Miss Katie’s Crab Shack: Mess to sink your claws in

The first thing I do when I sit down is take off my wedding ring. I don’t want to make things any messier. I tried calling first – Katie is in demand every night – but no one answers. I skip the signature Bloody Mary and get straight to business.

Green-tomato slices in thick batter arrive with daubs of goat’s curd and zigzags of hot sauce, followed by fish tacos ($5 on Tuesdays). I pick juicy, brown chicken meat off the bone with my fingers, fat dill pickles cutting through the fried crust and irresistible Old Bay cheesy fries.

Then the crab boil lands: a 350-gram blue swimmer that’s clambered out of a rock pool and onto a mound of corn cobs, potatoes and spicy chorizo, drenched in brown butter. His sweet flesh is not wasted on me and a sink in the nautical courtyard is ideal for cleaning up.

The kitsch maritime theme continues inside: a shark’s head in a captain’s hat bears its teeth above the bar, fishing nets strung between teal walls. I have to ask for water and utensils, but my casual affair is over by 9pm – plenty of time to watch Netflix with my husband.

Best for: Getting messy with mates.

Miss Katie’s Crab Shack

• 325 Smith Street, Fitzroy
• 9995 4903
• misskatiescrabshack.com