One of the pleasures of living in Dominica is getting to play tourist in my own country. Sharnelle and I have birthdays only days apart, and dinner at the newly opened Saltwood at InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa gave us the perfect excuse to dress up and head north together. It rained on the drive from Roseau, but we were ready for a joint birthday dinner, rain and all.
When we arrived, the atmosphere immediately caught my attention. The aesthetic was beautiful, and the staff made us feel welcome. We scanned the QR code to explore the menu, settled in, and started with the house bread service. It came with a ginger and carrot dip, cranberry sauce and butter. I was already enjoying Chef Brian's bread and the spread before the starters even appeared.
Starters worth sharing
Chef Brian Seaman met us and talked through his recommendations. Sharnelle ordered the smoked salmon bruschetta. I chose the coconut prawn skillet. Both were beautifully presented, but the first bite was what mattered. The prawns and that sauce had me saying “chef's kiss”; the smoked salmon bruschetta was doing exactly what it needed to do. We swapped plates so I could taste hers too. I love my food, and by the starters I was already telling people I would recommend the place.
Birthday dinner, course by course
For my main, I had braised beef with creamy mashed potatoes and rich gravy. The beef was tender, the potatoes were on point, and I kept coming back to the sauce. We had Prosecco with dinner, because it was our birthday celebration, after all. Sharnelle enjoyed her main enough to do a little shimmy at the table. Our conversation and those reactions are part of why I wanted to keep the full experience in the video.
Then dessert arrived, presented like a little work of art and just right for a birthday dinner. By the end of the meal my verdict was simple: 10 out of 10, zero complaints and zero regrets. It felt worth the drive from Roseau.
Chef Brian's vision
Near the end of the evening, I asked Chef Brian why people should come to Saltwood. He spoke with real confidence about the restaurant's future. His plans are to keep developing the menu, building the flavours and improving what guests experience over time. I liked hearing that ambition from a Dominican chef, especially after a meal that had already won us over. The opening of the video gives you a taste of his answer, and our longer exchange comes near the end.
Saltwood hosted this complimentary dinner as part of a collaboration. Our reactions are our own. For me, the best part was sharing a birthday with Sharnelle while discovering somewhere new in Dominica. Sometimes playing tourist at home is exactly what you need.