Darling harbour early 90s

[Matua]

Its only sort of hit me watching that video. I work not too far from there and would occassionlly do my lunch time walk through there and maybe after work during day light savings.

I knew the changes were coming but things were gradually disappearing from that shopping centre. YD closed, then other closing retailers. In the food court, only McDonalds, KFC and Opportos remained. I'm sure I was there not too long ago and McDonalds was the only place open there.

Sadly the Danish Ice Cream shop closed as well as the Fudge shop.

Whilst I didnt go to every bar and restuarant in there, I had so many good memories in there. A lot of birthdays, Christmas parties, work functions. Also years before when I was a kid that I remember going to TimeZone at the bottom floor.

I'm not sure Cyrens on the corner will still remain, as I believe its owned by the Nicks group. Im sure it was still open a couple weeks back.

Its unfortunate that this happened. I'm not sure what the future holds, apparently classy bars and restaurants and residential apartments on top. How original.

The Danish Ice cream shop is open in front of the ICC near the water playground for kids. Pancakes on the Rocks opening in Darling Sq does not seem so silly as it did when it first opened.

Cyren is still open, I guess it will remain open until it need to be demolished?

I don't think it is that unfortunate (despite my beloved Hurricanes closing) as it really is a bit of an eyesore when you compare it will all the new development. As I didn't grow up in Sydney I don't have a huge attachment to it so maybe that's why I'm fine with it being replaced.

 

[horrie hastings]

Yeah, i like the equivalent but from NZ takeaways places (fish and chips, chinese). I had a decent one at a fish and chip shop in Balmain the other day. Not cheap, but fish and chips are so expensive here in Oz that I feel like I'm being robbed when I buy them.

Not many places can do decent fish and chips in Sydney, when i really want a good fish and chips hit i head up to a place called Life Boat in Brooklyn, its not cheap but the fish whether grilled or battered is spot on, they usually have about 5 or 6 different fish on display in the window and most (apart from Barramundi ) come in straight off the trawlers from just outside the mouth of the Hawkesbury River or from the Hawkesbury itself. They hand cut their chips which is also a big plus.

 

[Matua]

Not many places can do decent fish and chips in Sydney, when i really want a good fish and chips hit i head up to a place called Life Boat in Brooklyn, its not cheap but the fish whether grilled or battered is spot on, they usually have about 5 or 6 different fish on display in the window and most (apart from Barramundi ) come in straight off the trawlers from just outside the mouth of the Hawkesbury River or from the Hawkesbury itself. They hand cut their chips which is also a big plus.

I'm not too fussed about the quality in Sydney (I've had foodcourt fish and chips that I've found edible ), more the price. Although the worst fish and chips I've had in my life was the supposed best in Sydney in Watsons Bay ... I feel sick thinking about them now.

 

[horrie hastings]

I'm not too fussed about the quality in Sydney (I've had foodcourt fish and chips that I've found edible ), more the price. Although the worst fish and chips I've had in my life was the supposed best in Sydney in Watsons Bay ... I feel sick thinking about them now.

Lol, are in you talking about Doyles On The beach or Doyles on the wharf take away ? Doyles takeaway on the wharf can be passable some times and prices are ok but Doyles on the Beach would have to be one of the most over rated and over priced places ever, it is living on past glories which are long gone.

Lifeboat depending on what fish you get cost between about $27 -$38 for fish chips and salad, love gurnard when they have it on the menu other wise flat head, whiting,snapper, bream, black fish, mullet, mulloway are often on the menu depending on the season. Their prawn cutlets are the bomb and the calamari is great to, i'm drooling now.

The thing with foodcourt fish is i want to know what fish i'm getting, blue grenadier or hoki or hake as its known and mostly sourced from New Zealand is a nice neutral flavoured fish good for a basic fish and chips but a lot of places are using the dreaded basa which is a no go, putrid and should be barred.

 

[Matua]

Lol, are in you talking about Doyles On The beach or Doyles on the wharf take away ? Doyles takeaway on the wharf can be passable some times and prices are ok but Doyles on the Beach would have to be one of the most over rated and over priced places ever, it is living on past glories which are long gone.

Lifeboat depending on what fish you get cost between about $27 -$38 for fish chips and salad, love gurnard when they have it on the menu other wise flat head, whiting,snapper, bream, black fish, mullet, mulloway are often on the menu depending on the season. Their prawn cutlets are the bomb and the calamari is great to, i'm drooling now.

The thing with foodcourt fish is i want to know what fish i'm getting, blue grenadier or hoki or hake as its known and mostly sourced from New Zealand is a nice neutral flavoured fish good for a basic fish and chips but a lot of places are using the dreaded basa which is a no go, putrid and should be barred.

It was the wharf, proper fish and chips not cafe fish and chips like DOTB, and my god were they awful.

$27-$37 for fish and chips, I have a weak heart you should give me a warning to brace myself. And salad? There's no salad in traditional fish and chips. Fish, chips, maybe a potato fritter/pineapple ring/sausage, but no salad. And actually all 5 of those options shouldn't be more than $10 (probably $15 with this years inflation ).

I never eat basa. How is basa a thing? Who is buying it?

 

[horrie hastings]

It was the wharf, proper fish and chips not cafe fish and chips like DOTB, and my god were they awful.

$27-$37 for fish and chips, I have a weak heart you should give me a warning to brace myself. And salad? There's no salad in traditional fish and chips. Fish, chips, maybe a potato fritter/pineapple ring/sausage, but no salad. And actually all 5 of those options shouldn't be more than $10 (probably $15 with this years inflation ).

I never eat basa. How is basa a thing? Who is buying it?

Well Doyles at the wharf is a take away and not really above a cafe fish and chips with what they serve, i have had some ok meals from there but i think the wine and sitting at the back of the wharf with the water views makes everything taste better.

Is the potato fritter what we call potato scallops ? I used to get a Friday night fish and chip take away from a fish shop in Kings Cross the 90 s, usually fish or fish cocktails, battered sav, battered mussels and chips, it was a good Friday night dinner at the time but i couldn't tell you what the fish it was, most likely hoki, i dont mind hoki for a nice fish and chip feed without the salad but when i'm eating nice fish like snapper, flat head, bream etc a nice salad gives a nice balance to the beautiful flesh of the fish.

Yes basa is very much alive and well, quite a few fish and chip shops have it on the menu if you want it, Kirribilli seafood and Ocean Blu in Budgewoi are two shops i go to which has it on the menus and most of the cheap Chinese or Asian take away use it. my local Vietnamese called Mother Yen has basa listed as their fish on the menu, i order lots of things from there but i don't order fish.

 

[horrie hastings]

$27-$37 for fish and chips, I have a weak heart you should give me a warning to brace myself. And salad?

I happily pay that much as the fish is fresh and often filleted right in front of you, no frozen fish and the different varieties of fish they have available on the day , makes it hard to choose. We usually have a shared entree of fresh prawns or prawn cutlets, calamari, oysters some times Moreton bay bugs plus both have fish chips each, grilled or battered and salad and it costs about $100 between two so i don't find that expensive.

You mentioned Hurricanes, a few years ago i checked out the menu at Hurricanes Circular Quay, looked at the price and laughed, now that's what i thought was expensive, Checked the menu out again at the Waterloo store and was the same price so i have never been to Hurricanes.

 

[horrie hastings]

It was the wharf, proper fish and chips not cafe fish and chips like DOTB, and my god were they awful.

The wharf is the take away,
DOTB is the proper restaurant so they don't do cafe fish and chips, their fish and chips land at about $50 a plate.

Definitely the best thing on the menu at Doyles at the Wharf

 

[horrie hastings]

If i'm down the south coast, Burrill Lake fish shop i like going to, the menu has all the usual frozen suspects on it but they also have fresh fish of the day, often latchet which is also gurnard which i love, they only fry or crumb their fish and they don't have salad, last time i was there they had leather jackets so had two leather jackets and chips, grabbed a Carlton Draught from the nearby bottle shop to have with the fish and also a dozen oysters just before and had it at the nearby park. They do bloody good fish and chips there, nothing gourmet just good fried food. The flathead is good too. would say the prices for the fresh fish may have gone up since this menu was printed.

 

[horrie hastings]

Interesting clip on the Darling Harbour goods yards before it was redeveloped in the 80 s.

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/steaming-darling-harbours-past

 

[Matua]

The wharf is the take away,
DOTB is the proper restaurant so they don't do cafe fish and chips, their fish and chips land at about $50 a plate.

Definitely the best thing on the menu at Doyles at the Wharf

View attachment 69038

I think we're talking at cross purposes a bit, when I say fish and chips I mean the takeaway style exclusively, not restaurant fish and chips. So when I'm discussing the price it's in that context.

So discussing with our examples above Hurricanes ribs are pretty standard price wise for ribs so I'm happy to pay that. But when I got home to my home town in NZ I always grab fish and chips (usually with at least pineapple ring and a fitter - which yep I think is the same as scallops) and pay sub $10. So that's the comparator I use for fish and chips.

 

[AdelaideSharky]

Have you've been to Wooli Creek lately????

Most of the St George area has become a ghetto in the past two decades.

Be it Hurstville, Kogarah, Rockdale, Arncliffe and Wolli Creek.

 

[horrie hastings]

I think we're talking at cross purposes a bit, when I say fish and chips I mean the takeaway style exclusively, not restaurant fish and chips. So when I'm discussing the price it's in that context.

So discussing with our examples above Hurricanes ribs are pretty standard price wise for ribs so I'm happy to pay that. But when I got home to my home town in NZ I always grab fish and chips (usually with at least pineapple ring and a fitter - which yep I think is the same as scallops) and pay sub $10. So that's the comparator I use for fish and chips.

Do they still do paua fritters in the take aways in NZ ? i remember ordering them from a take away in Greymouth back in the 80 s , they were really cheap at the time, would imagine the price for paua would be a lot more expensive now.

 

[Matua]

Do they still do paua fritters in the take aways in NZ ? i remember ordering them from a take away in Greymouth back in the 80 s , they were really cheap at the time, would imagine the price for paua would be a lot more expensive now.

Yep, they still do them, but I don't order them so no idea of the price. I'll check next time I'm back.

 

[PARRA_FAN]

The Danish Ice cream shop is open in front of the ICC near the water playground for kids. Pancakes on the Rocks opening in Darling Sq does not seem so silly as it did when it first opened.

Cyren is still open, I guess it will remain open until it need to be demolished?

I don't think it is that unfortunate (despite my beloved Hurricanes closing) as it really is a bit of an eyesore when you compare it will all the new development. As I didn't grow up in Sydney I don't have a huge attachment to it so maybe that's why I'm fine with it being replaced.

I had a few Christmas lunches there, paid by the bosses. Some of the best quality ribs Ive ever had, service was great. Other foods were a bit meh but definitely enjoyed the ribs and drinks.

Rashay's was just before it and went there once, wings were nice but everything else was awful. Good riddance to that. But I cant recall what it was before then, anyone remember?

I have walked down near ICC recently and heading towards Tumberlong park. Nothing special really, but maybe it'll look different without all the construction.

 

[PARRA_FAN]

The famous fudge shop was there in the 90's, what was the other bistro/Pub dance club called the one close to where the ferry was docked?

Hmm not sure, Dockside maybe? And what was the name of the boat that turned into a restaurant?

 

[Incorrect]

And what was the name of the boat that turned into a restaurant?

The Steyne

 

[Matua]

I had a few Christmas lunches there, paid by the bosses. Some of the best quality ribs Ive ever had, service was great. Other foods were a bit meh but definitely enjoyed the ribs and drinks.

Rashay's was just before it and went there once, wings were nice but everything else was awful. Good riddance to that. But I cant recall what it was before then, anyone remember?

I have walked down near ICC recently and heading towards Tumberlong park. Nothing special really, but maybe it'll look different without all the construction.

I went to a work lunch at Hurricanes one year, probably 10 of us on the table - only two of us actually got the ribs. Why on earth would order a burger at Hurricanes when you're not paying? It baffles me to this day.

I moved here just before they started the redevelopment of Darling Square/ICC - it is so much better now and post covid has been crazy busy. The only construction at the moment is the iMax, which should have been done by I think the original construction company went out of business.

I don't there will ever not be construction now though. They'll probably start on Cockle Bay once they finish the new Harbourside.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Interesting clip on the Darling Harbour goods yards before it was redeveloped in the 80 s.

https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/steaming-darling-harbours-past

Off topic but similar theme - if you come across stuff around Homebush/Olympic Park precinct let me know.

 

[horrie hastings]

The Steyne

Beautiful old ferry the South Steyne.