Caicos Café Reviewed July / August 2007
Caicos Café on Grace Bay Road
Few cultures epitomize a pride and a passion for the culinary arts as powerful as the French, a celebrated and all-embracing passion and appreciation for elegant cuisine and fine wine, a virtual art form that has inspired and influenced chefs and proliferated menus around the globe.
The introduction of the inimitable and authentic gastronomy of France to our neck of the Caribbean dates back over 18 years ago, compliments of the arrival of Chef Pierrik Marziou, and his wife, Daphne, a fortuitous event indeed for the then little known island of Providenciales.
Conch and Tuna Sashimi Appetiser
In its own garden oasis surrounded by lush tropical flora, Caicos Café exudes a casual Parisian sophistication and a captivating Caribbean charm. White gingerbread trim and dark plank wood floors provide old-world reminiscence while beautiful inlaid tile mosaics grace the floor in front of the bar. Intricate and stunning mosaic patterns also appear on the wrought iron tabletops, furnished with beautiful, hand carved solid wood chairs. A popular island purlieu, the bar is expertly tended with an infectious smile by bartender, Jermaine Simpson. In the evening, the tropical milieu takes on an enchanting and ethereal feel alight with tiki torches and soft lighting. An eclectic playlist effortlessly manoeuvred between several genres throughout our lingering dining experience and was a delight to listen to.
Marinated Salmon Appetiser
The historic blackboard still rests centerstage, although nowadays bearing only the cuisine of the evenings’ specials... taking a long overdue respite from the old days when the entire menu appeared on the blackboard, always changing depending on what the chef could procure from the fishermen. Today, Pierrik can take pleasure in the fact that he has been here longer than any other expatriate chef, with the restaurant having evolved into a family affair, including daughter, Justine, and son, Julien.
Caicos Café's Greek Salad
Flavours and techniques from Chef Pierrik and Daphne’s French roots blend flawlessly with the tastes of the Caribbean and beyond to create a menu that is ‘sui generis’ certain to entice and impress the most discriminating diner. An emphasis is placed on the fresh fish Pierrik still procures, plus an extensive variety of conch specialties augmented by an equally alluring selection of dishes including pasta, beef, chicken, lamb and duck highlighted by the always-anticipated Nightly Specials.
Compliments of the Chef, we opened our appetites with a delicious morsel of pizza, fresh tasting and topped with tuna and crispy red and green peppers, followed by a basket of their famous hot, crusty rolls baked fresh in their own kitchen.
Shrimp Caicos is a Favourite
Always a conundrum, our party of four began negotiating the menu offerings. The Tuna Carpaccio is a ‘must try’ at Caicos Café - sliced exquisitely paper thin, drizzled with olive oil and served with an assortment of crisp and fresh side vegetables it simply melts in your mouth. A nightly appetizer special, a very generous portion of sliced Marinated Salmon bathed in olive oil arrived on a bed of lettuce with a side of chopped onions, tomatoes and pickles. Seafood Gumbo could quite possibly be a meal in itself - abundantly brimming with tender mussels, scallops, shrimp and fish simmered in the traditional hearty, tomato based broth. When I requested a taste of a little seafood tidbit, the response was, “There are no little ones!” The Indonesian Seafood Soup had a definite, but enjoyable heat, a spicy lime base with green onions and an assortment of delicacies from the sea bursting with dynamic and lively flavours. Appetizer selections also include Escargot, imbrued with butter, basil and garlic; a comprehensive conch repertoire including several unique conch offerings as starters or main courses and a popular array of fresh salads.
Grouper Creole Chalkboard Special
If you ever want to experience a truly decadent and divinely prepared duck, order it in a French restaurant. The French really know how to create the most delectable duck. Prepared to perfection, moist with deep, intense flavours the Magret de Canard literally dissolved in my mouth, served with rich and creamy scalloped potatoes and julienne vegetables presented in a tower configuration with the pronounced and zestful taste of ginger. Always the fresh fish aficionado, my husband opted for the very ample portion of Sea Bass, pan-fried with butter and topped with capers, the fish was perfectly done - delicate and flaky. A nightly special of Grouper Creole enhanced with accompanying flavours of tomatoes and onions was deliciously spicy, served with Caicos Hot Sauce on the side - an optional addition for the more adventurous. As our table was conversing and espousing the virtues of our entrées, I had not heard a sound coming from my dining companion to my left - absorbed in her entrée of scallops she was for a very rare and somewhat abbreviated interlude of time - lost for words! The scallops were ‘big’ and again, perfectly prepared, absolutely moist, succulent and completely tender. We barely scratched the surface of the main course offerings, a panoptic potpourri which goes on to include red snapper, Nassau grouper, mahi mahi, wahoo, tuna and shrimp; pastas featuring a seafood lasagne, prime rib, beef tenderloin, rack of lamb, grilled chicken and BBQ ribs. A distinctive wine list embraces wines from the regions of France to embellish and complete your dining experience.
Scallops Cooked in White Wine
Over a dozen desserts appear nightly, with your server arriving at your table flaunting them before you, a surfeit of scandalous sweets! Pure, unadulterated chocolate divinity came in the form of a Chocolate Marquis... now it was my turn to be lost for words! The Chocolate Walnut was a rich slice of luscious heaven, not to be outdone by the Key Lime Pie - incredibly tart and tangy, a flavour and colour that can only be achieved by using the ‘Real McCoy’, the key lime. The Apple Crumble, served a la mode was full of nuts and plump, juicy raisins with a chocolate drizzle - all of our desserts were garnished with slices of fresh strawberries, kiwi and a sprig of refreshing mint. Our last indulgence and the piece de resistance to what I affectionately dub our deluge of degustation was the Caicos Coffee - rum, Kahlua, Grand Marnier and coffee topped with whipped cream and dusted with cinnamon. And one final confection, compliments of the chef, white and dark chocolate truffles.
Apple Crumble Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
Michel de Montaigne (also French, of course!) coined the phrase, “The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure,” a felicitous articulation indeed and the apropos finis to our memorable and completely pleasurable delectation in dining. Is there a secret to the success of Caicos Café? Quite simply, I believe that it all comes down to what the French call that certain, ‘je ne sais quois’. Bon Appetite!
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