Forget the meat, forget the fillings, forget the condiments -- and always remember, it's all about the bread. That is the premise
on which the owners of Island Subs -n- Soups founded one of the island's newest eateries on.
Brothers, Chef Martin Elliott and Bruce Elliott realized that their idea of a subs and soup shop wasn't entirely original,
so to make their restaurant different from their competitors, the brothers decided that they would offer up their sandwiches
on homemade raisin, coconut, wheat and white breads the way gramma used to make them
Chef Elliott himself trained his staff in his own dough recipes. At 9 a.m when his staff enters the Trinity Plaza, West Bay
Street location, the first thing to be done is dough is mixed and kneaded and placed into the proofer. By 11 a.m. when the
door is opened to the first customer, they're getting fresh bread, hot out of the oven.
"The concept of Island Subs -n- Soups is very familiar to Bahamians, but what sets us apart from our competitors is our bread,
which is homemade Bahamian bread. We have real coconut bread that Bahamians would know, raisin bread, whole wheat and white,
but our breads are a little sweeter the way Bahamians like it -- like gramma used to make it ... you know when it comes out of
the oven and you can spread a little butter on it and go to town.
That's what separates us from them."
"I've trained the employees in how to make the dough. They know how I want it. Recipes are straightforward, so they measure
and do exactly what a recipe says, and it's consistent each time.
We grate coconut for the coconut bread, soak the coconut
to make coconut milk and the water is then used in the dough, and the grated fruit is put into the dough. For the whole wheat
bread we use 100 percent whole wheat grain flour and you're getting what we say we're giving you. For the raisin bread, we
use fresh raisins, cinnamon and put it together. At 9 a.m. when the door to the store is cracked open, the dough person starts
on the dough, when you come in at 11 a.m., you're getting the freshest baked Bahamian bread ever."
Chef Elliott says it takes 15 minutes to make the dough, half-hour to proof the dough, and 10 minutes in the oven for the
oblong-shaped sub rolls to be ready for consumption, that is after a cooling process of course.
"When we start serving at 11 a.m., you're getting fresh bread. Our dough is not frozen, it's made fresh every day, and I'm
proud of to say I consider our breads to be our signature item. They also offer wraps -- plain white and wheat, which they
do not make.
Chef Martin Elliott, formerly of the BBQ King fame, says the subs and soups eatery was something he conceived in his mind
about 10 years ago, but as the years went by, things began to change, the idea went on to the backburner and of course he
got sidetracked by his BBQ King store. Last year he pulled the subs and soups idea off that backburner and decided to do
it. It took him
about six months to renovate his space and get it up to standard. Three weeks ago he opened his doors to his first customers.
Coming up with his menu was easy, but to ratchet up his uniqueness, he took his subs idea a step further than just homemade
bread, by adding a few unique filling ideas to tempt the Bahamian palate. Customers can order a grilled grouper sub, lobster
salad sub, shrimp salad sub, and a grilled conch sub is in the makings, along with the standard fixings like roast beef, ham,
salami, turkey and tuna.
"You look at what your competitors are doing, but then you tweak it, and that's why we decided to carry shrimp salad, lobster
salad, grilled grouper and smoked salmon, because most Bahamians like seafood. But the bread is the secret, because none
of us -- neither my competitor nor myself make the turkey, none of us make the roast beef, none of us make the tuna, but what
will differentiate our sandwich from their sandwich is the bread. The bread determines how good the sandwich is, and we're
not using frozen dough, and you ain't gone tell me you ain't gone give a Bahamian a sandwich on homemade bread and they ain't
gonna lick their lips and come back for more." And anything you can get on a sub, you can have made into a salad.
While Chef Elliott stands by his bread, he says the soups are definitely a must have when you visit. Four soups are available
on a daily basis -- Bahamian classics like peas soup and dumplings, okra soup and split peas, and a grouper chowder the chef
says is another signature item that is a must have item.
He also paid special attention to his dessert offerings with three flavors of duffs -- guava, coconut and pineapple -- simply
because he wanted to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth, have more variety and be different from his competitors who just serve
the guava version of this Bahamian treat. Chef Elliott himself makes the duffs.
With slices of chocolate cake, cheesecake
and carrot cake visible, along with macadamia nut cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies, and a fresh fruit salad, and eight flavors
of ice cream, he says you're bound to find the sweet you want to end your meal.
With one store opened, Chef Elliott says he and his brother have long-term visions of a number of Island Subs and Soups restaurants
around New Providence and the Family Islands and maybe even in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Islands Subs and Soups are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday and Sundays 2 p.m to 7 p.m.
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