Tank Fish and Chippery

Tank's a pretty new kid on the block. In the sea of Italian men , hand gestures, spruikers (weren't these guys supposed to stop doing this..?) and wafts of liberally slathered cheese over pizzas and pastas (which smell disgusting but delicious at the same time...), Tank Fish and Chippery pops out to me as something bright, clean and simple.

At the time we went, the brightly lit, Greek inspired, blue and white shop was just over a month old, with fairly quiet business, where the other restaurants were absolutely packed and bustling, although we did get dinner a little bit early to be fair. I loved the communal table with it's intricate tiles, the overall look of the place is slightly retro, but minimalist and clean as well.

The second we walked in, as we went to look up at the menu on the blue perspex boards, we were greeted by the waitress (with the cutest accent, Brad and I were trying to figure it out afterwards...) and informed of the decisions we could make and the vast choices we had.

We decided to go with the bucket for two (I think.), which came with two pieces of fish, a choice of a salad and of course, chips. The alternative was a TANK for two, which came with fish, potato cakes, dim sums, chips....and more. A little bit too beastly for the likes of Brad and I, the bucket ended up being just right. The house fish was flake, which we were happy to go along with, one was battered and fried and the other grilled.

The fish itself was quite sweet and well cooked, perfect with a squeeze of lemon over it. The grilled fish in particular was nice, I've had grilled fish at other places and it just falls apart the minute I attempt to do a bit of stabbing with my fork, but the flesh of the fish held together quite well and was tasty. I didn't try a lot of the battered fish, but I was quite impressed it didn't look too oily at all. The chips though...were extremely intriguing. In the best way possible of course! They were tasty, well fried and not too oily and the seasoning...there was something in the seasoning that I couldn't quite put my finger on that I had grown a sudden addiction to. Apart from the naturally expected salt, there was an odd sweetness to it that was incredibly moreish. I don't think it could've just been sugar...I think I'm probably going to have to go back and find out!

Overall, I like Tank, I like the space and the food's not bad at all. I'm slightly partial still to Hooked I think, but Tank's certainly a nice option closer to the city. The bucket for two ended up being about $17 or $18 if I remember correctly, which for my opinion, for good fresh produce, cooked well is perfectly suitable for the price. How many fish and chipperies do you know that give you salad to offset all the frying?! :)

Tank Fish and Chippery

149 Lygon Street

Melbourne, 3053