Review: This Ponteland fish restaurant is an absolute 'Catch'

On a rural stretch of country road in Ponteland sits a restaurant offering overnight stays for its guests and plenty of food for (wonderful) thought.

That restaurant is none other than Catch Seafood. There are three dotted across the country, and luckily the North East has its own for the taking. Yorkshire has the other two, lucky things.

Arriving on a particularly miserable day with my friend didn’t stop Catch Seafood from offering us a cosy welcome. It’s no surprise that the restaurant has a hotel extension; if the dining area is anything to go by, I’m sure the rooms look and feel just as good.

Inside, a warming forest green and grey interior awaits, complete with rustic wooden tables and a few hanging plants dotting the walls.

We were seated by a window with a view of the seemingly endless fields outside and of the kitchen across from us - not so good if you’re starving - and were asked if we would like to be taken through the menu.

The service is swift; within minutes our starter had arrived. We decided to share the Severn and Wye Smoked Salmon (£8) because having a few nebby glances over at other people’s plates made us realise the portions are very, very generous.

It honestly could have been a main meal for one, served with crusty brown bread on the side, salad and a slice of lemon.

If you’re already thinking it, let me tell you: you can drag those pesky fish haters in your family or friends circle to this joint. The name certainly isn’t deceiving; the menu is one of the fishiest I’ve ever seen (in a good way), but there are options available for those who hate the stuff.

Sadly, I have to say for the starter menu, there’s only one option in the form of a vegetable pakora served with mango chutney. If that just doesn’t cut it, you should wait until the main course.

Catch Seafood offers the best of both worlds here with vegetarian and meat options. Butternut squash tortellini, thai red vegetable curry or a hearty beef burger topped with BBQ sauce, onion rings, pickle, mustard… Ugh, I could go on.

But you’re here for the fish, right? Of course you are, and it’s nice to know that the restaurant doesn’t disappoint on its speciality.

From a seafood thermidor or a shellfish grill, to fish burgers and sandwiches with a whole range of fillings such as salmon, prawn and crab… It’s Finding Nemo’s worst nightmare and your fish foodie dream all in one.

If you want to play it safe, choose the Catch of the Day for £10.50. The restaurant offers cod or haddock for this depending on which day you arrive.

You have the option to go big for an extra £2 or stick with a standard portion and, let me tell you, the regular looks like the large so they would probably serve an actual whale if you went bigger (but we’re not judging, so go for it).

It automatically comes with ‘beef-dripping’, golden chips, but for the likes of mushy peas or curry sauce (a true chip shop gem made fancy), they’re going to rack up your bill by £1.75 each. Other sides include crayfish tartar sauce or garden peas.

Ready for dessert? Erm, go on then. Side note: Wear loose clothing for your Catch Seafood trip if you’re going to go for two or three courses; by this point, we were just being greedy but wanted to try everything.

Although the desserts sounded incredible - I’m talking almond tart, sticky toffee pudding, brownies - my friend and I had to opt for a simple scoop of ice cream each.

We went for vanilla (sometimes the boring life is the best) and strawberry, both served with a little piece of chocolate on the side, as well as a coffee each.

Speaking of drinks for those not driving, Catch Seafood is apparently really fond of gin, and can offer you various cocktail combinations of the stuff. Need I say more?

And if you are behind the wheel, there’s always an array of tea, coffee and soft drinks available including San Pellegrino.

So, that’s it. Catch Seafood is an absolute hidden gem of Ponteland and, erm, a right catch for classic fish and chips, if we do say so ourselves.

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