Part of the Ritz Carlton complex, Periwinkle describes itself as whimsy and fun. A restaurant very much aimed at families (nightly showings of family friendly films on the big screen), it serves American-Italian staples.
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The Ritz Carlton complex is so large, it takes up the entire island. Well, sort of – including the golf course, it cuts the island in two about half way up Seven Mile Beach. Despite having driven past many times, and sneakily used their beachside fresh water showers on occasion, the Badgers had yet to set foot inside the complex. Periwinkle took some finding, though mainly because we had the misfortune to start our search on the complete opposite side of the complex. Having traipsed the entire length of the grounds (making mental notes on the way of the location of future dining spots – the hotel has five other restaurants) we got to the laguna that Periwinkle looks over.
Periwinkle is very much the family restaurant of the Ritz empire. Children roam between the tables and play together while parents enjoy a glass of wine knowing the kids are taken care of. I’m not generally put off a restaurant by a high young population (provided the parents know when to draw the line) and the kids at Periwinkle weren’t by any means a nuisance. But it’s something worth mentioning as I’m not sure I’d go there for a romantic meal for two (or at least, if I did, I’d ask in advance to be seated in a more private table).
We had a light meal – sharing a carpaccio of beef and the signature parmesan and truffle oil shoestring fries. Fries, however fancy, are an odd thing to eat on their own, but with the carpaccio they made an excellent shared starter. Just as our starters arrived, the waiter began an odd and ill-advised conversation trying to guess Mrs Badger’s country of origin (for fairness and balance, I should note that this was an amusing blip in otherwise excellent unfussy service).
Next we shared the seafood risotto (a generous mixture of Calamari, Shrimp, Scallop, Octopus, Mussels, Clams and Monkfish) a grilled seafood platter which included Scallops, Calamari, Black Tiger Shrimp, Mahi Mahi and a number of other fish that escape the memory. These were also excellent as a sharing combination – I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that there’s nothing better than a variety of fresh, grilled, simply served fish to accompany a Caribbean evening.
With a couple of drinks and 15% service but no pudding, the total bill was a suitably Ritzy $130, though it should be noted that it’s possible to eat here much more cheaply than we did – the seafood platter was a hefty $42 while the truffle fries were ‘only’ $10.
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We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Periwinkle. All dining in Cayman (perhaps with the exception of Ritz stablemate Blue) is casual, but this has been added to our casual-casual list. It’s not particularly exciting, and it’s reasonably expensive, but it’s in a charming location and its family friendliness make it a very pleasant spot to enjoy simple food. If that’s what you’re looking for, Periwinkle is recommended without hesitation.
The Cayman Badger 