Is the great Australian tradition of fish and chips and a trip to the beach under threat? Antonio Muollo certainly thinks so, and on Thursday, October 19, he’ll open GetSashimi at Bondi Beach to capitalise on what he sees as a cultural food shift.

“The popularity of fish and chip shops has been declining,” Muollo says. “The younger generation want healthier food.”

The entrepreneurial 24-year-old, who had his first taste in the industry as a nine-year-old keeping the ice topped up in his father’s shop at the Sydney Fish Market, is gambling on that shift, with eight metres of premium raw sashimi on display at GetSashimi. Muollo claims it is Sydney’s first dedicated sashimi bar.

Walk the length of Campbell Parade, and there’s plenty of evidence Muollo is working on more than a hunch. Fishbowl is a neighbour, and there’s no shortage of sushi spots on the strip. An industry report on fish and chip shops in Australia by Ibis World pointed to a 1.2 per cent average annual decline in the industry between 2017 and 2022.

“Rising health consciousness in Australia has also discouraged some consumers from purchasing traditional fish and chips due to its high fat content and deep-fried cooking preparation,” the report states.

While there’s still a time and a place for fish and chips, Muollo will offer 20 sashimi options – from snapper to tuna belly, toothfish and abalone – straight from the markets. “It’s offloaded from the boats in the morning,” he says of the premium seafood product headed to the Bondi start-up.

There’s no hiding average quality with seafood in its raw sashimi form, but Muollo says it needn’t be prohibitively expensive. You’ll be able to walk out of GetSashimi with 100 grams of Tasmanian salmon or flathead for $9.99, or tuna at $12.99.

Sydneysiders don’t live on sashimi alone, so the new Bondi venue will include an 18-seat sushi train. “We’ll also do poke bowls,” Muollo says.

The entrepreneurial Muollo launched GetFish in 2018, eyeing a gap in the Sydney market for home-delivered seafood. The business has grown quickly and includes a wholesale arm, and even touts its own dedicated small fishing fleet around the country. Muollo revealed the company’s revenue rose to $19.4 million in the reporting year 2020-2021. If the GetSashimi spin-off works, expect to see more of them pop up.

The eight-metre 20-seat counter at GetSashimi has been designed so customers can select raw seafood and watch the skilled sashimi and sushi chefs cut each piece to order. Takeaway sashimi will also be available.

The venue will kick off on Thursday with a free display and tasting (from 5.30pm onwards) from Japanese tuna expert Narito Ishii, who will break down an 80 kilogram tuna fresh from the fish market. “From Friday, we’ll be fully operational,” Muollo says.

Open daily 11am-9pm.

180-182 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach, getsashimi.com.au