Tommy Ruff | Windsor

The Verdict

Quick and dirty fish and chips by the beach is all well and good, but if you’re going to survive Chapel St’s cut-throat restaurant arena, you need to get a little fancy. Enter Tommy Ruff, Windsor’s new seafood bar and chippery.

Let’s get the important stuff out of the way first. Your basic fish and chips here are top notch. The flake comes out sunflower golden, crispy all over and juicy on the inside, the chips feel double-fried and have a zingy kick to the seasoning. There’s also the obligatory potato cakes, calamari rings and dimmies for wise people who understand how to build a sophisticated seafood menu. Comparisons with Chapel St’s other fish powerhouse—Hunky Dory—are inevitable, but we’re happy to say Tommy Ruff more than holds its own.

The story doesn’t end with a big box of takeaway happiness. Tommy Ruff is a little more ambitious than that. The fit-out is nautical and modern (not an easy combo to pull off), and you can go all-out with some seriously top-notch seafood if fried flake isn’t going to cut it. Oysters sourced from Port Douglas Bay in South Australia, King Prawns the size of your fist, Morton Bay Bugs served with finger-licking garlic butter, and even a poke bowl on the menu: if it swims, crawls or floats in the sea, Tommy Ruff has it covered. 

Image credit: supplied