Paradise found – Jason and Josie Barratt open a nostalgic fish-and-chip shop in Burleigh

After years spent working in some of Australia’s most celebrated kitchens, chef Jason ‘Jay’ Barratt has gone back to basics. Well, kind of.

Last week, Jay and his partner Josie officially opened Paradise Fish Shop, a nostalgic neighbourhood fish-and-chipper on Deodar Drive in Burleigh Heads. On the surface, it has all the hallmarks of the classic takeaway shops of Jay’s childhood. There’s battered fish, hand-cut chips, potato scallops, dim sims, pineapple fritters and a menu board hanging above the counter. Look a little closer, however, and Jay’s fine-dining pedigree starts to peek through.

The opening marks something of a homecoming for the couple, who previously lived on the Gold Coast while Jay was working at Halcyon House before relocating to Brisbane for his role as head chef of Supernormal. It didn’t take long for the pull of the beach, family and friends to bring them back.

“We actually found ourselves driving back every weekend,” Jay says.

With two young daughters, Jay was also looking for a project that could fit a little more comfortably around family life than the relentless schedule of a restaurant kitchen. Having previously co-founded Melbourne sandwich institution Hector’s Deli, a quick-service model made sense. The concept itself came from somewhere even simpler.

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Paradise Fish Shop has taken over the former La Bella Cellar space, nestled between Kostel Milk Bar and Al Bacio Gelato Naturale. Jay and Josie initially wondered whether the compact, enclosed tenancy would work, but kept coming back to its size, proximity to the beach and position within a pocket of passionate independent operators.

Rather than stripping away all traces of its former life, the pair has embraced some of the space’s quirks, retaining the banquette seating and other existing details while expanding the kitchen. The nearby tram stop was another plus, particularly for a takeaway joint designed to send diners off with a box of fish and chips destined for the beach or park.

As for the menu, Jay started with the things he believes simply belong in a proper Australian fish-and-chip shop, then applied the kind of obsessive attention to detail you’d expect from a chef whose CV spans Attica, Stokehouse, Raes on Wategos, Paper Daisy and Supernormal.

The hand-battered fish is a prime example. Jay tested numerous iterations before landing on a precise blend of three different flours, sourced from three different suppliers. Instead of beer, the batter uses vodka, which evaporates more quickly during cooking to create an extra-crisp coating.

Then there are the chips. Frozen was never an option.

Paradise is bringing in Russet Burbank potatoes from Victoria, cutting them in-house and putting them through a process that takes around two and a half days. They’re steamed, fried once at a lower temperature and then finished at high heat, resulting in fluffy-centred, thrice-cooked chips that bear little resemblance to the freezer variety. In its opening week alone, the shop was already burning through around a tonne of potatoes.

The rest of the menu walks the same line between nostalgia and a little chef-level finesse. There are house-made dim sims, potato scallops and a Queensland pineapple fritter for something sweet. The Paradise Pack for One bundles battered fish, chips, sauce, lemon and pickles, while a Kids Tackle Box pairs crumbed fish with chips and tomato sauce.

The whiting sandwich was conceived with the lunch crowd in mind, keeping things deliberately Australian rather than turning it into an elaborate restaurant-style fish burger. Jay says the idea was always fresh white bread and familiar flavours, just done exceptionally well.

Seafood, however, is where Jay’s years of experience become particularly useful. His first preference is to source line-caught fish directly from boats, working with suppliers and fishermen he has known throughout his career. What’s available will shift according to weather, catch and supply, with Jay determined not to compromise simply for consistency.

“I wanted to make sure we did restaurant-quality fish in a casual setting,” he says.

That probably sums up Paradise Fish Shop best. Jay and Josie aren’t trying to reinvent fish and chips. Instead, they’re taking something deeply familiar and sweating the details behind it, from the fish coming through the door to the humble chip beside it.

Head to The Directory for opening times.