Straw Hat-- Meads Bay, Anguilla

Straw Hat is a favorite in Anguilla. When walking in, you are greeted by big racks of straw hats (hence the name) and a nice li terrace looking out to the pretty beach and sea. Overall, an absolutely beautiful setting.  I ordered two appetizers-- crudo and sliders-- however I wish the cold crudo came first, as the sliders would have made a better entree-- but whatever. My Curry Goat Sliders were absolutely fantastic-- it was more of a pulled goat, and the curry was sweet and spicy. The carrots within the sliders were also very fresh and crunchy. The best thing about the dish was that when I finished the first slider, I still had another to enjoy afterwards! For my second course I had the Red Snapper Crudo (I know, I just had that at Tokyo Bay) which was also delicious. The snapper was a bit chewy, but the zesty orange flavors along with a hint of soy made up for it. My dad ate the Blackened Snapper with coconut rice, green beans, and pineapple salsa. The snapper had a slight spice, and had a classic creole rub. The pineapple salsa was tangy and sweet, which mixed in nicely with the snapper. But overall, just a normal dish. My mom had the Red Curry prawns, which were sautéed with mushrooms and basmati rice and red curry coconut sauce. The prawns were very tender and sweet, but got even sweeter with the sauce. So, too sweet. The rice wasn't fluffy enough, and the coconut flavor wasn't pronounced.  My mom also ordered a delicious side of plantains which were perfectly sweet and not too oily. At the end, Straw Hat had a nice atmosphere and some good food. Unfortunately, a couple of the dishes didn't quite live up to the hype of this restaurant. 3 3/4 pineapples. Till next time!

-tdg