Nigel Finley is a Nova Scotia man, so he grew up around some of the best, freshest seafood in the country. “It’s in my blood,” he says. That’s a good thing, because he’s heading up the kitchen at Catch, an upcoming seafood restaurant by The Rushton’s Frank Pronesti.
Currently under construction at the site of the former Fillipo’s pizza joint — nearly brushing shoulders with The Rushton — Catch hopes to bring its take on Mediterranean-style seafood to the neighbourhood by November.
Finley, who was previously head chef at Bloom Restaurant, is looking forward to creating a menu that highlights such varieties as sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herring or periwinkles. “Forgotten fish are really beautiful to me,” he says. A sizeable oyster selection is also expected, as well as a few non-seafood selections like steak or chicken.
Most seafood items will be Ocean Wise certified, so don’t expect Chilean sea bass or marlin. Prospective purveyors could include Osler Fish Warehouse, Newport Market Place, Hooked and more.
The cuisine will center around traditional cooking techniques (grilling, pan searing, pan roasting, and the like) but Finley isn’t adverse to experimenting with raw preparation, ceviche and maybe a bit of sous vide.
Catch will be all about sharing, so portions will be smaller and prices will likely stay under $20. Currently, the plan is for around 44 seats inside (including bar seating) along with a 40-seat patio. Décor will be handled by Fraser Designs and Associates (Centro, 360 Restaurant and Oakville’s Cucci).
As for ambience, owner Frank Pronesti says Catch will be a completely different beast than The Rushton.
“The biggest challenge,” he says, “will be not to compete with myself, but to complement myself.”
Catch, 744 St. Clair W., 416-658-0568