Catch 122 Bistro
I should have taken it as a hint when I tried looking for reviews on dinner at Catch 122 but everything I found was focused on its brunch. Still, with brunch apparently being so good, how bad could dinner be?
I started with the Pina Colada cocktail [not pictured, sorry, the lighting was so dim that the only photos I got of it were blurry!]. Now, I want to preface this by saying in no way did I expect a typical pina colada in slushy form that you get from an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. I thought it might be like a proper bellini, where it's completely fluid, served in a flute glass unlike those slushy ones you get at Cactus Club or Milestones. What I got though, tasted nothing like a pina colada. It was extremely tart and all I could taste was an overpowering citrus flavour - lime. I tasted no pineapple and no coconut. I hesitantly asked the waitress if I was served the correct drink, only to be told [embarrassingly] that yes, that was the pina colada but they "do it different here." The waitress was super nice and brought me a small glass of additional pineapple juice. I poured some in but honestly I still didn't taste pineapple, the lime flavour just continued to overpower it. It wasn't until towards the end of the drink that I thought, "eh, why the hell not" to extend the life of the drink and poured the entire glass of juice into my cocktail that I tasted a hint of pineapple. The cocktail would have been OK if that's the flavour profile I was expecting... but wanting something tropical with pineapple & coconut... I was thoroughly disappointed in it.
Fried Chicken with Dill Ranch and Chow-Chow
We started with the fried chicken, which was nicely crisp and seasoned with juicy meat underneath. The chow-chow had some heat to it and as someone who doesn't normally like pickled items, this was quite tasty in small amounts. The ranch didn't seem to bring much to this other than some moisture. Was this dish worth $11? NO. I feel ripped off having paid that much for 4 chicken nuggets.
Beef Cheek with Leek Soubise, Parmesan, and Radicchio
The beef cheeks were tender and had some deep flavour to them (though they weren't as fall-apart tender as I've had elsewhere). My favourite part was probably the Parmesan crisps on top, which has me inspired to try making them at home! There were 3 small chunks of beef cheeks on this plate for $17. WHAT. I'm really started to feel like I got robbed as I write this and relive the hunger.
Duck Breast with Farro, Roast Carrot, Brussel Sprouts, Puffed Grains, Duck Jus
Both the fried chicken and beef dishes were supposed to be "tapas style" and therefore smaller portions (the menu can be a little bit confusing, being part "tapas" style and part main entrees; you can identify which is which by looking at the prices). This duck one though, was supposed to be a main entree for one person. My favourite part about this dish was the farro. It was cooked al dente, seasoned perfectly, and was creamy without being too saucy. I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that they can say the dish includes brussel sprouts when there is literally like maybe 1.5 brussel sprouts on here... The duck meat itself was cooked nicely (as you can see from the pink colouring above), but the skin was soggy. They had not rendered it properly and therefore it wasn't crispy at all. The amount of duck you get is also quite disappointing, especially for what's supposed to be an entree at a whopping $31.
Overall, I won't be coming back here for dinner. There are just way too many better options with food quality either better or on par with Catch 122, but at a way more reasonable price. Recently I watched a show that highlighted how the restaurant industry needs to revamp its portion sizes because they're getting out of hand. While I agree and think maybe Catch 122 is going along the right lines portion-wise, their prices should follow suit.