Posts Tagged With: cafe Moya

Last bundle of Barbados… for now.

Confession time. I’ve been so consumed with an abundance of events, exciting adventures and new friends that any spare time I’ve had, was taken by eating, pretending to sleep or getting ready for the next excursion. I’ve also learned that a blog can wait when the elderly man next to you on the plane decides to tell you a story or you get a spontanious invite during your prime writing time. With that said, here’s what I’m going to do for my own sanity and the benefit of future posts. Since so much has been happening, I’m simply going to compact the rest of Barbados into this one last post so I can catch you up to my current playground… country to be announced soon!

Here’s the rest from my island home away from home!

As you already know, my mom made a quick trip out to stay with me that allowed for us to share some of my favorite spots! A jaunt to Holders Market provided us with fruits, veggies, coconut chips and plenty of hugs from our earth loving friends!  

    
   
World, meet my dear Kenneth. His undeniable passion for this planet and the creations that abide here shouldn’t go unnoticed. His consistent smile and energy towards a healthy mind, body and spirit reaches beyond his wellness products. If you desire any of his goods or you’re on the island and what a one on one tour, please feel free to email him lutakenkwam60@gmail.com

Lovely Azizah fills our world using her creative new concepts for handbags and jewelry. I was actually sent on this day to pick up a purse for an international friend! If you’re interested in her designs please email her at aonifa@gmail.com or call (246) 267-1100.    

This happy fella created his product by hosting small dinner parties for friends and family, then expanded his ideas beyond the kitchen. He now serves up cocktails with local fruit, hand picked herbs and creativity. He’s still developing the business, so contact info is coming soon. 

On the way out of the market we stopped by for a familiar greeting from this Barbados born and raised author. Edison not only rememebred my name after our first meeting, but continued our conversations every week. Click here if you desire a deeper look into purchasing this entertaining book of short stories from the Caribbean!  

 Next up is a day at the pool where we first put our toes in the water during our first vacation here. If you can recall the post Not just a dolphin tour Barbados is the location I surprised her with for her 50th birthday in which we celebrated just months after her final chemotherapy treatment. The first collage is us at the same spot back in 2011.

  

We returned to Accra beach for a walk down memory lane and a day of relaxing. I blogged away while mom took a swim with my new friend from afar Fanie (you’ll meet him later). Happy thoughts and sunny smiles!

I’m sure you were wondering “will she get to see Cafe Moya?” Of course! Making her third appearance is the kind spirited Marguerite and her creations at one of my favorite eateries.  

An evening out started with a surprise reunion with the group that first invited us to return to this magnificent place! Back in 2011, the segway polo team traveled to my hometown of Folsom for the Woz Cup of Segway polo (a team sport similar to horse polo, except instead of playing on horseback, each player rides a Segway on the field). See Just the beginning of Barbados for more details.

Here’s a collage of our first meeting back in California.  

On this night we got the privilege of attending their gathering as they celebrated the trophy of this years Woz Cup. They are the 2015 World Champions!    
After a round of hugs and a few speeches, mom and I headed out with a few of the boys for an entertaining evening on a popular strip known as 2nd st. Thank you Ryan for bringing the sombrero… a brilliant accessory to a night out on the town!      

I’d like to close this post by showing a few random shots that were taken during the past weeks. No rhyme or reason, just more to admire from my favorite island.  
  

          

   
    

To my incredible friend that I get to call Mom. With full gratitude, I thank you for sharing your time, laughter and love with me. You are my biggest fan and I want you to know that I still feel your unconditional support even when we’re thousands of miles apart. I love you!
  
 
  

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Welcome to Barbados. Lets eat!

Before Shanda arrived, I had collaborated with my island peeps and made a “must eat” check-list of the tasty local foods.  Some are my favorites, others are just necessary to experience.  Lets start down the edibles in no specific order.

First up is fresh coconut water with a side order of jelly.  No folks, this isn’t the carton of imported water that you buy at your city store. This is water from a young coconut picked right here on the island! The jelly?  That’s my favorite part!  It’s the flesh that hasn’t matured to a firm texture yet. The nutrient density and benefits of this duo is magnificent! Not to mention one of the most hydrating items on the planet.

   
This next one made the list due to its popularity amongst the locals and for the recent exposure on the Todays show. The owner and operated named Cuz is known for his “All in one”. A soft bun hugging a grilled piece of fish complimented with cheese and a fried egg.

Friendly note to anyone makng their way to this blue shack: If the line is long, order quick and get out of the way. If he says “no egg”  don’t give him attitude or question it, just take what you get and move on!

Cuz’s All-in-one (minus the egg)… check!  

    
Next up, doubles! These are most definitely one of my favorites.  Typically a Trinidadian treat, these small little roll ups can be found in a few spots around the island. The most popular and traditional version is two baras (fried flat bread) filled with curried channa (chickpeas).  You can branch out and top it with cucumber, mango chutney and a spicy sauce.  My mouth is watering just explaining the goodness that comes from this West Indies delight! Today we’re eating from Pat’s, you can find her on the south coast across from Accra Beach.  

   
Marconi pie! It’s probably exactly what you think it is… Macaroni and cheese held together in a casserole styled pie. Easy cheesy, right? (Awful pun intended) 

 
Fish cakes is another common find around the island. Inexpensive, easy to eat and generally pretty tasty… If you like fish, bread and fried things.  

 
Moving on to the famous, for good reason, Roti’s! I’ve mentioned them before in several previous Bajan food posts and now it’s Shanda’s turn to give ’em a go! There are several restaurants that deliver a solid Roti with different choices for ingredients, today we chose to eat at Chutneys on the south coast. Mine had curried lentils, okra, spinach and pumpkin.  The one pictured below is chicken and potato with okra.

  
 

You’ve got to remember my favorite cafe in all of Barbados.  I did an entire post on it last year called The best not-so-kept secret, Cafe Moya. Shanda and I took a walk and enjoyed a shared brunch.  I ordered a falafel filled cassava crepe and she went with a guava and cream cheese pastry.  Delicious!  

  
She also fell in love with the local Mangos.  If you’ve never had a mango that just fell off the tree (literally), you haven’t  tasted the true flavor of these tropical fruits.  I did a handstand next to the tree to give you an idea of just how massive they can get.  Also, check out the sweetness dripping from earths candy! 

 

We can’t leave out the Vitamin C power-house of the Bajan cherry.  For any details on this beauty, check out the recent post titled Happy as a cherry!  
Last up is what the locals call a sugar apple. I feel like any fruit with the word “sugar” in it is bound to be sweet and tasty… and it is!  Ripe is when it’s soft and opens with the most gentle of pressure.  If you look at the inside, nature has already divided it up into bite sized little pieces for you.  So scrumptious! It reminds me of the cherimoya I fell in love with from years past! 

 
Click here for all the other mouth watering posts from the beautiful island of Barbados!

Categories: Edibles!, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The best kept, not so secret… Café Moya

There are times I’ve eaten somewhere and the food was good and the ambience was comfortable. Then there are occasions in which the entire experience was exactly that… An experience! Café Moya falls under one of those categories in which you leave feeling filled up with not only delicious nutrients, but love and all the fluffy feel good stuff.

When you walk in to this quaint little shop, you’re greeted with a simple welcoming area that invites you to take a seat and relax.

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Judging from her baked goods display… We missed out!

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To be honest (not that I ever lie) but I was expecting your typical menu offering bagels and soup with the dessert of cupcakes.
To my surprise, we were given the menu’s below. Fresh food and creative ingredients with flavor combinations that leave your taste buds debating on which to order.

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We finally chose to split a cassava wrap that was delightfully filled with falafel, hummus, cucumber, tomato, and fresh salad.

My apologies, as this meal was so delicious that we devoured it before any photos were taken. Whoops.

Following the moments of completing our dish (which I’m sure we pretended to do so slowly and calm, while wishing we could inhale it all in one glorious bite), we decided that “sharing” such a magnificent order gave us permission to “share” another one. Right? This technically meant we were still under the pig-out ranking.

With way too much thought put into it, we ordered another cassava wrap, this time with eggplant, kalamata olives, feta and avocado with some sort of sauce that resembled a light creamy vinegerette.

My apologies once more, as we even joked about forgetting the picture of the first plate… again, the salvation in our mouths must have blocked the brain cells to remember a second photo. Just take my word for it, simply amazing!

So, there we were, attempting to refrain from drooling when a sweet woman approached the table to confirm that the plate (that was licked clean) was “ok”.

“Ok!? It was delicious! Please tell the owner that we thoroughly enjoyed our experience”. She replied with “thank you”. It was her! The mastermind behind our unforgettable lunch not only came to check on the giggling girls in the corner, but proceeded to sit down and have a long chat.

Marguerite’s creative cooking, bright smile and generosity is such a fond memory. I guarantee her café will forever remain on my “must do” list of Bajan eats from this point forward.

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If you live anywhere on the island of Barbados, please swing in and tell her we say hello (that’s of course after you order, enjoy and wipe the crumbs off your face). If you’re a sea away from this amazing place, I encourage you to check out their facebook page here.

Categories: Edibles!, Travel talk, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments

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