It used to be that sitting on the Harbour Front restaurant veranda was a strictly urban experience.

Located at the west end of Front Street, the only wildlife to be seen were carriage horses and sparrows.

Gone are those days. The Harbour Front restaurant recently celebrated its first anniversary in the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) Building on Crow Lane.

Diners inside the restaurant have an excellent view of this quieter end of Hamilton Harbour, but now they can also sit outside thanks to a newly built covered porch.

"The cover is very light, and is designed so that it can be taken down quickly in bad weather," said Pierangelo Lanfranchi, manager and partner of The Harbour Front Restaurant.

When The Royal Gazette visited one morning, boats bobbed gently on the water, a large fish jumped (when they say the fish is fresh...), and a heron swooped into the mangroves on the opposite shore.

The mangroves were part of a replanting project started a few years ago by Dr. David Saul.

"Now, when you come to Harbour Front, you are out of town so it is a destination place," said Mr. Lanfranchi.

"We have more business clients now because people want to take their business clients out.

"From the restaurant, the white roofs that visitors like are right in front of you. A lot of time business visitors spend all their time in the office and don't really get to see the rest of Bermuda. And the view from the restaurant is breathtaking."

The porch is proving a big draw for the relocated restaurant.

"People ask to come out on the porch specifically," said Mr. Lanfranchi.

"Surprisingly, the lunch crowd want to sit out here too, because there is shade and a nice breeze coming through. We are very pleased with the opportunity to be in this location."

"We have done christenings and birthdays out here," said Mr. Lanfranchi. "There is an open bar for a group of up to 60 people.

"It has been a tremendous success."

Last Christmas, all but one of the business Christmas parties held, immediately signed for the next Christmas.

"That was incredible, and I did not expect that," said Mr. Lanfranchi.

An added bonus of the porch is that it is designed to accommodate up to four boats alongside it.

The Harbour Front is currently busy every day of the week and not only do you need reservations on a Friday night, but Monday night also.

He said during the early months, after the move, they had trouble beating back the curious and hungry masses from the door.

"There was an interest in Bermuda enough to find out where we were moving," said Mr. Lanfranchi. "They all came by the hundreds when we first moved.

"We had seating challenges in the beginning to cope with all the people."

With an overhauled menu and the addition of a robata, or Japanese grill, it's hard to find the old Harbour Front restaurant anywhere.

"I think it is not just a new location, it is a new restaurant," said Mr. Lanfranchi.

He was particularly excited about the robata which is in the process of being constructed.

"That will be located on the far right side of the restaurant," he said. "Traditionally, it was a little barbeque that fishermen had and would cook on.

"Then it became popular as a way of cooking in Japan. We will be serving grilled items with sauces. It can be served family style. It will be very popular. The portions and prices will be smaller, which is often popular with the ladies."

He said it will be available to customers in a few weeks, after staff have undergone training and experimentation with the barbeque.

Harbour Front was previously not only known for its dine-in atmosphere, but also its take-out options, particularly its sushi. Nothing has changed in this regard, according to Mr. Lanfranchi.

"The sushi has been spectacular," said Mr. Lanfranchi. "Our takeout customers have only increased, most likely because the parking is easier."

He said the BUEI parking lot also made the restaurant more accessible to seniors because they didn't have a long walk from car parking.

"We are seeing a lot of the same customers as before, plus a lot of new ones," said Mr. Lanfranchi.

The menu has been redesigned to include a few of the old Harbour Front signature dishes. But there are also many new things on the menu.

"The menu is simple to read," he said. "There is an incredible variety of dishes such as fish or meat. Some people say it is so incredible they don't know what to order. There are no dishes left over from La Coquille.

"There is a good price range," said Mr. Lanfranchi. "We are not going to kill the customers with high prices.

"We are not expensive compared not just to Bermuda, but worldwide.

"I think this is probably one of the reasons this is working for us."

He said another attraction was the interesting dishes.

The Royal Gazette had a chance to sample some of the new dishes on the menu including soba noodles made of green peas with lobster meat, and inside out tempura with chili sauce, a crab meat and lobster dish with Japanese mayo and spicy peppers, surrounded by cucumber, and salmon sushi with cream cheese and avocado in the middle in the American style of sushi.

"When we opened in June it was challenging," said Mr. Lanfranchi. "It is a completely new restaurant. Our staff and customers have been very supportive of the move."