Cattlefish

Great place to get lunch here and It’s not too expensive. Chips were fried freshly but it’s a little too salty for me. I got the chicken deluxe burger, loved it. Fish and chips were also awesome, it was fried nicely and crispy. Got 3 dips for the fish and chips, tartare, sour cream and cheese. The tartare was the best one in my opinion. You can dine in here inside the restaurant but it is a little too cramped for my liking. From my observation I think most people get takeaway and eat somewhere else. Still a great place for burgers and chips. Would support this restaurant over McDonald’s.

Visually appealing yet partially inedible. We arrived for Lunch hungry and with a limitless budget. We left disappointed after sampling undercooked fish with raw batter on one side. I've been meaning to visit Cattlefish for two years... and the experience was unfortunately less than ordinary - even unpleasant. My wife and I sampled the Fish & Chips and their Burger & Fries with Calamari and Prawns on the side. This was our experience... * Food Presentation - Excellent. * Food Experience - Disappointing & partially inedible! * Service - Not helpful when pressed. * Cleanliness - Kitchen WAS clean & maintained * Atmosphere - No atmosphere. Possibly depressing. The mostly-vacant chairs surrounded tables that were occupied by a single customer at each one - all of whom appeared to be using the dining area to power or use their phones and laptops. The phone-charging station affixed to the wall near the kitchen shows they encourage this element of the public to visit. But this is not a city cafe. There were five (?) tables with multiple chairs around them, all with a single person seated at them. None were eating. I explained to the server that I'd been curious to try their food for quite some time and asked him what he would recommend. He just stared at me vacantly. The kitchen reminded me of a School Tuckshop. So I ordered the classics. Observing the "Please Wait Outside After Ordering" sign (see picture), we sat outside in the cold and late-winter wind whilst our food was prepared and came inside when a "diner" abandoned a table, along with his laptop. We had to clean the table ourselves and when the food was made available, the other "diners", who had been there for quite some time before we arrived, stared at us as we ate. I can only presume they were curious to watch us since nobody else appeared to be eating. The experience was as follows: The burger was "ordinary". It wasn't bad but it was quite "below average" in flavor, though well presented visually with fresh salad. My wife had the burger and said she would not like to do so again. Her chips (fries) were unsalted and therefore likewise unremarkable. Of course, there's ketchup and salt shakers near the kitchen if you wish to season your food further. You also need to locate this condiments corner if you wish to obtain a knife or fork. The calamari was nothing to write home about and we almost didn't eat it. The prawns had a panko-style bread-crumb on them but were more slender than my pinkie finger and had literally less prawn than coating (in terms of food-to-batter ratio). They resembled a 'battered drinking straw' and I had to check twice to see that there was actually a prawn behind that crunchy external facade. These prawns were outright unpleasant to eat: Crunchy, oil-infused breadcrumbs with something fairly soggy in the core. Certainly not worth the price though presumably someone was paid to haul them to the Blue Mountains from the Pacific ocean. I broke one open to photograph it but the core of prawn meat was barely 5mm across in diameter. The biggest disappointment was my long awaited Fish & Chips. It arrived 'piping hot' on one side. The presentation (see image) was superb. But on one entire surface, my serving of fish was completely under-cooked and jelly-like. A singular bone pierced my gums and I had to show caution from that moment forward. The batter was so raw on the underside that I was forced to peel it off like a strip of thick, moist clay. That portion was literally inedible. The singular slice of lemon was insufficient and no suitable seafood or tartar sauce was on hand. My wife suggested I return my fish but I didn't. I hated myself for bringing her here after talking up the reviews. * I was curious to try Cattlefish as it's always been dominated by great ratings... unfortunately, our experience was less than ideal. But I have a mind to return, just to see if it was a one-off bad day. I'll order something different and will amend this review accordingly if the experience is better.

The burgers look small but are surprisingly dense and very flavoursome. The fresh ingredients were delicious. The young person on the front desk was really courteous and helpful, they asked chip salt quantity preferences, which is a nice touch. They do ask you wait outside after ordering, but nearby seating is available. Eating facilities provided were clean and comfortable due to the regular efforts of friendly staff. Great service! Thankyou