Mermaid's

HB goes to Virgin Gorda about once a week for work, and so at the end of our anniversary day on Virgin Gorda last weekend, he took me to one of the many restaurants he frequents.

Mermaid's Dockside Bar is one of the more popular local watering holes on Virgin Gorda, and there was a lively game of dominoes taking place when we arrived.

The draw for me was the location. The restaurant is situated on a pier, completely surrounded by water. No other restaurant I've encountered in the BVI can quite match this literal, "on the water" feel.

We had a few beers and watched the impending sunset until our food arrived. We had to wait for the pizza oven to heat up to the appropriate 900 degrees, but with views like these, we weren't in any rush.

Of all the pizza I've had in the BVIs, the pizza HB had at Mermaid's was probably the closest thing I've had to Stateside pizza. Even as good as it was, it did not compare to the tastiness of my entree: whole, steamed red snapper with fried plantains and mac 'n' cheese. Too intent on devouring it to take a picture, let me reassure you that its eye was all the clue I needed that it hadn't been out of the water for very long.

For a combination of ambience and fresh, local fish, I have yet to find Mermaid's equal in the BVI.