Castara Retreats Restaurant

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Steve Wooler
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Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Steve Wooler »

I am delighted to learn that Castara Retreats have opened a restaurant within the grounds of their Castara property.

The restaurant is being operated as a partnership between Castara Retreats and Kenny and Patricia, a Trini-Italian couple who are now living in Castara, with their family. Patricia makes delicious hand-made pasta and there will also be chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes. A sample menu is available here: http://www.myTobago.info/uploads/Castar ... _menus.pdf.

The restaurant has a bar serving cocktails, wine and beer, as well as freshly made juices and fresh fruit cordials. They can seat up to 16 people. The restaurant is located in a spacious wooden pagoda and undoubtedly offers some of the very best views of Castara bay, beach and village I’ve ever seen. They open at 6pm, allowing early diners to enjoy a cocktail while experiencing the spectacular views and wonderful sunsets.

Kenny and Patricia will operate the restaurant every evening except Fridays, when a traditional BBQ is offered in partnership with Sherwin Clarke of Marguarite’s Restaurant.

Dining at Castara Retreats Restaurant is BY RESERVATION ONLY, so be sure to telephone 766-1010 early as I have a feeling that this place is going to be a great success and VERY welcome addition to Castara’s culinary offerings.
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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Paul Tallet »

Yum Yum ... I will check them out.

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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Gabriele »

A Grande 'Benvenuto' to Patricia and Kenny and their new restaurant at the Castara Retreat.
Had the pleasure to meet with Kenny and share his passion for food and wines.
A great addition to the already lovely Castara village! Gabriele
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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Steve Wooler »

We dined at the new Castara Retreats Restaurant twice recently. We have also had lots of opportunity to share the views of numerous visitors and a few guest house owners while staying in the village. Opinion seems unanimous. I have received several emails from visitors endorsing this and I guess this is best summarised by the following recent comment from a Canadian visitor: “…I have to tell you that there has been an almost uncanny degree of agreement between the opinions expressed on your website and our own experiences!”

Castara offers little choice in the dining stakes. This is compounded by the ‘sameness’ of the fish/chicken/goat/shrimp basic menu offered by every establishment. There is no, or little, attempt at originality and no concession to northern tastes.

So, in theory, any restaurant opening in Castara and catering for those used to a wider international diet should be an instant success. Well, in theory, but not quite. Adam Hanlon tried it at Sandcastles. Sadly a depressing environment, poor ambience, erratic quality, ridiculous prices and difficult parking meant it was doomed from the start.

Hopefully things are changing in Castara.

The environment and ambience at Castara Retreats Restaurant is quite exceptional. Located in a covered pagoda on a steep hillside, the restaurant offers the very best views of Castara beach, villa and bay that I have ever seen. I strongly recommend that you get there at 6pm and enjoy fresh juices, beer or cocktails while experiencing the stunning sunsets (illustrated below). The restaurant/bar has an air of quiet unassuming charm, even sophistication, that lifts it well above other places – and I’m talking about Tobago generally, not just Castara.

Only time will tell if the early high quality standards and welcoming, friendly service are maintained. Having met Kenny and Patricia, and knowing how the owners of Castara Retreats strive for excellence, I am confident for the future. We dined there with friends on both occasions. All were unanimous in their appraisal. My only minor criticism is that the menu is perhaps a little on the ‘healthy’ side (see menu link in opening post) for meat-eating carnivores like myself. Bring on a good steak!

Prices? Well, here is my one concern. At the moment, the prices represent excellent value. Where else on Tobago can you get a quality 3-course dinner for TT$190 (under £20) or a carafe of highly drinkable house wine for a tenner (TT$100). My concern is that this value cannot, or will not, be maintained.

Anyway, enough said! The bottom line is that dining at Castara Retreats Restaurant is a very special experience. Readers who have been through our restaurant listings will know that I am a harsh judge. Perhaps I am spoiled by the great value and choice I have at home in Suffolk. Dining out in Tobago no longer excites me; in fact it frustrates the hell out of me. I balk at having to pay London-prices for mediocre food served by unwelcoming staff. Our choice is limited these days because so many restaurants have closed. Added to this, we prefer not to patronise restaurants that show VAT-exclusive charges. Especially those that apply compulsory service charges that have nothing to do with staff gratuities. If these restaurants are so dishonest in their marketing, how can I have confidence in their honesty in the kitchen?

My apologies for “going off on one”. The point is that the Castara Retreats Restaurant is very different to the typical Tobago dining experience. It has got off to a deservedly brilliant start. Our Reader Satisfaction Ratings are not simply an assessment of perceived quality; they are a reflection of the entire experience: quality, location, ambience, service, price and any and every factor that contributed towards the overall experience. It therefore very satisfying to note that visitors clearly agree with our assessment and have already voted this small new restaurant into number one position in our ‘Top Choice’ satisfaction ratings of Tobago restaurants. Well done! Perhaps other restaurants on Tobago will take notice and ask why this newbie is showing them how to please visitors.
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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Robert T »

Thanks for sharing Steve, it sounds really good, we'll give it a go on our next trip.


Rob
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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Paul Tallet »

Sounds good.

But ... I don't want to sound a killjoy ... if I am in Tobago I am happy with the typical 'Tobago dining experience'. If I am in London then there are different expectations.

I don't go for Italian/French/Chinese or whatever cuisine in Tobago, it's often dreadful with one or 2 exceptions ... I go for the Tobago experience because that's why I go to Tobago.

So ... Goat, chicken, lamb, sheep, cow, fish, whatever, with whatever, plus whatever and whatever and then a bit of extra whatever ... or perhaps a digression to a barbecue on the beach ... sorted ... tummy filled, shared experience, new friends and then bed followed by a really crap breakfast in the morning with really good coffee :mrgreen:

It all part of the experience ... never made me ill ... I won't pay $190 for a posh meal, don't need it ... Sorry Castara Retreats ... too pricey but I promise to come up and try in June, perhaps once at that price.

The whole of Castara is overpriced but $190 seems exceptionally high and the businesses need to be aware that Sterling has just dropped to a big low against the dollar ... all you businesses need to know that us struggling UK tourists are going to start eating at home ... and I won't even start to mention the reduction in tourism in recent years.

Get real

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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Glyn Kirpalani »

Hi Paul
Maybe you can get a 3 course meal in a quality restaurant in Yorkshire for about £20 or less (I do not means Harvester or Marstons Inn), but around Norfolk one would struggle! You have to remember that the economy of a small island, where most things are imported and where the agricultural/poultry etc industries are so small scale and under-invested, means that prices will always be dearer than one would hope for in a developing country. For example, how can one expect the cheapness of a massive economy/country like Thailand, in a micro-dot in the ocean?

The correct comparator would be a similar sized island nearby eg Barbados - can anyone comment on the price of a 3 course meal in a nice similar restaurant in Barbados? 2,3 or 4 times the cost perhaps?

My worry would be the security of the walk back downhill in the dark, and I would hope that the restaurant does something to see about that, if possible. Eg a free shuttle back down to the diners' guest accommodation in the village, if they walked up at dusk. Obviously if they drove from further afield, they can drive home again. Without this, the hoodlums will be eyeing up the easy pickings.

Best of luck to the new venture.
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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Paul Tallet »

Very true Glyn ... your right.

Coupled with the financial leprosy that I suffer from, I think I overlooked the 3 course bit and forgot how much Steve likes to tuck into his food :wink: ... I will try Castara Retreats but probably won't go for 3 course because I need to either run from or run after any hoodlums I come across on the walk back into the village :mrgreen:

92 days to go ... time to charge up the tasers :mrgreen: ... that was a joke everyone and don't take my warped sense of humour too seriously !!

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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Kenny Dorner »

Hi everyone, thank you for your views and feedback as each and every comment is very helpful.

We have designed things to offer a new option for eating out in the village and at an affordable price. We serve generous portions in our main dishes and these are $100tt and visitors are welcome to try eat one course at that price, which is similar to the prices in the village, and with no need to spend more. Of course, we also offer delicious starter and puddings and many people are tempted to try these too. And some have two starters or a starter and a pudding and both these options are 100 or less.

Sorry not to offer a wider choice as yet. Our menu is small as everything is freshly prepared and cooked each day, and using local ingredients as much as possible. Once we build up our customer base we will be able to extend the menu and at that stage we will be able to offer people like Steve a steak, providing we can find a good local supplier. Looking forward to see you when you next come Paul and please say hello and let me know what you think after you have tried our menu.

We are also happy to respond to any requests if we are given a bit of notice. So it would be easy to offer additional meat choices for anyone who asks in advance of coming. This is no problem at all.

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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Paul Tallet »

Hi Kenny

I will definitely be up ... I have 7 and we are happy to bring the fish we catch for you to cook ... please don't worry about the menu ... we are there for fun and a good holiday so if you can work your magic with your food or what we bring it would be great ... and we can walk home to an extent, depending on the alcohol we consume :mrgreen:

Looking forward to it ... you know where I will be staying ... maybe there will be 8 !!

Take care and see you soon.

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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Glyn Kirpalani »

Paul, you will love it I am sure and right now England is so cold and miserable and this winter so long that I wish I could join you on that warm balcony!

Don't mention the T word or Steve will put us back in the naughty corner, but I did have a genuinely useful idea for your party to walk around safely - I hear that people trekking in some countries use trekking or walking poles to aid progress/fitness but also for defence, eg in North America they are recommended for fending off Cougar attacks (not the kind of Cougars of the female kind but 4 legged ones). Now your hard-nosed party of 7, bearing strong trekking poles, is not going to get into trouble with anyone including police.

But I do not know what the airlines say about them, I am guessing they would need to be telescopic and go into checked bags, but might be worth looking into it.

Enjoy and tell us what it tastes like
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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Julian »

Between our party of six we had four meals over a week or so. All were excellent - very good pasta, a fabulous steak (sourced from the US) and perfectly cooked fish. There are around 5 starters and 6 main courses. Two menus for different days are available but only one or two courses change. The number of choices is enough but it would be good for there to be more alternatives over a week or two.

The archilles heal of the restaurant is the wine. The quality of cooking deserves better. There is a carafe red – both I and my sons failed to finish this on different occasions (enough said!) a mid priced red from South America and Pinot Grigio from Italy – both good -then a more expensive red and white which we didn’t try.

European wine can sometime suffer in the high humidity of the tropics and it may be that the carafe red (a boxed product) had been exposed to high temperatures in transport or storage. So a careful look at the quality of the house wine, maybe add a low price Chilean? (good restaurants are judged on their house offerings) and the addition of a few more wines of the quality and price the two mid priced wines exhibit would be welcomed.

In summary some of the best cooking on the island at a reasonable price, oh and stupendous views – worth the entry ticket alone.


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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Kenny Dorner »

We do really appreciate feedback and even more so if there is a problem as otherwise we are less able to resolve things. The carafe red does get a mixed reception with some people really liking it and others not.  This confused us for a while, and we have now come around to thinking that it may indeed be as Julian suggests that some cartons deteriorate in the warmth of Tobago.   We discussed this with our supplier and he suggested we keep it in an air conditioned store which we now do.   We are not able to source a good value bottle wine that we can sell for $120tt which is the price of the carafe red.  We pay more or less retail prices in Tobago with the cheapest easy to drink wine being around $100tt for a bottle.  So I guess it is a work in progress and we will see if we can improve the consistency.  We would anyway always refund anyone who was not happy with our carafe wine, so no need for guests to feel that they lose anything if they give it a try.  We are also happy to give anyone a taste of the carafe  options  before they make their choice of wine. 

In response to Julian’s suggestion that we offer a wider selection of medium priced wines like Intis -  we feel we are now ready to do this, and will source a couple more red and whites so that customers enjoying our food have more choice.   Coincidentally we have wine merchants staying with us at the moment and they have tasted and approved all the wines including the prosecco, and they feel we have good drinkable wines except for the carafe red.  We are working on this.  Thanks again Julian, Paul and others for all the positive feedback about our food and the overall experience of dining with us at Castara Retreats.  We hope to see you again.

 
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Re: Castara Retreats Restaurant

Post by Julian »

Hi Kenny,

Thanks for the informative response, good to know there will be some more selections in the future. I guess not so many people will realise that a wine a restaurant would be able to purchase for TT$50 in the Uk and TT$30 in France actually costs TT$ 90-100 in Tobago and this must have an effect on the price charged to diners.

However I think that the wine you have at TT$180 is good and if you can find more like that and a little more expensive then all to the good. Also if you could serve this quality at say TT$30-35 /glass (6 standard glasses/bottle) then even better. In the fridge the white should stay OK for 24 hours and the red a little longer after opening so maybe this is an option.

But keep up the good work - hope to be back.

Julian
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