Once that was over, I headed back to the Circular Quay area where the bus stop was, and plotted for my lunch. This one, I also have planned – I’ll splurge at the Sydney Fish Market. Before that, I whipped out Google Maps for the best route with minimal walking. I didn’t mind walking as it helps build up the appetite but it’s noontime and cold AF. Fortunately, I found one – and its route included a bus that “bends”.
After two bus rides, I got to Harris Street, and a short walk later, I was in the market. It’s not the most picturesque entrance route, like it’s from behind the market and not much of a tourist-trodden path (the entrance sides facing the waters were more populated). But it was a brisk walk and since there’s barely anyone walking with me, I got the chance to finally take off my face mask and breathe the chilly air for a while.
Inside the market was nice. There were definitely the fish vendors, and the marine goods were displayed perfectly lined up. There were two big food vendors situated near entrances. But to build up my appetite more and spy on what I would like to get, I walked around some more.
Frankly, I had the budget to eat a lot more, but I had to contend with my age and stomach size. In my 20’s, I was known to demolish 6+ big plates of food in buffets, but now in my 30’s after years of staving off excess weight, I had newfound restrictions. I knew in my mind that I would puke at 4-5 platefuls – last time I had a buffet at the Okada Manila, I finished off two huge platefuls of food but the third plate became a marathon and I had to settle for a tiny dessert right after because my stomach told me that any more food and I would have to puke in the toilet.
So while walking the grounds at Sydney Fish Market, I also had to contend with what to eat. I immediately pegged for a big fish and chips serving, maybe a couple of squid/octopus skewers, and one of those big prepped shellfish. Before I lined up, I bought some drinks – two bottles of fruit juice and one bottle of plain water. The juice vendor was near the south entrance where I came in, so I prioritized buying that first. For the food, I really struggled against my impulse to buy everything I fancied – but I still bought as planned. For the sauces, to cut through the richness of the fried items, I bought a small tub of spicy sauce. The others were tartar sauce (for the fish) and ketchup for the fries. And then after buying the food… I had to look for a seat somewhere. I looked around, and it seemed that the more optimal seating might be outside.
There was seating nearby the exits, but those seem to be less… um, what’s the word for it… “exciting”, yeah let’s use that. The waterside benches and tables at the boardwalk seemed more breezy and more social as well. I spotted an empty seat near a family of four, so I sat opposite them and started on my small birthday feast.
On the left was one order of fish and chips, one serving of scallop with sauce, and a skewer of baby squid. On the right was the sole concession to my impulse – a serving of deep-fried softshell crab. All from the prepared foods at Nicholas Seafood. Awesome people over there at the food line. They have this wide assortment of prepared and fried food that will get me every time.
For one, the fried fish is fucking amazing. Outside is crispy fried but inside the fish is moist and flaky, not too salty and tasted really awesome. Seasoned lightly as well, and to my liking. Maybe just the luck of the draw? Long John Silver’s got nothing on this bad boy. The fish was so good, so I dug in more. Chips were decent enough, piping hot but not too greasy. The tartar sauce and the squeeze of lemon was enough to cut through the fried fish’s expected wave of oils.
The scallops was the worst of the bunch – it was slightly tough and had some chew to it. Otherwise, the sauce that went with it saved the thing overall. The baby squids were the opposite – pleasantly spiced with whatever they sprinkled on it before grilling, had a good snap to them and they just were a delight to chew. And they had a good squid-y taste that I feared might be lost during the cooking process, but not here.
The softshell crab, however… hoo boy, it was a greasy and heavy gutbuster. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious. Pleasantly crabby taste. But it was deceptively huge and even more deceptively cloying to the taste. The squeeze of lemon and the spicy sauce were of help to my tongue but little help to my overall feeling of fullness. Bites of the remaining chips didn’t help either. I knew then and there that I bought a two-person dish because half of that crab would be enough for one person. But I was a stubborn shithead, so I ate it all. Calories be damned, I even noticed it had some crab fat too. Pro tips to anyone eating that softshell crab – one serving is good enough for two people, and eat it with white bread or pita. You need an absorber for the waves of oil and fat.
The family sitting across from me was Filipino too, as I heard the parents speak fluent accented Tagalog. I assumed the couple migrated to Australia and had their kids here, as the kids did not have a single hint of a Filipino accent, and didn’t speak any Tagalog while I was across them. They at least understood it though, as the mother was threatening in Tagalog to withhold afternoon playtime if the kids did not finish their food, and the kids complied meekly. I ate in silence as they kept on with their meals, and when I finished, I packed up and said “salamat po” to them. They were the first ones on the bench after all.
After that gutbusting meal, I had one last thing to do in the market – a souvenir. Thankfully they have a souvenir shop at the entrance, so I bought a t-shirt with the Sydney Fish Market logo in the front. I declined to buy anything else, as I planned that the bulk of my souvenir budget in Sydney was to be at the next place – Paddy’s Market at Haymarket. It was close to 1.30pm, so I had to make hay and go.
Briathrail // Albert 2MNG 
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