One of my favourite things about travelling is making food discoveries.
But it’s a love-hate relationship. The pure joy of finding a ‘best ever’ meal is ever so slightly tainted when you realise your new fave isn’t geographically viable as a weekend-regular haunt *sob*.
Case in point: discovering THE best fish and chips I’ve had in a very long time a mere 4000 kilometres away from my hometown of Sydney.
- Fresh local seafood? Tick.
- Amazing location? Tick.
- Great service? Tick.
- Water views? Tick.
If you’re picturing a posh white tablecloth restaurant though, you’d be wrong. Food trucks might be so hot right now in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane but in Darwin, the hype is for a little red trailer.
You’ll probably see the lines first: this is Darwin’s worst-kept secret, and a fave of tourists and locals alike.
With a focus on fresh sustainable seafood and a short menu (I’m all for doing a few things and doing them well) Jetty & the Fish team Kate and Grant deliver the stuff of nostalgic fish and chips by the sea dreams.
With our crispy fried selections cooked to order (as all good seafood should be!), we nab a spot to watch the famous Darwin sunset.
Served old-school style, we rip open the paper to dig into our parcel of golden battered deliciousness.
Who needs expensive seafood restaurants when this little Darwin gem is delivering the goods? Now let’s just hope they decide to head south and pay a visit to Sydney one day 😉
Hot tips
- If you want to avoid the lines – go early. They kick off at 5.30pm on Friday and 5pm Saturday and Sunday.
- Be patient. There’s only so much cooking the little trailer can manage so they pump out orders a batch at a time 🙂
- There are only a few benches around Nightcliff Jetty so bring a chair or picnic blanket to set yourself up.
- Make sure you time your Darwin visit for a weekend. These guys are only open Friday thorugh Sunday evenings and missing a meal here would be a tragedy.