Petrea Place; Freebird Restaurant — Restaurant in Trinidad

A journey to Australia through food, this was a destination dinning experience at Freebird Restaurant.

We received the menu the day before so we'd know all we were going to get. The menu was exceptional and had something for everyone including vegetarians and non-alcoholics.

Firstly, getting to the location may be a little daunting as it is in the Petrotrin compound, however with the aid of GPS the location is easy to find. Parking was ok and the attendant assisted with this.

This is a restaurant located in a small nature reserve, so there is a heavy eco-friendly vibe with plenty of plants and greenery. Very scenic for pictures, better in daylight. Arriving on time meant there was no wait, so as we got there we got seated in seconds. We were also presented with our "boarding pass" which was a very cute and memorable detail to signify that we visited. Seats were comfortable and the seating was done to the number of guests in your party. In my case, a couples table. The decor was simple and rustic yet beautiful and the feeling of being in nature was very much felt. There was also poor cell coverage, so it could be a plus as it allows you to focus on the ambiance and keeps you in the moment.

We received a warm welcome from the waiting staff. We were then served mint infused water and our welcome drink which was, simply put, a fancy rum punch. It tasted wonderful with the spices of the dark rum really showing itself. It was beautifully presented and this would be the theme of everything presented for the night.

Our server then came and introduced herself and explained the menu and ordering process. She was really engaging and informative about everything. The main takeaway is that it was a shared dinner. Everything came out as platters for two. We were allowed to choose 1 appetizer, 2 proteins for the main and a dessert.

After drinks we had to wait a bit till a bread course came. It was a brioche toast with a herb compound butter and another compound butter with Vegemite. The herb butter had a very bold in flavor. It was my first time trying Vegemite and I wasn't sure what to expect. I tasted a subtle but distinct savoriness, that was not too powerful. We happened to eat this and forgot to take pictures since we were famished.

We waited a bit before we were served our appetizer course. We chose the board with the Australian meat pie which was a pastry filled with braised beef. It was so delicious. The other items that came with the board included some cheese crackers, veggies, a hummus and a creamy dip which was my personal favorite of the course.

Between the appetizer and main course, the wait was a bit lengthy, but it was definitely worth it.

When the main course arrived I must say, the flavors were out of this world. We got braised lamb, BBQ pork rib and 4 corresponding sides. The lamb was delectable and very savory, the sauce it was in was by far one of my favorites of all the dishes we had, I could have drank that as a soup. The cook on the lamb was spot on, very tender and amazing. The bbq pork was "fall off the bone" tender. The pineapple BBQ sauce was also a winner. Although all sides were tasty, the creamy potatoes was my favorite. The creaminess and cheesiness complimented both proteins well.

After the main course we got a palette cleanser of a mango-passion fruit sorbet shooter. It was a fun dish as we had to pop it in our mouth as a one-biter.

For dessert, we ordered the fruit pavlova, and I must say, as someone who isn't the biggest sweet tooth, I wished I had that dish for myself 😅. It was filled with lots of fresh fruit that really balanced the sweetness of the dish.

Overall, we left clean plates and the destination dining experience was certainly...

Since we last stayed at Petrea Place the business has been taken over and transformed by Rhenard and Rhian Callander. Where once there was a small breakfast room (perfectly pleasant in its day) now there is a wonderful, cool and airy dining room with glazed fold-back doors overlooking the garden.||||Overnight guests sit in the shade at the back of the house for a phenomenal breakfast of fruit, freshly-made cakes and breads, omelettes and fabulous locally produced Rio Claro coffee. The meal is made all the more lovely by the presence of so many beautiful birds in the herb garden fifteen foot away. (Masked Cardinals, Yellow Orioles, Thrushes (both Cocoa and Bespectacled), Tanagers Blue and Palm and Trinidad's comedy bird, the Oropendola. Heaven.||||The quality, variety and taste sensations of the restaurant's main meals defy description. Never have I experienced such imaginative and almost tear-jerking cuisine. I shan't list what we had, but the menus are sumptuous and the food out of this world. Almost literally. ||||Pointe-à-Pierre has a secret which I am about to explode: ten minutes walk from Petrea Place in one direction you have the wonderful birdlife of The Wildlife Trust (Anhingas, Whistling-Ducks, Purple Gallinules, Pied Water Tyrants and Yellow-headed Blackbirds). Ten minutes in the other direction, there are the old refinery reservoirs now more or less deserted by humans and absolutely teeming with wildlife. Ten-foot long Caimans abound in the water whilst in the trees and bushes round the edge there are whole trees full of Cormorants, Black-Crowned Night Herons, Ospreys, Egrets various and magnificent Kingfishers. Get up at dawn for two hours birdwatching and return for breakfast. It doesn't get much better than this for a break.||||Accommodation upstairs is still much as it was in Petrotrin or Texaco days, but I'm certain that, given time, this will also be brought triumphantly into the...

I cannot speak too highly of the Freebird Restaurant and Guest House at Petrea Place.

Tucked away above the flourishing golf course and dormant refinery at Pointe-à-Pierre, this establishment is a jewel of Southern Trinidad. It is run by Rhenard Callender and his Cordon Bleu Chef sister, Rhean, their combined talents melding to create an establishment unique in my experience.

Firstly, every mealtime guarantees a stunning gourmet adventure. At the high-end – and in the company of a capacity crowd of romancers, we were blown away by a seven-course Valentine’s Dinner in a magically lit indoors-and-out dining area; yet even at what might be expected to be a more modest occasion (our “oh, just a bowl of soup and a sandwich”, for example) was so mouth-wateringly original as to be utterly unforgettable.

The food is locally sourced - some grown on site - and prepared with imagination, love and attention to taste and texture. Every dish, in short - even breakfast - is a tour de force.

Secondly, nothing is too much to ask or too much trouble, whatever the time of day. Rhenard in particular has the knack of supplying your every need before you’re even aware you need it. Equally importantly, he has surrounded himself with trained, willing, personable and smiling staff – all of them clearly team-players – who call you by name and engage in conversation.

The guest rooms may hark back a little to the heyday of the refinery, but that suits us down to the ground. Besides, renovations are planned. There’s also fabulous birding (not to mention caiman viewing) with the wonders of the Pointe-à-Pierre Wildfowl Trust and adjoining reservoirs only a few minutes’ walk away.

Book early and often for an experience where you are made so welcome as to feel part of the...