Weekend Cooking- Vacation 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 made our annual vacation trek to Barbados last week with my husband's brother and his wife, and once again it was a relaxing, fantastic week. We even got a bonus day due to the snowstorm that socked in NYC! (I know, aww, poor us.)

This time instead of staying at the Hilton Resort, we rented a villa right on the beach and this was the way to go. It was a gorgeous home, with a huge veranda, private pool, hot tub, a gazebo overlooking the sea and a private entrance to the beautiful beach.

Looking out from our veranda

A private cook came with the villa, and Darlene cooked us breakfast and lunch most days. Each morning we had scrambled eggs and bacon with fresh fruit and it was the perfect way to start our days.

We asked her what was the one dish that her children asked to make, and when she said chicken and rice, we asked her to make it for us. Boy, was it delicious! She marinated the chicken in lime juice, salt and pepper, then breaded it and fried it on the stove top.

It was the best fried chicken I ever had! It didn't taste greasy at all, just juicy and full of flavor. She added beans and pigeon peas to the rice, and made a sauce that my husband his brother raved about. Darlene's homemade coleslaw and a fresh salad rounded out the fabulous meal.

Darlene's lunch

This disappeared off my plate pretty quickly

If you visit Barbados, going to Oistins Fish Fry on Fridays is a must. We always wait in line at Uncle George's for our meal of grilled shrimp and mahi mahi, with grilled potatoes and macaroni pie. It is the freshest, most simply prepared and most delicious fish you will ever eat.

Everyone sits at picnic tables, and you will always meet someone interesting to chat with while you eat. You can wander the shop stalls and get some souvenirs (I got a cross necklace) and watch the guys playing dominoes. We look forward to this every year.

The crowd at Uncle George's

Our delicious meals at Uncle George's

The guys playing dominoes

Working the grill at Uncle George's

There are so many wonderful restaurants in Barbados, and we visited an old favorite, The Tides, and tried a few new ones. Scarlet is a tiny restaurant in a small building that you might pass by if you didn't know any better.

The interior decor is red walls with reproductions of Andy Warhol's iconic paintings of Jackie Kennedy along one wall and Marilyn Monroe along the opposite wall. The presentation of each plate was as wonderful as the food itself. The appetizers were particularly good, with the sesame prawn toast with a sweet and sour dipping sauce and crusted and panko crusted chicken strips with pesto mayo the big hits.

The sesame prawn toast presentation at Scarlet

The other new place we tried is a restaurant new to the island- Cin Cin. It has a very Miami Beach vibe, all sleek glass and white walls. It is gorgeous! We ate out on the terrace, right on the water. The service was impeccable, and the food was amazing.  I had the crabcake appetizer, which was fabulous. Three of us had the mahi mahi special, poached over linguine with shaved zucchini, cherry tomatoes and asparagus. The fish was so tender, it melted in your mouth. Our specialty cocktails were rather enjoyable too.

Cin Cin, from their website

Mahi Mahi over linguine at Cin Cin

Crab cakes at Cin Cin

I highly recommend visiting Barbados if you have never been; the weather is always a perfect 84 degrees, the view is spectacular and the food is top notch.

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!