Nothing says Aussie summer like hitting a seaside fish ’n’ chipper and tearing into battered fish straight out of the fryer while dipping your toes in the deep blue. But I wonder if it’s just the romance of it all we cherish. Great fish ’n’ chips are hard to find. One of the questions I’m asked the most (after ‘what’s your favourite restaurant?’) is ‘where do I find good fish ’n’ chips?’

Fich at Petersham is my new answer. It’s not the cerebral celebration of Cirrus, Saint Peter or its sibling, Fish Butchery (all of which do stellar fish ’n’ chips), but rather Fich blurs the lines between local fish ’n’ chip shop and restaurant with bang-on balance of affordability and quality – that starts with seasonal and sustainable seafood.

Chefs Jose Silva (of Bibo wine bar) and Manny Paraiso, who both worked under Guillaume Brahimi in his Bennelong days, have split the venue into two areas: a classic takeaway counter in one room and a smart casual dining room in the other, the bright white-brick walls featuring a fish mural.

Here the food goes far beyond fish and chips. Coconut vinegar works wonders on albacore tuna ceviche spiked with pomelo and chilli. Cone Bay barramundi comes battered or grilled with a nice medley of roast Jerusalem artichokes and broccoli, and the fish burger is one of the best in Sin City, the ling teamed with cos, cheddar, pickled red onion and tartare on a soft, sweet bun. New South Wales eagle ray skate comes as a schnitzel, pot-roasted Kinkawooka mussels loll in sobrasada butter, and of course, there’s the classic fish ’n’ chips – shimmering white-fleshed New Zealand ling encased in golden batter that stays crisp the whole meal atop beer-battered fries. It’s all you need.

Fich is unassuming, welcoming and with the focus on seasonal, sustainable seafood and simple cookery at its core it’s the kind of local eatery Sydney could do with more of.