Plates of the Caribbean: Surf and Turf Goodness from Fish & Co

Ahoy, mates! Fish & Co., the Singapore-bred restaurant that has enticed the Filipino palates with their best-selling seafood fare, had set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and captured the flavors exotic to the islands of the West Indies in their latest menu addition the “Plates of the Caribbean”.

Being a Filipino, I’m accustomed to having rice and meat combinations in most of my meals, so a dinner of merely “fish and chips” may deem unsatisfying to my appetite. Relatively, Fish & Co. recognized the need to introduce more meat dishes in their menu as a strategy to reel in more rice-and-meat-loving Pinoys.

Early this year, they launched the Fish and Ribs as a means of testing the waters to see how their meat dishes will fare in the market. The dish was well-accepted by their guests, thus resulting now to the creation of the Plates of the Caribbean, which promised to incorporate more fish, seafood, chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables into Fish & Co’s menu.

The Plates of the Caribbean presents 5 new surf and turf dishes named after five island destinations in the Caribbean. They are the islands of Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Montserrat, and Saint Lucia. And to complement these five sumptuous fare, three new refreshing beverages were also added – the Juice Almighty, the Cool Cucumber Breeze, and the Veggie-Fruit Blast.

From Top Left: Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Dominica, Barbados,Bahamas, Juice Almighty, Cool Cucumber Breeze, and Veggie-Fruit Blast.

 

For Sharing or for the Lone Pirate?

The Plates of the Caribbean are available in Regular and Just For Me portions. Regular is enough to feed 2-3 hungry pirates, while the Just For Me portion is for those pirates dining alone, or for those who prefer smaller servings of the dishes.

The Five Islands of Exotic Flair and Flavors

Arrr! Come aboard, mates, and join me as we navigate the seas to explore the flavors of the different Caribbean vistas! 😀

Our first destination is Bahamas, a dish composed of Luau-style pork tenderloin with grilled pineapple, served with grilled squid salad and island fried rice.

Bahamas: Regular – Php 450 / Just For Me – Php 325

The whole dish is very tropical in flavor because of the pineapples in the rice and those grilled with the pork. The tenderloins were very soft to the bite and very moist. And the grilled squid salad provided a very nice contrast in flavor and texture, with the slightly singed surface of the squid giving off a bit of a bitter taste which is then mellowed down by the subtle sweetness of the salad.

Barbados follows suit in our adventure. It’s marinated pork tenderloin topped with grilled prawns, served with fresh vegetable wraps and salted fish fried rice.

Barbados: Regular – Php 525 / Just For Me – Php 325

This I’ve got to say is my favorite among the whole lot. I love prawns. I love pork. But I don’t really like “tinapa” or salted fish as it is, but mixing it with fried rice changes everything. At the end of our meal, it’s unanimous – everyone loved the salted fish rice and hoped it becomes a staple in Fish & Co’s menu.

It’s also worth noting that a major component of the Barbados dish, the Fresh Vegetable Wrap, is also offered as a separate appetizer. This will be a good recommendation for those health-conscious people for it’s an appetizer that is healthful but doesn’t fall short in flavor.

Fresh Vegetable Wraps (6 Pieces) – Php 275

Our third stop docks at Dominica, a dish with grilled chicken fillet wrapped in smoked bacon, marinated in olive oil and fresh herbs, served with shrimp pancake and seafood rice.

Dominica: Regular – Php 675 / Just For Me – Php 495

The lush chicken fillets were cooked quite right to a point where a single bite reveals a very moist interior. And don’t be fooled by those ordinary-looking shrimp pancakes playing the background. They are so delicious that Fish & Co. has decided to make it a standalone appetizer.

Shrimp Pancakes (6 Pieces) – Php 395

Our fourth destination is at Montserrat, a dish showcasing stir-fried beef tenderloin with fresh vegetables, served with shrimp tornado and garlic fried rice, and a choice of sweet chili or tartar sauce for dips.

Montserrat: Regular – Php 550 / Just For Me – Php 375

Of all the five dishes, I found this one as the easiest to eat, with the bite-size beef tenderloin and the shrimp tornadoes you can swiftly pick up with your hands. And this is the dish with different culinary cultures coming into play like the Chinese touch of the beef tenderloin and the Japanese influence of the shrimp tornado.

And talking about the Shrimp Tornado, guests can also avail of them as an appetizer. It’s quite different from a Japanese Tempura because the batter seems denser and it has a more pronounced savory flavor.

Shrimp Tornado (5 Pieces) – Php 425

 

Our nautical adventure ends at Saint Lucia. And there’s no better way to end a tiring journey but with some tender pork belly ribs, served with crispy egg roll wrapped in screw pine leaf and garlic fried rice.

SAINT LUCIA: Regular – Php 495 / Just For Me – Php 350

The sweetness of the pork belly is countered by the starchy flavor of the egg rolls, and both offered a good texture contrast from each other, making this dish a phenomenal combination.

 

Refreshing Gulps for the Thirsty Pirate

Together with the five new dishes that Plates of the Caribbean introduced, three new beverages were also concocted to serve as refreshments to Fish & Co’s thirsty pirates.

Juice Almighty Carrot, Pineapple, Lychee Php 140	Veggie-Fruit Blast Celery, Watermelon, Apple, Orange Php 120	Cool Cucumber Breeze Pineapple, Cucumber, Orange Php 105

Fellow food pirates, you only have up until the 30th of November 2011 to try the Plates of the Caribbean from Fish & Co! Don’t miss this chance to experience the richness of the land and the sea with these latest surf and turf dishes!

Come ashore to Fish & Co’s branches located at Greenbelt 3, Makati (729-7432); SM Mall of Asia(576-9170); TriNoma, Quezon City (916-2028) and Alabang Town Center (659-3476).

For more information regarding Fish & Co’s latest offerings and promos, you may visit their website at www.fish-co.com.ph or be a fan of their Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/fishandco.