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Friday, March 19, 2021

Dining around Atlantis

With limited restaurants open for dining, Atlantis is still able to offer variety in dining experiences to please every palate.

During my recent “staycation” at the luxurious all-suite The Cove, dining options included Seafire Steakhouse, Olives and Nobu for dinner; Sip Sip at The Cove, Ocean ClubHouse, The Point (Harborside), Plato’s (Royal Lobby), Shark Bites (Mayan Temple, poolside) for lunch; and room service, Fish, Starbucks (The Reef) for breakfast. It wasn’t the full complement of the Atlantis dining experience, but I loved the fact that I had options to satisfy my craving for variety in cuisine.

Sip Sip’s grouper “Reuben” with French fries.

After checking-in, I made a beeline for Sip Sip with two things on my mind, the celebrated Harbour Island eatery of Chef Julie Lightbourn’s for the famous grouper “Reuben” – local grouper with melted Swiss cheese, coleslaw and homemade thousand island dressing on toasted island bread – a Bahamian riff on a truly classic sandwich for good reason, in which grouper is subbed in for corned beef for an amazing bite; and Sip Sip’s sinful carrot cake with ginger caramel. That was all I had on my mind to have first thing upon arrival (after ditching my luggage in my room of course). The last time I enjoyed these items was when the dining outpost opened in 2017. They were amazing then, they’re still amazing today.

Sip Sip’s carrot cake with ginger caramel sauce.

Dining at Seafire Steakhouse, a restaurant I had not been to in a few years, also proved to be surprising with a much-improved menu. It may sound surprising to many, but it’s the little things on the menu that made the difference to me. While I did not get to enjoy a steak (owing to Lent) I opted for the king steak salmon which was served with a refreshing fruit salsa that was also an accompaniment to the crab cakes – and it just worked.

The crispy Brussel sprouts with honey and Parmesan cheese is another wonderful addition to the menu and is one of those side dishes that will become a staple whenever you visit, it’s that good.

East Coast oysters were showcased during my dinner, and I had to have them with mignonette sauce, as I can never pass up oysters. They were firm with a delicious brininess. You can never go wrong with an oyster when it’s fresh.

Dining at Nobu is an experience because you want to indulge in all the gourment offerings that the chef puts his spin on. There’s a reason why this restaurant’s classic dishes are classics, because they are – classic; so the yellowtail jalapeno it was. And I knew I was going to have Nobu’s black cod miso, a signature item I haven’t had in years and had been avoiding in an effort to try new things when I visited. But I was drawn to this signature item on my return. It’s a sweet-savory dish that is spectacular. The fish was buttery and beautiful and cooked to perfection.

Olives grilled salmon with burro fuso (butter sauce), avocado oil and crab vinaigrette.

I allowed myself to be talked into the salmon sashimi with nashi pear that is an item that is no longer listed on the menu items, but is still to be had if you ask for it. It was my first time having this current off-menu item. It is visually stunning and just as lovely on the tastebuds, as crisp, creamy juicy Asian pear is wrapped in luscious salmon sashimi with truffle yuzu sauce, for a perfect bite.

I also went with the king crab tempura with amazu ponzu (a Japanese sweet and sour) for the first time. Sweet king crab meat fried to a crisp was offset perfectly with the acidic amazu ponzu.

Nobu’s bruleed vanilla bean cheesecake with passionfruit sorbet, golden vanilla glaze and caramelized pistachios was a great ending to the meal.

Considering the era we are in, Olives has seriously pared down their menu, but in paring down you are still able to satisfy the palate. In what it seems was a seafood weekend, I started my meal with the calamari fritti, because who can resist tender calamari with a crisp coating for that perfect bite. At Olives, they toss their calamari with cherry peppers which can be mild to moderately hot, but offer delicious flavor, alongside a spicy lemon aioli that provides the creamy cooling touch. Wanting a lighter meal, I went with the grilled salmon which sat atop a bed of spinach with the burro fuso, avocado oil and crab vinaigrette at the perfect temperature, so I was happy.

And how could I possibly forget that I ventured over to the Ocean ClubHouse at the Ocean Club Golf Course for lunch and had some of the best buffalo wings I’ve had in a long time. They had the perfect amount of spice and sauce, which I enjoyed while taking in the amazing vista that is the golf course as I looked out to the beach.

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