New Muse boss aims to inspire style

Front Street restaurant Muse has been given a make-over as a boutique style restaurant with an international flare.

The venue was formerly a French Bistro but the new executive chef and director of operations, Colin Lloyd, plans to make it the social hub to be at this
summer.

As well as overseeing the creation of a new menu, Lloyd, formerly of Greg’s Steak House, is steering the cultural direction of the venue including a host of regular social events with
entertainment.

“It’s an amazing establishment and is different from anything we have in town.

“It is a sexy industrial space with its raw cement, exposed piping and a thin, narrow layout — it lends itself to being different and so ideas started to flow.

“I want it to have an international, stylish feel like the bars you would see in Miami or Atlanta etc... The restaurant is buzzing, the bar is busy and the sky bar is our show piece and we needed to embrace that.”

One of the changes that Lloyd is most excited about is the bottom floor bar becoming a social hub and eatery. There are now more options for the Bar Menu and customers are encouraged to snack at the bar while enjoying drink and music with friends.

It runs from 2:30pm through to dinner with dishes at $10 a-piece including the Artisan pizza, meatballs, mushroom soup, lamb curry and mussels in a selection of sauces.

Where the previous establishment had an emphasis on French and European dining, the new Muse will be more open to foreign influences including Indian, Caribbean,
and Cajun.

“We are a lot more flexible and have more diverse items on the menu that lots of people will be able to recognize,” he explained.

The All Day Menu runs from 11:30am to 2:30pm every day. Items are designed for quick takeaway for people on the move. It includes everything from soups and salads to grilled veggie burgers, turkey burgers, wraps, paninis and pasta.

As for the Dinner Menu you can look forward to the restaurant’s new signature dish — Chef Szabi’s escargot and shrimp in a creamy Dijon and lemon sauce with a puff pastry crouton. Lloyd also highlights the beef short ribs in sweet slaw as well as the fresh seafood pasta dish.

The “vegetarian chicken” caught my eye, more out of intrigue. He explained that it is a portobello mushroom that is treated just like a piece of fried chicken would be — coated in buttermilk, egg, seasoned flour then deep fried. Lloyd emphasizes that there is an element of flexibility to the menu — the rockfish, for instance, can be ordered fried, grilled blackened or any way the customer prefers.

Straying from the regular offerings, the chefs are given the opportunity to create new dishes everyday for the pris fixe menu.

A glance at the three menus reveals that there are only a few carefully
selected items for each  which Lloyd says will
ensure good quality.

It was under his watch that Indigo restaurant ditched its vast selection of dishes to focus on quality over quantity.

“More is not better,” he explained. “The more choices there are on a menu, the less chance that it will be done really well.” He is also promising
“accessible prices” across the board.

As well as the new food, Lloyd has introduced a host of weekly events including the Ultra Lounge at the Sky Bar on Friday evenings.

“It will have a chilled vibe with DJs playing lounge music, not the top 40 — we are not necessarily looking at the club crowd. This would be good for young professionals who want to come out and decompress after a hard week at work and hang out in a great environment under the stars.”

On Thursday nights there is the “2Four” hour from 5pm to 6pm — if you come with a group of four or more you can get your drinks for just $2.

Finally Saturday evening is Muse’s “Wine Down” night from 8pm to 12am. “It will be boutique style — there will be a small wine list with interesting wines and a lot of attention to detail.” Live music will also be introduced including a jazz trio. n

Colin Lloyd first moved to Bermuda in 1985 when he spent 15 years heading up various kitchens at the Southampton Princess. He has worked in several countries and he cheffed at Emory University — dubbed the Harvard of the South. In 2003 he returned to Bermuda as co-executive chef at Greg’s Steak House. He’s worked at various other kitchens including Indigo and Common Ground.