A new waterside restaurant has opened in Hamilton. Déjà View Restaurant and Bar is located at Barr’s Bay Park in the building that housed the Marine Police Unit until 2013.

The owners are Greg de Melo, who works in IT at HSBC Bermuda, and veteran restaurateur Leo Calingasan, who worked at Bulli Social and Pearl before he and Mr de Melo opened Misaki, the restaurant on Burnaby Street in Hamilton, nearly six years ago.

Déjà View is managed by Mr Calingasan, who is also head chef, and Mr de Melo’s wife Jessica Gamez, a former bar manager and head waitress at Coconut Rock.

The restaurant employs 22 full-time and part-time staff, of which 14 are Bermudian or spouses of Bermudians.

Déjà View, which opened last month, can accommodate 90 diners indoors, outdoors on a terrace overlooking the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club marina, in two private dining rooms and in a cosy bar.

Mr de Melo said: “There are not many places you can go in Bermuda to enjoy an al fresco dining experience. It has been pretty busy.”

The primarily Asian-inspired menu includes a wide range of appetisers, entrées, signature rolls, steaks, and bowls including vegan options.

A range of burgers are made in-house from grass-fed beef and a variety of Danish-style open-faced sandwiches are also on offer.

Déjà View also focuses on local fish – rockfish and red hind were recently featured as daily specials.

Mr de Melo said: “A dish that has been very popular is octopus. People on Maj’s List have been saying it’s the best octopus dish on the island.

“I think we have something on the menu for everyone.”

Mr Calingasan is keen to elevate the presentation of food, Mr de Melo said, adding: “We have put a focus on plating, more like fine dining but at a reasonable price.”

Appetisers are priced at $9 and up, while entrées average around $35.

The building that houses Déjà View is leased from the Corporation of Hamilton.

Mr de Melo said he and Mr Calingasan were interested in the property before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and revisited the idea of opening a restaurant on the site early last year.

A contract was signed with the corporation late last summer, and extensive renovations followed.

Mr de Melo said: “We thought it was a great space – it seemed like the perfect location.”

He added: “What I like about the Corporation of Hamilton is that they want to bring more life to the city.”

To that end, Mr de Melo said, he and the Déjà View team are considering eventually offering happy hours, as well as DJ sets and live music on the terrace.

Déjà View is open Monday to Saturday from 11am until 3pm and from 5pm until 10pm. The bar is open Monday to Saturday from 11am until 10pm.