY) and followed up with a relatively healthy lunch by weekend standards. Normally we'd be sharing a hot dog and flake shake for lunch so we weren't worried about having a salad that wasn't just greens and vinegar. We're not very discerning when it comes to high calorie foods but when it comes to eating healthy, we prefer to keep things fresh and imaginative.

On the menu today was a poached chicken salad with blue cheese, walnuts, apple and avocado dressed with a basic wholegrain mustard dressing. You could serve 3, perhaps 4 people with the following:

1 chicken breast (poached)

1 avocado, sliced

1 green apple or pear, sliced thinly

8 handfuls rocket

150g blue cheese, crumbled

2 handfuls of walnuts

Dressing:

Wholegrain mustard

Olive Oil

Vinegar

First up, poach your chicken. When it's ready, leave it to cool  then begin slicing your apple and avocado and preparing your salad dressing. I don't stick to any particular measurements when it comes to dressings - today I made mine thick and mustard-heavy but the ratios will all be determined by your own personal tastes.

 

 

When the chicken feels just warm (or cooled if you prefer), slice evenly. Arrange (or throw together) the ingredients, including the blue cheese and walnuts. 

Drizzle with dressing then watch the delight on everyone's faces as they tuck in. When I served James his, he moaned with pleasure and told me no less than five times that it was the best salad he had ever eaten. And I know he's telling the truth because he's never said that about any other salad I've made him! 

Give it a bash yourself and let me know how it goes. Or perhaps you've got a salad recipe you think will top this one? Leave a comment below...

HOME COMFORTS

Today was one of 'those' days. You know the ones? You find a million faults when you look in the mirror - your skin looks like a pizza, hair won't co-operate and nothing in your wardrobe could possibly fit you (contrary to all logic and the fact that you've managed to pull together an outfit every other day that week). I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything, except will tomorrow to come sooner in the hope that my mood might disappear into the night.
I pulled on my most unflattering, comfy clothes and set to work cleaning my house from top to bottom. When I can't shrug those feelings away, scrubbing my house provides a distraction from the rubbish that's piling up in my head. Neuroses alert! Only when my apartment looks brand new do I start lighting candles and winding down for the day. Does anyone else do this? I stumbled across these Circa Home candles last weekend and they've added a considerable ambience to my home, even taking the edge off that sour mood I've been in. Now my house smells like a day spa and I feel compelled to take it easy.

BORN FREE

Just like the famous lion after whom she was named, our Elsa just wants to do her own thing. I can't hold her in my arms for long before she's squirming and fighting 'til I put her on the ground. And though she's well toilet trained, she loves the feeling of our soft carpet underfoot as she does her business and will usually do this when she sees we aren't looking. I've gotta hand it to her - she's pretty bright! Finding her in one of her sedate moods, I took advantage of the moment and managed to get a few photos of the two of us. 

Can you see how much she has grown? Her coat is also starting to get longer and fluffier and currently she's got every heart in the suburb melting. Every second person stops to hold her and she laps up the attention, scrambling out of my arms and licking them all over. I ought to muzzle her, the little flirt!

Isn't she a dream?