A Matter of Taste

Take a bite out of Anguilla, a top contender for the ‘Culinary Capital of the Caribbean’ title, with everything from grilled lobster tails to callaloo stew

By Toby Saltzman

The reggae beat of Boss and the Home Power Band ramps up Anguilla’s island vibe as warm breezes waft onto the beach, mingling sea air with fragrant fusions of Caribbean flavours. I’m enchanted by the music, the starlit night and the culinary talents of chef Bruno Carvalho who is joking with guests while grilling lobster tails for a buffet already brimming with specialties for his sea-totable menu.

It’s Caribbean festival at Zemi Beach House, culminating my spectacular week in Anguilla, deservedly dubbed “Culinary Capital of the Caribbean.” While tasting seafood ceviche, filets of sea bass and red snapper filets, and bites of Wagyu beef, I reminisce how Anguilla’s exclusive cachet has long intrigued me with the Caribbean’s most luxurious resorts, fine epicurean experiences and the best beaches.

˝ BELMOND CAP JULUCA

Soon after arriving at this tiny island by boat from St. Martin, I begin to understand its allure to global cognoscenti, celebrities and gourmands. Merely 26 kilometres long and 6 kilometres wide, Anguilla is a ribbon of tropical joy. Its vibrant culture, music and culinary style is rooted in its native Caribbean, African, Spanish, French and English heritage.

˝ BELMOND CAP JULUCA

To maximize my Anguilla experience, I choose resorts in two different areas, each with a world-renowned beach. I learn its culinary delights surpass traditional fare – such as callaloo greens stew, saltfish and pigeon peas with rice, with delectable creations by celebrated chefs at renowned resorts and eateries.

˝ ZEMI BEACH HOUSE

On Anguilla’s southwestern tip, Belmond Cap Juluca dazzles with its idyllic setting of white, Moorish-style villas curving around a crescent of sugar white sand bordering Maundays Bay. While the resort is famed for exquisite dining at Pimm’s, arguably one of the Caribbean’s most romantic restaurants, I choose Maundays Club for local entertainment and chef Cesar Soto’s innovative Peruvian tapas.

˝ BELMOND CAP JULUCA

My taste buds soar with piquant ceviche with shrimp, octopus, tuna and salmon, mains of seared scallops served in oyster shells, and chicken croquettes with mirasol chili. At breakfast the next morning, the only thing better than my smoked salmon eggs benedict is the stunning view of azure surf lapping onto the beach.

˝ BELMOND CAP JULUCA

Easy to explore, Anguilla is ringed by 33 beaches. At its rugged western tip, the Anguilla Arch, chiselled by aeons of thrashing waves, spans a cerulean cove, my imagined haven for frolicking mermaids. In Anguilla’s capital city, The Valley, food stands and trucks serving tasty barbeque bites, from jerk meats and conch fritters to lobster tacos, are scattered along its streets.

˝ BELMOND CAP JULUCA

At Crocus Bay, I stop for lunch at Da’Vida Bayside Grill. After devouring crisply fried Johhnycakes and a seafood sampler of mahi-mahi, lobster and calamari, I can’t resist tossing my sandals and curling my toes into the sand while drinking a luscious Anguilla Sunshine, Da’Vida’s signature concoction of Malibu rum, peach schnapps, orange and pineapple juice.

˝ BELMOND CAP JULUCA

Sandy Ground, Anguilla’s main harbour, bustles with bars, their reggae soundtracks playing on the breeze. Among Anguilla’s original beach bars, Johnno’s creates a heady medley of rum punches. At Elvis Beach Bar, built in a vintage racing boat that harkens to Anguilla’s boatbuilding heritage, there are Mexican-Caribbean delights, including ‘goatchos,’ nachos with tender morsels of goat and cheese.

˝ BELMOND CAP JULUCA

From Sandy Ground, a 15-minute boat ride swept me to Sandy Island. At first sight, the tiny cay appeared like a silvery white mirage floating on turquoise waves. Scattered with lounges and picnic tables, the pristine cay’s centrepiece is a barbeque kitchen where local chefs prepare sirloin steak, lobster and crayfish. Returning from this blissful beach day, I stop for a refreshing mango punch at Malliouhana, a sublime resort known for fine dining.

˝ ANGUILLA TOURISM

One memorable evening, I indulge at Mango’s Seaside Grill. One of Anguilla’s finest restaurants, its seaside atmosphere and eclectic menu epitomize the local style. Delicious choices include rum-glazed chicken and spicy filets of wahoo and red snapper.

By now, based at Zemi Beach House on the north coast overlooking the vast swath of white sand beach fringing Shoal Bay, I’m unabashedly smitten by Anguilla. The dreamy resort, opened in 2016 and set amid fragrant tropical gardens, is perfect for families and active types who enjoy snorkelling amid coral reefs and abundant marine life. After breakfast, which started with a puff of caco bread made from sweet potatoes – and lunch of yellowfin tuna pizza, I need an energetic swim before visiting Zemi’s famed Rhum Room for a tasting flight showcasing the resort’s prized rum collection.

Zemi may be renowned for the Stone Restaurant’s sea-totable cuisine, but I gravitate to music and aromatic scents of the Caribbean feast. Savouring a delectable spoon of seafood bisque, I think, if a Caribbean island could be called “delicious,” Anguilla would be it.