Dining review: Portside Wharf waterfront restaurant ‘Fosh’

A new waterfront seafood restaurant with a takeaway next door is drawing the crowds, with the size of its portions a particular lure.

Fosh at Portside

What do you eat for dinner when the end of the world is nigh? I decided on a fish sandwich. En route after work to the Brisbane Festival’s dystopian performance, Salamander, at the Hamilton wharves, I decided to pop into the nearby freshly revamped Portside development and grab something to eat.

Seafood newcomer Fosh opened on the riverfront in mid-August along with its adjoining takeaway/casual eat-in sidekick, Fosh Tails. On dusk, with the water a pearly pink, the picnic tables on fake grass beneath blue and white striped umbrellas at this casual option host a couple of groups of dog lovers with the pooches snoozing under the tables, families and couples, all making the most of the well-priced menu running through the likes of fish and chips, a raw bowl with tuna or ocean trout, a seafood platter or a bucket of fresh prawns.

I thought in such an up-market destination the fish sandwich ($14) might be petite with a focus on presentation but it’s a hearty beast comprising two thick slabs of white bread moistened by a tartare flecked with capers, encasing a crumbed barramundi fillet that’s crunchy on the outside and moist within and quite delicious. Although it’s not mentioned on the menu, this hefty offering arrives on an oval metal platter with a mound of chips and would really be enough for two people to share.

Lobster at Fosh

Fish sandwich at Fosh at Portside

Neighbouring Fosh, with indoor and al fresco sections, river views and a light and bright, Hampton-ish fit-out and well-spaced tables, demands exploration so I resolve to return.

The restaurant is from Michael Tassis, whose empire includes Opa Bar + Mezze and Massimo Restaurant & Bar in Eagle St in the CBD and Yamas Greek + Drink in West End and this 140-seater is testament to his experience and access to quality seafood.

Tassis’s restaurants usually offer proven dishes with fresh produce as their basis, generous in portion and at reasonable enough prices to ensure repeat visits. Additionally there’s an assortment of specials and set menus that aim to deliver value.

Scallops and Mooloolaba king prawns at Fosh

Fosh, combining the words posh and fish to encapsulate his idea of it being more than a standard seafood restaurant, offers a lengthy menu of snacks, caviar, raw seafood and oysters, hot and cold platters, starters including prawn cocktails and Hokkaido scallops, live lobster and mud crab, mussels and five types of fish plus a changing line-up of dry-aged options. Carnivores get a look-in with a burger, half or whole chicken and steaks.

I order Mooloolaba king prawns ($28) followed by sole ($46), without paying adequate attention to see that the former are roasted in XO butter and the latter comes with lemon, capers and butter. Even so, there was a lot of butter, especially with the fish, which was backstroking in a veritable lake, although the seafood itself was well-cooked.

Sole at Fosh

Our other entree of barbecued squid with peas, peppers and green salsa ($26) is a pleasing, butter-free zone but we’re caught again with Moreton Bay bug ($44) delivered on the shell next to a large serve of twisting spaghetti clad in a rich mix of bottarga, chilli, garlic and lemon butter.

Desserts (all $18) are a low-key choice of chocolate cake, creme caramel and lemon tart, which has a bright, tangy curd, torched meringue on top and a too-hard base.

Lemon tart at Fosh

Service is cheery from the initial greeting and although our waitress appears new to hospitality, she’s diligent and there’s oversight by the omnipresent maitre’d. By-the-glass wines (from $12) are delivered pre-poured and the global bottle list has selections from $60.

Just a couple of weeks after opening, Fosh is almost full on a weeknight, testament to Tassis’s ability to create people-pleasing restaurants. And in case of the imminent end of the world, it’s a fine location for a last supper.

FOSH

Portside Wharf

3.01/39 Hercules St, Hamilton

07 3211 8111

foshportside.com.au

Open

Daily, 11am-late

Verdict (out of 5)

Food 3.5

Service 3.5

Ambience 4

Value 4

Overall 4 stars

delicious.com.au/eatout