There are smart seafood restaurants, there are fish and chip shops – and there’s a wide divide between the two.

Brisbane, historically, has had few eateries that attempt to fill that gap, but I suspect it’s a niche firmly in the sights of the folks behind Sea Fuel.

Nestled in the new Glass Factory development on Vulture St in West End, it’s a venue with a dichotomy in its make-up – there’s a long counter with multiple tills and a cold seafood display at one end; then, in contrast, there’s a run of cosy booths, plus an immaculately clean showpiece kitchen.

The menu is smart, and the wine list could grace the table of a fine diner in the city. There’s table service of a sort, but you order and pay at the counter, which goes some way to bridging the chasm.

There’s not too much on the menu that you wouldn’t expect at a suburban fish and chippery – seafood meals and platters, family packs, pieces of fish, calamari, potato scallops, salads, prawn cutlets and skewers, sea scallops and, of course, chips.

But among the fish offerings we found Cone Bay barramundi ($12), Petuna ocean trout ($13) and Patagonian toothfish ($16, inset) all of which were available in a meal (complete with chips and salad).

I asked for toothfish, battered, but was politely coerced into having it grilled, which turned out to be sound advice by the fellow at the counter. It was really good fish – wonderful even. Moist, firm, flaky and spectacularly tasty. I’ve been daydreaming about it ever since, despite the fact that the fillet came unadorned – just perfectly fresh and expertly handled.

Everything else was very good but nowhere near as inspiring as the toothfish.

The salads sparked a little interest – rocket with kale, feta, radish, beetroot and walnuts; Asian slaw; and traditional Greek – and there’s a handful of burgers available for lunch.

I mentioned the drinks list: it’s a serious collection for a casual fish and chip joint.

While all the wines come from the one wholesaler, it happens to be one with a rather bountiful collection.

You can drink everything from Kiwi sauvignon blanc to champagne and chablis. Nice. And the prices are keen.

The beers mingle craft with mainstream, and there’s even a bunch of good top-shelf spirits.

The folks behind Sea Fuel obviously understand the finer points of the restaurant trade and have taken up the bits of it that will work for them. But it’s not fussy enough or pricey enough to scare off the takeaway or casual dining market.

The seafood is very good and so long as you don’t mind wandering to the counter to order, it’s an engaging place to dine.

Originally published on couriermail.com.au