Tuesday 23 June 2015

Five most fabulous places to dine in Barbados

Barbados is famous for many things; its rich culture, deep history and of course its delicious cuisine. Some even argue it offers the best food in the Caribbean! Hundreds of restaurants populate this small island, each with their own signature style from delicious local seafood to important delicacies.

The Cliff – St James


The Cliff is the most well-known and luxurious (and expensive at $75 per head minimum) restaurant in Barbados, making it a celebrity favourite. The price of your meal becomes a distant memory when you see the unbeatable open-air setting on a coral clifftop above a small cove on the west coast. Unsurprisingly, this incredible setting has place The Cliff at the top of the "most romantic restaurants in the world' list, particularly when the moon-illuminated sea sparkles under a starry sky.
Whilst enjoying the breath taking views and scenery you will enjoy an excellent selection of dishes and an impressive wine list that will excite even the most particular guests. Take your pick from a delicious international menu with dishes from Italy, Thailand, France and of course the Caribbean, all to the highest standard.



Lone Star


This ex-petrol station may not look like much from the entrance, but much like an oyster…looks can be deceiving until you look inside!  With its close proximity to the sea, polished floor boards and bright nautical colour scheme makes this a charm filled, dining location.
Lone star has gathered quite a following and will be thriving with people at dinner time, especially with creative guests from the media and theatre. Dining with ocean-front setting doesn’t get much better than this. Take your time perusing the menu with surprising combinations of influences from all of the globe including India, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. Diner’s favourites include crispy aromatic duck, lamb shank in basic mash and the fresh tuna tartar.



Cin Cin By The Sea – Saint James


In less than four years, Cin Cin has become one of Barbados’ best restaurants; being equally as popular as The Cliff. Sip delicious cocktails at the bar yet trendy interiors before relaxing in the open air dining beside the crystal blue ocean, making Cin Cin of the islands finest seafood hotspots!
Cin Cin could have been transplanted straight from Miami's South Beach, although its laidback Bajan ambience prevents the glitz from ever spilling over into pretentiousness. What's more, the food more than lives up to its swish surroundings.
Open for lunch and dinner, if you’re peckish, you could spend a sunny afternoon enjoying the view with nibbles and cocktails or indulge in their infamously delightful dishes.  The creative menu takes its cue from both Caribbean and Mediterranean cuisine. Jumbo crab cakes with pickled mango, seared yellow fin tuna, fresh king scallops and spiced Atlantic salmon in a citrus banana butter all take their place next to inventive Italian pastas and classic Provençal flavours.

 Daphne’s

This beautiful Italian restaurant next to The House hotel, is a firm favourite with repeat visitors and remains an institution in Barbados dining. This is the Caribbean sister to London’s Daphne’s in South Kensington meaning there is no question of its exquisite food and level of service. The kitchen is led by Chef Marco Festini Cromer, who creates exciting, contemporary dishes with lesser known local specialities which has won him a loyal following of fans…Pickled green banana anyone?

Starters range from classic Italian antipasto, fish carpaccio, and artichoke and asparagus salad with crumbled blue cheese, to shrimp piri-piri and fish soup. The extensive selection continues with a choice of homemade pastas and risottos, grilled meats and fish, and exceptional main plates such as blackened mahi mahi with peperonata, baked red snapper or stewed tiger shrimp with borlotti beans. With ‘Wine Connoisseur’ night offer a large discount of selected wines and champagne, you can’t possibly resist!



Scarlet


Scarlet bills itself as the best place to eat, drink, and play in Barbados. From the outside, this small chattel house will make you double take as it beckons you from the road with its wonderful colours and fabulous disco ball adorning mini porte-cochere.

Scarlet’s interior décor is an offbeat and quirky version of true Hollywood glamour. This is definitely a place to be dressed up and bring a camera! The restaurant has earned a reputation as the before-and-after-dinner watering hole of Barbados’s chic, but anyone making the pilgrimage really should stay for dinner and dessert. This unique, lively restaurant has an excellent selection of international dishes on the menu, it certainly lives up to its claims. The dinner menu, aptly named ‘Hunger’, manages to be unique yet, Caribbean, and most items are served as ‘Little Dishes’, tapas-sized portions ideal for sharing.