The new Hamilton restaurant Two Fish In A Barrel is a family affair.

Rachel Wilks runs it. Her husband, Alex Wilks, provides the fresh fish, and their son, Hunter, 4, helped make some of the art on the walls.

The Wilkses rent the space at 10 Dundonald Street, but bought all the restaurant fixtures from the previous owners.

When they took it over, the place was like a time capsule.

Almost everything was exactly as it was the day Bermuda shut down for Covid-19. Café Ten never reopened after the global health crisis.

“There were still beer bottles on display,” Mrs Wilks said. “There were salt and pepper shakers on the tables and special menus were set out for the next day.”

She was thankful the refrigerators were empty.

Two Fish In A Barrel opened almost three months ago.

The restaurant has an eco-friendly beachy theme, with old photographs and paintings of Bermuda on display as well as a real whaling harpoon and fishing floats on the shelves.

On the wall near the cash register there is a sign reading “Two Fish In A Barrel,” composed of bits of old plastic the Wilkses gathered from the beach.

Another sign is framed by washed-up shipping rope.

The couple have a commercial fishing enterprise, and run a catering business by the same name.

Their catering arm won the Best of Bermuda award from The Bermudian magazine last year.

“A couple of years ago, we started looking for a brick-and-mortar location because we have been growing and growing,” Mrs Wilks said. “I used to work for the owner of Café Ten. We also sold fish to him. We kept in touch.”

When the couple heard the location on Dundonald Street was coming available, they went for it.

“Our fish tacos are one of our most popular items,” Mrs Wilks said.

They are made with a corn tortilla and fresh guacamole. Some customers have told her they are the best they ever tasted.

The Wilkses also do their own version of a poor-boy sandwich with fried fresh fish instead of shrimp, a remoulade sauce and coleslaw.

The menu reflects whatever is in season.

“There has been a lot of marlin fishing recently, so there is some smoked marlin on the menu,” she said. “For our happy hour this week, we had smoked marlin dip with some little crackers.”

Mrs Wilks takes pride in Bermuda and everything it has to offer.

“We are always co-ordinating with local farmers,” she said. “When we were in construction mode, our electrician was talking about how he had a tree dropping sour oranges. He did not know what to do with them.”

Mrs Wilks offered to take them off his hands anytime.

“We use orange juice or sour orange juice for the marinade we make with our mescal-marinated steak tacos,” she said.

Right now, she has a lot on her plate.

“During the day I bounce between writing menus for an upcoming event, to creating a staff schedule, to jumping in the kitchen and helping with the lunch rush, to making coffee in the morning,” she said. “I am my own accountant, banker and human resources person.”

One of her biggest challenges has been staffing.

“I have found a phenomenal front-of-house team,” she said. “However, it has been very difficult to find kitchen staff. I have been down to a prep cook for the last two weeks. I have advertised in all the channels and have not been able to find anyone.”

Two Fish in a Barrel opens at 7.30am Tuesday through Saturday. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, it closes at 3pm. Happy hour is on Thursday and Friday.

“Happy hour is until 7pm, but really we stay open until I decide to close,” she said.