The Red Perch in the Arcade

What a surprise The Red Perch is. Having never been to the Arcade (and not hearing great things about it), we weren't expecting much from this seafood place where a friend was working . "Come on down," he said, "the chef here is amazing." So, down we went. When we found the small restaurant, the front door was blocked by a crowd waiting to order.  Welcome to The Red Perch. A new "fish and chips" place opened by Austrailian Chef Cameron Payne. 

In Australia Cameron worked for Attica, a fine dining restaurant that has been named San Pellegrino's Top 50 restaurant in the world. Although he enjoyed it, Cameron always dreamed of owning his own fish and chip shop.Cameron and wife Nicole come to Nashville by way of Honolulu, Hawaii. Cameron hails from Australia and Nicole from HI & CA.

Once married,  they started toying with the idea of opening their own restaurant. They first experimented with a Spanish pop-up restaurant at the Waikiki farmer's market. The pop-up was a hit with the locals, so they decided they were ready to take things to the next level. After a trip to Nashville they instantly fell in love with the town and knew this was where they wanted to start their business. With the arrival of daughter Charlie in 2017 they packed their bags for a new adventure!

Cameron is a breath of fresh air. Him and friend (and chef) Skylar Bush were hustling behind the line, tossing hot crisp french fries in seasonings in a big stainless steel bowl, lowering fish into hot bubbling oil, and assembling Shrimp Bahn Mi's as fast as they could. They fed us a sampling off the menu which included a fresh Hawaiian Poke Bowl (of course), the Fish Gyro with grilled cod, hummus and tabbouli and the Tiger Shrimp, large grilled peel on shrimp in vibrant thai seaspnings with lime and fresh mint. To find such fresh dishes along with fish and chips was refreshing and a nice balance. 

Once the crowd subsided, Cameron pulled up a chair and talked. He had met fellow Austrailian, Ed Coppola here in Nashville and hired him, and inherited another worker with the restaurant.  Their team is small as is the space, but their passion, talent and hearts are big. We expect great things from The Red Perch. As great as their food.