Kailis Fish Market Cafe

Kailis Fish Market Cafe, which seats around 550 guests, is an accessible take on the waterside seafood restaurant.

Those ordering from the fry section (the largest of the market’s four dedicated counters) can choose from seven different fish fillets. Fremantle sardines and Shark Bay king prawns – shell and head on – are in the whole-seafood fry section. A fish fillet burger headlines the appealing “in-a-bun” section that features, among other things, the criminally overlooked chip butty.

From the raw bar and grill station, in addition to classic cold seafood (shellfish, crabs, shucked-to-order oysters), guests can hook into bright crudos – big eye tuna, perhaps – dressed with olive oil, finely diced red onion and parsley. There is also a rock lobster and lettuce salad, grilled Shark Bay cuttlefish, savoury waffles, deep-fried fish wings and whole Rottnest Island herring.

The drink list has been put together with speed and accessibility in mind. There’s a gin and tonic on tap, and three house-bottled cocktails (Espresso Martini, Cosmopolitan, Negroni). A sharp 50-bottle wine list from Nina Throsby offers sharply priced Vouvray and Beaujolais by-the-glass. By-the-bottle prices start at $23.50, and recommendations for wine and seafood matching are available.