The Bullfish Bar and Kitchen has always had island vibes. But now that the Nicholson Drive restaurant is under new ownership, guests can expect authentic flavors reminiscent of its owners’ Caribbean roots.
Angel and Jasmine Lombrage of Jazz City Catering purchased the restaurant earlier this year, attracted to the existing Caribbean-inspired menu. Jasmine is originally from the Bahamas, and Angel is Haitian.
Planning for a reopening next Tuesday, July 16, the restaurant looks much as it always has, lined with long, natural wood tables, a wide bar and plenty of nautical decorations. But the menu has undergone an overhaul.
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It’s dotted with staple dishes from the islands, such as braised oxtail with coconut jasmine rice, Caribbean crab legs, and jerk fish with shrimp Creole, greens and yucca. While dishes like the jerk chicken wings were on the original menu, the previous version was made with a dry seasoning while Chef Angel’s take will incorporate fresh herbs.
The Lombrages have also added a number of colorful cocktails including the Dark and Dreamy, their take on the dark rum-based Dark and Stormy, and the Irie, another rum drink that gets its name from the Jamaican word for feeling “buzzed.”
The owners say the updated Bullfish will feature a less expensive menu to cater to the LSU campus crowd just steps away. “We want The Bullfish menu to be attractive for the people of Baton Rouge and those visiting LSU for game day,” Jasmine says. “We want it to have the vibe of a Caribbean destination without all the expense of actually traveling there.”
Chef Angel adds that one of the reasons he and Jasmine purchased The Bullfish is because they feel Baton Rouge is ready for something different.
“Baton Rouge is growing as far as taste goes,” Angel Lombrage says. “I think people are ready for something authentic and unlike anything else.”
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The reimagined restaurant opens July 16. It will be open for dinner Tuesday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 5 p.m. until late. The kitchen will close around 9 p.m. on the weekends, but there will be a late-night bar menu available. The restaurant will also be open for lunch hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
In August, the Lombrages say they plan to have the restaurant open for Monday night football and Sunday brunch and will provide tailgate catering during the LSU football season.
The Bullfish is at 4001 Nicholson Drive.