News of The Abacos

The Tiki Hut - Marsh Harbour's Floating Restaurant & Bar
David Cote

Rising with the ebb and flow of the tide and propped up neatly along Marsh Harbour's unencumbered coastline, The Tiki Hut Restaurant & Bar has established itself as one of this town's most unique places to relax and enjoy oneself in a truly uncluttered atmosphere. As I sat amazed to hear how it all began, I had to ponder that maybe there is some secret destiny here, working behind the natural course of events.

In years gone by, the original Tiki Hut was a floating chiropractor's office in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It was a local resident, Al Smith, who purchased the building and daringly towed it to Abaco behind his sailboat. The bar had a short but adventurous life with Mr. Smith who eventually sold it to Daniel Wiltfang. Mr. Wiltfang endowed the bar with the distinction of being Abaco's only floating bar and anchored it off the Triple J Marina. Some years later, it was bought by Mr. Guy Toothe who renovated and expanded the bar-restaurant to its present stature and capacity.

Originally from Nassau, Mr. Toothe had just finished a three-year stint working the bar at Mangoes Restaurant. So like any true entrepreneur, Guy decided to use this wealth of experience to launch his own business. You could say that he was already somewhat predisposed to the hospitality industry, because, as it turns out, his father owned and managed Nassau's fabulous 5-star Buena Vista Restaurant. Although Guy modestly denies that this was influential in any way, we were hardly convinced, having sampled the hospitality of Buena Vista, the resemblance was evident in the similarity of styles. We were also impressed to find that Guy's original life plans were to be a lawyer. But after completing his studies, he decided to forgo the Bar exams and, like many locals of late, he moved to Marsh Harbour to see what opportunities might be waiting for him. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Tiki Hut Restaurant & Bar is the bar of choice for a growing number of satisfied customers. We had been visiting the Tiki Hut for over a year, on taste-testing excursions, before we actually experienced a sumptuous meal there. Guy, the owner-bartender extraordinaire and Robyn Sawyer, a waitress who wears many hats, had become a familiar sight going about their business. So much so, that we had no sense of trepidation when we decided, at last, to partake of the restaurant's offerings.

Centrally located on Queen Elizabeth Drive, directly across the street from Wally's Restaurant, the entrance is marked with a colourful sign placed just off the sidewalk ­ you can't miss it! The day's specials are colourfully displayed on a large chalkboard standing on the lawn.

A gangplank leads from the wooden deck porch, at the entrance over the water to the bar itself. Turning down towards the waterfront, a tidy garden border brightens the way onto the gangplank that forms an hospitable entrance to the Tiki Hut. We arrived at 6:30pm, just in time to watch the last fading glints of sunlight slip beneath the bellowing fluffs of clouds. As the majestic scene stretched across the evening sky, we were more than inclined to just mellow out and enjoy the experience.

Guy pointed out the substantial renovations he had made to the original bar. The white building, trimmed with dark green, encompasses the old and the new, which are partitioned off by a series of French doors. The doors separate the actual bar area from the restaurant. The addition is extended by a wooden deck patio around the outer circumference of the bar. The white wooden railing around the deck coordinates with the round white dining table spaciously arranged throughout. Seated at any one of the porch tables, one can see various types of fish swimming around like puppies looking for a hand-out. Robyn confirmed that these fish are fed regularly by employees and patrons of the Tiki alike. My companion remarked that she hoped the fish were blissfully unaware of what our dinner choices were to be that night.

I intended to have a real Tiki Hut experience and so started with the house drink - the Sneaky Tiki. It's a light red mix of fruit juices and rums that is delicious and packs a punch. My companion ordered a virgin piña colada and we sipped those while watching Guy prepare the tables for the evening by placing a tiny oil lamp on each one. Robyn took our orders and we began our Tiki dining experience, first with crisp salads doused liberally with guava vinaigrette dressing and then with cups of creamy broccoli soup, redolent with mild spices, and warm, fresh rolls. The romantic setting, the low cadence of voices from other guests sitting at the bar and the delicious aroma of our first courses, induced a languid, laid-back feeling in both of us.

My lady had set her sights on one of the evening's specials ­ advertised on the chalkboard as we came in ­ the Seafood Platter, while I (ever the fish lover) chose the Grouper Kebobs. Robyn assured us that meals are individually prepared to order to insure freshness. The seafood platter came with generous portions of shrimp, conch and hog snapper and was served with fries and avocado pears slit in an interesting fan-shaped pattern; it was sufficient for two persons. The kebobs were chunks of seasoned grouper, mushrooms, onions and green pepper skewered and broiled to a crescendo of complimenting tastes and textures. We took our time savouring each mouthful and, as usual, sampling each other's choice. I have yet to decide which of the entrees was more superb that night. Dessert was a simple but delectable melt-in-your-mouth chocolate swirl cheesecake. The Tiki offers other after-dinner sweets such as strawberry swirl and amaretto cheesecakes, key lime and coconut cream pies.

The Tiki Bar, not to be undone by the restaurant's menu, offers Bar Snax like conch fritters, potato skins, French fries, shrimp jammers (cheesy breaded jumbos), conch chowder, onion rings, jerked, garlic and regular chicken fingers, grouper nantua, artichoke hearts, jalapeno peppers and mozzarella sticks.

Chef Walter Lightbourne from Sandy Point, the hidden author of all these treats, attended the Hotel Training College in Nassau. Like a successful student, but with his own creative flair, Mr. Lightbourne would make any teacher proud ­ much to the credit of the Tiki Hut.

The Tiki Hut is considering holding regular weekly "Nites" in the future. For example, they are hoping to have a Crab Nite, featuring Bahamian Blue Crab. They have also hosted a number of theme nites during Halloween, Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. The Restaurant is open every night except Wednesday from 3:00 until 10:00p.m. Ample parking is available adjacent to the Tiki and across the street. And, best of all, the Tiki is open for business during the season when neighboring eateries are closed.