Rarely do I give a restaurant such high praise, but Asú on the Beach at Alexandra Resort has made my personal Top 10 Restaurants in the World list. This is a dining experience worth getting on a plane for. The setting alone is stunning. A beachfront, barefoot-friendly dock restaurant, Asú has magical island lanterns that come alive after the sun sets. The sunset is a sight to behold. Asú faces west so you have a prime view of the sun dipping into the ocean. You’ll hardly be able to peruse the menu, you’ll so busy soaking it all in.
But don’t just eat at Asú for the views, eat there for the food! Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I won’t blame you one bit for dining at Asú multiple times during your trip to Turks and Caicos. I certainly did! Here are a few of my favorite dishes.
The Rose Table’s Favorite Lunch/Dinner Dishes:
Coconut Shrimp with Ginger Pumpkin Sauce
I could write a sonnet about this dish. Maybe I will! This is hands-down one of my favorite dishes of all time. This is quite possibly the best coconut shrimp on the planet. The breading is so light and crisp and the shrimp is perfectly cooked, but what puts this dish over the edge is the ginger pumpkin sauce.
Every now and then you come across a dish that makes you realize you’ve always eaten something incorrectly. Asú on the Beach has ruined me for all future coconut shrimp experiences. The sauce actually doesn’t hit you as pumpkin. It’s almost more carrot-y than what Americans would think of as pumpkin, with an in-your-face ginger note that sings when it meets the shrimp. If the restaurant had been less crowded, I may have licked the plate.
P.S. Lest you think I’m overly gushing about this dish, let me tell you this: we had forty-five minutes left on the island on our last day and were still stuffed from brunch when we ordered not one but TWO orders of coconut shrimp (pictured above). Neither of us could fathom sharing even a single shrimp. Not one bite was left on either plate.
Crab Cakes
The crab cakes are crunchy on the outside and rich with crab on the inside, similar to a potato croquet. The slaw they are served with has mint, which was both unexpected and appreciated. The combination of flavors between the garlic-y, lemon-y sauce, crab cakes, and slaw was really outstanding.
Sun-dried Tomato Focaccia
Okay, you caught me. This isn’t a menu item. In fact, it’s free! Promise me you won’t ignore the bread basket at Asú. This is the best focaccia, so soft and flavorful that you will be all jazzed up with Asú worship before you food even arrives.
Conch Salad
This is very similar to the conch salad served on Caicos Dream Tour, but more sweet with less heat thanks to the addition of pineapples. If you’re picturing a green salad, don’t. This is a ceviche with super fresh local conch and a cilantro-lime broth. This salad tastes like the Caribbean to me and is definitely a swimsuit friendly option.
Grilled Tuna
The tuna was fantastically seared and delicious with the ginger beurre blanc. I opted for roasted fingerling potatoes and pineapple slaw for my sides. Every restaurant I went to on Provo really has roasted potatoes down and Asú is no exception. The pineapple slaw was a fun accompaniment to the tuna.
Minced Lobster
This was a special of the day. Similar to stir fry, minced lobster was sticky and sweet. We ordered ours with avocado and still felt quite svelte slipping into our bikinis later that day. With bell peppers, onions, rock lobster, spices, and rice, there’s really nothing not to love about this dish if you’re a rock lobster lover. If it isn’t lobster season when you visit Turks and Caicos, definitely consider the special of the day.
Coconut Panna Cotta
The best dessert we had on the island! I loved it so much that I learned how to make coconut panna cotta the weekend I returned from Turks and Caicos. The coconut panna cotta at Asú on the Beach is silky smooth and subtle in it’s coconut flavor, which is fantastic with the tropical fruit and raspberry sorbet that the dish comes with. In fact, this sorbet was also the best frozen treat we had on Provo.
The Rose Table’s Favorite Breakfast Dishes
Smoked Salmon Bagel
A solid breakfast choice for those who like to start their day off with seafood. (I’m surely not alone in this!) The smoked salmon is particularly thick-cut and flavorful, divine with Asú’s light and fluffy cream cheese.
French Toast
“Homemade banana syrup” is a bit of an understatement. This syrup is a stone’s throw away from bananas foster. My regular readers know how much I adore bananas foster, so I was sure to love this french toast! This decadent dish tastes like dessert with its caramelized banana sauce and whipped cinnamon butter. Heaven on a plate.
Cappuccino
The cappuccino at Asú is phenomenal, not to mention Instagram-worthy. The Asú cappuccino is served in an Irish coffee mug so that you can appreciate the rainbow of coffee colors. If you’re a cappuccino lover, definitely opt for cappuccino over your normal cup of coffee.
Visiting Turks and Caicos soon? Read all about Alexandra Resort next.
Cheers,
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Disclaimer: This article is intended to be a general resource. Any recommendations are based on personal opinion. A portion of this trip may have been compensated but opinions are my own, always. I’m not a fan of negativity so if I don’t like something, I don’t write about it.
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