It’s easy to forget to eat in a place like Tobago. I don’t utter that phrase often, but with the heat and the relaxing pace, we hardly ever felt hungry. When we did, we usually headed to one of the two dining establishments at the Blue Waters. On our first night, we decided to try the main restaurant on site, the Fish Pot. Simply decorated in shades of blue, with the obligatory nautical paraphernalia (fishing nets, shells) draped on the walls and blue-and-white tablecloths on the tables, the restaurant is surrounded by huge windows. Try to snag a table next to one of them. (One small complaint: the windows were so caked with salt-water residue that you could hardly see through them, so keep yours open.)

Service, as was true in all of Tobago, was slow, and you definitely won’t find any chirpy, cheerful waiters or waitresses. We usually found that if we were genial and offered a lot of "thank yous," they would return our friendliness. As for the speed of service, just remember—you’re on island time, and what’s the big hurry?

For our appetizers, I ordered callaloo soup (callaloo is a dark green often used in Caribbean cooking), and Mom ordered Tobagonian crab back. The callaloo soup was bland, but the crab back was delicious—mixed with spices and eaten straight out of the shell. For our entrées, I ordered a kingfish fillet, and Mom went for curry shrimp. Again, she won. The kingfish—and I found this to be true every time I ordered fish on Tobago—was very overcooked, though I became a huge fan of the shredded carrot-and-cabbage salad with mild vinaigrette. We both went for coconut cake for dessert, and it was tasty, though I’m fairly sure it was ready-made. The meal, overall, was not great, but soundly good. The price, then, seemed a bit steep at almost $100. We did get a lot of food, but only some of it was above average, and this didn’t even include drinks.

We found this to be true again at a Friday night buffet, when we were charged $50 for a spread of mediocre food. Considering this was Caribbean fare dumbed down for the tourist appetite, the cost just wasn’t worth it. My advice? Head to the Shipwreck Bar for much better food at lower prices.

For breakfast, however, the Fish Pot was wonderful and very affordable—the most basic breakfast included toast, a plate of fresh island fruit, juice, and coffee and cost only around $5. I usually ordered off the á la carte menu—their French toast is fabulous, and also on offer are eggs, pancakes, and a variety of excellent omelets. Breakfast usually ran about $20 for the two of us at most.

All restaurant bills are calculated with a 10% service charge and 15% VAT (tax); if the service charge is already included, there’s no need to tip.