Friday, 27 March 2009

• Catch

  100 8 Ave SE
  Calgary, AB T2G 0K6
  403-206-0000
  http://www.catchrestaurant.ca

  I'm frequently flying Air Canada and eagerly read each issue of their enRoute magazine when it comes out at the beginning of each month.  In December's issue of enRoute, there is an article covering some of the new fine dining locations in Calgary and some highly rated restaurants.  One of the highly rated restaurants that caught my attention was Catch for its emphasis on seafood even though Calgary is landlocked.

  

  Being situated in a historical building, Catch looks really nice outside and well furnished inside.

  

  Complimentary bread:

  

  The bread was soft inside while still having a crispy crust.  The bread came out warm and even though it didn't come with whipped butter it was good.  We finished two orders of this while we waited for our appetizer.  Actually, I even ate the bread after our appetizer.

  Tempura prawns and sea bass appetizer:

  

  The sea bass was very moist and only subtly flavored.  The tempura prawns were coated it what tasted like a hard crispy cookie.  It looks like there are nuts but those are little large cookie pieces.  I was hoping for more shrimp at $16.

  Catch of the Day, Tuna:

  

  The tuna was on the cold side and not seared too much.  The sour sauced vegetable salad on the top doesn't go well with the saltier sauteed vegetables on the top.  You can find more fresh tuna at quality Japanese restaurants or high end ones like Nobu.  The potatoes were the best part of the dish, which is a sad thing indeed for $34.

  Lobster and Beef:

   

  There's a lobster claw that's fully cooked and didn't taste overly fresh - tasted like rubber.  The beef was well done as requested.  It's nothing like a steak from the Keg.  The bottom was like soggy cereal.  Since it's green it looks like some kind of Japanese cereal.  Very flavorless in some kind of light tasting soy sauce.  Not very delicious for $49.

  Dark Chocolate Trio:

  

  The tiramisu at the far right was the best with a little liquor included.  The middle was like a brownie while the left was like a lemon cake with some light chocolate to cover the sour lemons.  Dessert was pricy at $15.

   

  The service was pleasant but didn't stand out compared to other fine dining location like Canoe.  The dishes were fairly disappointing and didn't taste special at all.  The price was very high for what we got but I guess it's to be expected when eating in downtown Calgary.  The atmosphere was nice and it was very quiet on the Friday night we went.  Overall I have a hard time recommending Catch to anyone.  It's nice looking but nothing more.

  Eric Tummy Points: 3.5 out of 5

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