Tuesday, January 26, 2016

BC Salmon in the Caribbean!

No.... they didn't make some remarkable voyage - I took them with me. 

(By the way, any links below are blue and you can click on most of the pictures to enlarge - then click to the side of them to return to the page).

Once again, KJ's BC Salmon Invitational Tournament was held at Barbados Golf Club. The event was, of course, the highlight of our December escape to the sun.

As with previous events, I have sourced the prizes from St. Jeans Cannery & Smokehouse in Nanaimo, BC. They have a great range of products but I always take the Scrumptious Smoked Sockeye Salmon with me to Barbados. The folks there love it - and for all the friendly rivalry that goes on, EVERYONE wants to win it. Wives have been known to tell their spouses as they head out to the tourney, "Don't come home without the salmon!"

Normally, only the winner and runner-up are able to go home with the 'goods'. so there are a lot of disappointed homecomings. Not so many this time, though, as I carted enough for a team event! We had teams of six and played a Ryder Cup format over two rounds.
Here's the prizes:
 (Don't forget, you can click on the pics)
It was a two-day event as twosome battled twosome to score points for their team. 1 point for winning a hole and 1/2 if tied. There were 108 points available in total and when all the totting up was done at the final 'Banquet' (OK 'Beerquet' might be more accurate), the winning team had secured their victory (and the salmon) by ONE point! Incredibly close and there were a few 'If only I'd sunk that putt' thoughts from the vanquished. Me, for example...
*I have pictures of the winning team proudly showing off their prizes but unfortunately I have not been able to contact everyone to get permission to publish and not wishing to delay any longer, I have gone ahead without them. 
But please take my word for it, there were six people going home happy!

We stayed on the golf course. Here's our patio:
And as we were there for over three weeks, we 'self catered' some of the time. With Oistins Fish Market, right on the beach just a few minutes away, we got to choose what to take home for some grillin'.....
 

 Fresh catch of the Day - Mouthwatering!

Of course we had our favorite 'eating out' spots, but I'll just mention two, as they illustrate the wonderful choices and contrast in styles available on this lovely island. (Others appear in previous posts).

Shakers is a true 'Local' Caribbean dining experience and is great value. (Prices shown on the menu are Barbados Dollars). It is a regular stop for us when we are lucky enough to be in Barbados. On this last visit they accommodated 19 of us and we had a great night. The freshest fish and Bajan spiced chicken and pork dishes are something we have come to rely on over the years. The service is happy, friendly and very, very good. They have a varied, well priced wine list and a comprehensive selection of beers and cocktails. And you would be hard put to find a better Rum Punch .....
..... which is what I started with. My food choice was grilled catch of the day, which was Dolphin fish, beautifully spiced and grilled to perfection - no don't worry, not a relative of 'Flipper', it is also called Mahi Mahi - served with grilled potatoes, salad and coleslaw and washed down with Banks Beer. Wonderful stuff!
This place has recently opened so it was a first visit. Following hearty recommendations, we went with Jimbo for lunch.
And from the moment we entered to the time we left, the experience was nothing less than superb. The ambiance is exceptional and the service is even better! Even the company wasn't too shabby...
And as far as the dining part goes, the menu and wine list are so well constructed
You can go for a few delicious 'tastes' or in varying degrees upwards, dine in a manner where you can really 'Push the boat out'. In other words, this wonderful establishment caters to every pocket book. 
And by all accounts, the Pizza is deliziosa as well! 
I started with Rapa Rossa (Beetroot carpaccio, fried goat cheese and crispy garlic with arugula). Fresh, vibrant flavors that really woke the palate and made a marvelous meld with the well - chilled Prosecco.  
My pasta choice was Cappelletti panna prosciutto e piselli (Cheese stuffed pasta, with prosciutto cotto and green peas in cream). It was to die for!

I declined the Secondi (Main) course, for obvious reasons, having left not one morsel of that pasta dish. The Secondi choices look so tempting (as you can see from the above link) but I can only eat so much!

Mind you, after taking a breather and helping with a bottle of a particularly tasty Pinot Noir (I was very helpful), I let the waiter tempt me with dessert.  I simply could not resist trying a dish of chocolate truffle with hot espresso poured over it (Tartufo al cioccolat). Well - we were on holiday, after all!

A lovely long stroll by the ocean took care of the rest of a wonderful, self indulgent afternoon. 


As for the rest of our time? We were hosted for marvelous meals by friends over Christmas and generally socialized with the group of folks Jimbo has introduced us to over the years and who make us feel so welcome. An added bonus was meeting 'Neighbors' Wayne and Claire for the first time. 

We went to Denzil's place for a golf tournament held in my 'Honour'. He has done an amazing job of designing his back garden to accommodate 18 holes of Par 3 golf! Mind you, a couple of the tee boxes are across the road - and you have to get over the hedge and under the tree pretty sharpish to not incur penalty strokes!

There is also a fishpond and I gained the distinction of being the ONLY person to ever hit a golf ball into it. 
Game on!
Heads up - this could go anywhere!
 
 Yours truly updating the Leader board
No need to 'click' - I think the view is quite 'large' enough, thank you.
 
Other than that, we had daily conundrums. Golf or beach and then pool or beach, pool and golf and pool again, or just... well, you get the picture. Life's decisions can be tough sometimes.
Just before I go, I have to share about a trip to our local supermarket in Oistins. Here it is: 
On one of the afternoons leading up to Christmas, we popped in on our way back from the beach. It was pretty crowded with folk provisioning for the big event and the lineups much longer than usual. All the check-out girls were wearing Santa hats and the Christmas music was blaring out over the sound system. 
Then this tune came on. Imagine a bit of revved up Calypso beat, with steel drums and such and these were the words blasting out:
"I wanta bitta pork
I wanta bitta pork 
I wanta bitta pork for me Christmaaaas..."
Well, everyone started singing along, jigging about. Locals, snowbirds, tourists - I mean, everyone! Yes, and I didn't care how daft this old geezer looked. There was spontaneous synchronized cart dancing in the aisles and the check out girls all bobbing about in unison. The smiles, the fun, the laughter. It was wonderful. A real special moment.  
Nothing wrong with having a bit of uninhibited fun, eh? We love Barbados.