Garfish, Holtermann St, Crows Nest

Garfish, Holtermann St, Crows Nest
Wednesday 3 May, 2006

I've always enjoyed Garfish and love their slogan, 'Have your fish the way you wish'. I'm only familiar with the Kirribilli location and had been wanting to try Crows Nest for sometime. Tonight, all the planets were aligned and my wish came true.

Not surprisingly, the Crows Nest set up is very similiar. Large blackboards with the specials and fresh fish available along with the methods of cooking the fish and a variety of garnishes. There is even a TV screen displaying the action in the kitchen which is fascinating to watch as you eat.

We were warmly welcomed and offered seating both inside and outside (they have gas heating outside). Two waiters were playfully encouraging us to sit in their area and we chose to sit outside. It was relatively quiet and we were served drinks immediately. We were handed three menus, the main menu which includes the wine list, a cocktail menu and the fish menu. As their menu and website states,

'At Garfish our focus is on serving the absolute freshest fish available at a reasonable price. In conjunction with Sydney's leading fish suppliers we source fish at its very best from the market floor & from individual producers around Australia. We often select lesser-know fish varieties because they are the best available on the day.

You may select a dish from our menu or customise your own dish by selecting a fish from the blackboard menu, choosing how you would like it cooked & matching it with the garnish of your choice.'

I selected the snapper pie with sauce soubise and steamed broccolini and my dinner buddy chose swordfish, grilled with sweet pumpkin risotto. Our waiter then informed us that the snapper pie would take 20 minutes. Surely, this should be printed on the menu rather than sharing it after the order was made?

Within 15 minutes our dinner arrived. The snapper pie looked amazing with a large pastry covering over a deep dish. When I put my fork into the pastry itdisappearedd into nothing. Taking a closer look, the snapper, broccolini and sauce soubise were located on the base of the dish and there was a good 5 - 7 cm gap of nothing until the pastry lid. Is this how a snapper pie should be served? I read the snapper pie recipe from The Boathouse recently and I think not! Needless to say I wasdisappointedd and at $30 my disappointmentt plummeted....

The swordfish was good but nothing fabulous. Despite this, the service was very good and I like the location and setting, in particular the groovy handwriting on the blackboard. If I was to return I would stick to 'Have your fish the way you wish' and order off the fish menu, not the main menu.

We didn't have dessert but I can tell you the belgian waffles (I've enjoyed them many times in Kirribilli) and fantastic.

Garfish - 6/29 Holtermann St, Crows Nest - (02) 9966 0455

http://www.garfish.com.au/