It’s a new year and we’re ready to try not only new foods, but also new restaurants and experiences. The Reef recently opened on Green Island, one of Antigua’s many offshore islands and we had to grace them with a visit. Usually, spots like these are mostly frequented by tourists, however as a local we can’t let them have all the fun and I would also like to experience everything home has to offer. Whether you’re a local or a visitor to the island, I am here to share my personal review (and that of my friends) on The Reef restaurant and encourage you to visit to experience it for yourself.
Location + Details
The Reef Restaurant is located on Green Island which is a privately owned island on the north-east coast of Antigua. They offer a water taxi service from Willikies to the island, which takes about 10-15 minutes. The journey over is very picturesque, with a dynamic contrast of the rich, green mangroves lining the turquoise waters. Nestled right on the beach, the restaurant is very open, with views of the anchored sailboats on the sea and the rich greenery of the island all around. The rustic, but chic decor provides a level of quiet luxury which lets you know, you’re in for a treat!
Dining Experience
The Reef promises a gastronomical experience throughout their pairings, using locally sourced products with an Italian flair. It is a prix fixe menu whereby you can do two courses for US $70 or three courses for US $85. This menu does not include drinks, and there’s a variety of cocktails and wines available for purchase. There will also be a sales tax, service charge and water taxi fee added to your bill. To get the full dining experience, I opted for the three course option and we also tried to select various meals in order to test a variety of options. Let’s see if we had a gastronomical experience!
The Review
Appetizer
Based on the options presented, there was no debate in what I would have. From the moment I saw a lobster dish, I knew I had to have it. It was the Lobster Catalana Salad, the Reef style which consisted of fresh lobster salad with oranges, marinated balsamic red onions, celery, cherry tomatoes and lemon dressing. What I liked about this dish is that they did not skimp on the lobster and the tastes blended well together from the oranges to the onions and the dressing. It was a great start to our gastronomic adventure.
Given we planned on taste-testing each other dishes, I sampled the Wahoo salad and Beef Carpaccio. The Wahoo was marinated in beetroot and served with island greens, fennel, pomegranate and orange dressing. This would have been my first time trying Wahoo and it was pretty good. However, I’m not sure if I would have finished the entire dish, as the portion was larger than the other appetizers. The Reef Beef Carpaccio came with thinly sliced beef served with arugula, shaved parmesan, reef dressing, goat cheese drops and parmesan chip. I’m not a fan of arugula, so I only tried the beef with the parmesan and it was delectable. All I needed was a cracker, haha.
Main Course
After enjoying our appetizers, we were excited to see what the main course would deliver. We had a bit of a back and forth deciding what to choose, as many of the options interested us. With the help of our server, I settled on the Gnocchi with Light Summer Ragout. This dish came with homemade gnocchi, light pork ragout flavoured with thyme and pecorino cheese. I opted for this dish as I wanted a more filling meal and dumplings/flour which is the base of gnocchi tend to do that. I enjoyed the meal with the absence of the small pieces of pork.
For my main course samples, I enjoyed the Simple & Fresh which is the fresh catch of the day seared on a rock salt tile, punttanesca salad on the side, lemon dressing, zucchini “scapece“. This appeared to be their popular dish of the day as I saw many persons partaking in it. The rock salt tile isn’t something I’ve seen in any restaurant before, so I commend them on their innovative dishes. The catch of the day was Mahi Mahi and Tuna; you had the option of receiving just one or both. Of course we went for both. Tuna has grown on me within the recent months and it did not disappoint. Only thing to be mindful of *which they also make you aware of* is scraping the fork against the salt tile as you can end up with overly salty fish.
Dessert
After our mains, we were mind blown and didn’t know what else we could expect. We would have had a talk with the restaurant manager prior to selecting our dessert options. We were graciously offered another selection and eagerly waited to see if they would satisfy our sweet tooth. Unfortunately, dessert was my least enjoyable moment. I decided on the Hot Chocolate Fondue, but misread the menu and had other expectations. To my surprise, it was fruits, banana bread and a hot chocolate sauce being served. There was also madeleine and tiramisu served with the dish, but I couldn’t understand how the tiramisu complemented everything else. The fruits were nice and fresh so we enjoyed those, but maybe if the chocolate was warm it would have better.
Other desserts I got to sample include the White Hot Chocolate Cake and the Browns Bay Banana. The white hot chocolate cake was a lava cake served with strawberry sauce. It was different and if I had to have something for a second time, it will be this. The Browns Bay Banana consisted of Banana finger rolls wrapped in puff pastry, cinnamon, sugar served with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream. I’m very particular when it comes to bananas, I mostly enjoy them in a prepared state (banana bread, fritters etc). However, as this was simply a banana wrapped in pastry, it wasn’t my type of dessert. I’m also a chocolate girl, so I believe I was hoping for something to satisfy that need. As an observation, their menu selection are much different that the regular dessert options you’d find at majority of the restaurants.
Drinks
Last but not the least, the cocktails. What an afternoon treat without a little drinky drink? To settle in, I wanted something refreshing so I opted for a non-alcoholic cocktail, the Passion Smash. However, the passion fruit juice used was way too sour to be enjoyed. Afterwards, I had their special cocktail, the Wadadli Rock which had in Amaretto, pineapple juice and other stuff I can’t recall. When I first sampled the drink from my sister, it was good and influenced my decision in getting the same. However, the one I got tasted very different with more pineapple juice and barely any amaretto.
Overall
All in all it was an enjoyable Sunday afternoon. The location of the restaurant definitely set the scene and it felt like you were transported to another paradise. Although the island is usually hot and humid, the air was light and refreshing to enjoy our meal. This followed by the spectacular service we received from the staff all added to our experience. From the time we boarded the boat at the dock to leaving the restaurant everyone was attentive and friendly without being irritating. We were greeted by the dock and taken to our seats whereby we were told of the specials for the day. Our server did a great job at recommending us options based on our preferences and what she has tried before. The food came out in good time and we were never left waiting wondering whether we were going to eat or not. The drinks however were not served within our expected time and we also observed inconsistencies between drinks.
The Reef is an exquisite and unique dining experience, definitely incomparable to those on the mainland. It’s worth a try for those who want to switch up their gastronomy!
– Asha
Would I return?
Obviously, this is not an every week restaurant (unless of course you can afford it), I see it simply as an upscale option to celebrate special occasions. I did enjoy my time spent here and would love to return, so it’s definitely not a “I’ve experienced it and crossed it off my list” type of option. In speaking to the restaurant manager, they are also hoping to expand their services to include a dinner menu in the future. They also change their dishes based on when certain products are in season, so I’d be interested to see what other stunning dishes are featured. Food reviews are very subjective, so once again this is solely my review and I invite you to check them out to cast your own opinions.
Rating:
Ambiance – 10/10
Food – 8/10
Drinks – 8/10
Service – 10/10
Visit The Reef Green Island website for more information on their menus and to make a reservation.
Until our next foodie adventure,
As Told by Ali 