will be back. cataract on paterson is so much nicer then the previous occupants of the building!
since taking it over they have upgraded the interior giving it a more cosy and intimate feel. where previously the areas was high ceiling, bright lighting and large tables it had more of a function centre feel to it and often wasn't busy. now, the ceiling has been lowered slightly, lighting dimmed with funky hanging bulb lights, the length of one wall covered to provide an 'exposed brick' appearance which is all the rage at the moment, with the back wall being covered in a bookcase and ornaments, the tables are separated by 'boards' which help close off each area into a more private space. all these changes make it more appealing to stay for longer and enjoy the experience, although i would mention the carpet could do with a change!
so, we went for my partners mothers birthday and were quickly seated and offered menus, the place was fairly busy and our drink orders were taken. having previously looked at the menu on their website i already had my sights set on the stone which i had heard was amazing. for entre my partner and i shared the calamari, which was enough to share when we were having a main each and having seen other meals come out they looked substantial. the calamari was extremely tender and as a seafood lover i rate it highly.
for main i ended up ordering the seafood stone, which allows you to cook your own seafood on a 400 degree hot stone right at your table! don't be alarms though the waiters offer assistance if your unsure of how to cook it, but i'm not sure though that don't know would bother with the hassle so really its a non issue! the selection of seafood i was provided with included oysters, mussels, calamari, prawns, scallops, scallops in prosciutto, salmon and flat head, served on ice and with amazingly crisp chips, tarter and some veggies.
other mains on our table were the eye fillet on the stone and the lamb rack all receiving good comments!. noticing other meals being taken out the crumbed scallops looks huge! and i am very tempted to try the slow cooked lamb shanks next time. one critic of the menu is the lack of variation with the sides, the only option is really chips or mashed potato and steams veg or salad, so some changes here may be beneficial.
the timing of the meals to come out was very good and our personal waiter was excellent, i will note however one female waiter was rather rude when she walked over to out table without consulting if we were done with the wine list and taking it out from under us.
as it was a birthday my partner and i had made a cake for the dessert and i quickly signalled to the waiter we were ready for it. after half and hr and still no cake we did have to let the birthday girl in on the surprise as she was ready to leave. i informed the waiter of this and when it came out the chefs had tried to move the 2 layered choc mouse cake from the container base i had it on onto their own to make it look nice, however the end result was that it appeared as though they had dropped it and tried to rectify it by decorating with their own cream. a funny result had they been upfront with us straight away rather then make uswaitthe 30mins, and i understand the intention of presentation but perhaps to think that next time a mouse cake taken out and fiddled with in a hot industrial kitchen may not last to well. the end result is that while the cake still tastes great (less the cake base which they seemed to have lost) they did remove the cakeage for the inconvenience and we found it hilarious.
with all of this i am happy to say that we have booked in again within a week of our dining experience and i am taking my family their for mothers day! it will be very busy as i know they are booked out so hopefully they live up tot he dining experience i have had. i will be ordering the seafood on the stone again i think, perhaps extra chips as they were so crisp i cant go past them, but i might try their dessert this time and see how they present theirs ;)