Flavour Report with Derek Goforth: Hooks’ turn in the hunt for Geraldton’s best fish and chips

My second foray into finding Geraldton’s best fish and chips led me to Hooks Sea and Salad Bar on Durlacher Street. We had this place recommended by a few people as their “go to” chippy, so were quite curious to see if their recommendation was worth it. We were hungry and celebrating a couple of school achievements, so we went for a family special — four snapper pieces, four crab sticks, four potato scallops, a 1.25l drink, $5 portion of chips and four pineapple fritters. At just under $95 this was pricey, but as it was feeding a lot of us, it was hopefully value for money. We phoned the order in, and it was hassle free. Within 20 minutes we were there, and the order was waiting for us in the warming tray. The young lady serving us was polite and made the experience smooth and painless. The service at Hooks was probably the best I have had in the Mid West. The young lady made suggestions and was happy to deal with any tiny request. So, onto the food. First things first, the portion size did not compete with other eateries we have visited. The size of the fish portions (four of them) were nowhere near as big as we have had at other local chippys. And my advice would certainly be to order more than the $5 worth of chips. The quality of the batter and the texture of the fish was just above average. The batter was crispy on a couple of pieces but soggy on others. The taste and texture of the fish did not blow me away either, it seemed dry and stale. The chips were again average at best, mostly dry with a few crispy fluffy ones in the mix. The crab sticks, scallops and pineapple rings suffered from the same issue as the fish — crispy in places and soggy in others. So sadly, other than the service, which was spot on, this was a letdown. I really don’t enjoy writing reviews like this but am hopeful the owners can maybe reflect on the feedback. Or, like any review, it’s my opinion and you can take it or leave it.