PROMO Dining / January
Publicity photos and by
Dmitrijs Suļžics (F64)
THE CATCH –
the exquisite flavours of Japanese cuisine
The newly-opened Japanese
restaurant The Catch lets diners find
themselves in two places at once: the
charming Quiet Centre of Riga, which
the restaurant calls home, but also
Japan, the birthplace of sushi.
Alexander Slobine
Antonijas iela 12, Riga
Entrance from Dzirnavu iela
Open: Mon–Thu: 12.00–23.00
Fri–Sat: 12.00–01.00
Sun: 12.00–23.00
Reservations: +371 2777 0091
catchme@thecatch.lv
thecatch.lv
The Catch is a family-run business envisioned by husband-
and-wife team Alexander Slobine and Aleksandra Slobine.
With his extensive local and international experience in
the restaurant business, especially in Asian and Japanese
cuisines, Alexander is the heart and soul of The Catch. It
was he who opened the first Japanese restaurant in Riga
almost twenty years ago, attracting gourmets from the
Baltic region for years after. Now he’s put his knowledge and
experience into this cosy, new restaurant, which he calls his
life’s work.
The Catch combines three basic values that, in
Alexander’s mind, are critical to creating an excellent brand:
experience in the restaurant business, the highest-quality,
best-origin products, and a top-class team. These three
elements also came into play when creating the menu at
The Catch. Though the dining hall isn’t spacious, the menu
represents the best traditions from Japanese cuisine. Here
diners can taste the pride of Japanese food, sashimi, which is
made from only the best raw fish. It is available in two styles:
classic (served on ice with a side order of soy sauce) or in
the new style, currently trending in Europe (with a special
sauce accompanying each fish). The restaurant also offers
sushi rolls and various appetisers as well as meats, fish, and
vegetarian items grilled in the robatayaki style.
The Catch’s team takes pride in its top-quality fish and
shrimp. Here patrons can enjoy bluefin tuna, yellowtail,
sea perch, eel, Scottish salmon, and even such a delicacy as
tuna belly. Alexander points out that even the tiniest details
are important in Japanese cuisine, which is why at The
Catch, for instance, they use only fresh wasabi root rather
than powder. ‘We want to offer our diners only the best, so
we carefully choose our product sources and ingredient
suppliers. To that end, The Catch serves up the best crab
meat from Kamchatka, organically farmed salmon from
Scotland, and our shrimp comes from Mozambique,
Argentina, and other countries,” he says.
Among the guests’ favourite dishes are the bluefin
tuna and tuna belly, which is not just the softest
and priciest part of the tuna, but it is said that no
other restaurant in the Baltics even offers this on its
menu. Diners at The Catch also speak highly of the
only soup on the menu, the chicken ramen, which
features organically-raised, robata-grilled meat over
Japanese noodles prepared by a specially-trained
cook. The team has kept the vegans and vegetarians
in mind, too, offering plenty of dining options besides
meat and fish. One of the favourite vegan menu items
is the wafu spinach salad, which includes avocado,
peanuts, and sesame seeds. The Catch entrusts
the preparation of the traditional Japanese dessert
known as mochi to another specially-trained cook.
The waitstaff at The Catch is most knowledgeable
about Japanese cuisine and can help guests select
the best combinations of foods. Likewise, the service
team can offer equally expert advice on appropriate
cocktail and beverage choices to accompany your
meal. Naturally, one doesn’t want to miss the
opportunity while dining at a Japanese restaurant to
try one of the many versions of the traditional drink
sake, of which The Catch offers a relatively large
selection. But those who prefer stronger drinks will
definitely appreciate the care the bartenders have
taken in assembling an array of cocktails tailored to
pair well with the flavours found in Japanese cuisine.
One favourite cocktail here is the YuzuZuzu, which
consists of sake, Midori, gin, lime juice, and egg
white. By the way, on Friday and Saturday nights
The Catch indeed becomes a small cocktail bar for
residents and visitors to Riga’s so-called Quiet Centre
looking to unwind after the workweek.
The Catch has a homey atmosphere that’s
perfect for conversations and spending time with
friends. It can host up to 35 diners, and guests
admit that the reasonable prices allow one to try
out at least a few different dishes and broaden one’s
experience of Japanese cuisine. ‘The great challenge
and responsibility for any Japanese restaurant is
to provide high quality in all facets of the dining
experience, and we do our best to succeed at this
challenge,’ says the restaurant’s team, backing its
claim that Riga has long deserved an outstanding
Japanese restaurant.
Baltic Outlook
/ 2019 / 115