Bottom of the Harbor

Had the battered fish today and it was excellent. Batter was thin and light. Fish was firm but flakey and tasted like it was just caught minutes ago. Service was friendly and fast, I couldn’t ask for anything more to go with my beachside lunch.

It’s no surprise that the exclusive Balmoral Beach is home to a seafood café a cut above your local fish & chip shop. There is no beer batter in sight here, more like oysters and grilled garlic prawns. That said, Bottom of The Harbour still has the classic takeaway counter and relaxed attitude that we love from a seaside café. Given its enviable position right across the road from the beach, Bottom of The Harbour extends its menu outside of ocean delights to more traditional breakfasts and burgers so you don’t need to crave seafood to enjoy a stop here. My all time favourite from Bottom of The Harbour has to be the Grilled Baby Octopus Skewers which are the perfect after beach snack!

After spending a sunny afternoon on Balmoral Beach, I was craving something light and refreshing for a late lunch. Strolling down the Esplanade, my friends and I see a giant sign for takeaway fish and chips. Screw light and refreshing, nothing is more satisfying than a crispy fish filet and equally crispy fries. There was a long queue to order (usually indicative of good food or a touristy place), in which we spent a good 10 minutes. Teenage boys manned the cash registers, took our orders, and directed us to where we’d be able to pick up our fish.
Due to what I’m guessing is a combination of poor organizational structure and a huge number of customers, my fish took around 25 minutes to be ready. My coffee took even longer; the boy who handed me my fish said that the coffee girl was ‘wandering around somewhere.’ Well, tell her to get to the espresso machine and make the coffee I ordered. There were several who were complaining about the service in the sea of people waiting for their meals.
Finally seated with my food, I took a bite into my fish. The sizable filet of fish was fried to a golden crisp on the outside, while remaining tender within. The chips were also pretty good. It’s unfortunate that, from what I saw, Bottom of the Harbor can’t adequately service the amount of customers lining up at their door. In addition to the time it took to receive the food, the two rubbish bins in the outdoor seating area were overflowing with cardboard plates and waste. And although the fish and chips were great, I’m not sure how long I’d be willing to wait next time.