A 40-year-old fish and chip shop, By the Sea is a local fixture in seaside Kiama. And now under the management of Ridz and Deep Mridual, the menu is luring in locals and visitors with the staples while also giving them a taste of India and beyond.
Ridz and Deep, originally from India, are the fifth owners of By the Sea; Ridz’s first day in the shop in 2018 was as a cleaner, literally learning the business from the ground up, mopping floors and washing dishes. In taking over, the pair very much had a ‘if it ain’t broke’ philosophy. “The same business, the same style. We haven’t changed anything,” Ridz says.
Which isn’t to say the couple haven’t put their own stamp on the business, specifically the menu. While staples like fish and chips, burgers, Chiko rolls, crab sticks and calamari rings remain as popular as ever, Ridz and Deep, a chef with 20 years’ experience in India and Dubai, have introduced curries and naan, all made from scratch and authentically Indian.
In addition to that, By the Sea hosts a ‘regional night’ every third Thursday evening of the month where a set menu showcases the authentic tastes of India and Deep’s mastery of his craft. They have also introduced such dishes into the shop Friday through Sunday.
As well as the locals, Ridz and Deep acknowledge Kiama’s status as a tourist town. “We have a combination of people coming here, so 12 months of the year this shop serves people from across the globe. We’ve been here long enough to know in what month what type of foot traffic is coming and what they want,” Ridz asserts. That includes chilli flakes for Asian customers’ fish and chips, and salt and vinegar for the Brits, as well as curry sauce and mushy peas. “Aussies have started liking pickled vegies, so we’ll now be serving pickled vegies with every order of fish and chips, whether batter, crumbed or grilled.”
And learning and growing is very much part of the process for Ridz. “If I stop and I believed that I’ve improved, it means I don’t want to grow, I don’t want to serve. I want to grow, I want to serve as many years as I can and keep learning,” she says. “Growth, yes. Franchise? Not so much. We’ll focus on this shop. I don’t want to mess around with my very first baby,” she laughs.
By The Sea
Ph: 02 4232 1489
72 Terralong St, Kiama NSW 2533
