Hooked, Windsor by Big Fil

When I was growing up I loved eating fish and chips from white butcher's paper on the beach while trying to keep the sand off of everything. Nothing says summer more to me still than wearing thongs, pavements too hot to walk on and a big bag of crispy chips and potato cakes. I rarely indulge these days but having heard good things about Hooked decided it was time to revisit some past pleasures.


Hooked is a bit different to most neighbourhood fish joints; closer to a very casual fish café with quality (and to some extent prices) to match.

There are two things in particular I like about it ... one is the large communal table. It has a really homey feel - like the main table at an old seaside shack - and is large enough that you can eat directly opposite other diners without getting in each other's way. The magazines are also much appreciated both as something to read and neatly demarcating spaces around the table.


The grilled fish (Blue Grenadier) and chips (with a couple of scallops ordered as extras) is good quality, reasonably priced but not overly generous. The fish itself is good rather than great, but the chips are something else entirely. Most places serve regulation cut fries these days, but full marks for the large rough cut chips with sweet potato shavings on top. Because of the variation in size you get a much more interesting texture in the chips, with some thin and crispy almost all the way through, others full of fluffy potato goodness.


On the plus side the pack for one person with calamari came with the same chips and fish but also six fairly generous pieces of calamari. On the negative side the calamari wasn't as tender as it could have been, even if much better than the tyre rubber you sometimes get.


The fish burger came with two nicely crumbed fish patties, Spanish onion, cucumber and mayonnaise, with a few pieces of shaved sweet potato. If really hungry I would probably order this with a large helping of the chips (no photos I'm afraid but they they surprised me with its size).


Overall
Good fish, better chips, in a cosy setting. The service is friendly and efficient, and given the room is fairly narrow the setup is surprisingly child friendly.

Verdict
Ambience - 8
Service - 7
Food - 7.5
Price - 6.5

Address
172 Chapel Street
Windsor VIC 3181
Tel: (03) 9529 1075