HE’S worked in some of the country’s most acclaimed fine-dining restaurants, and now Luke Southwood is bringing a touch of class to the humble fish and chip shop with his new venture at Ocean Village Shopping Centre in Ocean Shores.<\/p>\n
Alongside classics such as crumbed prawns, calamari and beer-battered snapper fillet, the menu at The Fish Shack also features freshly shucked oysters, prawn cocktails and prosecco.<\/p>\n
Those in a celebratory mood can even splash out on a $112 bottle of 2018 Delamere Vintage Cuvee.<\/p>\n
Southwood, who lives locally, said it was a challenging time for the hospitality industry, with reports of high-end restaurants closing almost daily. He believes high-turnover local fish and chip shops are among the few models that still work.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think anybody who goes into the hospitality industry does it to get rich,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We’re trying to give people a little bit of class as well. A lot of care and attention to detail has been put into it.<\/p>\n
“Ocean Shores is the biggest residential community in the Byron Shire. It’s largely populated by locals who work in the tourism industry themselves, and I believe they deserve something a little bit special themselves, but there’s limited options if they want to go out for a casual meal.”<\/p>\n
Southwood was born in Papua New Guinea and grew up in the UK before moving to Spain at 15, where he cut his teeth working in restaurants in Barcelona.<\/p>\n
Since moving to Australia he has worked at establishments including Maggie Beer’s Pheasant Farm and fine-dining restaurants including Penfolds Magill Estate and Bistro Dom in Adelaide.<\/p>\n
He first moved to Byron Bay in 2004 to take on a role as head chef at the hatted Dish Restaurant and Raw Bar, on the site now occupied by The Mez Club.<\/p>\n
He later worked at luxury rehabilitation retreat The Sanctuary Byron Bay and starred alongside Matt Preston and Marco Pierre White in MasterChef: The Professionals in 2013.<\/p>\n
Southwood moved back to the region with his family during the Covid-19 lockdowns and got to know the community while running the kitchen at Ocean Shores Tavern, cooking meals for displaced residents and emergency volunteers during and after the 2022 floods.<\/p>\n
During his time there, fish and chips proved to be his most popular dish, and he had long been eyeing the space that has been empty since No Bones closed three years ago.<\/p>\n
The fit-out features playful nautical-inspired d\u00e9cor, including blue-and-white striped seating, a fibreglass flying pelican and an enlarged photograph Southwood took of a pelican outside the fishermen’s co-op in Brunswick Heads, which also inspired the eatery’s logo.<\/p>\n
“The support has been phenomenal,” Southwood said. “I have opened a lot of restaurants and I have never received such a huge amount of positive feedback. I have had people giving us a round of applause and high fives.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HE’S worked in some of the country’s most acclaimed fine-dining restaurants, and now Luke Southwood is bringing a touch of class to the humble fish and chip shop with his new venture at Ocean Village Shopping Centre in Ocean Shores. Alongside classics such as crumbed prawns, calamari and beer-battered snapper fillet, the menu at The […]<\/p>\n