Bo's Plaice

Back when the GH was dragging himself around the island with a black eye and many stitches to keep his chin attached to his jawbone, we came upon this beautiful patio in Speightstown and had a wonderful cup of coffee here, watching the waves roll in and feeling glad to be alive.

Back then, it was the Cassareep Cafe. When we went back this time, we found it operating under new management and a new name—Bo's Plaice.

The first meal I had here seemed just so-so. The breadfruit chips I ordered with my marlin steak seemed a bit dry; the marlin steak itself was similarly lacking in moisture. But the service was good, and the patio exuded an air of rundown elegance that, to me, is what Speightstown is all about.

A couple of nights later, we came here again. This time, I ordered some flying fish and plaintains—all very juicy—and came away a very happy customer indeed. Unfortunately, I had already written my review on Trip Advisor (incidentally, the official TA photo for the restaurant is the one you see above, submitted by yours truly!) and droned boringly on about my marlin on the dry side.

So, here is my chance to make amends to the chef of Bo's Plaice. You're great! Everyone should eat your food! I'm coming back again next year!

Neville A. Edwards' A1 Appetiser

Our grand favourite hot sauce is that made by Neville A. Edwards, of Long Gap, Spooner's Hill, St Michael.

It is "made from the finest selected Peppers, Onions and Radishes. Also Salt, Mustard and 5 per cent Alcohol." I think it is the combination of mustard and alcohol that gives Bajan hot sauce its incomparably flavourful piquancy.

We have a long list of hot-sauce dependents. People from as far away as Singapore, Arizona, New York and Unionville, Ontario, depend on us for their hot sauce supply. My mum likes to have it with her Bak Kut Teh. So I guess this means we are duty-bound to return to Barbados every year for as long as we live.

We had a bit of a scare this year when we went along to our usual supermarket in Holetown and couldn't find a single bottle of Neville A. Edwards on the shelves. It was definitely a face-blanching moment. Luckily, we found the next day that Jordan's of Speightstown was well stocked in the stuff, so we came away with eight bottles.

A few days later, we went to the Holetown supermarket again, just to have a look. Sure enough, the A1 Appetiser had been restored to its rightful place on the shelves, so all was well in the universe again.

It must have been a hiccup in their supply chain. Either that or someone very like myself had just hit the place ahead of me.

Hot Sauce, Hot Sauce, Hot Sauce!!!

I can't believe it. I have been writing this blog (admittedly intermittently) for three years, and I have not posted on hot sauce.

I first tasted Bajan hot sauce when my friend The Curmudgeon brought some over to dinner—oh, about twenty years ago now. Coming as I do from Southeast Asia, with its fiery sambals and curries, tom yums and laksas, I thought "Yeah, whatever." But as soon as I tasted some, well, I literally ran around my kitchen whooping for joy.

This picture was taken surreptitiously in a Holetown supermarket. As you can see, Barbadians take their hot sauce (sometimes called pepper sauce) SERIOUSLY. Over the years, we have found that an excellent way to break the ice with Bajans (who can be a little shy) is to ask them which brand they like the best. We have tried several kinds—Delish (meh), Aunt May (meh to good), Country Boy (pretty good), S-Bend (pretty damn good).

The Curmudgeon's Mum (bless her heart) likes Windmill. We always buy her a bottle, but have never tried it ourselves. We're sure it's great.

And then there is the off-label, home-made kind that some restaurants commission from their own private suppliers. I'm sure you could write an entire book about those.

But our favourite brand of hot sauce deserves a post of its own ...

Trinity

We think of Gibbs Beach on the west coast as our hometown in Barbados. We've tried staying elsewhere—one year in Fitts Village, St James, and one year in Bathsheba. Nevertheless, nice as those places were, we always felt a little displaced and dissatisfied.

But we are budget travellers, and Gibbs is an expensive, exclusive neighbourhood. There are vacation rentals here that cost thousands of US dollars per night. Even the Gibbs Bay Inn, which is in just the right spot and looks fine (though just short of five-star), starts at about USD200 per night.

For a few years, we rented a little apartment up on Gibbs Hill. It was lovely, but to get down to the coast we would have to walk through a dark, steep-sided gully that wound around a couple of blind corners—not the kind of place you want to share with cars, especially not at night. The gully became a kind of psychological hurdle for us. Watching for a green flash at sunset on the beach was out of the question, because then we'd have to walk back up through the gully in darkness. We ate all our dinners in.

So it was with great relief that we found the lovely "Trinity", just a few minutes' north of Gibbs Beach, along the West Coast highway. It is a self-contained studio apartment on the ground floor of a house. As you can see, it opens out onto a spacious, breezy patio that faces away from the main road and onto a well-looked-after garden much frequented by green monkeys, Zenaida doves, bananaquits, grassquits, and hummingbirds. We really had a nice time here—I can't think of a single thing that could have been done to make our stay more comfortable.

The owner, Barbara Anne Rodriguez (who told me about the cow's nostril), is as sunny and warm as her native island. She tells me she has plans to add a two-bedroom apartment in time for next winter. You can read more about Trinity here and get in touch with Barbara Anne here.

Animal Flower Cave Concession Stand

In all the times we've visited the Animal Flower Cave, we've never actually gone into the cave nor seen anyone else go in. It costs something, and there is a discouraging sign posted at the top of the stair that says something like "Enter at Your Own Risk".

Nevertheless, the concession stand at the cave is a pleasant and popular spot. You can have lunch here and ice cream, and there are washrooms in decent shape around the back.

There are several benches around the grounds that are painted blue and have a "Wet Paint" sign affixed to them. But I think the paint must be dry by now, as those signs have been there for at least three years.

Great Spot for a Picnic!

As you get close to the Animal Flower Cave (assuming you walked over from River Bay, rather than vice versa, which would actually be more sensible), there is a gallery of sorts, complete with benches, so you can put your feet up and enjoy watching the surf crash against the cliffs.

There are signs that there had once been plans to put thatch on the roof of the structure, for some welcome shade, but the wind is so strong along this coast that I don't doubt the plan was abandoned after numerous roofs blew off into the deep blue yonder.

Still, it is a great spot for a snack.

Please Pay Attention to Where You're Going

As you might imagine, there are a few signs of erosion along the coast, where the relentless ocean has scoured away for millennia at the coral cliffs. If you weren't paying attention to where you were going, you might fall through a hole like this and end up forty or so feet on the beach below.

If you did that, you'd find yourself on a beach of Bottom Bay–like beauty, but I'm not sure how you would get off it.