What is Sunday all about for you? For many people, Sunday is Fun Day, and that means either jumping in the car to take a Cayman-style road trip to Northside or East End, or booking Sunday brunch at one of the many restaurants that are now offering the all-you-can-eat-and-drink feast.

Traditionally a meal that combines breakfast and lunch, brunches are evolving in all sorts of different ways, some offering part buffet, part a la carte, many offering unlimited champagne as part of the package, some focusing on seafood, others abandoning the breakfast angle altogether.

At the Lighthouse you won’t find eggs, waffles, fruit platters or pastries on the menu. Instead the buffet spread, with four distinct sections, is designed to allow the customer to enjoy a three or four course lunch at a price you simply would not find if you ordered three courses a la carte.

On my first trip to the buffet I loaded up with salad: there were dainty asparagus frittatas, vibrant mounds of red, yellow and orange tomatoes, fresh beetroot salad, crunchy green beans, and platters of grilled Mediterranean vegetables and Portobello mushrooms. The salads were crisp, freshly made and constantly replenished.

Rather than offering unlimited bubbly to wash it all down as so many places do, at the Lighthouse drinks are not included, but those having brunch receive a 20 per cent discount on any Italian wine or Prosecco they may add to the mix. While bottomless champagne brunches can turn into an exercise in overindulgence, at the Lighthouse you can keep costs, and alcohol consumption, right down if you so desire. If you are there to indulge, however, you will also find a selection of fruity mojitos to accompany your meal.

Round two of the buffet was a raw bar with marinated salmon, ahi tuna and shrimp. The seafood was fresh, flavoursome and melted in the mouth. My companion and I gazed out at the transparent waters of the lagoon as we savoured the fresh fish. By December, Chef Remy says, a new dock will have been constructed to replace the one destroyed by hurricane Ivan. When completed, customers will be able to sit outdoors on a wooden platform that extends out into the lagoon from the front of the restaurant, creating the ultimate water’s edge dining experience.

The next trip to the buffet was for the hot dishes. The choice included something for every palate: an Italian dish of gnocchi with a chicken and mushroom sauce; fresh snapper prepared Cayman-style with a flavoursome topping of tomatoes and peppers; a mildly spiced jerk pork loin and the tenderest Angus prime rib with gravy.

The trouble with buffets can be that the dishes are pre-cooked or prepared only once so that an hour or two in, salads are wilting, vegetables become overdone and hot dishes are drying out. Everything on the Lighthouse buffet, however, is displayed on small platters so that as soon as they get low, they can be constantly refilled with freshly made offerings, so salads and vegetables stay crunchy and meats remain moist.

Last, but certainly not least, was the dessert bar, the centre piece of which was a chocolate fountain. What could be harder to resist than a hot, molten cascade of chocolate with luscious strawberries to dip in it?

Complementing this were tiny, individual key lime pies with a sweet yet tangy filling, crumbly strawberry and almond cakes, cream-filled choux pastry pieces and the ultimate chocolate desert, recommended by the chef - a decadent flourless chocolate cake: dark, smooth, incredibly rich and the perfect note on which to end a meal.

Located in the sleepy village of Breakers, the Lighthouse is a pleasant drive whichever direction you are approaching from and an easy pit stop on the way to somewhere further afield. The brunch buffet is fresh, healthy and, priced at $29 per person, you don’t even need to wait for a special occasion. 

For more information, contact 947-2047 or visit lighthouse.ky