There's Agua on Grand Cayman

Beautiful beaches, natural reefs preserved in crystal clear waters, and prize-catch fishing are synonymous with Grand Cayman.  However, this little island harbors a hidden treasure, food!  Grand Cayman is by far, the culinary capital of the West Indies.  Over the years this tropical wonderland has attracted a diverse range of award winning chef’s.  Their epicurean creativity has leveraged the Caribbean’s natural resources of fresh seafood, tropical fruits and native vegetables to prepare countless works of gastronomic art.  One of the fine establishments on Grand Cayman that combines the island's plentiful bounty of ingredients with finely tuned international cooking techniques to transform common staples into seemingly priceless art is Agua.

Spanish for water, Agua is the creation of Italian Chef’s Walter Fagette of Genoa and Cristiano Vincentini of Tuscany.  The two were working at a well-known restaurant on Grand Cayman when they decided to venture out on their own.  Almost three years ago to the day, they opened Agua.  A Caribbean approach to fine dining with indoor and terrace seating, Agua offers a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy their many fine dishes.  Their dining room is surrounded by a soffit box adorned in bold stripes of sky blue on deep-sea blue.  Dark mahogany plantation shutters cover the windows while random black and white photography hangs on Agua’s side wall.  Smooth jazz fills the air as you open up their menu and venture into the most difficult moment of the night…deciding what to eat.

Agua served a very reasonably priced tasting menu while I was there.  A five course meal that included Whaoo Tartar, Gnocchi tossed in sage butter shrimp scampi and Cotechino sausage stuffed Quail over truffled mash for just under $40 US.  I was tempted to indulge in this offering, but was mesmerized by the interesting creations that appeared on the regular menu.  Elements of Italy, Spain, Peru, and Japan came together to present selections like Wahoo breaded in Cous Cous served over a Thai Basil Sweet Potato Risotto or Crispy Potato encrusted White Bass dressed in a Mango Beurre Blanc.  Then there were the specials of the night, an assortment of thoughtfully prepared combinations of locally sourced ingredients.  After much deliberation, I decided to create my own tasting menu from a series of hot and cold smaller dishes that Agua offers.

I started off with one of their specials for the night, an Octopus and Breadfruit Strudel served with field greens and an Asian Plum reduction.  This recipe is one that Fagette brought to Grand Cayman from his native Genoa where he substituted the flaky traditional strudel crust for a creamy, almost gelatin-like potato dough.  In this rendition Fagette takes breadfruit, a starchy Caribbean fruit common in Jamaican cuisine, forms a soft and elegantly smooth strudel stuffed with fresh octopus and lined with a crispy cornmeal bottom and places it among stripes of a sweet Asian plum demi-glace.  Chopped pieces of octopus and a mixture of fresh field greens dressed in a citrusy vinaigrette completed this memorable plate.

For my second tasting, I selected an assortment of Ceviches.  A Peruvian salad made by cooking raw fish in lime juice and combining it with complimenting raw vegetables, Ceviches are often light and refreshing.  Agua serves a variety of Ceviches inspired by its diverse staff.  I sampled their Thai, Mixto and Cayman Ceviches, each served as a tasting size portion on a porcelain spoon.  The Thai Ceviche is a mixture of Corvina, coconut milk, Kaffir lime, red curry and cilantro.  Their Mixto Ceviche combines Wahoo, octopus and shrimp with sweet yellow peppers, lime, cilantro and red onions.  The last one I had was my favorite, the Cayman Ceviche taking Wahoo, white vinegar, tomato, lime cilantro, a touch of scotch bonnet and thin sliced red onions.  Razor thin sliced red onions, so thin they melt in your mouth while delivering that perfect punch of flavor to accent the ting of the scotch bonnet and the tang of the lime.  The red onions are so thin you would swear Paulie Cisaro himself was sitting in his blue bathrobe back in the kitchen somewhere slicing them like they were little cloves of garlic.

My next dish was the one that brought me to Agua.  While discussing a few of the dining options with my friend Davina at the Marriott resort on Seven Mile Beach, we stumbled across the topic of Tuna Tartar.  She insisted that Agua’s was the best on the island, maybe even the best anywhere.  As she described its chopped pieces of bright red tuna combined with sea weed salad and cubed ripe avocado, one of her coworkers popped his head in and exclaimed, “are you guys talking about the Tuna Tartar at Agua, it’s the best anywhere!”  That did it for me.  I knew I was headed to Agua after that endorsement. 

To complete my savory tastings for the night I selected Agua’s Spanish Short Rib.  I’m a short rib connoisseur, and this plate before me was the Opus X of short ribs.  The meat itself was perfectly braised to the point that it pulled apart with the slightest touch of the fork and burst with the flavors it received while slowly braising in its aromatic bath.  The menu read “chorizo mashed potato and jalapeno sauce” so I was expecting a mashed potato incorporated with chunks of chorizo.  What I received was a pleasant surprise of fried onion straws atop a soft tender short rib atop a perfect serving of creamy mashed potato adorned with a rich dark brown sauce.  To the naked eye it would appear that the chorizo was missing, but it was there.  This strong Spanish sausage often has a dominant presence.  However, much to my delight there was just a slight hint of dried chorizo which appeared in the dish.  The chorizo worked in perfect balance as it just slightly resonated behind the bite of the jalapeno in the decadent sauce that accented the plate.  By far one of the best short ribs I have had the pleasure of enjoying.

Finally my evening came to a close with a sweet treat.  Agua’s pastry chef prepared a perfect Mille Feuille.  Flaky layers of puff pastry were joined with a light custard, fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries.  Dusted with confectioner’s sugar and adorned with a sprig of mint, this desert was almost too pretty to eat. Almost! 

Known the world over for its majestic landscapes, Grand Cayman is sure to become recognized for its variety of epicurean selections as well.  I hope you have the opportunity to visit this Caribbean island paradise one day.  Whether you get there by cruise ship or by plane, you are going to want to do two things:  first go for a swim in the crystalline waters of Seven Mile Beach, and second, find your way to Agua, grab a drink at the bar and prepare yourself to be Floored by Food.