Weekend Cooking- Some Great Meals in Barbados

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food.

We have visited the Barbados for the past three years in January and it's a wonderful winter get-away. We chose a good time to get away this year- it was 12 degrees in NYC when we left!

It's always sunny and 86 degrees in Barbados, with a nice breeze blowing; the weather is truly perfect. The food is very good, and there are several terrific restaurants that we like to visit. We had dinner at The Tides and Champers as usual, but we added a few new places.

The first night we visited Tapas, which is right on the water, close to our hotel. The food was really good, lots of small plates to share (I had the shark fritters), and the highlight of the meal was my brother-in-law's Mixed Seafood Grill. They also had a nice wine list, though the service left something to be desired.

The Mixed Seafood Grill at Tapas

Of course, we wouldn't miss the Friday night Fish Fry at Oistins. We ate at Uncle George's again, but this year the line was not a hour's wait. We love Uncle George's, it reminds us a little of Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles. You wait in a long line, and then you sit at long picnic tables to eat. 

We met a lovely couple from Britain at our table and enjoyed their company, along with our grilled shrimp, mahi mahi, and macaroni pie (what we call macaroni salad). They served the shrimp on a bed of pasta that was absolutely delicious, and you can't beat the price- less than $20 for the whole meal, and the food is so fresh. 

Uncle George's at Oistins

We had lunch at L'Azure, a restaurant at the Crane Resort, and in addition to a fabulous meal- we all ordered the Oistins Burger, a mahi mahi burger with fries- we had the most gorgeous view of one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Seriously.

Crane's Beach- so beautiful!

Oistins Burger- yum

My husband and his brother visited a rum shack last year that they enjoyed, so this year they brought us ladies for a visit. There are lots of rum shacks roadside in Barbados where people stop off for a drink (or two) and sometimes food. We visited Jenny's Rum Bar, and had breakfast- Chris had fish cakes and the rest of us had egg, ham and cheese on a roll. It was delicious, and the ambiance was even better. Jenny is a lovely woman and we met some of her regular customers, who were friendly and gave us some good tips on where we should go. If you ever visit Barbados, be sure to stop by Jenny's.

Jenny and the guys

Jenny's Rum Bar

Our last dinner was at Champers, which was fabulous as always. We sit right out over the water, with the waves crashing underneath us. The food is amazing; the highlights were Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls, Shrimp & Mango Salad, Grilled Sea Scallops and Parmesan Crusted Barracuda. Between the food, the ambiance and the service, you can't beat it.

Champers (from their website)

If you are a big fish eater, Barbados is the place for you. It's such a lovely place to visit, I'd like to spend more than a few days there next time.

Weekend Cooking- A Barbados Food Feast

My husband and I celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, and along with his brother and his brother's wife (also celebrating 25 years), we took a trip to Barbados last week.

The weather in Barbados is perfect- 80 degrees every day, a nice breeze, and beautiful sunshine. My sister-in-law is curious as to why the sand is always cool to walk on, never too hot, but I don't know why- anyone have the answer?

Anyway, Barbados has some truly fantastic restaurants, and every one we went to, we thoroughly enjoyed. On Fridays, the town of Oistins hosts a Fish Fry. There are dozens of food stands and small restaurants lined up one after the other, most serving fish.

We went to Uncle George's, and even though we were told the wait in line would be about an hour (and it was), it was worth it. And besides, they take drink orders and bring you back a cold beverage while you wait. Banks Beer, the beer of Barbados, was a popular choice. (Don't try the Carib beer- it's not a winner.)

When we got to the front of the line, we placed our order for marlin, tuna and shrimp. Each fish is grilled and comes with cole slaw and a baked potato that is halved and grilled. Tartar sauce is served on the side. You make your way to a picnic table and dig in.

The fish was the best I have ever had! They brush on a seasoned oil when they grill, the same oil they brush on the potato. The big man working the grill was amazing; he had at least six different kinds of fish on the grill, plus the potatoes, and every piece of fish that came off that grill was cooked to perfection; not undercooked, not overcooked, just right. And it only cost $15.

Shrimp dinner at Uncle George's

Marlin dinner at Uncle George's

The atmosphere was fun too. They had stalls where you could buy jewelry ( I got two beautiful bracelets), art work, and souvenirs and everything was $20. The setup reminded me of the New York State Fair.

On Saturday we drove up the west coast to The Tides restaurant. There is an art gallery when you first walk in, filled with beautiful Bajan art work for sale. We got to sit in the treehouse section of the restaurant, right on the beach.

The treehouse

The scenery was gorgeous, and the food was delicious. My husband enjoyed his drink, the Sea Monkey, which was like a martini with raspberries. My favorite dish of the night was the lobster risotto, which they topped with lobster bisque. My chicken entree came with Lemon Cous Cous, a Bajan specialty made with cornmeal. My brother-in-law had the catch of day blackened, and he pronounced it just spicy enough. I highly recommend the Tides for a special occasion.

On Sunday, we went to Champers, a restaurant we had been to previously. You sit outside, right over the water. You can even feel the splash of the water as it hits the rocks below.

Champers

My sister-in-law and I had the Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls and Shrimp Mango Salad, both appetizers, as our meal. The spring rolls were so light and tasty, and the salad was so good, I made it for dinner when we returned home. It is a refreshing change of pace, and I found Bolthouse Tropical Mango Vinaigrette dressing at Fairway Market, so it was easy too.

Shrimp Mango Salad

My brother-in-law had the Parmesan Crusted Barracuda and it was his favorite meal in Barbados. Champers is very romantic, and overall, it had the best food. On the way home, our taxi driver told us he was going there next week for his birthday dinner. Always eat where the locals eat, they know best.

For lunch one day, we had the flying fish sandwich, a Bajan specialty. Everyone enjoyed them. My brother-in-law likes spicy foods, so he tried the Pepperpot, an Indian/Bajan specialty at the Waterfront Cafe. It was very spicy!

I brought home some Mango tea bags so I can have a little taste of Barbados in the afternoon. My brother-in-law brought home some Bajan hot sauce as a souvenir. 

It was an unforgettable trip, and if you have any favorite foods or restaurants in Barbados, be sure to share them in the comments section.

This post is part of Beth Fish Reads' Weekend Cooking.  If you have anything related to food, cookbook reviews, novel or non-fiction book reviews, recipes, movie reviews, etc., head over to Beth Fish Reads and add your post. Or, if you want to read food related posts, head over to read what some interesting people have to say about food!