Last year on our dive trip to the East End, Grand Cayman, we were disappointed to discover that one of our favorite restaurants, Portofino, was closed and being remodeled into a new restaurant. Unfortunately we missed the opening of the new restaurant by a week. This year we discovered a whole new favorite restaurant in the remodeled facility. The new name--Tukka.
When we heard the new owner and chef was from Australia, we couldn't wait to see the offerings for dinner. Ron Hargrave has transformed the old Portofino establishment into a colorful Aussie atmosphere with a Caribbean flair. He came to Grand Cayman from Queensland, Australia and has been working in many of the top restaurants on Seven Mile Beach since 1998.
Hargrave has designed a wonderful selection of dishes that are augmented with bits of Australian flair. For instance my delicious yellow tuna on top of a risotto that was laced with savory extras was surrounded with a drizzling of sweet balsamic vinegar reminiscent of what we found on our last trip to Australia. As we waited for our dinners, we watched other beautiful dishes pass by our table including several kabobs from the "barbie."
For lunch you can order one of my husband's Aussie favorites, a hamburger with beetroot. There are still lots of Caribbean favorites featuring the famous jerk seasoning and we were excited to learn that Hargrave is continuing the tradition of a Sunday brunch.
Be sure to make a reservation and get a table on the porch for dinner. The sea breeze is wonderful and you will have a front row seat as Chef Ron tosses some scraps to the tarpons in the water and the frigate birds that soar above like pterodactyls from the dinosaur age.
Oh, and expect some wonderful Aussie hospitality. As a matter of fact, you can escape that busy stretch of Seven Mile Beach on a Walkabout Wednesday deal that includes a ride to Tukka's for dinner.
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