Restaurants

Catch

40 Liverpool Street,  London,  EC2M 7QN
020 7618 7200  / www.andazdining.com/catch / view map

Surveyed 08/02/2012
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About this restaurant

Located at the metropolitan Liverpool Street interface between city slickers, regional commuters and edgy East Londoners, Catch is part of Andaz, a chicly reinvented, Gothic red brick railway hotel. It’s a curious mix of styles, with a marble staircase and heraldic stained glass windows. There’s a large seafood counter but, although well-spaced, tables are on the small side: the overall effect is grandiose but somewhat soulless.

The emphasis is on fish, although there are a few exceptions such as Dedham vale beef and buttermilk-poached, black feathered chicken breast (presumably sans the feathers). These sort of geographical or varietal descriptions are not unusual when it comes to meat or wine provenance but it is rare to see the same care taken over fish and shellfish. Farmed Spanish turbot is roasted with Scottish langoustines, jerusalem artichokes, chestnuts and sauce bisque (£25); line-caught Cornish grey mullet pan-fried with grey shrimps, cucumber, potato and dill (£20). Wild Dover sole is fished by the Hastings fleet. There are half a dozen different oysters including wild, handpicked Blackwater rock, and a daily ‘Catch of the Market’ served in a variety of ways with a choice of different sauces.

Martin Scholz cooks with style and fine-tuned sensibility: South Devon crab tian and crostini are set off by avocado, preserved lemon gelée and creme fraiche foam (£16); Wiltshire river trout is citrus-cured and accented with farmed malossol caviar, carrots and sour cream. Tapas nibbles include green, early harvest olives from Sicily, and crispy Iceland prawn balls with tartar sauce. And for those with less opulent tastes, there are five star fish and chips.

The extensive, highly desirable wine list has a good selection by the glass and enough bottles of bubbly to celebrate anyone’s bonus.

They say...

Catch is committed to bringing Ocean conservation to the table through the use of responsibly sourced fish. We take great care to select and serve seafood from sustainable sources, according to the correct breeding season, whilst always encouraging our customers to try different species in our endeavour to alleviate pressure from exploited stocks.

We say...

Catch is one of Fish2Fork’s flagship restaurants, and we congratulate Martin Scholz for his enthusiasm, principles and commitment to serving only sustainably approved produce from Indian King prawns to Loch Duart salmon. Menus reflect the varieties accurately - and where the information cannot be included due to lack of space, more detail is in the Catch Species Guide available to customers. ‘Catch of the Day’ is also clearly identified, and diners told not just what it is but where it comes from and how it is caught.

The fish and shellfish at Catch is sourced through James Knight of Mayfair, a company that has worked willingly with us on questions of transparency and traceability.

Catch is a marvellous example to all.