Lunch @ Orient
La Playa at Orient – a cool place to be. Lunchtime and taking a break go together hand in hand, especially if the weather is calling you to get outdoors. We decided to make our way to La Playa for a change as we had heard new ownership was in place – and what better an excuse to try an old haunt?!
A few things are being changed, noticeably the new deck being put in place, the fresh coats of paint and a bright airy feel on this delightful end of Orient Beach. Seated and sorted, we checked the specials menu, some of the dishes certainly appealed to us.
We were looking for something light, all of us and so settled on sharing the Burrata (a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream). The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside is very creamy, giving it an unusual, soft texture. This is a favourite of ours, usually served with cherry tomatoes, pesto sauce and crisp toast. Every restaurant has their way of serving it and at La Playa, it was super. The Burrata was nestling in a bed of julienned lettuce with two little bowls to the side, one of which was a tapenade and the other the pesto sauce. There was also some delicious prosciutto, tomatoes and two tiny little morsels of a pickled cauliflower. Really delicious! The toast that came with this dish was a surprise, toasted thin baguette slices with some pesto on it.
One of our party was not able to eat dairy so we had to find out if the hot rolls happened to have butter or milk in them; to be on the safe side, she too was brought a plate of this delicious toasted baguette with pesto to go with her salad. They look after one at La Playa.
We ordered Nems, there were no mint leaves to roll into the lettuce as one does when eating them, but these Nems were crispy deliciousness even so.
We all had a taste of the melon gazpacho and proclaimed it to be wonderful and light; we also enjoyed a Thai beef salad, although this salad was not quite up to expectation. The portion was huge, but the salad drowned in a sauce that, although quite tasty, did not have that ultra-freshness of flavour that Thai dishes have. The Umami effect was just off point. Was it the dash of nam pla missing and no mint?
The other salad we ordered was smoked salmon, citrus and avocado. Once the missing avo was added, we found this super light, super tasty and perfect for a lunch salad. A little glass of rose with the meal and there was no room for dessert; there are some great looking dessert suggestions for those with a sweet tooth.
Peeping at other dishes that were served up, we saw a wonderful steaming lamb shank go by and noticed the “licked clean” plate returning to the kitchen. I think we will definitely be returning to try that dish in the not too distant future.
La Playa is situated on La Playa hotel’s private beach and offers an idyllic setting for wining and dining – worth a return visit.
Info:
La Playa, Orient Beach
Opening hours of the bar: 9:30-5:00pm
Phone: 590 590 87 42 08
Cuisine: Caribbean French fusion
Good: Service, atmosphere
Price range: $$
Ratings:
Staff friendliness: ****
Service speed: ****
Restaurant cleanliness: ****
Food quality: ****
Value for money: ****
Ambience: ****
