Last years New Years Eve was a bit of a disaster when we were staying in La Palma and discovered that the city shut down for New Years Eve, we ended up eating a meal outside under an umbrella in the rain! I am pleased to report we had no such problems this year. We had a very nice meal in a proper West Indian restaurant (no money spent on décor, bench seating and friendly informal service) and then sat on the dockside with a bottle of wine watching the world go by before a firework display at midnight. It did not rain and of course was nice and warm.
Our hotel had a “Gala Dinner” and had a fancy backdrop for photographs as the guests came in in their glad rags, we took advantage of the backdrop for our own photo although it seems I left my shoes at home, we did not go to the posh dinner, we were not impressed with their Christmas offering.
The food options during our first two weeks in Dickensons Bay were a little limited as there were only two restaurants within easy walking distance of where we are staying for evening meals. Here in English Harbour there are many restaurants which are better value and with a wide range of styles; Italian, French, Indian and West Indian all of which we enjoy.
I will write a blog in a few days time about the Chinese invasion but strangely we have not found a Chinese restaurant. Our hotel room has a “kitchenette” but I am pleased to say it is so badly equipped Gill is unable to do any cooking other than assembling sandwiches for the beach or rum and cokes.
West Indian food is predominately Jerk Chicken (or sometimes jerk beef, pork, goat or mutton) or Roti.
Jerk meat is marinaded in a spice sauce and BBQ’d/smoked, apparently the cooking method was used by the Arawak Indians who lived on the islands before the Europeans arrived and they passed the recipe onto the African slaves.
Roti’s are the Caribbean Chapati, a complete meal inside a flatbread rather like a Cornish pasty. They were introduced by the Indians and Indonesians who came to Trinidad as labourers on the plantations after slavery was abolished. I first ate them in the 1960’s when they were sold during the Test Matches against the West Indies at Lords, they are very filling. The picture shows Gill and I sampling beef and chicken Rotis at Roti Sue's, a fine West Indian dining establishment, she does not sell anything else (except Carib beer or coke of course).
Tonight we are eating at a posh Italian restaurant the other side of the harbour, that is as long as they remember to send the boat over to pick us up, it seems a good way to stop us running off without paying, they won’t bring us back until we do.