Fish Face in Double Bay closes

Double Bay’s resurgence has been dealt a blow and Sydney has lost one of its finest seafood restaurants with the closure of Fish Face in Double Bay on Monday.

The restaurant’s co-owner, Sally Hobbs, told Goodfood.com.au it had been a “very tough day”.

“Due to personal circumstances, we have had to make the very difficult decision to close Fish Face Double Bay," she says.

"Fish Face has been an iconic part of the Sydney food scene for 14 years - as you can imagine this decision has not been made lightly."

Hobbs would not discuss the financial position of the restaurant, but shocked staff, alerted to the closure by text message, say they have been told all claims for unpaid money and entitlements will be directed to a third party in coming days.

Fish Face moved to smarter premises in Double Bay from a Darlinghurst hole-in-the-wall in late 2013.

Chef Steve Hodges believed it would place him closer to key clientele from his days running the kitchen at Rose Bay’s Pier restaurant.

Fish Face was a prized signing for Double Bay, which had endured lean years for restaurant growth following the opening of Westfield Bondi Junction.

But it was plagued with hurdles from the start. A costly fitout delayed its roll out, and the restaurant started losing staff. Chef Josh Niland walked from Fish Face late last year.

Word on the streets of Double Bay is a new operator for the premises is already circling.

Don’t expect a rebirth of top-shelf seafood - talk is if the deal proceeds it’d reboot as a pizzeria.