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Upstairs is where Old and New World cuisine meet. The elevated restaurant, with its wrap-around porch, offers expansive views of the North Sound. Opened three years ago the restaurant is garnering a reputation for its exciting take on fusion Caribbean cuisine thanks to the talents of British Head Chef
Laurence Tham.
 
Michelin appeal
The gastronome may be young but was until recently part of a Michelin starred team headed by Executive Chef Phil Thompson, at the Auberge du Lac in leafy Hertfordshire, England. Chef Laurence has only been on island for three months but already the Auberge’s loss is the Island’s gain.
As well as Michelin know-how, he uses local produce and ingredients where possible.
Chef Laurence also brings the subtleties of Oriental cuisine and spices thanks to his multicultural heritage. All this he has distilled and is showcasing in the restaurant’s revised menu, worthy of this destination restaurant.

Casual elegant ambience
Soaring ceilings, white muslin curtains fluttering on the trade winds, mammoth ceiling fans and trendy low-key lighting greeted our arrival at Upstairs.
Music, that element of ambience that restaurants often get wrong, was oh so right at Upstairs. The mix of Buddha-bar-vibe-cum-Iberian-chill-out music was subtle, grown up and definitely set
the scene.
Co-owner Daniel Petts escorted us to our waterside table out on the expansive closed-in veranda. Overlooking the marina and beach with its giant palms trunks swathed in ribbon lights, we settled in for the evening at the best seats in the house.

Five-course meal
We started with an amuse bouche. It was a light and creamy concoction of shredded conch atop sliced cucumbers. Suitably impressed, we moved on to the appetisers.
I had oxtail off the bone, prepared in an Appleton rum and black pepper reduction and coated with crispy breadcrumbs with a side of Caribbean coleslaw and crispy leaves. The melt-in-your-mouth quality of the dish and its unusual presentation was a novel departure from my previous experiences with the hearty Caribbean staple.

We chose a bottle of Trivento Reserve 2008, a smooth Argentinean Malbec from the restaurant’s extensive wine list. With its soft, fruity notes it was the ideal accompaniment to our meal.
We chose crab cakes served with baby neck clams, mussels served over wakame salad, arranged on slate with the appearance of a shoreline at low tide. We also had sashimi grade seared tuna dressed in ginger, soy and sesame, which was piquant and zesty.

For intermezzo, we had scallops in an orange and coconut water sauce with orange segments and pomegranate seeds. The savoury flavour of the shellfish was complemented by the citrus bursts of the fruit making a mouth-watering
combination.
Our entrees were oven roasted duck breast and confit duck leg served with sweet potato mash, sautéed greens and five spice jus; a generous dish of Prince Edward Island mussels tossed in a light coconut curry served with aromatic vegetables and cilantro; and tenderloin (centre cut blac Angus) with pot roasted shallots, garlic and sugar snap peas in a gorgonzola brulée with red wine port jus.

My favourite dish was the mussels, which are the best I have sampled on Island.
Asked what his signature dish was, Chef Laurence said he was particularly proud of the oven baked black grouper filets served with cashew nut crust, sweet potato, creamed callaloo and a white wine and mushroom cream.
Decorum and decadence

For desert, we chose a lusciously light combo of crème brulée and vanilla panna cotta both served with a helping of seasonal berries.
A restaurant of this calibre lives and dies not only on the quality of its food and ambience but on the temperament of its servers. Mervyn Laihow deserves such recognition and was entertaining and knowledgeable.
Co-owner Claire Pettinati, poured drinks and spoke with regulars at the granite bar inside. She manages the marketing and special events at the versatile beach location. Her intention with Kaibo is to create a locale of island chic.

I certainly felt chic sipping a glass of Ron Zaccapa XO from the restaurant’s extensive rare rum menu, which boasts 30 rums from the Caribbean’s finest estates.
A romantic stroll on the beach rounded out our culinary adventure. My only question: How soon can I return?

Upstairs restaurant is open from 6pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.