The Bionic Chef

Johnny James, Managing Editor
Bionic Chef

There are plenty of fine dining options in Kirklees for lunch and dinner service, but what about the most important meal of the day? Serving up some of the tastiest breakfasts and brunches in Huddersfield, The Bionic Chef is for anyone who likes their mornings served with serious flavour.

The Bionic Chef is a family-run contemporary eatery tucked into the scenic village of Shelley, on the edge of the Pennines. The name comes from the unfortunate events surrounding owner and chef Richard Whittaker’s road traffic accident in 2011, which caused him to eventually lose his leg. During his long and painful recovery, the concept of the restaurant crystalised, and in 2018, on the anniversary of the crash, The Bionic Chef opened its doors.

With roots in the catering industry spanning over 20 years, the staff here are passionate about high-quality food that doesn’t fit into one mould; the menu caters to customers’ desire for ever-changing dishes with complex flavours and interesting textures. Take a look at the restaurant’s website, and you’ll notice that the dishes are given satisfyingly no-nonsense titles (waffle, halloumi, cod, lamb, and so on), but this belies their complexity.

On the breakfast menu, if you order the waffle, you’ll be presented with dill buttermilk waffles, cajun fried chicken, maple bacon and lemon paprika mayonnaise. Or order the yoghurt and you’ll be served mango and lime jam, yoghurt brûlée, blueberry sugar and sticky toffee granola.

On the brunch menu, meanwhile, popular items include the pancakes (American pancakes, raspberry cheesecake, shortbread granola, and mojito cream diplomat), the cod (charcoal poached cod fillet, feta and red pepper Basque potatoes, spinach and bacon fricassee and fennel beurre blanc) and the pork (five-spiced pork, kimchi crispy panko scotch egg, wilted pak choi, black bean schezwan, wasabi emulsion and XO pesto).

While this is primarily a breakfast and brunch restaurant, Richard and his team have been expanding their horizons of late. In the spirit of adapting and overcoming, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred The Bionic Chef to produce fine dining meals to be taken away and enjoyed at home. ‘Supper Club @ Home’ unveils a new menu each week, with £29.95 per person getting you three courses of top-quality indulgence. Each menu is more adventurous than the last, with Richard reeling off a seemingly endless list of culinary ideas to keep the taste buds hooked. See a sample below.

With plans to make the Supper Club a more integral part of the restaurant’s post-pandemic model, The Bionic Chef not only boasts some of the best breakfasts and brunches around, but they’re now giving other fine dining restaurants in the area a run for their money on dinner service, too.

Onwards and upwards, it’s clear, is the name of the game at The Bionic Chef. While it remains to be seen what precisely the future holds for this inspiring restaurant, we do know one thing – it won’t be boring.

Barncliffe Mills, Near Bank, ShelleyHuddersfieldHD8 8LU View map
Telephone: 01484 609055 Visit Now

Opening Hours

  • Thursday5:30pm - 8:30pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

What's on near The Bionic Chef

MusicHalifax
Pixies at The Piece Hall

Legendary American rock band Pixies are bringing their unmistakable and era-defining sound to The Piece Hall.

from £47.50

Where to go near The Bionic Chef

Cannon Hall Museum Park & Gardens, Barnsley
Barnsley
Museum
Cannon Hall Museum Park & Gardens

Cannon Hall is a stunning Georgian country house museum with outstanding fine and decorative art collections, set in 70 acres of historic parkland and beautiful landscape gardens. It is the perfect day out for all the family.

Event venue
Cannon Hall Farm

Cannon Hall Farm opened to the public for the first time in 1989. Since that time we have added adventure playgrounds, gift shop, farm shop, two restaurants and an indoor playground.

Music venue
Bates Mill Blending Shed

Bates Mill started life as a spinning mill founded around the turn of the century making woolen yarn. The Blending Shed is a 5,000 sq ft multi-purpose space.

Phipps Hall
Huddersfield
Music venue
Phipps Hall

Part of the University of Huddersfield’s Music Department, Phipps Hall is an intimate concert venue hosting a wide variety of musical events.

Huddersfield
Event venue
St Paul’s Hall

Owned by The University of Huddersfield, St Paul’s Hall is a beautifully converted Georgian church that hosts a wide variety of concerts.

Culture Guides

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.