Restaurant review - The Cliff - West Coast Barbados
- Karen
- Aug 8, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 25, 2024
Location - Highway 1, Derricks, St. James
Overall Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Food - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Drinks - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Service - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Atmosphere - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you have read any of my other reviews (if you haven't, I would urge that you do, especially this one as they are all near The Cliff) then you know I am a true advocate of finding local restaurants and that you don't have to spend a fortune to have a good meal in Barbados. However, there are some occasions when it is nice to splash out. I recently celebrated a birthday and it was one that ended in a zero, so I wanted to do something to remember the day by and it is probably the only excuse to spend the higher amounts charged here on a meal.
Well after trying to book a table online, which we failed at as you can only book for 3 or more people this way, we emailed and then went to the restaurant to pay a deposit.
The restaurant has a strict dress code, so make sure you check this out before you pack for your holiday or make a booking. The dress code varies a little depending on the time of year. It was nice to get get dressed up since we basically live in shorts, t-shirt or a bikini now, not that I'm complaining!
We had decided to have the Sunset Supper Prix Fixe set menu, which gives you a choice of 3 dishes for each of the 3 courses, which has seating times between 5 pm and 6 pm. Our table was booked for 6 pm, and the wait staff advised our order needed to be made by 6.30 pm for the Sunset Supper menu. The menu does change quite frequently, so I don't have the exact names of some of the dishes, but I will do my best to describe them. They also have a sushi and al la carte menu available.
Food
I can truly say that the food is spectacular. From the little hors d'oeuvres and the fresh bread cart that came to the table, to the petit fours served at the very end, it was a feast for the senses.
So what did we eat?
hors d'oeuvres
Fresh bread, red pepper hummus with bread sticks and mini cream cheese tarts (in the photo the thing that looks a bit like a chocolate cake, is in fact just the serving platter)
Starter
Beetroot Carpaccio Goats cheese mousse, toasted pine nuts, black olive tapenade, ver jus
OH had a roasted octopus dish.
Beetroot isn't even one of my favourite vegetables, but since I don't eat meat and don't like fish/seafood that looks like an animal I wasn't sure about the octopus. Both were presented beautifully and tasted amazing. The way they did the beetroot was delicious, and they presented beetroot in a couple of different ways, so it has certainly has gone up in my estimation.
Main
Coconut Crusted Red Snapper Saffron ratte potatoes, tempura clams, curry sauce
We both had this dish and again it was cooked to perfection and tasted amazing. I'm not the biggest fan of coconut (unless it is served with lots of sugar and chocolate, think Bounty) but this added texture and didn't overpower the dish so I'm glad I had it.
Dessert
Mount Gay Rum Baba Lime Chantilly, mango salsa, yuzu
Again we both had this dessert. I would sometimes say that the best part of the meal is dessert for me, but here everything was great and so was this course. Not too strong in the rum area (I'm not a big drinker, so some would say it was a subtle flavour). A Baba is described as a small, rich sponge cake, typically soaked in rum-flavoured syrup and this was a delightful example.
Petit Fours
Red berry macarons
The set menu is $200 BBD per person (approx. £80 each) plus the 12.5% service charge. It was just the right amount of food I didn't feel over full and at no point did I feel rushed.
Drinks
There is a vast choice of drinks to accompany your meal including cocktails, rums, beers and wines. Not being a big drinker I tried a simple Passionfruit Bellini. You could go crazy and spend over $150 BBD on one measure of rum, but I don't make that kind of money.
Service
The staff were incredible! From the person who met us at the front entrance and guided us towards the entrance door (they have 2 different restaurants on-site) to the person who showed us to our table and pointed out the glass-walled kitchen and other serving stations. The chefs all waved and said hi to guests as they enter the restaurant, a lovely touch. We were also introduced to the staff who brought us our food for the rest of the night, I couldn't think of a single way they could improve. They were that good. At one point I wanted to use the bathroom (just to be nosy, as well as actually needing it) so stood and started to head in the direction I thought they would be. I was met by a staff member who apologised that I had walked maybe 5 steps before he could help me and then escorted me to the entrance, where I was then passed to a second staff member. (The bathrooms are as spectacular as the rest of the restaurant by the way). The exemplary service and training just adds to the experience and I feel they deserve the service fee included, whereas some other restaurants I have been to recently I felt didn't. If anyone in the restaurant business wants to see how excellent service can be done, I would recommend they visit The Cliff for some insight.
Atmosphere
The restaurant is stunning. It is open-fronted on the side built over the ocean and they have lights so you can see into the sea after dark. A well-designed canopy keeps the elements at bay, we had a heavy downpour during our meal which caused no issue. We even had some visitors of huge fish (see video below) which seem to be regulars. The Cliff has elegance and class, but isn't too stuffy that I felt out of place, something that I have felt in some fancy restaurants. There are tea lights on the outer wall overlooking the sea and on the tables and all the small decorative touches that are included in the way they serve the food add to the way to the whole feel of the restaurant giving the appearance of decadence and that you are experiencing something special.
Overall thoughts
This was an absolutely amazing night, it really made my day special. Though I wouldn't want to eat like this every week, I'm sure there are people who would. I like my relaxed meals in the local bars, but if you want something special then The Cliff really does tick all the boxes. Would I dine there again? Absolutely! Would I recommend it to others? Yes, I would. Based on the experience at The Cliff, I intend to sample dining at QP Bistro (located immediately next door), which also has a spectacular sea view, so look out for a future review.
Video of the view from our table
Video of the giant fish that visit in the evening
Find more reviews for the West Coast of Barbados below
Commentaires