Pisces, St.Lawrence Gap, Barbados

Moving a tiny bit further down the coast to St.Lawrence Gap, and the famous Pisces restaurant.

Beautiful setting, huge restaurant.

Scallops and shrimps in a thai red curry sauce was pleasant enough, but nothing out of the ordinary.

This dessert made the whole trip worthwhile. It was billed as ‘Key Lime Meringue Pie’, so by rights there should have been some meringue. There wasn’t, but one mouthful and all was forgiven. The light, buttery pastry held a heavenly lime curd, which melted together to make an ecstatic combination of loveliness. Caramelised sugar on the top sharpened and sweetened each mouthful to perfection. My only regret is that, like many ecstatic moments, it was over far too quickly.

© Katheryn Rice 2007

Very Bajan – Carib Bar, Worthing, Barbados

The buffet at the Carib Bar looked so nice I started eating before I got a photo. It’s the perfect example of the Bajan food we came across everywhere in Barbados.

Rice and Peas – Not just a filler, but a tasty dish in its own right, even better here with barbeque sauce
Fried Chicken – simple, ubiquitous, but always a winner
Breaded flying fish – traditional Bajan food – you can’t visit Barbados without eating it at least once.
Salad – counteracts the negative effects of all the treats
Macaroni Pie – the piece de resistance; cheesy, stodgy and moreish

© Katheryn Rice 2007

More Bajan – Bistro Monet, Rockley, Barbados

Bistro Monet was set back from the busy road that runs through Rockley. It looks like a sweet place, but sit out on the veranda with your back to the restaurant and you can watch all the cars and buses driving by.

 

I’ll be brief, lots of Barbados posts to catch up on. The Shrimp cocktail was fine as far as the shrimps were concerned. The curry sauce was a surprise! But all was saved by the fishcakes. Made to a secret recipe, they had a chewy, caramel-like outside but a warm, melt in the mouth inside – unique and delicious, but still a secret according to the staff.

And now for the main course. Coconut and ginger mahi-mahi.

Asian-style sauce in the Caribbean? It really worked, and did not overpower the delicate fish. I was disturbed later on to hear someone refer to it as ‘dolphin’. I really did not want to have eaten dolphin. But after further investigation I discovered that it is also know as ‘dolphin fish’. It’s not actual dolphin – phew!

If you are in Barbados, you are likely to be accustomed to the busy, built-up ness of the place, and hopefully you will not be too concerned about this eatery’s proximity to the rest of Rockley. The pristine food and meticulously-prepared cocktails will more than make up for that.

© Katheryn Rice 2007

Even more American – Bert’s, Rockley, Barbados

Filling up on mango daiquiris before we started eating was probably a bit short sighted, but how could you not? Mr Rice and his colleagues were as keen as I was, so we got a pitcher full.

Bert’s is a vast sports bar with ice hockey, football, boxing and baseball on screens that are in view wherever you sit – in a booth. I don’t suppose you get much more American than this, but again, the company rendered the surroundings largely irrelevant. There was nothing unexpected on the menu, so we settled for chicken wings, burgers, pizza.

The chicken wings were tender and moist, lots of barbeque sauce and not too greasy. Psychologically, a garnish of carrot and cucumber sticks with the sour cream gives you a tiny weeny feeling that you are being healthy.

We were in the Caribbean for the Cricket World Cup. I went for the roasted vegetable pizza called the ‘Wicket Keeper’. It was a pretty good antidote to rest of the meal, and I almost felt redeemed as I tucked in. The final straw was the pineapple and strawberry daiquiri, which was equally sugary and sweet – and the last straw. We were in an American sports bar and we stuffed ourselves. When in Rome and all that.

© Katheryn Rice 2007

Reunited Rices – BBQ Barn, Rockley, Barbados

Mr Rice sure knows how to treat his woman. He was watching the Cricket World Cup with his camera for a few weeks in the Caribbean while I stayed home with only my salad for company. Luckily I was able to visit him in Barbados for a week or so as the competition was coming to an end. On our first night together after 4 weeks he took me for chicken at the Barbeque Barn. Who needs wine and roses when you’ve got Mr Rice and deep fried mozzarella sticks?

We had a lovely time, catching up over chicken, rice and peas and a deep fried platter of onion rings, cheesy jalapenos and breaded mozzarella sticks. It was all pretty American, sitting in a booth eating fried food, but the restaurant itself seemed to be filled with locals, which tends to be a good sign. Cheap, quick and harmless food in an all American setting. I’m looking forward to something more Bajan tomorrow!

© Katheryn Rice 2007