What I look for in a good fish and chip shop are a couple of 'Old Salts' manning the stove, good batter, great chips and potato cakes. Oh and a big jar of pickled onions.
And happily this cute little place is a meeting of young and old, complete with good grub. You'll find the seasoned old boys manning the fryer and grill, while the young buck lands the customer orders.
It's just opened but Old Salt is already a refuge for Port Melbourne locals wanting to avoid the seaside-skyscraper-bachelor-pad crowd of footballers, tandoori coloured plastic WAGs, seagulls and suburban tourists shouting at each other over throbbing dance music at the nearby chippies closer to the water.
Old Salt's menu is small just like the venue, but it's honest and traditional, like a nostalgic throw-back to old-skool Port Melbourne. The servings are decent sizes - the minimum order of chips is big enough to keep a bunch of nippers happy after school. And you know what? I reckon these chips are too good to share with seagulls.
Did I say cute? Yeah, the refit is kinda special. Love the old bottle crates housing condiments and the builder-chic light fittings. Take a seat under a tree on the pavement or at the counter while waiting for your order in peace.
I wonder, should I be telling you this? Or perhaps I should really keep it as my own little secret?
OK. Keep it under your hat, I don't want to trip over any chip-crazy birds on my way in. read more