Bermuda Blog

Today we had lunch a Coco Reef. After passing the "open daily for lunch" sign hundreds of times, today we decided to give it a try. Next to Elbow Beach on the South Shore, the restaurant at Coco Reef Resort has a great view of the ocean. There is an indoor dining area with large south-facing windows. We at outside on the large terrace. The lunch menu was short but innovative. The dishes seemed to have slight twists here and there. Michelle decided to go with the Lobster Club Sandwich, with lobster salad, bacon, lettuce tomatoes, and grilled pineapple on a panini bun - served with fries. I went for the "Tuna Taco": medium rare tuna with lettuce and salsa on a soft tortilla, served with a tasty salad of mixed greens. Both were very good, and serving sizes were adequate. I think we will have to return to try their version of Bermuda Fish Chowder. Here are some photos of the food and the view:

Today (my birthday!) we had dinner at the Cedar Room restaurant at Pompano Beach Resort. We sat outside on the wrap around terrace, with great views of the open ocean towards the west. It can be a great for sunsets, but tonight wasn't the best due to cloud cover on the horizon.

The food was very good, thought the service was sometimes slow. The presumed we were staying at the hotel and forgot to bring the bill until we asked them. There was a little bit of confusion but they worked it out. Overall it was good meal. We like go back some time in the winter in the adjoining restaurant, which has very high floor to ceiling windows -- seems like it would be great on a cooler day for lunch or brunch.

After finishing the Middle to End walk, we had some food at the Frog and Onion pub in Dockyard. It's a pretty cool looking place, almost medieval. Out large round table was beside a fireplace that was so big that a Smart car could have parked inside - with room to spare. The food and service at the Frog and Onion left much to be desired. Scott and I each ordered the same sandwich, and they made the wrong one for both of us -- so we sent it back. Finally we received the correct sandwich, but on a kaiser instead on panini bread -- and it didn't taste that good. The beer was okay though. The waitress made it seem like the whole thing was our fault, no apologies, etc.

Tonight we locked ourselves out of the house! Well, more specifically, I locked us out of the house. We went for a run -- and I didn't forget my key -- we returned from our run, I unlocked the deadbolt, only to discover that the lock in the door handle was also locked. To make things worse, our landlord and landlady were not home, and the sun had just set, and it was getting quite cold in our running outfits. Luckily, our neighbour Joel, of Gombey Hot Pepper Jam fame, was home and lent us some sweaters and a little cash. He also left a message taped to our landlord's door, informing them of our situation.

We did not know how long it would take until our landlord and landlady would return, so we walked down to Rustico Restaurant, an Italian restaurant in Flatts Village. We had previously heard good things about Rustico, from more than one person. In our running outfits and newly acquired sweaters, we didn't exactly meet the "smart casual" dress code, but the kind gentleman at the door let us in anyway. We each had some Bermuda fish chowder and shared a pizza with anchovies and vegetables. The fish chowder was pretty good, warming us up after being out in the cold night. Of course, it was served with sherry pepper sauce and black rum, both of which contributed to the aforementioned warming up. The pizza was a very thin crust pizza, and quite tastey. I think it was the first pizza that I have ever eaten with anchovies -- and it was good. I don't really understand how or when anchovies got such a bad name as pizza topping, but I suggest you give it a try and judge for yourself.

After some tea and espresso, we left the restaurant and walked back home, prepared for several hours of star-gazing, if necessary. But our landlord and landlady had returned, and we were able to get into our place.

Tonight we went for dinner at Lido Restaurant, which part of the "Lido Dining and Entertainment Complex" at Elbow Beach Hotel. Lido is right on the edge of the beach, surrounded on 3 sides by large glass windows. Needless to say the view is nice. While eating your dinner, you can look out at the horizon, or watch the waves lap against the shore. Summer evenings would be better than spring, because you will have more daylight during dinner.

The food was quite good. I had "specials" for both appetizer and main course. The appetizer was seafood carpaccio, with 3 types: swordfish, salmon, and I forget the other one. It was very tasty, but it didn't live up to memory of swordfish carpaccio. The only time I have seen this on a menu before was in an Italian restaurant in Amsterdam, and it simply melted in your mouth. For the main course I had the Mahi Mahi in a provecal sauce. I like Mahi Mahi a lot and it tased very good. Michelle had the scallops and the scallops, and both were good.

The service was good. Apart from a slight mix-up with Michelle's tea with dessert, they were attentive and friendly.

I recommend Lido Restaurant for a summer evening dinner - its better if you are there in daylight, because of the view. I am not sure if they serve brunch on weekends, that also would be nice.

Before going to the ballet, we went for dinner at L'Oriental.

I have this sick obession in that I must try the Pad Thai at least once, at every restaurant that I go that serves it. The L'Oriental Pad Thai was good, though not one of my favourites. I am not really sure why. The preparation and presentation was fair typical for Pad Thai (compared to those I have tried), but the taste wasn't quite the same. I think maybe it was the sauce. Don't get me wrong: I did enjoy it, but it just wasn't that memorable. Better than the Chopticks Pad Thai though....

Tonight we had dinner at La Coquille restaurant, which is located at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI). Apparaently, the excutive chef has has cooked for George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Henry Kissinger and Colin Powell, so our expectations on the food were high. ...and they were not disappointed. The food was excellent. Michelle had the Tuna and I had the Rockfish. Both were very good, melting in your mouth with every bite. So far, this was the best seafood we have had in Bermuda (although there are many restaurants that we have not yet tried). I highly recommend La Coquille, not to be missed. I suspect it also very nice in the summer, when there is daylight during dinner, since the restaurant on the edge of Hamilton Harbour, overlooking moored boats and (usually) calm waters.

After go for a long ride on the scooter today, we decided to stop for a light lunch at The Somerset Country Squire. We sat on the outdoor patio, which was covered and protected by see-platic sides which blocked the wind -- which was good, becuase it was actually quite cool today. It was about 22 degrees C, although it felt colder with the stromg winds. Definitely the coldest day in Bermuda since we arrived in August. The Somerset Country Squire serves mostly pub fare. Michelle and I both order the Bermuda Fish Chowder, which ended up being a very good choice. In my opinion, it was better than the fish chowder at the Barracuda Grill -- the other other place that I have tried it. It was quite thick, and was served with Sherry Pepper sauce and Black Rum on the side. I added both, and it tasted great. Sherry pepper sauce is a Bermuda original, which I also buy at the grocery store. It is Sherry fermented with hot peppers, at it is a great way to spice up just about any dish. In any case, the fish chowder at Somerset Country Squire was great, I highly recommend it.....especially on a cold windy day.

While in St. George, we had lunch at Cafe Gio. We sat on the waterfront patio, overlooking the sound -- a very nice view. Cafe Gio was recommended to us previously, but this was the first time we were in St. George's, so we decide to give it a try. I had the Yellowfin Tuna, which was very, very good. Melt in your mouth, as it should be. The food was quite good, and I would like to go back for dinner some time.

We went for drinks tonight with a bunch of people from Michelle's work. We went to Sapori a restaurant that is part of the Grape Bay Resort. We sat on the large patio which overlooks the south shore. We only had finger foods, so we will have to return some time for dinner. The food that we did have was good. The Sapori bathroom was a first for me: it included a shower stall:

Tonight we went to the Waterlot Inn restaurant. The Waterlot Inn claims to have the best steak in Bermuda, and the prices reflect that. I don't usually order steak at restaurants, except at steakhouses and such -- so I decided to get the 12 oz filet mignon, with a "trio of mustards" as the accompanying sauce. The steak was quite good and the dijon mustard was super hot (stings the nostrils with every bite).

Here are a few photos from the Waterlot Inn that night: