Bubbles, BBQ and boat slips were
the order of the day and were dished up with the relish at the Barefoot brunch
last Sunday.
The event from 11am to 3pm,
originally intended to be held overlooking the water at the Crescent, was
staged at the standby wet weather venue of The Paseo, directly in front of
Abacus and inside Abacus restaurant.
The weather held out though and the
chilled out culinary event offered guests a blissed out finish to this year’s
Taste of Cayman. The Barefoot brunch was organised by the Cayman Islands
Tourism Association in conjunction with Camana Bay, Abacus restaurant and soon
come Floribbean restaurant Ortanique.
Guests meandered over to their
tables, chatted with friends and generally drank in the beautifully staged
affair before their noses lead them to the buffet-style brunch. The feast
showcased a symphony of flavours and had plenty of fizz and sparkle thanks to a
seemingly endless supply of Veuve Cliquot and mimosas.
Sumptuous
island-style menu
The menu, which was compiled by the
executive chefs at Ortanique and Abacus, produced island-style offerings with a
contemporary twist offering a host of complementary flavours and tastes.
“We
were trying to portray what Ortanique is all about,” said Cindy Hutson owner
and executive chef of the award winning Coral Cables restaurant.
“We
understand the casual elegance of Grand Cayman and the diversity of the people
who reside there. The Caymanians and all of the expats, it’s a great
customer base to explore and become a part of the Camana Bay, Island life
style,” she said.
Talking
further about Ortanique’s contribution to the buffet-style spread, she said: “We
gave everyone a sampling of traditional Island brunch items from rice and peas,
escovitch, New Zealand Cheddar Mac ‘n’ cheese and cassava.
“We
brought our dear friend Gary Ferguson to help out with those beautiful roast
local pigs and Guinness Stout ribs. We hope to do full moon pig roasts when we
are open for business at Camana Bay. We are so looking forward to this
restaurant, it is definitely in our blood,” she added.
Those who came on an empty stomach
thanked the food gods that they did. Guests were treated to an array of BBQ mains
and colourful sides. Fall off the bone ribs smothered in a tasty Guinness
glaze, competed with the suckling pork done to a turn, as well as all the
succulent jerk chicken, conch fritters, cassava fries and chunky guacamole dip
and festive plantain chips.
Chef
Ron Jacobson of Abacus said: “CITA approached Abacus to host the inaugural
Barefoot Brunch at Camana Bay. We wanted to create a fun outdoor event
that would be quite different from the Island's other Sunday brunches – a
casual atmosphere, more like a weekend BBQ with friends, with simple and tasty
island food.”
A meat eater’s heaven; vegetarians
were amply catered for inside with tureens heaving with every root, ground
provision and leaf you could want courtesy of Black Trumpet Gourmet
Delicatessen.
Just desserts
“We are thrilled with the positive and
enthusiastic feedback received from those that attended Sunday’s Barefoot
Brunch,” said Molly Braggs, event manager at Camana Bay.
“The weather turned out to be beautiful and
the culinary collaboration between Abacus’ Chef Ron and Ortanique’s Chef Cindy
created a sensational island-style brunch which took full advantage of The
Paseo and Abacus for its setting.
“We look forward to next year’s
event – and if the weather cooperates then we will host it on The Crescent as
we had hoped to this year.”
Those who had wisely left a little
room for dessert made their way inside Abacus for a scoop or three of Hagen
Daaz ice-cream or the afters from Black Trumpet.
A particular favourite, judging
from how quickly they kept having to be replenished, were the hazelnut mini
tortes smothered with rich dark chocolate. Toasted breads with cognac soaked
white raisins atop slithers of mouth-watering brie gave guests plenty to choose
from.
With reggae and other island tunes,
as well as plenty of food and drink the Barefoot brunch was a luxe event to
look forward to next year.