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Fish 'n' chips on the beach
No matter how achingly stylish the restaurant industry gets, no amount of foie gras-wielding celeb chefs or glamazon hostesses can compete with the simple pleasure of fish 'n' chips on the beach. Shuffling down to the sand and tearing a hole in a greasy paper-wrapped parcel is an antipodean tradition as ingrained as barbies and backyard cricket.
Despite the food fads of recent years, fish 'n' chips haven't changed a lot; pretty boxes might have replaced newspaper as the common packaging of choice, but that's about it.
Without disregarding the hundreds of unsung heroes who daily slave over a hot deep-fryer, here are a few of the top picks for blissfully greasy, fishy snacks.
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1
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3 Fat Fish
Bondi Beach
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It makes sense that Australia's best-known beach would have some of the most stylish fish 'n' chip shops. Forget laminex tables and '80s issues of Women's Weekly; 3 Fat Fish features dark and sexy decor, while the menu adds soft shell crab and stuffed squid to the traditional classics.
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2
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Fish Face
Darlinghurst
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You can't list Sydney's top fish spots without mentioning Fish Face. This hip fish shop serves up some of the best seafood in town in a stylish (if completely tiny) space. For a more traditional experience, get your greasies to go and grab a patch of grass in Green Park.
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3
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Fish Bar
Docklands
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This Docklands fish 'n' chipper makes up for the lack of a nearby sandy beach by hanging suspended over the water of Port Phillip Bay. You can get your classic battered flake here, or justify your jumbo serve of chips with some grilled seafood or a salad.
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4
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Robbie's Stein
Brunswick
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This former fish 'n' chipper has been reborn as an intimate restaurant and bar, but still serves Brunswick's locals their weekly fix of greasies. Take a seat at the bar (on a bar stool made from pieces of old World War I military wagons) to wait for your parcel, or forget your sooky night on the couch and pull up a chair in the restaurant.
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5
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Phippsy's Catch
Coolum Beach
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Andy Phipps is a bit of a local celebrity - his fishing and cooking skills have landed him TV appearances and a series of cookbooks. There's no need for takeaway here; just grab a table and tuck into some Queensland seafood, cooked by the expert.
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6
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Fish Frenzy
Hobart
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Being one of the only fish 'n' chip shops around with a liquor licence makes this place understandably popular. You can perch at the bar and sip a glass of wine while you wait, or if you'd rather crack open a whole bottle, there are plenty of tables at which to dine.
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