Time To Catch Up With The New Catch Fish And Chips Restaurant In Headingley

One of the things that I missed most during the lockdown was my Fish and Chips. 20 weeks passed - the first ones I had tasted as soon as lockdown ended tasted so good. They would do though wouldn’t they?

I knew a visit was coming up to the new Catch restaurant and take away in Headingley but I wanted to be able to give an honest opinion - these therefore were not going to be my first Fish and Chips in what seemed years.

Catch already have outlets in Holmfirth and West Vale operating under the Catch name as well as Graveleys in Harrogate.

The new Headingley opening was formerly known as Bryan’s and had built up a strong reputation and clientele. Choosing not to keep the Bryan’s name and changing it to Catch shows that the management have a lot of confidence in the Catch name and rightly so.

£250,000 has been spent in refitting the Headingley restaurant with a colour scheme of dark green, black and white diamond flooring, a choice of seating of booths, high chairs and traditional tables and chairs.

In keeping with the current social distancing measures there are a set of House Rules on each table, the staff all wear masks, sanitiser is readily available and diners are seated well apart from other parties.

If my Fish and Chips are not cooked in beef dripping, (that leave a “roof” on the top of your mouth), not haddock and not cooked in good batter than to me, they are not the real deal. Go south of Sheffield and you would probably get a fish that was Cod served with warmed up chips.

Thankfully Catch serve up proper Fish and Chips cooked in traditional beef dripping though they also will cook your meal in sunflower oil if you request it.

The dine in menu has choices such as Breaded Whitebait at £3.75, Smoked Salmon at £8.00 and King Scallops at £10.00, though really most diners will come for the traditional Fish and Chips with a standard Haddock and Chips priced at £11.00 or if your stomach can handle it, the King Haddock and Chips at £13.00.

As soon as I tasted my first chip I knew I was in the right place, the double cooked chips are enough to give any heart surgeon palpitations, but like most things in life, everything in moderation is a good life motto to live by.

My King size haddock was cooked in a light, tasty batter and the fresh haddock was chunky with those familiar flakes you associate with northerner's favourite fish.

Yes, I did get a “roof” on the top of my mouth but to me that was the mark of a good Fish and Chips and in any case they do a good range of coffees and tea to wash it all away.

You could choose as your main Roast Monkfish and Aubergine Curry, (gluten free) for £18.00, a Fish Pie for £14.00 or even a Beef Burger for £12.00 amongst other Catch Classics.

When the Fish and Chips are as good as this though if you chose something else it would be like going to Blackpool and not seeing the Tower, or going to York and not having a walk on the walls: you would be missing the main attraction.

They do puddings too with a very sweet and gooey Sticky Toffee Pudding served with vanilla ice cream being a guilty pleasure.

If you want your Haddock and Chips to take out it will cost you £7.00 which seems comparable to other famous Fish and Chip places in the north.

I’m sure that the new Headingley restaurant will be a success - they have an audience who know their stuff - anyone reading this south of Sheffield would do well to taste Fish and Chips the way they should be cooked. For the rest of us though there is no catch - this is the real deal.

Catch Headingley, 9 Weetwood Lane, Headingley, Leeds LS16 5LT
Telephone 0113 278 5679
https://catchseafood.co.uk/catch-seafood-headingley/