I've lived near Victor for nearly a year now, but I still haven't figured out how things work here.
It's 7:30 on a Thursday evening and I've got me a hankerin' for some good ol' fish 'n' chips. How difficult can it be?
The answer, of course, is very difficult. Victor has two good fish and chipperies, 'The Original' in Ocean St and a new one (whose name escapes me round the corner in Albert Place). The are a few others that fry up frozen stuff to order, but that's not what the good lady and myself are craving at the moment.
Both are closed. It's 7:30 for Bob's sake. There are other starving locals peering in through the windows looking like the undead in a zombie movie searching for brains, we join them for a few moments hoping that the staff inside will feel sufficient guilt to reopen, but it's not going to happen, eye-contact is strictly avoided.
We're just deciding whether to fall back on Chinese or Pizza when I remember seeing a place on the seafront along at Encounter Bay.
More out of desperation than expectation we head off. Pa's Fish and Chips it's called and it's about halfway along Franklin Parade. We arrive and it doesn't look good. The cafe is empty and there's someone vacuuming the floor, I put on my best basset hound face and mouth 'Are you open?' through the window. Not only do I get eye-contact but I also get a big smile and a welcome "Of course we are".
I'm Impressed, we're not talking Michelin star territory here, but it's pleasant, a good local feel with a perfectly reasonable cafe menu and (an unexpected bonus) a well stocked bar.
So, the main event... Flake and Chips for both of us. I have to admit here to being a pom, a naturalized and house trained Aussie now, but still a pom in some deep, cultural recess of my soul. North Sea Cod is one of only a tiny number of things I miss about the old country, a nice bit of Flake (or mullaway when it's available) is the closest we get here.
Anyway, it's freshly cooked, wrapped in paper (none of that cardboard box rubbish thank-you very much), reasonably priced and served with a smile. It smells so good that, rather than sticking to Plan A and taking it home, we decide to park there on the seafront and eat sitting in the car and listening to the waves (it was too dark to see much). Perfect way to enjoy good chips and decent fish in fresh crispy batter. Sometimes, simple food, done well, under the right conditions can seem like the best meal in the world. read more