Notes for Visitors
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Eating Out and InFish, as fresh as it gets, can be bought daily on the beach or at the fishermen’s area next to Max’s store. There are two sources of supply:
There are a number of ‘eating out’ options currently in Castara. All serve local food. You will usually be asked if you want chicken or fish. This will often be served with small portions of coleslaw, macaroni pie, salad and mooli. Hazel’s (above L&H supermarket), the Almond Tree and the Cascreole bar on the beach all cook on that basis; they are all good cooks. Locals eat lunch early- any time from 11.30 am onwards, so arrive by 1pm at the latest to avoid disappointment, or reserve your lunch earlier in the day. The Cascreole and Café Delight (by the Naturalist) also serve hamburgers and chips and other meals that you may want to find for your children if they are not ready to try local food. Another good place to eat is Marguarite’s, which is just down the hill from Castara Retreats by the river on the edge of the village. She is a very good cook, the prices reasonable. Call by during the day to book a table and discuss her menu of the day. She will prepare meals to order or take away, including excellent pizza, and she is accustomed to cooking for vegetarians (her salads and vegetables are very good, generally). She hasn’t got a license for alcohol, but you are welcome to take a bottle. She is reliably open, even on most bank holidays, and doesn’t close shop if there is a party in the village! The Boat House on the Little Beach is also very good with a romantic beach side atmosphere and live music at least once per week. He serves lunch and evening meals but go easy with his devastating rum punches. Check in advance that they are open. Recently opened is the Almond Tree, Vera’s place beautifully located in the shade behind the big beach, not far from the Naturalist. She is famed for her roti for lunch. Rebecca also cooks at The Blue Mango but we are not up to date on what she offers and when she is open. She is due to open a new restaurant by early 2007. Sandcastles, which is up the hill from Castara Retreats, serves very good food and has a good reputation. Adam, the owner and chef, is from the UK and his menus are international in style and whilst it is pricy by local standards, it is the only place in the village offering three course meals to a high standard. At the moment he cooks dinner party style to order and agrees the menu in advance so you will need to call up to see him or telephone him at 635 0933. He has received many positive reviews on at www.MyTobago.info He also offers a free lift to his place and back. His new restaurant is due to open by late 2006. Wherever you eat, we suggest that you call by in the daytime and check that they are open in the evening and book a table. It is a long walk to the Little Beach only to find that the place is closed. To eat a wider variety of food you will need to go to Scarborough, Buccoo or the Crown Point area. You will find a number of suggestions in the Rough Guide (one or two copies at Castara Retreats)- there are Italian, South American, French places - take your pick. However, it is a long drive back at night. A good place to eat in Scarborough is Salsa, which serves great tapas of fish and meat, salads and pizzas. Eating in with Marieta, our neighbour, who does meals on arrival for our guests, and is happy to cook for you if you really want to put away your pinny for the holiday. She is a very good cook, very friendly, and charges TT$70-80 per person depending on the meal, though it is always a good idea to discuss everything in advance. She prepares food in her house and brings it up at a pre-arranged time, so you can eat it at your leisure. She can also cook you a wonderful local meal called Bust-up-Shut. Talk with her directly: she lives in the house on the main road between our driveway entrance and the footpath entrance, and is very happy for you to go and knock on her door. Eating in with Veronica: our housekeeper is a lovely cook and has just started to offer this service, so talk through in detail how you would like things. Differently from Marieta, she asks you to provide the ingredients, unless it is something difficult to buy like breadfruit, which she will find. She will then prepare the meal in your kitchen from 4.30/5pm onwards on the day in question, so that when she leaves a couple of hours later, everything is ready to serve. Talk with her when she is up cleaning about timing and what you would like to eat, or phone her on 497 5398. The standard of her food and presentation is high and quite European in style, which is unusual. She does lovely dressed salads as well as main dishes and pies, and desserts if requested. She charges $200 tt for 2-4 people or $260 tt for 5-6 people. There is a list that shows you the range of dishes she offers in the visitors’ Notes in all the accommodations. Or, you can rustle up something yourself. Fry some of that fresh fish with a squirt of lime juice, serve with a salad and fried plantain and you have a feast fit for kings. |
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