Review: Catch!

This tiny four-person bar offers a different twist on fish and chips. Clad in mirrors and driftwood, it’s literally just a 10 sq. meter room in which the jovial chef gets busy with the fryers. The menu is simple, scrawled on a sheet of A4 stuck to the wall. Catch! offers three options for fish; monkfish (RMB85), ling (RMB65) and blue cod (RMB50). All three are New Zealand line-caught and come encased in a selection of three batters—backwoods beer, herbal goodness and spicy Asian chilis.

It’s a departure from the norm. These are small cuts of pleasingly fresh fish individually deep-fried in a thin batter and served alongside a herby, homemade tartar sauce. Tradition dictates a fluffy-yet-crunchy, almost bland batter acting as a vessel and letting the fish do the talking. Catch! offers a more flavor-diverse experience, and for an additional RMB10 you can get a delicious plate of battered fries or sweet potatoes on the side.

Catch! isn’t for everybody, and if you’re in need of the authentic English experience we recommend a trip to The Camel, O’Malley’s or even The Sailors a few doors down. But for an elevated experience with good produce this is worth a try. We’re looking forward to the warmer days when the doors are open so we can sit streetside and not go home smelling like an east London chippy.