Dinner at The Catch

Another year has come and gone, and suddenly I find myself making the annual pilgrimage to one of the hottest dive scenes in the world: sunny Grand Cayman. Located at the foot of the Cayman Trench, south of Cuba and due west of Jamaica, the three islands that make up the Cayman Island nation are nothing more than coral atolls growing over the centuries out of the ocean. It is this coral activity - as well as a constant up-swell of nutrient-rich water from the Cayman Trench - that makes it team with ocean life. Combine that with what I like to think of as "1st world" dive operators (you know, companies that don't treat you like a bucket of chum for luring sharks), and you have some damn good diving.


What many people are not aware of is the fact that Grand Cayman sports some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean as well. Much of this can be traced to a renaissance after hurricane Ivan, which slammed the islands in 2004. Ivan's destruction resulted in 2 confirmed deaths, and $2.86 billion in damages, roughly 186% of the nations GDP. If edifices were not outright destroyed, the mold that grew as a result made them unlivable. One of the notable casualties was the Hyatt Royal Brittania, which was featured prominently in the film "The Firm."

From this destruction - like a phoenix born from ash - was a lot of construction. The key development that led to the island's culinary renaissance was that of the Ritz Carlton, which collaborated with seafood master Eric Ripert on their signature restaurant: Blue. Chef Ripert went on to found the Cayman Cookout, a long weekend event hosted by Ripert himself, and featuring many of his culinary friends like José Andrés, Anthony Bourdain, etc. The combination of a rising culinary standard, and an influx in tourism more diversified from historically divers, has pushed the islands culinary scene to new heights with each passing year..

I arrived on the island at 3:30 PM local time, after a delightful four hour red-eye SFO to ORD, five hour layover, and then a three hour plus final leg from the windy city to Grand Cayman. The weather upon arrival was perfect: sunny, eighty three degrees, and only the occasional cloud to disrupt the sunshine. Having arrived at the condo, I made a bee-line to the pool to cool down and swim away the grime of air travel. This was then followed by a quick shower, and then G&T's on the deck as the sun went down. A great start to a vacation!

The perfect compliment to a cold and crisp G&T
2017 Grand Cayman, BWI

Tonight's dinner was set to be at one of the up-and-comer restaurants: Catch Restaurant & Lounge. Located in Morgan's Harbor, ten kilometers north of Georgetown, Catch is the brainchild of
restaurateurs Walter Fajette and Cristiano Vincentini, who wanted to create the ultimate al fresco dining experience paired with the freshest seafood.

Arriving at the restaurant, one is met by a hostess in a covered outdoor foyer that is the main intersection of the restaurant. To one's right is the bar, dead ahead is the indoor dining room, and to the left a giant covered deck along the water for outdoor dining. The Madre and I were led to a square wooden four-top in the deck section overlooking the boats in the harbor. We were greeted by a nice gentlemen who would be our server for the evening, and were promptly provided with menus and wine lists.

After studying both the menu and the wine list, we had our evening sorted out. On a tip from one of the locals, we decided on a tuna sashimi appetizer. We also went with a special smoked wahoo crudo appetizer. I ordered the seafood trio, while the Madre went with the whole Caribbean lobster (which was in season). For wine, we opted to split a half bottle of the Louis Jardot Pouilly-Fuisse.

Crudo of the day: smoked wahoo
2017 The Catch. Grand Cayman, BWI

The crudo was a smoked wahoo, with julianne green apple, sliced star fruit, and what I believe to be an apple white balsamic. The balance of flavors was excellent. The fish had nice smoke flavor, but wasn't overly smokey. The green apple was both tart and sweet. The star fruit added subtle fruit notes, and the light balsamic rounded out the flavor profile by lending balsamic notes that didn't overpower any of the other flavors.

Tuna sashimi
2017 The Catch. Grand Cayman, BWI

The second appetizer ordered was the tuna sashimi. This was served with the fish topping a piece of fried avocado, spicy mayo, and a soy reduction sauce. The tuna was extremely fresh, with a beautiful ruby red color. The fried avocado provided both a contrasting crunchy texture, and creamy notes. Rounding out the flavors was a nice pairing of spicy mayo and soy reduction. Put together, this appetizer was outstanding, and I could have easily just ordered a couple more to make it a full meal.

Seafood trio
2017 The Catch. Grand Cayman, BWI

With the appetizers quickly dispatched, next up was the main course: Seafood trio of shrimp, scallops, and half a lobster tail, served with mashed potatoes and green beans. Both the shrimp and scallops were sauteed, then finished with a red wine mushroom sauce. The sauce wasn't overbearing, allowing the shrimp and scallop to lend their fresh seafood notes while also providing a nice deep palette of flavors to draw from. The lobster was cooked perfectly, with nice buttery flavors. Overall a solid entrée that, while not amazing, did a nice job showcasing quality seafood.

Caribbean lobster
2017 The Catch. Grand Cayman, BWI

While I worked on my seafood trio, the Madre was busy attacking her fresh Caribbean lobster. Served with a white wine garlic butter, I was lucky to try a bite and it was outstanding. As was the lobster in my seafood trio, her's was super fresh, offering rich buttery notes. The melted butter was paired with just enough white wine and garlic to help cut the richness, and further add depth of flavor. If one finds themselves down in the Cayman Islands during Caribbean lobster season (Dec 1 - Feb 28/29), I would highly recommend going for the whole lobster. Absolutely excellent!

Blueberry bread pudding
2017 The Catch. Grand Cayman, BWI

With main courses complete, we decided to satiate our sweet tooth and split an order to the blueberry bread pudding. The bread pudding was served with a mango sauce, fresh blueberries in their sauce, and a dollop of whipped cream. The best thing about this selection was the fact it wasn't overly sweet. The bread pudding itself was cooked perfectly, being warm inside without being overly gooey. While there was some blueberry in the bread pudding itself, it was slight and allowed one to leverage the blueberry and mango sauce on the side to obtain the sweetness they were looking for. Both sauces were fresh with great flavor, and the whipped cream lent creamy sweet notes. Overall an excellent desert that was sweet enough to satisfy that sweet tooth, while not being overly rich or decadent.

In conclusion, The Catch fills a nice role as a tier 2 restaurant: neither overly expensive nor precocious. The service was great, ambiance outstanding, and the food memorable. It most definitely deserves a visit, or for those who frequent the Cayman Islands on a regular basis, part of your dining rotation.