Upon our arrival at The Point, we were greeted at the door by a couple of handsome gentlemen who pointed out that we might want to sit in the garden instead of at the bar. It was the perfect suggestion as it was cooler and less noisy. Their names were Axel and Axael, of all things.

I wish I had remembered to take a photo of the beautiful garden setting. The restaurant is between Grill Garden and North Garden, and is in the vicinity of the pool of one of the nearby hotels.

Special martinis were suggested as a place to start our lovely evening. We chose the pina colada martini with a generous garnish of sweetened coconut and once we had shared it, selected another tropical one with natural secretions from watermelon and pineapple. Could you imagine the patience required to create a libation from juice secretions? This would be the task of beautiful Natalie the mixologist.

Our food service commenced with the house guacamole. I was intrigued by the refreshing taste and learned from Axel (the manager/server) that it was made with a secret ingredient. A graduate of Tourism and Hospitality Management, he elaborated: “not everyone likes the taste of cilantro”. I know this for a fact because even though I love it, I know of people who not only dislike it, they abhor it! The secret ingredient? Fresh mint!

When it came time to order dinner we needed assistance. We knew we wanted fish. They had fresh grouper in the house. Alex explained their commitment to fresh fish and the lengths that they will go to ensure that it is served at its peak taste. Chef Lalo can do a variety of ceviche dishes but because they spoke so highly about their grouper, we tried grouper ceviche. That is the dish photographed above. It is made with julienned strips of cucumber, red onion and cucumber but what put the dish over the top were the ribbons of mango. The grouper had been cut into the same delicate strips. I coaxed my friend to try it, and although she is not a ceviche fan, she was pleasantly surprised by how much she enjoyed it. Me, on the other hand, loved everything about the recipe and heartedly scooped it up with the generous supply of tortilla strips. (I finished eating the dish last evening as my late night supper and it was just as great).

We also requested a cooked order of the grouper. The fish absolutely sparkled in our mouths. Simply prepared in butter, pepper corns and capers, it was perched upon a medley of grilled sweet peppers. The chef finished the dish with a squeeze of lime which I would normally have appreciated, except the taste came too close to the ceviche. The leftovers are waiting in my apartment fridge for my sister in law who has been on the island for a week and has not yet eaten fresh fish.

The staff were diligent in asking us if we would like more libations. We actually turned down their offerings of tequila shots!

To ice the cake of our evening, we were offered a grilled fruit. We chose the pineapple and after they had skewered it and put it over a flame, it was carved at our table. There was a simple sprinkling of cinnamon and it did not encumber our walk home as some final dishes do.

If you get a chance to look for and visit The Point, do so. I come to the island for fresh, simply prepared, food. It is an art for a chef to have the knowledge of when enough is enough (with cooking, seasoning and ingredients) and Chef Lalo and his team more than delivered!

If you would like more details about hours, location and menu check out checkout www.mapchicksapp.com.

Kath’s quote: “Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all“. – Harriet van Horne

Love never fails.

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