I’ve lived in Fitzroy for almost three years, and much to my chagrin, have never been to seafood restaurant Hooked. It took an invite to a media dinner to finally get me there — and I went all the way to Hawthorn to do it. I’m glad I did.
a huge arrage of menu items – photo provided by The Modern Con
Billed as ‘healthy seafood’, that’s what sets Hooked apart from the masses of deep-fried, battered, artery-clogging fish’n’chips shops.
The evening was a mixture of menu tasting and entertainment. The invite says it best:
Drop anchor in the brand-new Hooked venue for a night of tastings and nautical-themed body art from Melbourne artist Laurie Faulkner. Whet your whistle with Captain Morgan cocktails, rumoured to scrape the barnacles right off of your rudder! The light-hearted and fun event will take place to the music of ‘roots scurvy band’ Monkey’s Pirate.
band Monkey’s Pirate – photo provided by The Modern Con
As we ate our way through the menu, the band was a-playin’ and the artist was paintin’. My only disappointment of the whole evening was that I didn’t get a false tattoo painted on my arm. The designs Laurie did on everyone else looked amazing (she even used glitter), but my +1 and I were so busy quaffing cocktails that I missed out.
interior of Hooked – photo provided by The Modern Con
delectable tacos – photo provided by The Modern Con
After owner Ray Good explained the concept behind Hooked — and even mentioned his DJ career back in Europe — it was time to dig into the menu. I thought we’d end up with a nibble or two alongside the delicious cocktails, but we ended up with a selection of what seemed like their entire menu. Score!
delicious salads – photo provided by The Modern Con
The fish tacos were a delight (what sauce!), alongside the burgers. What I found most enjoyable was the range — it’s not just ol’ fish’n’chips, but all kinds of different items for whatever mood you’re in. Even being super-duper healthy can happen when you order the salads. They were seriously a standout, and I’ll be ordering it the next time I drop in to the Fitzroy branch.
Theresa and her +1 (he’s single, ladies!) – photo provided by The Modern Con
My +1 couldn’t get over the chips, insisting several times that I try them. Um, yeah. Pretty f’ing amazing. Apparently they’re twice friend. (How is that healthy? Don’t ask — just devour.)
Catch the other reviews of the evening on The Modern Con (who provided the fab photos) and Gastrology. They agree that the chips are a must.
The whole evening was a convivial dinner with some fun people, fresh, healthy food, and fab drinks. You can have the same experience at one of the several branches around town — Fitzroy, and Windsor have outposts along with Hawthorn.
-Theresa
Hooked Hawthorn
669 Glenferrie Rd. Hawthorn 3122
http://www.hooked.net.au/
Disclosure: The Plus ones were invited guests of Zilla & Brook.
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