Thyme for brunch!
Chef Devan McPhee didn’t come to fuck around with any of the brunch incumbents in Nassau.
Brunch Thyme at Wild Thyme launched this past Saturday, and it is the brunch that we’ve all been waiting for.
Wild Thyme has a very homely feel, as though you’re visiting a regal family island estate home. It very much exudes the hallmarks of fine dining, without being ostentatious or pretentious. For brunch, this façade is suspended. The rustic open space and terraced stone patio are transformed into a brunch garden with tents, long tables and couch seating. The layout affords social distance, but doesn’t put a champagne glass out of reach when it’s time to toast!
The best brunches I have been to all have one thing in common: creativity. Anyone can make the run of the mill chicken and waffles. This isn’t an indictment against chicken and waffles, just that it’s so typical a menu item. When I look at a brunch menu, I want to feel confused, indecisive, and to have my curiosity sparked by the inventiveness of the chef. Simplicity is also implicit in the creation of a dish. A Ferrari doesn’t need rims, nothing superfluous and only what is necessary.
In my confusion, I ate everything. Not literally, but kind of?
There is no other restaurant on this island that features Beef Short Rib Benedict with Truffle Hollandaise. Not a single one. Wild Thyme has a one – of – one with this dish, and even though it won’t be long before someone else replicates it, I doubt it will be on par. The short rib was almost as tender as the egg was soft, with a flavour on its own that was savoury-sweet.
The trick is to get a little bit of each element on your fork. As you take a bite, close your eyes and you’ll hear the flavour crescendo that you taste when you climb from the buttery truffle laced hollandaise up the savoury beef and into the fluffy and adequately salted poached egg.
Coconut should be a flavour paired with anything that is fried or baked. Local chef’s don’t incorporate such native ingredients into dishes often enough for me. Combining it is a subtle art since you often want a lot of the flavour and a little of the texture. Fluffy and light cracked lobster adorns a dinner plate sized, over-the-hill-woman thick waffle with coconut jumping out in every bite.
On the tongue, your taste buds shift kaleidoscopically seeking out the right order of flavour. Your brain then realizes it’s perfect from texture to taste and the flavour show continues. There is a slight taste of ginger in the maple glaze which I would have liked there to have been more of, but maybe it’s just me that likes waffles completely drenched in syrup.
Though they aren’t on the brunch menu per se, Wild Thyme has a fun selection of cocktails. If you’re like me and enjoy the Prohibition Era classics, start with a negroni – trust me you won’t regret it. As for the mimosa situation, you’ve got a buy two get one free offer to capitalize on which is so necessary because who drinks water at brunch?
You’ve been looking for an excuse to send a risky text since you woke up, let the mimosas get you there!! If you prefer something a little sweeter, and beyond the classic mimosa there is a guava Bellini with lychee and mint that is flavourful enough that the alcohol is neatly masked and will catch up with you later.
If this wasn’t already enough of sensory overload, then worry not because Jerked Lamb has entered the chat. Manners went completely out the window and I forget entirely that people could see me as I picked up that lamb chop and started gnawing on the bone making sure none of the perfectly medium-rare reverse-seared meat was left.
I succeeded and the looks of disgust from the adjacent table were real, but who cares? Delicious; the jerk flavour is more savoury than spicy, and has a sweet tamarind sauce kick at the end that will have you picking the lamb chops up too. No shame in my game buddy-did it then and I’d do it again!
I didn’t try the classic Bahamian staples of boiled fish and stewed conch; more breakfast dishes than brunch dishes in my view but that’s a personal thing.
Of the other fare on offer, the smoked salmon & egg salad on [a] baguette is an excellent sharing item to bridge the gap between mimosa sober and mimosa lit. It may just be the thing that saves you from sending that risky text we talked about earlier.
You sent it already didn’t you? How toxic of you. lol
What this restaurant has done really well is bring brunch back in a way that’s fun and not fussy. DJ MayDay kept the selection floating between chilled 90’s vibes to pre-pandemic hits which worked well with the mixed crowd. You know a brunch is lit when you see the ladies come out in full force. As men, we’ve got to acknowledge that seeing that group of girlfriends out toasting with mimosas throwing up peace signs is a beautiful thing.
For the Covid conscious out there, don’t worry. Wild Thyme has more than enough sanitizing stations, staff have spray bottles of sanitizer and wear gloves for your and their protection and social distancing protocols are comfortably followed.
Wild Thyme brought out the best in crowd with a couple of everyone’s favourite foodies and personalities out and about, an unrivalled menu, cocktails for every taste and softened atmosphere to encourage you to let loose.
For now, I think Chef Devan can hold on to the King of Brunch designation with his renaissance of this millennial social event.
Make your reservations for next Saturday now, trust me – there is no time like Brunch Thyme at Wild Thyme.
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