Catch 122 Cafe Bistro

It was Sam's Birthday a couple of weeks ago. As with birthday traditions we had originally planned to go out for Birthday Breakfast however I ended up getting called into work, luckily I was off by mid afternoon so we had Birthday lunch instead! Erica was actually available too so I had the pleasure of grabbing lunch on a gorgeous sunny day with two of my favourite people. These two are very special friends to me as they have been by my side through the darkest times, plus they are just all around fantastic human beings and not to mention very good looking. Who wouldn't want to be their friend? But they're my friends. Not yours. Hah.

They also like to correlate their outfits together.

When we went to Wildebeest last time we saw this other funky looking restaurant next to it so we decided to try it. Catch 122 is right beside Wildebeest and sports the same type of rustic looking decor. In fact, I think they share the same brick wall.

When we went in it was pretty dead with only two other tables. Yet with so little tables and three different employees around, it still took us a long time and many attempts before we got someone's attention. At first I thought they were way too overstaffed for a Monday afternoon, but clearly that wasn't the case since service was still so slow.

I opted for a mocha since I was beginning to the feel the after effects of work. It was a good cup of coffee made with full bodied espresso and good quality chocolate. They also served up old school sodas in glass jars, which I thought was very fitting with the theme of the restaurant they had going.

 

Because Catch122 felt so similiar to Wildebeest, I wondered if they were actually owned by the same owner/company. Haven't figured it out yet, but I'm going to assume no since it just doesn't seem very smart to open two restaurants next to each other. Plus the food did not compare.

Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Birthday boy ended up ordering the best dish. I had a bite and it was pretty good. It was a little on the cheesy side but hey we are dealing with a grilled cheese sandwich here. I forgot the name of the sandwich Erica got (below) but I remember it was a vegetarian one. Being a carnivore myself I laughed at how a sandwich can be a sandwich with no meat, no substance. But it did prove me wrong as it was a delicious sandwich. The soup was the daily soup (I forgot what it was now) but that unfortunately was disgusting.

 There actually was a Croque Monsieur on the menu, which I thought was very funny since I had a Croque Madam the last time next door. Perhaps they were married but the  Madam caught the Monsieur with a buttery Croissant and kicked him out.  Yes, sandwiches can have affairs too you know. I was tempted to order it but decided to try something different and settled for the lamb meatball sub. 

You know how sometimes you go to restaurant and everyone orders their meal and you hope yours won't end up being the bad tasting one? Well I was that person that day. My sandwich was just downright disappointing. Meatball subs should be sloppy, messy, and require two hands. This one was a total let down. It was barely warm, didn't have enough sauce and tasted pretty bland.  Honestly Subway's meatball sub gives me better satisfaction and for half the price. Boys, you should never disappoint your woman. I probably just gave that sub self confidence issues now and he'll never be able to perform well again.

Catch 122 has a nice ambiance to it and I enjoyed my lunch there, but it was more so from the company than anything else (read above: awesome friends). Unless you're feeling up for inattentive staff, slow service and overpriced medicore food, I would not recommend it. Better off going to console poor Mrs Croque Madam next door. 

Spring

Now that my allergies have passed, I can finally enjoy Spring! I actually do like this season with all its pastel colours, blooming flowers and sunshine. Even the rain seems to be more gentle in the Springtime.

Sunday Smorgasbord

I've known my friend Michael since way back in Elementary school. Throughout the years we would always go and hang out together with our group of friends and he would generally be present, except on Sundays. On Sundays Mike was never available because he would be off working and helping at his parent's restaurant. A Chinese Restaurant called Silver Dragon. Now this place was almost like a mythological place to me, not just because of the name. It was just a place I would hear about but have never seen or gone to, much like Atlantis or Five Guys.

So Michael had announced that this weekend was going to be the last day of his parents operating the restaurant because they were going to retire. Mind you, its not that we don't want to support our friend's family business all these years, it was just slightly inconvenient. But seeing that it was our last opportunity to go, we all decided to head out to Silver Dragon for dinner, in White Rock. I honestly don't remember ever going specifically to White Rock for anything besides passing by to go to the States. Our car went a little bit earlier so we could go visit the beach. See, I heard "beach" and decided flip flops were in order, but this place was not so much beach but giant dock. We arrived just on time to catch the sunset.

 

Train tracks and sunsets, totally looked like a setting for a wongfu production video. It was a pretty romantic location. Luckily I did have a couple on hand to take pictures of.

A train actually did roll through while we were there, which was surprising to me, I didn't think those tracks were still functioning. We also walked down the long dock, and was reminded it wasn't quite summer yet as it got rather cold after the sun had set.

Our Romantic Stroll

It was actually quite the nice area there. Lots of unique looking restaurants along the water as well, if it wasn't so far away I might actually consider going back to try eating at some of those places. After our romantic stroll on the docks we met up with our friends at Silver Dragon. 

With a name like Silver Dragon, and its location out in White Rock, you can probably guess that its a Chinese Restaurant catered to white people. I'm not saying that in an offensive way, I'm just saying it in a sweet and sour pork way. I was surprised though, most of the food did still taste authentically Chinese and didn't have its flavors modified to more of a Western liking. Those chicken wings were my favourite. I can't believe I've been friends with Mike all these years and he's only introduced me to them on the last possible day. What the hell. 

Oh and lets not forget the Smorgasbord! The newest word added to my vocabulary. On Sundays there is the Smorgasbord. What is a smorgasbord you ask? A buffet offering a variety of different foods ranging from ginger chicken to french fries. We opted for the a la carte though and filled our table with too much food. Just the way I like it.

Seeing that we were in such a place of significance, we had to get a group shot outside. See! I wasn't lying. Silver Dragon and its Sunday smorgasbord. I finally got to try it!

Almost everyone managed to make it out, which is sadly becoming a rare occurrence thanks to all of our different schedules.  Angela wasn't able to make it though because she had work. She was actually starting her first day at her new store with her newly promoted position. On the way home we made a stop to visit her in Surrey.

So that concludes the highlight of my Easter weekend. We all drove all the way to White Rock to eat Chinese food. As absurd as it was, it was a great adventure. Thanks Mike for inviting us!