We are nearly done with our entrée before the Yogini’s show up. Sweetie Pie is into yoga and is wondering if she’ll recognize anyone. She says one lady looks familiar. We order dessert, a key lime cheesecake. It is off the hook. Light and airy yet creamy and rich. Sweetie Pie makes one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had, she says it doesn’t compare to this. “5 hours in a water bath, at least,” she says, “A lot of work went into this cheesecake.” Our waiter confirms it’s one of chef’s specials, only made occasionally. “We may not see this again for months,” he says, “It takes him hours.”
My favorite coffee drink in the world is a Jamaican Coffee, just add Appletons and Tia Maria to open the doors to Nirvana. We order a couple. “We serve ours with whipped cream, is that OK?” asks our waiter. How can that possibly be a problem? “What the heck, you might as well bring us the Mango Cake too!”
We are sated. The appetizers are showing up on the sea deck. They are ridiculous. It’s a simple shrimp cocktail but there is nothing simple about it. On a large charger several LED lights are set. A glass box is on top of this. On top of the glass box is a shallow square glass basin with water in it. Floating on the water are rose leaves cut in the shape of hearts. A flat glass plate sits on top of this. To the side on this plate is a container of shrimp cocktail sauce. In the center are 3 very large prawns underneath a large martini glass. It is a piece of art. They are brought to the table in a procession by a large chunk of the staff that winds through the gangways and down the stairs to the sea deck. The food service is performance art in and of itself. Amazing.
It’s after 9 by now and we are fat, drunk and happy. We talk about hanging out until the dessert service but it’s not going to happen. On our way out I run into the manager by the kitchen and pay my respects. We have a nice conversation. I look in the kitchen doors and back at him quizzically. “Yes, it’s a very small kitchen for what we do. When we have visiting chef’s they’re always dumbfounded that we do everything from here.” So am I.
Originally Posted by Guirigay
