The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

A NEW and colourful flavour has been added to the food options of Downtown Nassau with the opening of Dali Modernistic Tapas.

Bahamians flocked to the space, which used to be Bahama Joe’s, to join in on the grand opening last Friday.

It was the dream of Renate Liedtke and her husband, Chef Werner Liedtke, to one day open a tapas restaurant and bar in the Bahamas. Tapas are a wide variety of appetisers or snacks in Spanish cuisine.

In an interview with Tribune Entertainment, Renate explained how important it was for her to have their dream come true.

“We have now been in the Bahamas for 10 years. We came from Europe and this was our dream. My husband has worked on yachts and private homes here in the Bahamas for years. He has been cooking here in Nassau for the two famous Spanish actors – Javier Bardem from the last Bond movie, and his wife, Penelope Cruz. There is a photo in the restaurant with the three of them together,” said Renate.

She explained that a tapas restaurant is something really special from Barcelona, Spain, and differs from regular restaurants in a significant way.

“Tapas means you sit together with friends, family and the food would go in the middle of the table to share. Sitting down here can take two to three hours of enjoyment because you will be getting a little bit of everything,” said Renate.

At the opening last Friday, the new staff at Dali Modernistic Tapas gave out some of the restaurant’s signature foods ranging from shrimp specials, pork, mussels, scallops, polenta fries and much more.

Renate said when they saw that the Pompey Square location was available, they thought it was perfect for their endeavour. She said inside the building still has the old Spanish tile and a stairway that makes it look exotic.

“Everything just suddenly came together – the location and the beautiful Pompey Square is completed now and it is all very nice. The whole location downtown here, tourists and locals alike, makes it all right to be here,” she said.

Speaking about the name of their restaurant, Renate said it was mostly inspired by the famed artist Salvador Dali.

“He is a very famous European, Spanish painter, artist and photographer. He has his own museum in Spain and in Miami. We were always inspired by the artistic things he did all of his life. Modernistic stands for the fact that our kitchen is really healthy as we cook with olive oil, we have lots of fresh fish like the Bahamian snapper and grouper, and we use modernistic cooking methods. All of the meats are prepared in a vacuum cooker, which keeps all the juices and flavours really nicely in it,” she said.

Renate said they set out to create an artistic space with an ambiance that makes people to want to spend time there.

“It is not something where you have to wear your high heels or your suit and ties. You can come in here in whatever you are comfortable in. We have received our first five-star ratings on Trip Advisor where persons said the food was excellent. We have a combination of having a social and welcoming, not too high-end, ambiance. On the other hand, it is exciting and new food that you cannot find anywhere on the island. I feel like people are excited about it,” said Renate.

Going forward, she said they are planning to host events such as the Paella Rice Festival.

“That is special rice that we import from Spain. You would need a huge pan and the rice together will all the ingredients,chicken, shrimp, squid, mussels; everything goes into that pan. This is something that we want to do in Pompey Square,” she said.