If you’ve ever survived Sydney Fish Market on a busy day, you already know it’s controlled chaos. With a seafood soundtrack. Think elbow-to-elbow crowds hunting down Spencer Gulf king prawns like it’s a competitive sport, the scent of just-shucked oysters in the air, and the ever-present risk of a seagull declaring war on your chips.
It’s messy, loud, slightly stressful. And completely iconic.
So when the $836 million redevelopment arrived, there was always a question hanging in the salty air: would the new version smooth out the chaos… or learn to live with it?
Touch Wood, perched on the market’s north-facing terrace, goes with the second option. Warm timber, native florals and harbour views set the scene, but the soul of the place is still unmistakably Fish Market – just with better seating and something worth lingering for.
At the centre of it all is Chef Courtney Blyde, whose CV runs through Cho Cho San, The Apollo and Baba’s Place. His food carries echoes of his Samoan heritage and New Zealand upbringing – comfort, familiarity, and a very good understanding of when to keep things simple.
“My parents have always enjoyed eating well,” he says. “Not expensive, just what looked good at the markets. They’d come home with random ingredients, and then it was my job to make dinner out of it.”
That improvisational energy runs through the menu. Elevated, but never overworked.
Take the Lobster & Mushroom Poutine, where fries are drenched in rich bisque gravy, layered with cheese curds and crowned with half a WA rock oyster – a dish that somehow walks the line between indulgent and absurd and makes it work. Or the Fish and Prawn Cassoulet, where market white fish, king prawns, white beans, kale and preserved lemon come together in a gently spiced broth that tastes like it’s been simmering in the background of someone’s coastal memory.
Then there’s the Fish Chowder Pie – already a signature. See Instagram for a visual reference that words could never deliver.
Elsewhere, nostalgia shows up in unexpected ways. The Crab & XO Butter Crumpets began, fittingly, as a soup idea – until reality (and a Sydney summer) intervened.
“Being summer in Sydney, no one needed a soup in their bellies,” he laughs. “Crumpets and honey are one of my childhood memories. Bringing them together felt like the next step.”
It’s this ability to pivot – to follow instinct without losing clarity – that defines the menu. Courtney distils his approach into three words: “Considered. Simple. Nostalgic.”
That philosophy is clearest in the Market Day Plate – rock oysters, king prawns, pickles and a smoked fish pate that shifts with the season, depending on what’s arriving just metres away at the market stalls.
“We have all the fish suppliers we could ask for just next door,” he says. “They make it easy.”
Sustainability here isn’t a slogan pinned to the wall – it’s built into the rhythm of the kitchen. Prawn and lobster shells are transformed into shell oil for pasta bases; fish bones are smoked down into vinaigrettes for oysters. Even supplier partnerships become part of the ecosystem, with Nichols Seafood stepping in on busy days to keep service flowing.
On the operational side, hospitality operator Tyson Rowsell was clear about the brief: evolve the Fish Market experience without sanding off its edges.
“A successful hospitality concept should celebrate its surroundings, not impose on them,” he says. “That’s the philosophy behind Touch Wood.”
Courtney puts it more practically: “My job was to make the concept real. Through trial and error, we landed on what works.”
Even coffee gets its own moment, with industry veteran Paul Cabezas-Heathwood rotating boutique roasters and experimental brews to keep daytime trade in motion. But for Courtney, the real foundation isn’t just food. It’s people.
“People who feel happy and supported at work will always carry that through,” he says. “Happy staff is happy food.”
It’s a sentiment you see in the smallest details – the pace of service, the ease in the room, and the presence of Liam, the cheeky waiter whose banter arrives with every plate like an unofficial seasoning.
The kind of energy that makes you forget you’re technically at a major tourist precinct and not just somewhere you’ve been invited in on a good day.
As the Sydney Fish Market steps into its next chapter – part institution, part destination, part theatre – and Touch Wood fits in perfectly.
It’s a place where the brief is simple. Respect the fish. Don’t overcomplicate the pie. And always, always choose a seat where you can see the seagulls coming.
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