Legend has it that the Moguls who occupied the Indian subcontinent during the 16th century tricked Ottoman Empress Hurrem Sultan into giving them free access to cross her lands so that they could trade with the people of Europe and the Mediterranean.
The sent her an exquisite banquet, replete with wonderful flavours. One, however, stood out above all others beguiling the powerful empress: the flavour of blue cilantro.
So beguiled was the empress that in her desire to find its source (a secret closely guarded by the Moguls) she agreed to let them cross her lands and trade with the people to the west.
It is fitting that Blue Cilantro, the newest restaurant on the Seven Mile Beach corridor, is based on a similar exchange and fusion of eastern and western ingredients, dishes and flavours.
But this is not the typical fusion cuisine you are used to: as a term, fusion often really denotes an ‘international’ menu with dishes originating from various countries.
Blue Cilantro however blends elements of Mediterranean, Asian, Indian and European cuisine in a selection of dishes that defy categorisation.
There are flavour combinations and entire dishes you may well never have hear of before: corn and truffle sauces, mustard and coconut gravies, butternut and agave nectars.
Chef Shetty, who originally hails from Mumbai, India, is the mastermind behind the unique menu and the coolly sophisticated venue.
Having cooked his way across India and the Middle East and cruised the Caribbean before arriving in Cayman in 1994, the former executive chef at the Hyatt, Chef of the Year for 1999 and current president of the Cayman Culinary Society, Chef Shetty knows food from around the world. If anyone is qualified to reinvent fusion cuisine, he is.
Blue Cilantro is open for lunch and dinner with a ‘small menu’ offered between 4pm and 11pm and lighter salads and sandwiches at lunch. At dinner one can order from the small but varied a la carte menu or choose between a three-course and a six-course tasting menu. Optional wine pairings are also available with both tasting menus.
The focus is on seafood (including pomfret, an Indian ocean fish that is imported fresh twice weekly) although there are meat and vegetarian options as well and everything, down to the bread, is freshly prepared in-house.
Between us, my dinner companion and I ordered one three-course set menu and a selection from the a la carte menu. It would, of course, have been rude not to also try the delicious stuffed flatbreads (the prosciutto one is not to be missed) which are baked in their own clay tandoori oven and served hot, wrapped in white napkins, with a choice of chutneys.
On the manager’s recommendation, we started with the jumbo shrimp, also cooked in the clay oven, which imparts a distinctive and delicious flavour. We also enjoyed a fresh, light salad of organic greens, avocado, mixed tomatoes and a sweet pomegranate vinaigrette.
For entrees we chose the beef tenderloin from the tasting menu and the salmon over bok choy from the regular menu. The beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender and cooked to perfection, served over a confit of fingerling potatoes with a root beer and porcini jus that was flavourful without overpowering the beef.
Customers can choose how they want their fish prepared: I plumped for blackened which seemed to complement the rich and creamy soy butter sauce and tamarind perfectly. Both dishes were expertly prepared, simply and elegantly presented and offered truly unusual flavour combinations.
Unable to choose between the molten chocolate cake and the sticky toffee pudding, we ordered one of each. The cinnamon and other ‘island spices’ used in the chocolate dessert lent it a different dimension which cut through the sweetness cleanly, while the hot butterscotch sauce poured over the toffee sponge would satisfy anyone’s craving for a rich and decadent treat to round off a sumptuous meal.
The quality of the food is matched by the quality of the décor at Blue Cilantro, which is cool, crisp and clean.
It’s the extra touches, however, like the fresh flowers on each table, the tiny but beautifully presented amuse bouche that arrives prior to the food, and the shawls thoughtfully provided for ladies who find a January evening in the Caribbean on the cool side, that ensure Blue Cilantro will rank among the most upscale restaurants on the Island.
For more information visit -
bluecilantrocayman.com or call 945-4372.