Rainy day lunch at Hibernia, Anguilla

We had a few days of rainy weather during our trip, so what better to do than take a drive around the island and enjoy a late lunch? 


Anguilla is just over fifteen miles long, and easy to navigate… at least once you get past the disconcerting combination of American-style right hand drive cars with British “drive on the left” rules, which makes me feel like I’m on an amusement park ride as oncoming cars zoom past my passenger-side window.  We made our way across the island to the far eastern end, Island Harbor village, and arrived at Hibernia restaurant just in time to watch a storm blow in across the ocean.

Hibernia has a riveting view – not the more typical beachfront, but instead an overlook of wild landscape and the crashing waves of the Atlantic beyond. 


We ordered a half bottle of champagne and looked over the menu, a sophisticated array of Asian-touched French dishes.  The cold ratatouille had all the traditional flavors, but was garnished with an unexpected tangle of seaweed salad; I would never have imagined this combination of Mediterranean and Pacific, but they came together into a fresh-tasting, seaside appetizer.

We also had the foie gras, a simple terrine with modern twists – a date, fried in a wrapper that reminded me of twisting coral, and a pipette filled with aged rum to be drizzled over the foie.  The richness was a nice contrast to the ratatouille.

Next, we shared the tom yum pla, made with local fish and a nicely spicy coconut broth, and garnished with lots of cilantro.  Spooned over jasmine rice, this was the perfect dish to eat as we watched the rain begin to pour down from the shelter of the covered balcony.

The dessert menu features many creative homemade ice creams and sorbets; I couldn’t resist the rum raisin, and paired it with a glass of Ron Zacapa 23 year rum to linger over.


After lunch, we headed into the attached art gallery to browse the collection of paintings, sculpture, jewelry, and miscellany that Raoul and Mary Pat (Hibernia’s owners) have brought back from their travels in Asia.  It was a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon – I didn’t miss the beach at all.