Veya: Eat and Drink in a Real Magical Island Tree House
If you’re looking for International cuisine with a tropical island flair, then you’d need to look no further than the partnership between Chef Carrie Bogar and her husband/restaurant manager Jerry. Hailing from Pennsylvania, where they owned and operated their first restaurant, “Empire” back in 1994, these two sold their successful restaurant after 12 years and moved to the sunny paradise that is Anguilla. Nestled between the Anguilla Garden Center and the lush backdrop of palms and loblolly trees, Veya is a hidden treehouse gem that is worth the search and the reservation time. Veya, which translates to “ray of light” in Carib-Indian has been just that since it bursts onto the culinary scene in Anguilla in 2006.
Before you climb the steps to this majestical restaurant, you will notice a burst of color coming from its base. It’s their sister restaurant and lounge, Meze. The entrance is highlighted by a man made Koi pond built into the floor just before the threshold of this elegant Moroccan lounge. The bellowing curtains tufted into the ceiling come arching down upon you as if you were in a genie bottle of breathtaking oranges, deep purples, and vibrant reds. The lounges’ open concept is a perfect contrast to the forest like environment all around you. Meze serves small plates and an array of hand crafted cocktails. In addition, they offer up live music nightly between 8 and 10 pm. With some careful planning you can also catch a glimpse of local artist Omari Banks who has been a staple here on Monday nights for years. This convenient addition to the upstairs magic is a perfect place to quench your thirst before your reservation time. While the food is amazing, particularly the hummus and the three cheese artichoke dip, we recommend that you don’t get carried away on food here – you’ll want to save some room for the feast upstairs.
Once you’ve arrived upstairs in the main dinning room, you’ll notice two things; the first, and most obvious is that you are in a luxury treehouse. There’s simply no other way to describe it. Secondly, you’ll notice the dining room has two layers to it. The first layer is an outer ring, and an almost full circle of outdoor restaurant space that looks out into the trees that can be touched from your dinner table. The second layer is an inner circle, a glowing, ambient orange bar and lounge with a pointed open raft ceiling and scattered dinner tables. This scene is straight out of a five star hotel. Beautiful exposed walnut tables and hanging white linens transform the space into a glowing wooden delight. In order to capture the full scope of the restaurant we also highly recommend spending some time at the bar, either before or after dinner. While you’re there check out their selection of locally crafted AXA beer. The local bartenders have created a cocktail list that is talked about island wide.
Once seated at your table, spend some time familiarizing yourself with the wine list. When last we dined, there was a beautiful bottle of 1996 Bollinger Grand Année. After all, being in Anguilla, or sitting in Veya are both champagne worthy moments. Work your way around the menu, being certain to ask about off-menu specials. If anyone has a special request or allergy simply let Chef Carrie know and she always tries her best to accommodate.There are some staples that must make an appearance, Moroccan spiced shrimp cigars, served with a spicy papaya jam are one. As for entrees, butter poached lobster and spinach risotto are my leading choice, but for a heavier more robust offering, opt for the whole grilled lobster, with toasted garlic spinach and gingered sweet potatoes. Ask your server about the crayfish special that chef usually offers on Wednesday. Also it wouldn’t be a complete Anguilla meal without an order of Johnny Cakes – a basket of slightly salted, warm fried bread treats that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, an Anguilla tradition. Either way, you cant go wrong, get enough to share and sample based on your dinner party size. If you decide to visit the bar on the way out, then opt to have dessert there, we recommend the Key Lime pie in a jar, if you’ve got room pair it with a cognac and thank us later.
Veya is open Monday to Saturday 6pm to 10pm and reservations should be treated as mandatory.
Meze Lounge offers live music nightly from 8pm – 10pm