Golden Spoons Review: Agua

CNS Editor | 14/12/2017

(CNS Foodie): My partner and I arrived for brunch at Agua just after the 11:30am opening, already starving and anxious to get started on the meal. After a little wait to get seated we were ushered to our booked table, which we were sharing with some friends. A waiter arrived and explained the menu to us. The “food and bubbles” option ($54) included special brunch cocktails as well as unlimited Prosecco. The bubbles, however, were very average and did not stand out as a must-buy.

The round of cocktails that we ordered took a while to arrive, so much so that we helped ourselves to our first plate of food before the drinks came. The Bloody Mary, Mo Mojito and Sparkles & Berries arrived after we had ordered our eggs. The cocktails were also average and, unluckily for me, the Mo Mojito’s topping had dribbled down the side of the glass, which caused a rather sticky mess.

The buffet was set out in an easy-to-access fashion, which made it a pleasant experience to dish up the food. The selection of sushi looked fresh and appetizing. I tried a couple of pieces and was pleasantly rewarded. There were also some very tasty vegetable- and ham-based quiches that called to me. In addition, bacon is always a big hit in our camp and we enjoyed the slightly crispier strips on offer, accompanied by some shrimp and beef dumplings.

The calamari was a little dry and uninteresting, but the accompanying wasabi was excellent. Sautéed chicken with a very flavoursome curry-inspired sauce and a side of pork sausages completed the first “course”.

The egg dishes were ordered separately and there was a choice of classic Benedict, truffle eggs, Agua Benedict, Spanish omelette and Mexican. We ordered the first three egg items, which arrived shortly after we sat down from our excursion to the buffet table. No problem for some hungry brunchers; the dishes were all flavoursome and thoroughly enjoyed. The Agua Benedict (poached egg, avocado, dill hollandaise sauce on an English muffin with smoked salmon) especially caught our attention, as it was beautifully and colourfully presented.

You can also order a main course, with choices of crusted mahi, beef Wellington, asparagus risotto, seafood spaghetti and Christmas duo. One of our party opted for the beef Wellington, which was, sadly, a little cold with undercooked dough.

We powered on and went back to the buffet, with particular focus on the cold meats and cheeses, for which there was a decent selection — not huge but good. However, we really enjoyed the stunning olive tapenade.

We eventually turned to the dessert table, which offered a nice selection. I helped myself to what I thought was a crème brûlée but sadly it had no crunchy, crackly top and was rather tasteless. The strawberry mousse and chocolate brownie proved better choices. We were disappointed with the rest of the desserts, which looked rather uninteresting, as we had higher expectations of Agua.

We were hoping to get some coffee after the meal as well, but sadly were not offered any, so we went elsewhere for a cup.

Overall, I would rate our experience as average. The service could have been a little quicker. One thing that we also noticed was no one on the wait staff introduced themselves to us, which for me detracted from the personal touch I enjoy when you can connect a name to a person.

The cost per person was CI$54 plus 15% gratuity, which did not seem great value for money.