Cataract on Paterson — Restaurant in Launceston

Absolutely without a doubt the best meal hubby & I have had since living in Launceston. The service was spot on at all points of the evening, you could see all the staff (who were mostly very young!) were working as a team, and were all smiling!! Special mention to our main waitress Hazel who was just a delight. She made recommendations when asked, she came back multiple times, but not too frequently as we took FOREVER to choose from the incredible menu. She filled water, checked on other drinks, and checked on the meal. Absolutely perfect service, a young lady who excelled at her job.

We order the jalepeno poppers to start. Then we order the paddock to plate & also the crispy calamari that had a Vietnamese inspired salad under it. From portion size, to cook, to the sauces, to the salad, to presentation. 5 starts did not miss!!!!

The background music was lovely. It wasn't too loud. The layout the restaurant also perfect. Even the temperature of the room was lovely to take my coat off and not be cold.

We finished the evening with the creme brulee - another 11/10.

Hazel even came over to let us know her shift was over and who to expect to serve us for the rest of the evening.

Well done Cataract on Paterson. We have eaten at very 'high end restaurants' in melb, Hobart, Brisbane & Gold Coast, but aren't fooled by the pretentious external and general attitude of these places, often these other places have been underwhelming and not to standard for the prices they demand.

This place is priced accordingly to what you get. It's not cheap, but it's not overpriced for the incredible quality of produce, cook, and flavours.

This place is beautifully decorated, feels welcoming, and doesn't smell of snob one bit!!!! You could easily dress in jeans and a nice top and your set.

I just can't fault it. We have already planned to go back with friends. We have found our local!!

Thank you so much! My husband works away and we don't get to spend alot of time together. You gave us such a...

These are my personal comments regarding my recent experience at Cataract on Paterson.

Menu states, "Every dish on our extensive menu has the 'wow' factor and is created from the finest local and seasonal produce." You should clarify that "local" extends to "local to Australia" on your menu.

Personally, I believe that statement is misleading regarding your seafood platter. The menu describes it as:

Seafood Platter

A tempting selection of Tasmanian & Australian seafood including beer-battered gummy shark, crumbed scallops, salt & pepper squid, pan-seared fish, grilled scallop & prawn skewer, grilled Moreton Bay bug, mussel & clam chowder, house-smoked salmon, tiger prawns, and natural oyster, served with house salad, seasoned chips, and a selection of dipping sauces.

Firstly, I am 95% sure that the peeled prawns on the "grilled scallop & prawn skewer" are imported, peeled Vannamei prawns.

Secondly, when offered the option to have my natural oyster swapped for a Kilpatrick oyster, I was never informed that this would incur an additional $1.50 charge. It's not the cost itself, but rather the lack of transparency that bothered me.

Lastly, the Moreton Bay bug I was served was mushy and flavorless. Although it may have been grilled, for those who are knowledgeable, the dark coloration is not "charred" as you might lead the uninformed to believe. It was likely thawed and left for an extended period at 1-4°C, causing increased enzymatic activity that resulted in the head turning black and the flesh becoming mushy.

Apart from the above, my experience was satisfactory.

Replying to Karen:

Dear Karen,

I previously emailed this exact review to you on May 21, 2024, following my dining experience a few days earlier. You just chose to ignore my email until I posted...

My wife and went here for dinner, we are in Launceston for two nights only, visiting from interstate As I do, “google searched best restaurants in Launceston ”, though it was not the first one to come up the “review star rating” of 4.5 got my attention. We had no booking but were here early so tried our luck and we were glad luck was on our side. Great restaurant, great food, great service, excellent service in fact, some of the best I have experienced in Australia. Parking can be a bit tricky and no onsite parking per se, either if you are in luck out front or you may have to walk a bit. I suggest get transport there so you don’t have to drive as they have a great wine selection, you will regret as I did being the nominated driver to limit to one drink only. I had oyster Kilpatrick and my wife had pork tacos for entrée… Pork tacos was especially nice! Really tasty and you get two serves for the pork entrée, good helpings too. Oysters too were nice. For mains my wife had scallops, she said were perfect. I had the “stone” “Paddock to stone”. Very nice! I didn’t realize at the time you cook the meat yourself on the stone! The meat comes out on the stone which is at 400 degrees and you cook to your liking (compliments to the chef, I did a great job!). Just be careful and don’t wear a white shirt, it splatters a bit of oil on you if you are not careful. The food as I said was beautiful, if I could give six stars I would. Though the dessert menu look amazing we passed on it as being too full from what we already ate.

June 2021 - Cam here again while in town for a business trip, not the five stars i gave it last time, 4 stars though... service was not at the standard of last time. i also found their 'sister' restaurant, rupert and...