Hello fellow food
lovers and epicureans. This is my first review since baby Ru was born, three
months ago. I’ve had rather a lot on my plate with the wee poppet and
consequently, our dinners out have taken a nosedive.
It was another
weeknight on the ‘rock’ and the Juggernaut and I simply couldn’t be arsed to
cook. We had an irrepressible urge to go out, so we took Ru, invited a couple
of our favourite Brits and headed to the Poop Deck East. We last ate there in
2010 and weren’t displeased with the classic Bahamian seafood; I’m not sure why
we hadn’t been back sooner.
The parking lot was
clogged with taxi drivers delivering a steady stream of tourists from the
hotels. You could barely move for vans doing three point turns. We walked into
the bar, which was full of salty sea dogs at the bar drinking and smoking. The
place has a nautical but nice feel, if a bit worn, with an interior decked out
in polished wood, complete with ropes and oars. There was an enticing display
of the day’s catch on ice, which featured Mahi Mahi and lobsters. They stared
up at us with their glassy eyes, as if to say ‘pick me’.
Walking out onto the
verandah made me wonder why there weren’t more restaurants on the island that
overlooked the ocean like this. The magnificent view of Nassau’s yacht haven
provided the perfect spot to indulge in a bit of boat perving.
Rows of white shiny
floating toys were lined up, waiting for their next outing in paradise.
The pleasant balmy
breeze made for particularly good alfresco dining. As night fell, the lighting
revealed itself to be sympathetic; flattering to diners and condusive to intimate
conversation.The lovely waitress gave us menus to study. We ordered a bottle of
Sauvignon blanc to be getting on with. I couldn’t possibly tell you what it was
or how much it cost, as I was probably busy catching up on gossip or staring at
my baby, but I definitely enjoyed drinking it.
Onto the food then. Appetisers
included fresh crab claws, Paula’s conch fritters ($7.75), Andros crab cakes
($9.75). The main events included Bahamian favourites such as Rosie’s chicken
$20.75; smothered in down home tomato, onion and green pepper sauce, Mama
Mary’s fish ($29.75); Grouper simmered in onions, tomatoes, sweet pepper and a
harmonious blend of island spices. The Poop Deck seafood classics included the
Poop Deck Lovers delight $33.75 of cracked conch, groupers and island shrimp. I
suspected one might be too full up for any loving after eating this.
I ordered the catch of
the day, Mahi Mahi, $28 which came with a choice of two sides from a selection
of traditional Peas n rice, plaintains, coleslaw and all that good stuff. I
went for the more uncommon garlic roasted potatoes and some coleslaw.
The fish was delicious,
perfectly cooked and seasoned, if the portion was a bit on the small side. The
potatoes were wonderfully garlicky. The coleslaw was well made, with the right
amount of mayonnaise and good crunch. There was a little ramekin of pineapple
salsa; great if you like that sort of thing but I am not a fan of pineapple in
savoury situations. Give it to me in a cocktail any day. The Juggernaut had the
fresh snapper, with peas ‘n’ rice. It was tasty but marginally overcooked. The
grouper fingers that my lady friends ordered were beautifully tender. All our
fish was freshly caught, which is not always the case on this island, where
supply falls short of demand and you can be fobbed off with a previously frozen
piece of fish if you’re not careful.
There was still some
space for dessert. An illuminated glass cabinet hummed with an array of fluffy
cakes and desserts. Eat me, they said. Sadly, there was no more guava duff. We
greedily ordered a key lime pie, a cheesecake and triple chocolate cake. They
were all firmly on the sickly side. The cheesecake had a topping of glace
cherries. I’ve never seen the point of the glace cherry. Does anyone actually
eat them? They should go back to the Eighties, where they belong.
I made a visit to the
ladies rooms. I was almost blinded by the brightness of the lights. It was like
stepping into a service station after spending hours clubbing. Ru got lots of
attention from the adjacent table of college girls; almost to the point of
embarrassment.
Overall, a jolly good
time was had by all.The service was efficient and friendly, we were in good
hands. The fish was succulent. I’ll be back when my Ma visits for more catch of
the day. I must say I quite like the Poop deck…it’s less poop, more woop.
