WHAT TO EAT

 

Unlike most places in the Caribbean, eating in St Barths is pure joy! Unsurprisingly, the French take their mealtimes very seriously, and you'll be spoiled with the prevalence of local and imported seafood on all the menus - soon you'll see that just about every restaurant has its own take on fresh fish tartares and ceviches, shrimp Caesar salads, grilled fish and Caribbean lobster dishes, so it's just a matter of what level of formality you seek.

 

As is the case with every small island, most other things like fresh fruits and vegetables need to be flown in, so eating out can be very pricey (especially in high season when, we were told, menu prices often treble). But then again, as most people know, if you come to St Barths, prepare to ignore the price tag or risk letting sticker shock ruin your entire holiday.

 

One place I highly recommend you visit is the main supermarket near the airport - I was blown away by the extensive cheese and pate selection, and there's more than enough to pack a delicious picnic for that trip to Colombier :)

 

Top dishes

 

Tuna Tartare at Sandbar/On the Rocks

We ordered tuna tartare everywhere we went and generally, they were all good (except for Hotel Christopher's, which was sadly bland and watery, as if they'd frozen the tuna). Jean George's rendition prevailed by a mile, from the original presentation and the bold flavors of the ginger dressing. The perfect beach dish!

 

Berry pavlova at Maya's

Most people recommend Maya's as THE quintessential St Barths restaurant, but while the setting and service are terrific, the food was just OK. And as such, VERY overpriced. I think everyone has a sticker shock moment on St BArths (a friend once paid 100 euros for a Caesar salad at Ile de France), and mine was here: Euros 28 for their signatire Sancocho, which is a very basic vegetable soup. Was it tasty? Sure. Worth $40, no way.

 

Ice cream and sorbets at Le Petit Deauville

So many flavours, all delicious.

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