Monday, January 01, 2007Local Dining

Nina O'NealFrom rustic to elegant

If you’re a foodie, then the Virgin Islands is the place for you – I mean for a Territory our size we boast an astonishing array of dining choices. From swanky restaurants to more ah, basic, arrangements – we’ve got it all.

If you like local food and you’re in the capital you can’t beat Palm Groovin’. Try their bean soup on a Thursday or their ox tail on a Tuesday. You can’t want for a better introduction to the rib-sticking kind of food that Virgin Island mothers used to whip up on an almost daily basis, twenty and thirty years ago. And the mauby is great any day of the week! None of that sweet, lifeless taste too many establishments try to pass off as the real McCoy. Palm Groovin’s mauby is tart with a hint of sweetness. Two glasses of it and you’re in a good mood for the rest of the day. Trust me! Now if only management would do something about the décor! Sigh!

Chillin’ Café up at the Peter Island dock is also great for local food. Their ox tail (do we see a trend here?) is spicy, the sauce, thick and dark. Perfecto! Or maybe you can try their salmon or stick to a simple salad. Just don’t order the flying fish sandwich! I have – many times and each time they tell me they don’t have flying fish. Sigh! They do have other fish though and it’s just as good, well, almost anyway. Passion fruit often rounds out my meal. At Chillin’ you can eat either outdoors or in – there’s a good view of the harbour, but for the most part you’re looking out on tugboats and ferries requiring repair and the back of ZBVI. I prefer to eat inside.

If you’re looking for more adventure in your dining choices, then try The Fat Cat above Castle Maria Hotel in MacNamara. They serve Thai food and you can get it regular or spicy. Now I’m one of those people who think I can handle spicy but their spicy is HOT! Be forewarned! My personal favourites there are the Phad Kraprao Kai (chicken stir-fried with basil and rice to you) and the Kang Dang Kai (chicken in red curry with rice). They don’t have local juices so try your selection with an ice-cold beer or a glass of white wine and you won’t miss them.

But why are we sticking to Tortola? Our sister islands have great dining choices available too. The Big Bamboo is always a must-stop for me in Anegada. I just love their lobster. I’m sure they have other things on their menu but most everybody goes for the lobster. And The Big Bamboo doesn’t stand on ceremony – come in your shorts, come in your bathing suit, right off the beach and it’s no problem. Situated on Loblolly Bay, the site of one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, The Big Bamboo is the ultimate place to hang out with friends or to just chill with the latest bestseller. (Check out the bookshelf near the entrance.)

For swanky but unpretentious dining there’s always Little Dix, a hotel and restaurant that’s won raves from the critics. The Pavilion offers daily breakfast and lunch buffets with a wide range of selections. The lunch buffet is really my favourite. I mean I am not a vegetarian and never wanted to be but once you’ve done the wide array of veggies served at the Pavilion, cooked every way imaginable, you really don’t miss the meat. You don’t even think about it. And, the ambiance – the Pavilion has that in spades. This is the place to be if you’re celebrating your tenth anniversary or even your first! And if you have friends or family visiting and want to show off the kinds of impressive views for which the Virgin Islands are famous then the Pavilion absolutely must be a feature of your itinerary!

Is your visiting friend a gourmand of the first rank? Does she sniff out restaurant openings with the single-mindedness of a truffle-hunting pig? Does he have a lifetime subscription to Food and Wine? Then Sugar Mill Restaurant in Apple Bay is the place for you! Impress your visiting foodie with the carrot, ginger and coconut soup and follow it up with the West Indian BBQ shrimp with caramelized pineapple. And this place can do dessert! Take it from the original sugar junkie! The menu changes often but the desserts (from the chocolate and vanilla ice cream terrine to the almond meringue with fruit compote) always show flair and creativity. And the ambience is great too! Stone walls, soft lighting, and the clink of wine glasses! Ah!

And, folks, this is just the tip of the iceberg! The Virgin Islands is truly a food lover’s paradise but don’t take it from me. Go explore for yourself!

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