Restaurant Review: Pink Octopus

Brunch on any given holiday is always a good idea and thankfully, I have friends who agree.

For New Year's Day 2024, we tried Pink Octopus for the first time. If you want to check out a video review of it, here's a reel of our experience.

Below, we go in depth on what that experience was like and if we'd come here again.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Our group's food orders included the following:

• Steak and Eggs - swap poached for an omelet and roasted potatoes in place of hummus

• Pepperoni Pizza

• Caribbean Pizza - add grilled chicken

• Conch Burger

• Conch Fritters

• Sweet Potato Fries

• Lobster Pasta with Cream Sauce

Located within the Palm Cay gated community of New Providence, The Bahamas, Pink Octopus promises "creative contemporary food, amazing drinks, fun and vibrant ambiance, hospitality driven", based on their Facebook page. As it functions as the private community's beach club restaurant, its ocean views are spectacular, coupled with the proximity of the pool and warm sun adds to its relaxed, resort ambience - the perfect beach club vibe.

The interior of the restaurant also catered to the desired atmosphere, with open doors allowing warm sunlight in, lighting the fully stocked bar and family-style dining room decor.

The Mediterranean styled brunch menu had options ranging from conch fritters for appetizers ($14) to spiced lamb with hummus ($25) for brunch, with their beverage options matching the wide range of variety: a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé wine ($96) with brunch, or their houe frozen cocktail, the Palm Cay ($15).

We also each ordered drinks:

• Non-alcoholic Peach Paradise

• Classic Margarita

• Peach Paradise (with alcohol)

• Passionfruit Mimosa (they're 2 for 1 for Brunch)

• Barbosa

After a noticeable wait-time, the food arrived. Thankfully, the drinks ordered were great and met our expectations for the meal. Here is a combined review of the food items ordered and what the recommendations would be for improvement:

• Steak and Eggs: 6/10. There was a misunderstanding regarding the requested swap, for the poached eggs, which caused a significant increase in wait time. Though the steak was cooked perfectly, it did need more salt added, as did the omelet-styled eggs. This is the order that had us ask for salt to be brought to the table.

• Pepperoni Pizza and Caribbean Pizza: 9/10. House-made pizza which seemed to have been made on a wood-fire oven, was really good. The proportion size was on par with the price paid and ensured you would need a take-home box for the remaining slices. The dough seemed to be freshly made and created the perfect crust. Sauce, cheese and topping ratios were also on-point and the flavor combinations were also great.

• Conch Fritters: 7/10. Conch-filled, and colorful. The chef used different color bell-peppers to achieve a look that most restaurants do not have. The fritters were fluffy and hot but did lack some seasoning. Not the perfect representation of a traditional conch fritter on the island, but also definitely not the worst.

• Conch Burger: 8/10. Presentation-wise, the burger was neatly stacked and proportionate. The cracked conch was a gorgeous golden brown and was well-cooked.

• Sweet Potato Fries: 10/10. Perfectly seasoned with flaky salt. Crispy on the outside with a smooth finish on the inside. These were so good, we got another order at the table.

• Lobster Pasta with Cream Sauce: 7/10. Definitely creamy and lobster filled. But this also lacked seasoning, and was salted at the table

Our full food experience was pleasant, and enjoyable though the time between arrival, to seating. Then the wait-time between placing our orders - both drink and food- was much longer than anyone anticipated. We chalked it up to the restaurant being busy at the time, though visibly, they weren't full capacity.

Added to the wait-time, there were a few issues with the orders placed, the wrong drink being brought over, the wrong sides for some orders etc.

Again, this is a review based on one, isolated experience, and on another day, things can be completely different for someone else. Based on our experience, if you're sticking to drinks, apps and pizza on a warm day, Pink Octopus is definitely the place for you to enjoy that without worrying about a large crowd.