LondonLife
SBH Member
We have been back home from SBH for almost a month and I’m just getting around to posting some brief reviews of our restaurant experiences. Reality has been a shock after our 7th holiday on St Barth. I wanted to re-live the good memories from the island - there are many. In no particular order:
Tamarin for lunch. As beautiful as ever. Our starters of mahi mahi ceviche and crab & avocado gazpacho were gorgeous. The club sandwich and mahi mahi for mains were also good choices. The service was great and we always love our Tamarin lunches.
Le Select for a burger and drinks. Actually, we had one drink and left. I must be getting old, but I couldn't deal with it.
Gustav Burger for that burger. Sure, the burger cost more here but it was worth it. It’s a much better burger and you get to sit by the harbour watching the boats and the people walking by.
Sante Fe for lunch. Flawless food and great service. My wahoo ceviche and tuna tataki were spectacular. Partner had mahi again. He had mahi almost daily and this was the best of them all. The view is great but the restaurant lacks the atmosphere that Do Brazil always had. Nonetheless, David & Co are onto another winner.
La Gloriette for lunch. We had very nice fritters to start. I had a wonderful Caribbean chicken fricassee for my main. The mahi was very nice, too. Lovely service, a great location and a nice, casual vibe.
O Corail for lunch. This has been a favourite haunt for several years. There is nothing better than watching the action on the water at Grand Cul de Sac with a good lunch and nice wine. Best beach bar ever.
Eddy’s for dinner. We hadn’t been for years. We were walking by and thought we’d just drop in. It’s a nice garden setting and the prices are reasonable. The food was okay, but service was terrible. We were never asked if we wanted more drinks with our meal or if we wanted dessert after.
Pipiri Palace for dinner. Another place we had not visited for several years. This time, we were glad we gave it another chance. Good food and nice service. Not quite the bohemian scene it was years ago.
Le Repair for lunch. We stopped by for a cold drink on a hot afternoon and decided to stay for lunch. Very laid back and super friendly. It’s like hanging out on a friend’s front porch. And the food was so good we went back for dinner a few days later.
Bonito for dinner. Crispy tuna ceviche and sea scallops with beets 3-ways for me (outstanding!); shrimp ceviche and mahi mahi for him. Great food and impeccable service. It was a nice touch that they ‘recognised’ us from previous years. It’s a beautiful restaurant and always a special evening.
Le Barthelemy (Aux Amis) for lunch. We had fish fritters, calamari, a couple of salads and some very cool cocktails. The food was good, but the setting is amazing. They have really transformed this part of Grand Cul de Sac - in a good way. We got a bottle of wine and spent the rest of the day on the hotel’s loungers on the beach and swimming in the bay. Some chilled-out live music at the pool bar in the late afternoon added a perfect touch to a great day.
Cote Port for dinner. I read good things on this forum about Cote Port. My grilled calamari was average and the mahi mahi was the least favourite (of the many) he had. Service was not friendly, either. Granted, the restaurant was almost underwater from the high tide. Maybe it was an off night. Was this location The Yacht Club previously?
Black Ginger for dinner. We’ve been the last few years and I love the space they’ve created. The service, as ever, was excellent. Our starters - dumplings and spring rolls - were great although quite small. Mains were less memorable.
Nikki Beach for lunch. We went on a Sunday just to see what really goes on at one of their parties. Maybe my expectations for Nikki Beach are low, but I’m always impressed by the quality of their food and the level of their service. We had a great time and enjoyed the party atmosphere, but it was getting crazy when we left at 3:30pm. I’ll go back, but not on Sunday.
La Plage for lunch. It was laid back and super casual. I remember La Plage having a bit more style and class. Nice service - again, very casual but very friendly. The food was also more casually presented than I expected, but the mahi burger was excellent.
Burger Palace for dinner. What a great burger! Quick take-away and a pleasant surprise.
Jojo Burger for lunch. The mahi burger and the angus burger were both excellent. Super nice guy waiting tables. There are no pretensions at Jojo Burger. It feels like you’re eating lunch in the parking lot, but it’s a great place for a quick meal and a cold beer before or after the beach.
Tamarin for dinner on our last night. I love the garden at night. Gazpacho and ceviche again for starters because we liked them so much the first time. Pasta gambas and tuna for mains which were excellent and served in surprisingly large portions (which could not be said for Bonito). The owners had not yet returned, and I was disappointed not to be able to congratulate them on their good news. The manager was doing a fine job in their absence, however.
Sorry this post became so long but I wanted to share our memories with the forum. Another great trip to St Barth. We did a lot more than just eat, but we sure do love to eat when we are on the island! And there are many other restaurants I want to get to when we return……..
Tamarin for lunch. As beautiful as ever. Our starters of mahi mahi ceviche and crab & avocado gazpacho were gorgeous. The club sandwich and mahi mahi for mains were also good choices. The service was great and we always love our Tamarin lunches.
Le Select for a burger and drinks. Actually, we had one drink and left. I must be getting old, but I couldn't deal with it.
Gustav Burger for that burger. Sure, the burger cost more here but it was worth it. It’s a much better burger and you get to sit by the harbour watching the boats and the people walking by.
Sante Fe for lunch. Flawless food and great service. My wahoo ceviche and tuna tataki were spectacular. Partner had mahi again. He had mahi almost daily and this was the best of them all. The view is great but the restaurant lacks the atmosphere that Do Brazil always had. Nonetheless, David & Co are onto another winner.
La Gloriette for lunch. We had very nice fritters to start. I had a wonderful Caribbean chicken fricassee for my main. The mahi was very nice, too. Lovely service, a great location and a nice, casual vibe.
O Corail for lunch. This has been a favourite haunt for several years. There is nothing better than watching the action on the water at Grand Cul de Sac with a good lunch and nice wine. Best beach bar ever.
Eddy’s for dinner. We hadn’t been for years. We were walking by and thought we’d just drop in. It’s a nice garden setting and the prices are reasonable. The food was okay, but service was terrible. We were never asked if we wanted more drinks with our meal or if we wanted dessert after.
Pipiri Palace for dinner. Another place we had not visited for several years. This time, we were glad we gave it another chance. Good food and nice service. Not quite the bohemian scene it was years ago.
Le Repair for lunch. We stopped by for a cold drink on a hot afternoon and decided to stay for lunch. Very laid back and super friendly. It’s like hanging out on a friend’s front porch. And the food was so good we went back for dinner a few days later.
Bonito for dinner. Crispy tuna ceviche and sea scallops with beets 3-ways for me (outstanding!); shrimp ceviche and mahi mahi for him. Great food and impeccable service. It was a nice touch that they ‘recognised’ us from previous years. It’s a beautiful restaurant and always a special evening.
Le Barthelemy (Aux Amis) for lunch. We had fish fritters, calamari, a couple of salads and some very cool cocktails. The food was good, but the setting is amazing. They have really transformed this part of Grand Cul de Sac - in a good way. We got a bottle of wine and spent the rest of the day on the hotel’s loungers on the beach and swimming in the bay. Some chilled-out live music at the pool bar in the late afternoon added a perfect touch to a great day.
Cote Port for dinner. I read good things on this forum about Cote Port. My grilled calamari was average and the mahi mahi was the least favourite (of the many) he had. Service was not friendly, either. Granted, the restaurant was almost underwater from the high tide. Maybe it was an off night. Was this location The Yacht Club previously?
Black Ginger for dinner. We’ve been the last few years and I love the space they’ve created. The service, as ever, was excellent. Our starters - dumplings and spring rolls - were great although quite small. Mains were less memorable.
Nikki Beach for lunch. We went on a Sunday just to see what really goes on at one of their parties. Maybe my expectations for Nikki Beach are low, but I’m always impressed by the quality of their food and the level of their service. We had a great time and enjoyed the party atmosphere, but it was getting crazy when we left at 3:30pm. I’ll go back, but not on Sunday.
La Plage for lunch. It was laid back and super casual. I remember La Plage having a bit more style and class. Nice service - again, very casual but very friendly. The food was also more casually presented than I expected, but the mahi burger was excellent.
Burger Palace for dinner. What a great burger! Quick take-away and a pleasant surprise.
Jojo Burger for lunch. The mahi burger and the angus burger were both excellent. Super nice guy waiting tables. There are no pretensions at Jojo Burger. It feels like you’re eating lunch in the parking lot, but it’s a great place for a quick meal and a cold beer before or after the beach.
Tamarin for dinner on our last night. I love the garden at night. Gazpacho and ceviche again for starters because we liked them so much the first time. Pasta gambas and tuna for mains which were excellent and served in surprisingly large portions (which could not be said for Bonito). The owners had not yet returned, and I was disappointed not to be able to congratulate them on their good news. The manager was doing a fine job in their absence, however.
Sorry this post became so long but I wanted to share our memories with the forum. Another great trip to St Barth. We did a lot more than just eat, but we sure do love to eat when we are on the island! And there are many other restaurants I want to get to when we return……..
