Friday, November 28, 2008

Sushi in Antigua


Up until now there have been several places to enjoy sushi in Antigua with Sandals resort being one of them, The Beach Restaurant being another and a few other places which kinda make an effort at sushi specials from time to time. This has changed now.
My sister Nell who manages much of the island wide marketing as well as bookings has always been interested in being a chef. Back in the late 90s she went to the UK to do some sort of cordon bleu course I think. Coming from Antigua, that wasn't her kinda style but it did give her the experience she needed to better pursue other areas. Growing up here we did manage to enjoy a huge variety of fresh seafood and in those days getting it wasn't difficult. When away in Florida at college, Nell discovered sushi for the first time and fell in love with it's simple yet exquisite nature. She prepared sushi for us quite a few times over the years and had always wanted to learn more. Finally a few years ago she took some time off from booking tours with us and went to the California Sushi Academy to learn how to do it properly. These pics show her at school there (i stole them from her facebook page): The boss and owner looks like the kind of guy you don't want to mess with. Chef Ramsey wouldn't stand a chance!
A good thing she did well!!
Since she returned to Antgua she has been doing sushi catering while still working for Adventure Antigua.
Recently an old school friend asked Nell to come to the cafe he was running to see if she'd like to try a sushi night there once a week. Moka Cafe is at the top of Redcliffe Quay in St. Johns and is in the top floor of an old colonial style building. Since they started sushi night it has been very busy. Each week tables are booked solid. In fact we had to wait three weeks to get our seating. Anyway, they have a menu with a selection of about 6 different rolls to pick from as well as a few sashimi items too. The sushi is made in front of the dining room as your order comes in, and you can go have a look how the rolls are made. As you know, sushi done properly is a beautiful thing. The results were fantastic and we all ate far too much to the point where we could hardly walk. Anyway, with drinks the bill for four of us came to US $135 which we thought was excellent value. You should go check it out for sure!