Many things have changed since then, only the owners have stayed the same.

Jenny Roberts has been the owner since 2006 but has run this popular fish cafe in the East End as a restaurant herself only for the past four years.

She took a gamble buying the building in 2006, but believed that one day the area would be seen for the beautiful place it is.

After selling other businesses and with her son Jack moving back from Sydney, she was able to work on turning Scottie's into what it is today.

They were confident that the East End would support the change as the demographic was changing too.

About a month ago she was approached by a chef with very prestigious credentials. Joel Humphreys has worked at Rockpool with Neil Perry, at Fergus Henderson's 'nose to tail' restaurant, St John in London, and most recently as head chef at Bodega 1904 in Sydney.

It hasn't taken long for Joel to introduce some innovative and tasty dishes based on locally sourced, sustainable fish, seafood and other produce.

The menu is designed to share, so with six healthy appetites it's possible to sample almost everything on offer.

Ask the obliging wait staff for advice on how much to order or choose one of the two tasting menus.

My suggestion; start with sparklingly fresh oysters bathed in kaffir lime and finely diced French shallot infused vinegar, presented on beach pebbles.

Moreton Bay bug 'sanga' is a tongue-in-cheek nod to old style sandwiches; great bug meat mixed with thousand island dressing and a touch of fresh tarragon, tucked between two small rounds of standard white bread.

Steamed scallop and ginger dumplings signal a change to an Asian theme. The sauce gets its heat from lots of fiery Sichuan pepper and XO sauce, and salt seasoning from tamari, a less salty Japanese version of soy sauce. Balanced.

The Asian theme continues with a plate of finely sliced sashimi style Hiramasa Kingfish 'cooked' with tangy Meyer lemon, juniper and shiso ponzu, a citrus based Japanese marinade. Is this the best dish so far?

Octopus can be tricky; if not cooked properly it's like rubber. Their hot and sour octopus is beautifully tender, with a cooling green mango, tomato and peanut salad providing an excellent texture and flavour contrast, as does the satay king prawns with fresh curry leaf and burnt butter sauce.

Vegetarian dishes include braised peas and radish with silken tofu and yuzu koshu, a Japanese fermented seasoning made with chilli peppers, yuzu peel and salt, and a dish of sliced chilled cucumber, black vinegar, stracciatella cheese and dill.

With all those yummy sauces left to soak up, a serve of house baked sourdough is mandatory.

With desserts you can be as indulgent or restrained as you like.

Middle Eastern inspired pineapple shaved ice, mint, curd and sumac is light, refreshing and almost guilt free. The sumac, a spice generally associated with savoury foods is an unusual inclusion and imparts a lemony tang.

On the other hand, a dark chocolate mousse, topped with whipped cream, salted peanuts and a cloud of miso caramel is a totally over the top indulgence; another usually savoury inclusion in the form of miso. Clever.

The last word must go to the kids; one had a burger, the other, fish. Best chips EVER.