Dining Out

By Suzanne Parker

One of the best things about living in Queens is the easy access to exotic dining. A case in point is The Catch Restaurant in St. Albans, a pocket-sized eatery with bragging rights to being Queens' only restaurant specializing in the cuisine of Barbados.

Barbados is the easternmost of the Caribbean islands. When the British claimed Barbados as theirs in 1627, there were no indigenous inhabitants of the island. European settlers brought over African slaves to work the sugar plantations. Today the majority of the population is descended from slaves. The cuisine that evolved melds African and British influences with local crops and seafood.

As with so many culinary traditions born of hardship, ingenuity has triumphed over deprivation, bringing forth some mighty tasty eating in the process. Just as was the case with soul food in the American South, the slaves of Barbados didn't just make do with the master's leavings, but turned it into a culinary heritage worth celebrating. And celebrating “Bajan” cuisine is what it's all about at The Catch Restaurant.

The Catch is a family affair. Vicki Cutter, whose youthful good looks belie the 10 years she spent as a music teacher in the New York City public school system, gets help from her mother, sister and brother. Her brother designed the restaurant, adhering to the color scheme of the flag of Barbados: turquoise, blue and yellow. The multi-hued mosaic tiles around the counter echo the similarly colored and patterned floor tiles. The mood is tropical and festive.

The best time to catch The Catch is on the weekend. That is when there is a full range of traditional Barbadian foods, and sometimes music. If you come during the week, the offerings combine a few Barbadian standards with both general Caribbean dishes and soul food classics.

Flying fish and cou-cou is the national dish of Barbados. Ms. Cutter prepares the flying fish either steamed or fried. It is a delicately flavored, slightly oily fish that is delicious prepared either way. The steamed version comes in a lusty sauce made with chopped scallions, a gentle touch of hot pepper, garlic and other dried herbs. The fried version is encased in an exquisitely crisp, minimally greasy batter with a subtle but identifiable flavor.

We were told that the secret ingredients in the batter are ketchup and cloves. This exemplary batter is used on all the fried offerings here (various types of fish and chicken) and we're confident that you won't go wrong with any of them. To eat the aforementioned in the Bajan manner, a mustard-based hot pepper sauce is provided. Although the sauce was proffered with warnings, we only found it mildly incendiary.

Cou-cou, the de rigeur accompaniment, is a bland, polenta-like preparation made with cornmeal and okra. During the week cou-cou is unavailable, but you can substitute macaroni pie, a Bajan specialty that even the pickiest child will love. It an individually baked round of macaroni baked with Australian cheddar cheese and other cheeses. We were told that in Barbados New Zealand cheddar is always used, but is unavailable here.

As an alternative to the flying fish platter, you can also order a “cutter,” the Bajan term for a sandwich. Two generous filets of battered fried flying fish come on a salt bread bun, a Caribbean bread.

Pudding and souse is another dish unique to Barbados. It is more of an acquired taste than the flying fish and cou-cou. Both pudding and souse are enjoyed cold. The pudding is made from grated sweet potato with scallions, onions, sugar and spices stuffed into a sausage casing. It is sweet with a mild afterburn, and easy to love. The souse part of the team is pork parts drenched in a pickled sauce made of cucumber, hot and sweet peppers, lime juice and salt. The sauce is a delight, but the pork itself is the legacy of former hardship. The dish utilizes what were once the cast-off cuts of the master, such as the head and trotters and other cartilaginous parts. We savored the sauce, but were squeamish about the less meaty bits.

Desserts at The Catch are another education in Bajan cuisine. It's easy to grasp the connection between British and Barbadian cuisine by the dense sweets like cassava pone, and conkies, a pudding made by steaming cornmeal, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and raisins in banana leaves. The result is similar in texture to English Christmas pudding.

The Bottom Line

The Catch is a wonderful resource for aficionados of Caribbean cuisine, or anyone who wants to try something new and different. Stop by during the week for some fried or grilled fish, oxtail stew, Caribbean-style curries and other Caribbean and soul food goodies, or on the weekend for a real Bajan experience.

The Catch

114-32 Farmers Blvd.

St. Albans, NY 11421

718-264-7600

Cuisine: Barbadian

Setting: Tiny, mainly geared for takeout, but a few tables

Service: Friendly, informative

Hours: Breakfast, lunch & dinner Monday—Saturday.

Reservations: No

Alcohol: No

Parking: Ample on street

Dress: Casual