After unfortunately not being able to participate in Trinidad and Tobago Restaurant Week 2014 (hereafter referred to as TTRW), I decided as a make up for that, to attend two different restaurants for TTRW 2015.
I heard about TTRW 2015 about two weeks before the actual 'week' began. During Restaurant Week, participating local restaurants offer up to 30% off regular dishes on their menu, and a diner gets some options of dishes to choose from. The cost included a starter, main course and dessert and a complimentary alcoholic beverage, all taxes included.
So, first off, I decided to go to Chaud Cafe with my friends. It was super awesome!
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| A week so big, it lasts ten days! (Photo cred: Shelby Seenath) |
Incidentally, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival has been scheduled around the same time as TTRW, so before the reservation at 9pm, we watched a local film called 'City on the Hill', which was a documentary of just under an hour speaking about aspects of local culture and Laventille's role in its creation. It was very enlightening and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Afterward, we headed to Chaud Cafe for our reservation. First things first, I must make special mention of this: the reservation was at 9pm, we got there a few minutes before the reservation time, and we were able to be seated. I was really impressed by this gesture.
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| Chaud Cafe! (Photo cred: Shelby Seenath) |
Our awesome waiter, Jeremy, was very helpful and patient. I commend him for his excellent service!
We all got glasses of pink Moscato. I love this, by the way. To me, it complemented everything I consumed perfectly.
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| Cheers to the weekend! (Photo cred: Andora French-James) |
For my starter, I had the soup of the day, which was fish broth. The broth contained mahi mahi as well as some king fish, with fresh ochroes and herbs. A splash of coconut milk was added to give it a lovely light sweetness. It was indeed a delicious starter.
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| Delicious fish broth stater (Photo cred: Shelby Seenath) |
Some of my other friends had the shrimp and sausage starter and they all said it was delicious too. One had the salad; which was a combination of roasted and raw vegetables; and she said that the combination, though unusual worked really well and the blue cheese dressing made it all the more flavourful.
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| Garlic Shrimp and Chorizo Sausage, Pimenton, Sherry (Photo cred: Rochelle Stafford) |
For the main course, I decided to have the Mahi Mahi Po'Boy. It was spendidly flavoured. The fish was well seasoned with a variety of spices and a touch of lime; breaded and deep fried, This sandwich was topped with a coleslaw, tomatoes and remoulade. It was really tasty.
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| Mahi Mahi Po'Boy (Photo cred: Rochelle Stafford) |
I think the the most popular main course of the night was definitely the Provencal Roasted Chicken with the Apple Waffle. It looked beautiful and from what I've heard from my friends who had it, the waffle was very fluffy and delicious. Even though the chicken was said to be a bit dry; the combination worked for them.
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| Provencal Roasted Chicken and Apple Waffles (Photo cred: Shelby Seenath) |
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| It was so pretty I had to upload another photo (Photo cred: Andora French-James) |
Just absorb it for a bit more :)
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| The presentation is perfect (Photo cred: Rochelle Stafford) |
One of my friends had the Moroccan Vegetable Tagine, and said it was divine. I mean look at the presentation alone!
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| Moroccan Vegetable Tagine (Photo cred: Andora French-James) |
And presenting ....
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| Like Christmas in a bowl (Photo cred: Rochelle Stafford) |
By this time, I was pretty sure I did not have any more room to eat, but I made the space, and I'm glad I did, because this dessert is worth it. Presenting the cast iron cookie, ice-cream and caramel!
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| Cast iron cookie, Vanilla Ice-cream, Rum Caramel (Photo cred: Shelby Seenath) |
This for me was the perfect ending. The cookie was freshly basked in this very cast iron dish, and it was soo good, and that rum caramel atop the ice-cream was amazing!! I would go to Chaud Cafe again simply to order this!
Another friend of mine had the Panna Cotta. It looked wonderful, and she enjoyed it thoroughly.
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| Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta, Sorrel Curd, Brandy Snaps (Photo cred: Andora French-James) |
Chaud Cafe was overall wonderful. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to people inside and outside of TTRW :D I'm really particular when it comes to food quality, decor and service, and Chaud gets a 10 in all three elements.
Next restaurant on the list that I visited was Shesha Cafe.
I have to commend Shesha as well; we got there before our reservation time, and we were able to be seated as soon as we arrived.
Shesha Cafe was quite a different experience from Chaud Cafe; while the service was great and the decor was lovely; the starter and entree were really salty for my taste. The pita bread with three different kinds of humus was pretty good in comparison to the tomato and chick pea starter I had.
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| Chick pea and tomato soup |
While the flavour was overall good; I believe the parmesan cheese added to the soup made it too salty for my taste.
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| Three flavoured hummus with pita bread |
For the entree; the group I went with pretty much had three out of the four options; I had the pan seared tuna dish.
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| Pan seared tuna with salsa served with vegetable rice |
The salsa and vegetable rice were really tasty; so was the tuna; but the tuna itself was so salty.
My sister had the best tasting meal in my opinion; the roasted tomatoes were delicious; and she said the chicken and lamb were grilled to perfection; another friend found the lamb to be a bit bland.
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| Chicken and lamb kebab skewers with rosemary potatoes |
My mom and another friend ordered the vegetarian meal.
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| Pasta primavera with vegetables |
They said it was not too bad in terms of flavour, but it did look pretty.
Dessert was ultra-fantastic.
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| Baklawa with vanilla ice-cream |
The baklawa was a first for me, and it was sooo delicious: it was cinnamon-y, nutty, sweet and the pastry offered a lovely crunch. I am pretty sure there was caramel mixed in there. The vanilla ice-cream was the perfect compliment.
My friends had the cheese cake and chocolate mousse.
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| Mini cheesecake and chocolate mousse brownie |
They described the cheesecake as heavenly; and actually wished for a mashup of both desserts, instead of having it separately.
Shesha Cafe overall was a good experience. One thing that disappointed me though was their non-participation in the complimentary drink offer.
Afterward we headed to Movie Towne for two Film Festival movies; which were very entertaining.We viewed 'Sand Dollars', which was a film set in the Dominican Republic and 'Resorts', filmed in beautiful Tobago. Afterward, the Q&A sessions with the cast and crew were really enlightening and added to overall experience.
Many thanks to the organizers of TTRW 2015! I look forward to an even bigger and better week for 2016.
Also, I really enjoyed the Film Festival, and I do look forward to it next year as well :D
