We arrive by boat, a shallow mooring conveniently located so we can jump off into soft sand, the turquoise waters not even dampening our tushies. We’re greeted by an elegant and welcoming hostess who introduces herself as Rosalind standing at the entrance to the resort between two tall Totem Poles playfully adorned with carved turtles, geckos and seagulls. She explains how the structures (5 huts and a lobby/ restaurant + totems) were conceived and assembled in Bali, Indonesia and brought by barge to the tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda, 60 miles off the coast of St. Bart’s. Splashing nearby are three men and a woman disembarking from a rubber dingy with a cooler. We venture over to have a look to find that this is the owner and that the dingy is the tender to his 75 foot twin-hull yacht anchored a short distance away.
A French Chef In The Wild
After a tour of the ‘huts’ I have my first taste of what it would be like to glamp. Luxuriously rustic. The oxy-moron is right before my eyes. Even the simple four poster bed surrounded by mosquito netting has an ‘invisible air conditioner’ built into its canopy. Heaven. Limestone shower, l’occitane d’provence toiletries…..I digress….this is about the food.
Sitting at our outdoor table of polished dark-wood planks, the wooden chairs adorned with pillows in various hues of orange, the place setting is formal on a woven bamboo placemat. Rosalind introduces our waitress who continues to use my name throughout the meal with genuine humor and delight. I order a dark rum and pineapple juice and when I receive it, am almost certain the pineapple was picked this morning, cut a moment before whirring with the darkest island rum. My husband and captain look on with envy, sipping their beers.
My starter is goat cheese salad. The gooey cheese is warm, served on a barely-there whisper of toast, four of them perched on a local lettuce tomato salad and dressed in balsamic glaze. Delicious. My husband and captain share the ceasar salad which is homemade including the small but artful croutons. All of us can’t resist the farm chicken special, stuffed with local vegetables and drizzled with fois gras sauce. Garnished with a perfectly crisp rosti potato and two dollops of zucchini basil ‘dream whips’, it does not disappoint. The men share this and the fish burger, which arrives true to the ambiance using fresh filet of red snapper caught that morning on toasted brioche served with homemade tartar sauce. The addition of the rosti to the burger would have been redundant had it not been so excellent. The guys ate it again with gusto.
The tarte tatin, always the yardstick for my husband, is a winner. Feather-light pastry, tart apples with the proper balance of carmelized sugar resting on a very shallow lake of creme anglais, garnished with a strawberry and fresh mint. Yes, the strawberry and apples are from California, but who the hell cares. It’s fantastic!
Barbuda Belle: 268 783 4779
Ambiance: Elegant rustic Caribbean ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Food: French ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Price: $$
traveling fine-schmekers 