Harry Ramsdens (Leeds)

...I had to go to Harry Ramsden’s restaurant the other day on a mystery shopping assignment, I thought I might as well let you lot on Ciao benefit from all my tireless observation, unselfish eating of fish and chips on a weekday, and my extraordinary ability to steal a menu under false pretences.

HISTORY OF THE RESTAURANT

This particular Harry Ramsden’s (Harry’s from now on) is the biggest fish and chip restaurant in the ...
...purposefully, to maintain the feeling Harry wanted all those years ago. There are crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and plenty of flowers everywhere. It kind of feels like a tearoom or a ballroom, especially because it has a wooden dancefloor. The toilets are very clean, and well maintained.

FOOD CHOICE – IS IT ALL FISH AND CHIPS?

Not at all – fish and chips is of course the main dish served here, with no ... more

As I had to go to Harry Ramsden’s restaurant the other day on a mystery shopping assignment, I thought I might as well let you lot on Ciao benefit from all my tireless observation, unselfish eating of fish and chips on a weekday, and my extraordinary ability to steal a menu under false pretences.

HISTORY OF THE RESTAURANT

This particular Harry Ramsden’s (Harry’s from now on) is the biggest fish and chip restaurant in the world, a fact which the other half finds hard to believe, but like I explained to him, most fish and chip shops don’t have restaurants.

Not only that, but this Harry’s is the site of the first fish and chip shop he opened. At the back of the car park, there is the infamous Harry’s Hut, from where he first sold his now world famous fish. This part of the site is very small though, and seemed to be shut when we went there.

He started selling fish and chips here in 1928, but three years later, and inspired by the sumptuous Ritz hotel in London, he decided to build the biggest and most elegant fish and chip restaurant in the world.

His philosophy is simple, and is visible today; fresh, good quality fish and chips, cooked well, served by friendly staff and good value for money. I’m going to look at what I think are important aspects when choosing somewhere to eat, and whether Harry’s philosophy is being upheld today.

LOCATION

The restaurant is on the A65 just outside Guiseley, on the way from Leeds to Ilkley. It is within 30 minutes’ drive from both Leeds and Bradford, and as Ilkley is a popular tourist destination, it would be an ideal place to go for a meal during a holiday stay in this area. They are also happy to accommodate coach parties, as can be seen by the gift shop in the foyer, and the amusement arcade in the car park.

DISABLED ACCESS POINTS

There are 4 disabled parking spaces, which are usually taken by people nipping into the fish shop, or obstructed by people parking opposite them. They are also full of potholes and on an adverse camber. We usually park down on the extra car park, as it is slightly more level, but this means walking up a small slope, which could be tricky if you push yourself, and you still have to negotiate the potholes.

There is disabled access to the restaurant and the fish shop next door, but whilst there is a short walk up some steps from the car park for everyone else, there is a longer trek from the car park for those who can’t walk up steps.

Once inside, the access is great. There are accessible toilets, plenty of space between the tables, and the staff are only too happy to move chairs and put you on a big table to give you more room.

CAR PARKING

As mentioned above, the parking can be a bit awkward for anyone who is disabled, but if people were more sensible and used the many spaces down the slope, and left the upper part for those with mobility problems, it would be much better. This is already something I have contacted Harry’s about. Having said that, there must be space for about 100 cars to park, which is plenty for the amount of tables inside.

ENTRANCE

Harry’s consists of the restaurant, with a very grand green wood and glass entrance, with hanging baskets, and helpful facts hung up in it, and a fish and chip takeaway shop on the side, with a slightly less ostentatious entry.

DECORATION

The restaurant has a very old fashioned décor, but it is clean and freshly decorated, it is old fashioned purposefully, to maintain the feeling Harry wanted all those years ago. There are crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and plenty of flowers everywhere. It kind of feels like a tearoom or a ballroom, especially because it has a wooden dancefloor. The toilets are very clean, and well maintained.

FOOD CHOICE – IS IT ALL FISH AND CHIPS?

Not at all – fish and chips is of course the main dish served here, with no less than 5 types of fish to choose from (cod, haddock, plaice, halibut, hake), as well as fish cakes and bite sized pieces of fish called, surprisingly, Fish Bites. It is possible to get a larger size of two of the fish, cod and haddock, and if you eat the biggest fish they have, Harry’s Challenge, you get a dessert of your choice free. All fish is served with chips, and bread and butter.

As well as the fish and chips, you can choose from the Chargrill selection, which includes Chicken Breast, Salmon Fillet, Halibut steak and Swordfish steak. These pieces of meat or fish come with Mediterranean vegetables and a potato rosti (oven baked grated potato pressed into a patty).

If you don’t like the sound of either of those menus, there are also Harry’s Classics, which includes Poached Salmon, Chicken Escalope, Scampi, Chicken dips, Steak and Ale Pudding, and the vegetarian dish of the day. As you can tell, this isn’t a great place to take vegetarians, as they only serve one veggie dish, and it’s impossible to tell what it’s going to be as it changes each time. When we went it was Veggie Pasta Bake, which is pretty vague anyway.

There is also a full menu of starters, with the emphasis squarely on fried things such as Crispy Mushrooms, Deep Fried Brie, and so on, a range of side orders including mushy peas, baked beans, pickled onions and more. The dessert menu is definitely slanted towards good old fashioned puddings, such as Apple Pie, Fruit Crumble, Bread and Butter Pudding, as well as slightly lighter ice cream sundaes.

Harry’s is fully licensed, and have a range of beers, wines, champagnes and soft drinks, as well as the obligatory cup of tea.

PRICES

Starters are from £2.30 (soup of the day) to £4.75 (Oriental king prawns), or you could choose a Harry’s Full House Combo to share at £5.95 – this consists of a selection of fried things like onion rings, spicy wedges and so on, with a choice of dips.

The main courses vary from £4.99 (fish cakes) to £10.95 (Halibut Chargrilled Steak). A normal sized portion of cod and chips without extras is £6.50, or £7.45 with a side order of peas. The vegetarian dish of the day is £6.45.

Desserts are all £2.99. They also do a children’s menu for two age ranges; up to 8 years is £2.99, and 9-12 years is £3.99. If you are over 60, you can choose form the Over 60s menu for only £5.50.

FOOD PORTION SIZE AND QUALITY

We chose the mushrooms to start, I had fish cake and my husband had cod and chips, with garden peas, and then to finish we had Baked Cheesecake. We had to have all the courses to fill out the mystery shopper brief, but I was stuffed after the main course, so I’d only recommend 3 courses if you have a large appetite! The portions are an excellent size, and I think a starter and main, or a main and dessert would have been perfect for a good meal.

The crispy mushrooms had a delicious herby batter, and came with a green salad, with a tasty dressing, and a garlic mayonnaise to dip them into. I didn’t really like the dip, and preferred to eat the mushrooms alone. I’ve never tried the other starters, so I can’t comment on them, but the soup of the day always seems to be tomato.

The fish and chips is always superb. The fish is very white, very fresh, and has a delicious crispy batter. The chips are usually very good too; in the past they’ve been perfect, but this time they had a lot of eyes in them. Everything is always piping hot, so much so it’s hard to eat for a little while. Instead of the normal fish this time, I decided to try the fish cakes, and they were very herby too, although I’d have preferred 2 smaller fishcakes instead of one large one, as it felt and looked like a small meal. In the past, my husband has had the Chargrilled Swordfish, which he said was beautiful.

I’ve always had the Cheesecake in the past as it’s the lightest choice, and I like it because it’s the American style cheesecake with very thin base, and baked creamy topping. They pour a bit of strawberry sauce over, which finished it perfectly, but they always ask if you want cream or ice-cream with it, which I find very strange, but maybe it’s just me. I always ask for it with nothing. It’s very rich and creamy, but the tart sauce gives it an edge.

SERVICE QUALITY

The waitresses (I only use that word as I’ve never seen a man there) are always polite, well-turned out and helpful. They always tell you if your food is going to take a long time, which it hardly ever does, and can’t do enough to help us.

OTHER INFORMATION YOU MIGHT NEED

Harry’s also puts on entertainment, such as the recent Elvis night. Entry always includes a meal and the entertainment, and it always sounds like great value, although we’ve never actually been ourselves. They have a singalong for the Over 50s on a Thursday afternoon, and their next event is going to be a Murder Mystery night.

Harry’s is also a member of the Hi-Life dining scheme in Leeds; if you’re a member, you get the second meal free.

SO HAS HARRY’S WISH BEEN FULFILLED?

Fresh fish – very fresh indeed, no smell at all anywhere in the restaurant

Good quality fish and chips – very good quality, never fails to impress, even from the takeaway

Cooked to perfection – always hot, the batter is always crispy, and it’s always tasty

Served in a friendly manner – not only friendly, but efficient too

Good value for money – We both ate all that food mentioned above, as well as a drink, for less than twenty pounds. It was unbelievable.

SUMMARY

Harry’s is a great place for traditional food, in a pleasant atmosphere. There’s no pretension at all. The only people I wouldn’t recommend it to are vegetarians due to the poor veggie selection, and I would make anyone with a disability aware of the car parking problems, but otherwise I’d have no hesitation in recommending it.

www.harryramsdens.co.uk

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THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY REVIEW. IT’D BE GREAT IF YOU COULD RATE IT AND PERHAPS COMMENT ON IT FOR ME TOO!!
 

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