Nestled far away from any glimpse of ocean, Hooked busily cooks up an assortment of fish night and day on Chapel Street, Windsor. The restaurant has transformed the suburban take away fish and chips affair into a sophisticated dining experience.
The shop itself embodies a familiar nautical aesthetic; wooden tables with anchor-print pillows, and a sprawling charcoal mural of an octopus as the centrepiece of the shop.
Up first on our menu is a dish of flathead tails with a side of brown rice alongside the restaurant’s salad speciality; a quinoa and broccoli salad dressed with yoghurt and lemon dressing. In other words, it’s what Hooked calls their Superfood salad. This stack of green goodness bursts with flavour and zest, and quickly becomes the most standout element of the plate.
Hooked have garnered a reputation for pairing exceptional fish with creative Asian-fusion salads. We dig into a dish of Asian greens; bok choy, Chinese broccoli and choy sum all doused lightly in soy sauce and sesame oil. It’s a side well worth trying, best with a white grilled fish like the blue grenadier.
Who could deny a fillet of crumbed flake, complimented perfectly with chunky, seasoned chips? The saltiness and weight of the flake and chips are balanced out with an Asian slaw comprised of Wombok, carrot, and red onion tossed in a Vietnamese dressing. If you’re turned off by the thought of run-of-the-mill coleslaw, rest assured that this slaw is incomparable by any standards.
If you’re feeling fancy, try their mussels. You’re served a huge bowl with toasted bread, brimming with tomato, onion, white wine, and chili. They’re rich and poignant with flavour, but not so much that they become unbearable after a few. You can share a bowl with one or two other people and it’ll go down seamlessly.
Hooked is a winner for an easy and superb city seafood stop. Oh, and they even deliver. It turns out you can have cutting-edge fish and chips at your local park too.
