Huge shift expected as the much-anticipated new Sydney Fish Market opens to the public
EXCLUSIVE: The air is abuzz with fresh excitement as customers descend on the new Sydney Fish Market for the very first time.
A queue snakes 20 metres from an oystershucking station while Sydney Fish Market CEO Daniel Jarosch greets retailers and accepts high fives from the venue's very first customers, before picking up the phone with nine.com.au.
Through the phone connection, his excitement about the venue's much-anticipated opening is palpable and, while the new seafood destination has plenty to offer, there's one thing that stands out above the rest.
The new Sydney Fish Market has officially opened today. Supplied/ Sydney Fish Market
The original Sydney Fish Market has been an institution for years, known for those bleary-eyed early morning seafood shopping trips and sunny fish and chip lunches, but now, while those classic experiences remain, there is a huge shift coming to the iconic venue.
The new venue, which has been ten years in the making and expects to welcome six million visitors annually, will see customers lap up the new and old retailers well into the night, with Sydney Fish Market executives expecting it to become Sydney's newest premier dining experience.
"This is the real exciting evolution of the Sydney Fish Market with the dining experiences [on offer]," Jarosch tells nine.com.au.
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The new venue will open late into the night with fine dining on offer. Supplied/ Sydney Fish Market
Allowing customers the chance to "enjoy fine dining into the night with beautiful sunsets" and it's "prime position on the Sydney Harbour", Jarosch believes "it's going to be something special".
"Even today, on opening, we've had the upper ground promenade full with people so they're really embracing that balcony and that vista that will continue into the night with those beautiful western sunsets and red skies.
"You can be eating fish and chips on the bench, or you could be having a po'boy or a lobster roll from TJs, or you can have some wonderful dining and beverages from the likes of Touchwood and Little Red."
Touchwood had it's opening day as Sydney Fish Market opened to the public. Supplied/ Sydney Fish Market
The late-night offering, with the market now open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, will see a big change to the way customers and diners experience the venue and this was not an accident.
The new venue's design was a conscious choice, in partnership with the NSW government, keeping the nighttime economy in mind.
"This was more than just renewing the Sydney Fish Market, this was creating an icon for Sydney and for NSW," Jarosch says.
"Extending the trade towards the nighttime economy, well into the night was a big feature and the surrounding precinct encourages and welcomes the community into the night … you can see us from the Anzac Bridge and various vantage points around the city and it just calls out to the community to come and have a great time."
This is a shift that Tyson Rowsell, owner and operating partner of the Sydney Fish Market's newly opened Touchwood, is looking forward to.
"I'm really excited to see what happens at nighttime," he tells nine.com.au.
"I think it's a huge opportunity because we all know there's a culture existing in the old seafood markets which starts quite early.
"I'd really like to see what's going to transpire at nighttime because this is such a great spot, it's a nice location, it's a beautiful view, I just really can't wait to see what dinner brings for all the tenants that are doing dinner."
The new fish market intends to be a world-class seafood destination. Supplied/ Sydney Fish Market
Whether it's late into the night or early into the morning, customers and retailers alike are looking forward to seeing the new venue, which spans 26,000 square metres, blossom into its own.
The new precinct sees established vendors from the old markets coming together with some newcomer, creating a bit of old-versus-new rivalry.
Jarosch admits "there were clearly two camps early on in the process" but as opening day approached, " those two merged".
The new Sydney Fish Market sees old vendors combine with new ones, like Mayfarm Flowers. Supplied/ Sydney Fish Market
For Rowsell, whose all-day dining venue combines Aussie brunch with fresh seafood, he looks forward to connecting with "most of the vendors".
In fact, he's already collaborated with some retailers throughout the venue, including Cow & The Moon and Mayfarm Flowers.
"We just want to work together really," he says.
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