Taste The Catch

Can't believe it's already the end of summer! Before heading back to school, I have to make the most of my time trying some of the local favourites here in Vancouver. 

One of my favourite summertime local destinations is the Steveston Village. I grew up within a few minutes away from this historical neighbourhood, so I did come here very often. As a child, I would go to their huge playground and climb all day with my friends. As I grew up, I began to volunteer at some of their community events in the summer. Now, I visit the village to grab some fresh fish from the fisherman's market near the docks and enjoy fish and chips by the seaside.

Pajo's Fish and Chips

Steveston is best known for their fish and chips. In fact, most of their family owned restaurants serve fish and chips in some way or form. For myself, I always love to have fish and chips in one of the restaurants on the docks. Over the years, I've found myself deeply in love with Pajo's Fish and Chips.

Pajo's Fish and Chips is located on a dock just off from the main deck at the Steveston Village. This means that you are literally dining on the water. Inspired by traditional British fish and chips, their fish and chips are served in newspaper cones (of course, these are clean newspapers:)). Seating wise, simply find yourself a bench to sit on at the dock and pull up a plastic stool designed specifically to hold your newspaper cones!

Pajo's Fish and Chips has some of the BEST fish and chips you can find in the Lower Mainland. All of their fish, from cod to salmon to halibut, are extremely fresh. For myself, I always get their halibut as they are quite flaky and smooth. The light batter adds a little crunchiness to their fish without making the fish soggy. I am also deeply in love with their tartar sauce and endless selection of seasonings you can put on your fish and chips. For all the lemon, herbs, and seasoning lovers, I highly recommend squeezing their complementary lemon on top of both the fish and chips and sprinkling some lemon pepper seasoning and seasoning salt on top. Also, mix some lemon pepper seasoning and seasoning salt with the tartar sauce provided. Dip each bite of flaky fresh fish into your enhanced tartar sauce and you have yourself a heavenly lunch!

The Catch

Recently, I also had the chance to try a restaurant near Pajo's called The Catch. Finding the restaurant proved to be a little bit difficult as it shares the same building with a few other restaurants, however, the place is absolutely gorgeous with its sunny patio and modern interior designs. The Catch offers a variety of dishes, ranging from salads to steaks, but since the restaurant is located in Steveston, I decided to try their fish and chips.

Even though they do not have the fish I want, their cod was mind-blowing. I expected their cod to be quite rough. However, to my surprise, it was quite smooth and flaky! Their tartar sauce provided all the flavouring for the fish, so there was no need for extra seasoning. I also loved their fries, which were also seasoned to perfection. The complementary coleslaw was a little too sour for my liking, but it did provide some colour for the dish. The sourness also balanced the saltiness of the dish overall.

So which restaurant should I go to?
Both restaurants offer their own edge over the other. If you have the chance to, I recommend visiting both places and see which restaurant suits your taste better! However, if you are only planning on visiting one place and are looking for suggestions, take a look at the chart below!

Factor	Which Restaurant	Why
Cost	Pajo’s	You get the most out of what you pay! Not only do you get to eat fairly large portion sizes of the fish of your choice, for $10-20 (depending on the choice of your fish), you get to enjoy bottomless fries! The Catch’s menu is priced at the same price range for fish and chips, but portion sizes are definitely quite small in comparison to Pajo’s.
Location/Environment	The Catch	Pajo’s can be a little overwhelming for some, with birds, mosquitos, and food crumbs here and there. The Catch, on the other hand, is fully serviced and cleaned, with extremely comfy patio furniture to dine in.
Quality	Pajo’s	Pajo’s is known for their extremely delicious fish and chips. All of their fish selections are extremely smooth and cooked just right. Most importantly, their fish was extremely fresh, as if they were just caught moments before serving. The Catch's fish and chips is quite delicious as well, but it can be a little on the dry side.
Selection	Pajo’s	Pajo's offer their diners a choice of Cod, Salmon, and Halibut, for their traditional fish and chips, and a variety of items, such as burgers and salads, that makes use of their three fish selections. The Catch offers only Cod for traditional and chips, but does offer traditional steaks, burgers, and platters.
Service	The Catch	Pajo's is a self served restaurant, meaning that it is essentially your responsibility to grab a seat, pick up your food, and clean up after yourself. If you are looking to relax and have someone do the work for you, The Catch is the place to go.