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View Full Version : Review: Oceana Seafood, Steakhouse & Bar



flipstah
06-21-2010, 01:51 PM
To do something nice, I took my parents out for Father's Day dinner at Catch. I had a discount voucher so might as well give this place a shot.

Oceana Seafood, Steakhouse & Bar
101 7 Street Southwest
Calgary, AB
(403) 245-8787

Ambiance/Atmosphere: 8/10

Located near Eau Claire and a stone’s throw away from the Bow River, Oceana has a modern décor, with neutral color, and comfortable seating. They also have patio dining, and window viewing.

It’s well decorated and it presents itself as an upscale dining experience.

Food: 7/10

They primarily specialize in seafood but they also have meat dishes, which we didn’t order.

I had the crab cakes ($12), which came out as four patties with a bowl of house mayo. The crab cakes were dry, bland, and didn’t taste any better with the mayo. There was also a portioning issue because the mayo:crab cake ratio was way off; too much mayo and it was just wasted away.

My mom had the Manhattan seafood chowder ($7.50), which was meaty and delicious. The soup was too watery for my liking ,but it was flavorful. Not bad.

For main course I had the Arctic Char ($29), which came with some grilled veggies and rice pilaf. Seriously, I need to find out who thought of portions here because my plate had 80% fish, 20% sides. It’s great for the price, but why have sides if you’re going to have so little?

The Char was grilled just right, albeit underseasoned; I need to ask for the salt shaker for this. The skin underneath was crispy and packed a punch; it complemented one another. Now I understand.

My mom had the Fisherman’s Platter ($24), which was a smorgasbord of battered fish with fries. You get a lot of food and tasted alright, but was underseasoned.

My dad had the bouillabaisse ($26), which had more soup than meat; the mussels were tiny, the shrimp was lacking in numbers, and it was disproportioned. Seriously, what is the deal with the portions here?

Service: 7/10

Our server was nice, but the food took a while to get to our table. It was meh, so nothing big to write about here.

Pricing: 6/10

Pricey. The bill came to $115, which was a lot to take. The main dishes justified their cost, but their apps lack the punch, and they don’t have free refills. Tsk tsk.

Overall: 7/10

If I didn’t have a discount voucher for this place, I wouldn’t normally go here. There are better places for less (i.e. Catch.)

I have another voucher so maybe next time, it'll be a better experience.

t-im
06-21-2010, 01:54 PM
Good review - generally how I feel about Oceana...it's OK, but there is better elsewhere.

Last few times I've been there it's been quite empty (maybe one or two small tables on a Friday night). Same with Q Haute (creepily empty but open and fully staffed).

flipstah
06-21-2010, 02:29 PM
Originally posted by t-im
Good review - generally how I feel about Oceana...it's OK, but there is better elsewhere.

Last few times I've been there it's been quite empty (maybe one or two small tables on a Friday night). Same with Q Haute (creepily empty but open and fully staffed).

It's great but not for the price they're asking for.

taemo
06-21-2010, 02:46 PM
they served us rotten mussles (tasted and smelled funny)
they gave us a $20 gift card..don't think we ever used it.

a 6/10 for me. there are better restaurants out there.

flipstah
06-21-2010, 02:51 PM
Originally posted by taemo
they served us rotten mussles (tasted and smelled funny)
they gave us a $20 gift card..don't think we ever used it.

a 6/10 for me. there are better restaurants out there.

Really? Sick. :barf:

Was it the raw apps like oysters or a cooked dish? For me, I try to avoid raw oysters in land-locked areas.

taemo
06-21-2010, 02:57 PM
Originally posted by flipstah


Really? Sick. :barf:

Was it the raw apps like oysters or a cooked dish? For me, I try to avoid raw oysters in land-locked areas.

it was a cooked pasta dish with tomato sauce.
we ordered the Hot Appetizer Platter to Share, too pricey for what you are getting and tasted average.

npham
06-21-2010, 03:00 PM
Flip, why didn't you use 2 vouchers? If you have 4 people, I think you should have been able to use 2. But thanks for the heads up, I know what I should stay away from.

flipstah
06-21-2010, 03:02 PM
Originally posted by taemo

we ordered the Hot Appetizer Platter to Share, too pricey for what you are getting and tasted average.

Oh that $50 one? I saw that and I thought that was a rip-off. :thumbsdow

I have another shot, so wish me luck. Any request for what dishes to try?


Originally posted by npham
Flip, why didn't you use 2 vouchers? If you have 4 people, I think you should have been able to use 2. But thanks for the heads up, I know what I should stay away from.

I was only eligible to use one voucher because we had 3 people. My younger brother went out partying with high school grads. Rocking the cradle. :rofl:

Also, to paint you a picture of the odd portions:

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n205/dj_flipster/IMG00042-20100619-2012.jpg

:nut:

taemo
06-22-2010, 08:22 PM
Originally posted by flipstah


Oh that $50 one? I saw that and I thought that was a rip-off. :thumbsdow

I have another shot, so wish me luck. Any request for what dishes to try?




to not go back haha.
i didn't actually mind the hot platter so maybe that if you feel baller but yeah the portion is small for how much you're paying.

msommers
06-22-2010, 10:58 PM
Have you been to Big Fish? If so, how does it compare? I really like it there when I don't feel like spending a lot, like at The Catch lol.

flipstah
06-23-2010, 09:41 AM
Originally posted by msommers
Have you been to Big Fish? If so, how does it compare? I really like it there when I don't feel like spending a lot, like at The Catch lol.

Yup, and to sum it up...

Big Fish >>> Oceana

:thumbsup:

Oceana is not that bad nor that great; they're 'meh.' But for the price they ask for (>$25 entrees), I expect way more.

clem24
07-02-2010, 12:01 AM
Went to Oceana on Monday to use my Groupclick coupon. Without the coupon, definitely not worth it. With the coupon, the price was about right. I ordered steak with scallops, which was something like $44. My wife had pickerel. My friend and my cousin had arctic char and scallops respectively. The bill with 2 appys, 4 entrees, and 2 desserts (no drinks at all, only water) was $200 before tip. Very hefty for what you get. But because of the coupon, we basically got $70 off, which brought the meal down to what it should've cost in the first place.

The food:

My steak was exceptionally well done. It was very tender and very juicy. It was cooked perfectly. Much better than many of the crappy to mid-grade steak houses like the Keg and Smugglers. The scallops were also perfectly cook as well. Very large (like the size of a huge marshmallow, which is very rare that you get served something this big) and very tender. It had a crisp texture on the outside, which my co-worker from my East Coast says is not common in Calgary. All in all, quality was excellent, but I got only got 2 scallops with my steak, which I felt didn't quite justify $44.

Everyone else enjoyed their food quite a bit. As pointed out, the fish portions are quite huge, but again, I can't really say that alone justifies the price.

All in all, I'd go back, but ONLY if I had another coupon.