Cayman Foodie is back after a brief break. Shaking off the jet lag we thought a trip to Ortanique would be a great way to get back into the Cayman swing. Tempted by their promise of ‘Tapas Thursdays’ we headed to Ortanique, the chic spot in Camana Bay that offers Caribbean cuisine like you probably won’t have seen before – vibrant and flavourful but with a contemporary twist that keeps the cuisine new and exciting. The menu is created by celeb chef and co-owner Cindy Hutson (left), an energetic and intelligent chef with an innate knack for creating memorable dishes seemingly effortlessly.
Sadly, Tapas Thursdays was a misnomer (and yes, it was a Thursday…) as none were on the menu; instead we could choose from a list of specials or the regular menu. This was not a hardship and we proceeded to plough through the mouth-watering list. Bar bites exist up until 6.30pm and these usually include their well-known wagyu beef sliders (right). We had arrived nearer 7pm but our cheery waitress, Christine, happily trotted off to the kitchen to see if they could rustle me up some anyway.
In the end, as an appetiser, we decided to share their ceviche, which changes daily depending on what the fresh catch is and how Chef Cindy wants to prepare it. Today it was local Rainbow Runner served in coconut milk, bell peppers, scotch bonnet pepper, ginger, green mango and lime juice (see left). At CI$16 a plate this was not the cheapest ceviche on the block, but, boy, you get what you pay for. A mound of ceviche arrived – a combination of the most delicious lumps of fish bathed in cool coconut milk juxtaposed with crunchy peppers, spicy scotch bonnet and tangy lime juice that did a little dance in the mouth. To enhance the dish (if that were possible), the chef had included guacamole (how did she know this is my very favourite food?) with plantain chips. Really sublime. As always when we share anything, it was a fight to the finish. The restaurant's delicious garlic bread (your first basket is free, see below middle) did a great job in mopping up the coconut/lime juices.
A word to the wise though, my wine choice was rather foolish, I should have known better. I chose a glass of La Crema Chardonnay from Sonoma Valley, a lovely and familiar wine to me but a horrible pairing with the ceviche, the acidity of the dish clashing catastrophically with the elegant fruity wine. Far better to go with a nicely acidic and therefore harmonious Sauvignon Blanc.
Never mind, continuing on with drinking water, the wagyu sliders did their job nicely and slid down the gullet before you could say hamburger, the juiciest little burgers you will find anywhere. I paired this with a Norma’s Terrace Salad (above left), another extremely popular dish at Ortanique, named after the owner, Delius’s mother, who was the Jamaican equivalent of Julia Child, by all accounts. This really is a multi-layered salad, in terms of flavour and texture, and a kind of metaphor for the restaurant as a whole, with sunny citrus flavours of orange, papaya and mango combined with more savoury, crunchy Belgian Endive and peppery arugula. Candied walnut pieces were so good I picked a good few out while I waited for hubby’s mains to arrive.
He chose the Caribbean seared tuna (above right) off the menu (CI$29) seared to his liking (medium rare) with sesame oil and Caribbean spices and served with a wasabi mash and tropical mango and papaya salsa. Another dish that takes Caribbean ingredients (some of them even locally grown), combining them into a sophisticated and grown up dish that elevates simple, mainstream Caribbean cooking into high level cuisine. At CI$109 for the two of us (shared appetiser, no dessert or coffee and only a glass of wine and a couple of beers between us) the meal wasn’t cheap but the quality of what we ate meant we didn’t mind. It’s great to be back.
He chose the Caribbean seared tuna (above right) off the menu (CI$29) seared to his liking (medium rare) with sesame oil and Caribbean spices and served with a wasabi mash and tropical mango and papaya salsa. Another dish that takes Caribbean ingredients (some of them even locally grown), combining them into a sophisticated and grown up dish that elevates simple, mainstream Caribbean cooking into high level cuisine. At CI$109 for the two of us (shared appetiser, no dessert or coffee and only a glass of wine and a couple of beers between us) the meal wasn’t cheap but the quality of what we ate meant we didn’t mind. It’s great to be back.
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