22 June 2012

Life after Flatheads?

| KT67
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With the Squirrell squeezing the life out of the O’Connor shops, I am hoping someone can point me in the direction of great fish and chips since Flatheads closed last week.

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Holden Caulfield4:46 pm 02 Feb 17

Flatheads is back! Despite losing faith in the latter years of the previous iteration, I am keen to try the latest Duxton-led installment.

Clown Killer11:49 pm 31 Aug 12

Flatheads was (just) ok for a couple of years in the early naughties. Never anything special … Other than as a handy tool for identifying folk who know s*** about food, fish or chips … If someone thought it was ok, it was a handy tool for telling that they knew shit about food. Saved lots of time.

Get fish and potatoes from the farmers markets, make it yourself, easily the best in Canberra.

Fish Shack better than Flatheads ever was. That Dickson place … well, it reminds me just how far we are from the coast.

I too mourn Flatheads, just tried the Fish Shack and very disappointed. We have a couple of veggies in our family and the vegie patties were not a patch on Flatheads. The fish and chips were beautifully served but very ordinary to taste and I didn’t think to say no salt- so got salt- they always asked at Flatheads- sigh… The potato wedges I thought we had ordered turned out to be sweet potato- soggy and not very nice, we threw them away (probably my fault for not clarifying that I wanted the potato). Anyway, would not go there again, especially for take away, the location is inconvenient for pick up if you don’t live in the city.

And how does the answer change if you ignore places that don’t cut their own chips?

Holden Caulfield said :

Spectra said :

It’s not exactly nearby if you’re in O’Connor, but Bernie’s in Charnwood is awesome (and as I recall garnered rave reviews last time this topic came up here).

I tried Bernie’s on the back of the reviews here. On the one sample I had it didn’t live up to the RA hype. Certainly not worth the associated travel time.

Same here … was previously aware of the place, but hadn’t been inspired to venture in until the big wraps here on RA. Paid heaps, got rubbish. Promised myself I’d never return.

+1 for Naked Fish in Mawson.

I think it’s Squire Duxton and his valet, Nuts.

I take it that this Squirrell is the dark haired, glasses wearing, shortarse that seems to be mouthing off all the time?

Who is he?

At least I no longer have to deal with that clan of awful hippies who would swarm the shop with their feral kids every other week. That is something I am not going to miss.

I just moved over to Watson and had fish and chips at the place at the Watson shops. I give it a pretty good thumbs up …

Holden Caulfield said :

DrKoresh said :

Holden Caulfield said :

.,,Miles ahead of anything Flatheads could muster up.

I stopped frequenting Flatheads years ago…

Then how do you know? 🙁

Because I gave Flatheads my custom for a good 5-6 years, including after the management change c2005.

After a while the dissatisfaction with the quality of the product outweighed the convenience. Their burgers were awesome, but the quality dropped off. Their fish used to be awesome, but the quality dropped off.

How long do you keep frequenting a place if you think the product is no good, especially in the face of a better alternative?

Moreover, every single meal I’ve had from the Fish Shack is better than any comparable serving of Fish’n’Chips I ever got from Flatheads.

That’s how I know.

So what you coould have more correctly said was:
The Fish Shack in the city. Miles ahead of anything Flatheads could muster up years ago when I last went there. Of course, I haven’t been to Flatheads for years so things may have been different in the last couple of years but i’d given them up by then..?

I always found the chips at Flatheads leaving me disappointed. We do most of our takeaway at Theo’s in Ainslie. It’s no fancy gourmet fish and the service is occasionally a bit surly but it’s consistently the same quality no matter who’s behind the counter and they do a fine Burger with the Lot.

Holden Caulfield said :

DrKoresh said :

Holden Caulfield said :

.,,Miles ahead of anything Flatheads could muster up.

I stopped frequenting Flatheads years ago…

Then how do you know? 🙁

Because I gave Flatheads my custom for a good 5-6 years, including after the management change c2005.

After a while the dissatisfaction with the quality of the product outweighed the convenience. Their burgers were awesome, but the quality dropped off. Their fish used to be awesome, but the quality dropped off.

How long do you keep frequenting a place if you think the product is no good, especially in the face of a better alternative?

Moreover, every single meal I’ve had from the Fish Shack is better than any comparable serving of Fish’n’Chips I ever got from Flatheads.

That’s how I know.

and as the ad says, “now you know” !!!!

I will on occaision make a trip all the way down south for Naked Fish at Mawson.

Rollersk8r said :

+1 for my mate Brendan at Fish Shack. Can’t recommend him enough. And the double chilli double cheese burger is an experience!

now you have my attention. must google this Fish Shack of which you speak

Holden Caulfield1:59 pm 22 Jun 12

DrKoresh said :

Holden Caulfield said :

.,,Miles ahead of anything Flatheads could muster up.

I stopped frequenting Flatheads years ago…

Then how do you know? 🙁

Because I gave Flatheads my custom for a good 5-6 years, including after the management change c2005.

After a while the dissatisfaction with the quality of the product outweighed the convenience. Their burgers were awesome, but the quality dropped off. Their fish used to be awesome, but the quality dropped off.

How long do you keep frequenting a place if you think the product is no good, especially in the face of a better alternative?

Moreover, every single meal I’ve had from the Fish Shack is better than any comparable serving of Fish’n’Chips I ever got from Flatheads.

That’s how I know.

+1 for my mate Brendan at Fish Shack. Can’t recommend him enough. And the double chilli double cheese burger is an experience!

Holden Caulfield said :

.,,Miles ahead of anything Flatheads could muster up.

I stopped frequenting Flatheads years ago…

Then how do you know? 🙁 But anyways, it sucks for me because I have to find a new job now. Also, we made some damn good burgers if I do say so myself. But I don’t actually eat fish, so I guess I can’t really comment on that.

Holden Caulfield11:15 am 22 Jun 12

Spectra said :

It’s not exactly nearby if you’re in O’Connor, but Bernie’s in Charnwood is awesome (and as I recall garnered rave reviews last time this topic came up here).

I tried Bernie’s on the back of the reviews here. On the one sample I had it didn’t live up to the RA hype. Certainly not worth the associated travel time.

I continue to defer to the Fish Shack. The quality can fluctuate a little, but have generally found it to be excellent, insofar as any fish’n’chip shop in Canberra can be described as excellent.

Holden Caulfield11:04 am 22 Jun 12

The Fish Shack in the city. Miles ahead of anything Flatheads could muster up.

I stopped frequenting Flatheads years ago. That said, I am sad it has gone, but suggest it’s best years were probably a decade ago now.

O’Connor Shops appears to be a black hole for quality food outlets. Tudo is by far the best option and I lament that in the 15 years or more that have passed still nothing has come close to Delicateating or the Vietnamese Restaurant on the corner.

It’s not exactly nearby if you’re in O’Connor, but Bernie’s in Charnwood is awesome (and as I recall garnered rave reviews last time this topic came up here).

Place in Dickson shops near the post office, pretty good.

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