During his time at Wills Domain and Frui Momento, Seth James established himself as one of the state’s most exciting kitchen talents. Just one hitch: Perth eaters had to drive three hours to Margaret River to coo at the painterly plates that the Brisbane-born, Melbourne-raised chef would turn out, time after time. Thankfully, come the end of October, eaters will only need to travel as far south as Bicton to sample that James razzle-dazzle.
The end of the month is when Fins Bicton – the retail arm of trusted seafood wholesaler Fins – hits go on its small bar component: a 50-seat addition to its shiny fish shop in Bicton Central. As people expect from bars these days, the drinks list will be compact yet considered – a dozen wines in the fridge; tap beers; some baller bottles for those feeling frisky – but the bar’s goal is to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Management want to see locals regularly instead of once-a-year when they’re celebrating a special occasion.
“We’re not trying to be a fancy small bar,” says Phil Clark, one of the partners behind Fins. “We want to be a neighbourhood bar that people can come to but still have top-shelf drinks and top-shelf seafood.” Unsurprisingly, the kitchen’s primary stock-in-trade is fish and chips with guests able to enjoy their fish battered (Australian hoki aka blue grenadier) or crumbed (snapper).
But the real fun starts when you consider that guests can choose any bit of fish in the shop and – for a $1.