The Magnolia BBQ Team Swaps Pop-Ups for Potato Scallops at Gwelup Fish & Chips

If you grew up in Perth in the ’80s, ’90s or ’00s, chances are your first taste of hospitality was at a fish’n’chip shop. For a generation of Western Australians, the after-school shift was like a rite of passage into the industry. And if you never sweated over a deep fryer, you were almost certainly on the other side of the counter, waiting for a paper parcel of steaming seafood.

While many hospo hopefuls paid their dues before moving on to restaurants, not all of them dreamed of white tablecloths. For Anisha Halik, one half of the team behind bowls club phenomenon Special Delivery and the fire-fuelled Magnolia BBQ, the dream never strayed far from the humble takeaway counter. 

“I’ve always wanted a fish and chip shop,” Halik tells Broadsheet. “That was kind of my end goal. Just work from four to eight and call it a day.”

Enter Gwelup Fish & Chips, a classic neighbourhood fish’n’chipper on North Beach Road, open just four hours a night and already drawing a loyal following. 

Regulars at the old Gwelup Kebabs & Fish site will find the new menu reassuringly familiar: a mix of local and imported fish served battered, crumbed, or grilled; an array of salty seafood snacks including crab sticks, squid rings, and sea scallops; fish burgers and tacos; a kids’ menu; and weekly specials such as barbequed bluefin tuna with sesame sambal tumis.

It’s the small and deliberate details that really set this iteration apart. For one, the fryers run on beef tallow, delivering a deeper, fuller flavour and higher smoking point than more commonly used cooking oils. Seasoning comes from premium Australian-owned Pep; and the drinks fridge stocks an elevated selection, from Aussie-made Bobby sodas and non-alcoholic beers. 

Halik and husband-chef Jacob D’Vauz had already built a fanbase of hungry locals during their stint at the Doubleview Bowling Club, and despite attempts to open under the radar while they found their feet, word travelled quickly. 

“It was like Bowls Club PTSD – huge lines out the front every day,” Halik laughs.

Between the batter and the queues, though, there’s a bigger picture. “Because we’re Muslim, fish was always halal for us, so fish and chips were our favourite,” she says. “I remember sitting on the floor, eating straight off the paper – that was the best part. We’re still trying to keep that tradition alive. 

“What if fish and chip shops don’t exist one day? Who’s going to keep it going?” she wonders. “I think it might be in my four-year-old’s hands.”

Gwelup Fish & Chips

707 North Beach Road, Gwelup
(08) 6150 8613

Hours:

Wed & Thu 4pm–8pm
Fri 12pm–2pm, 4pm–8pm
Sat & Sun 4pm–8pm

@gwelup.fishandchips