Like its distant cousin the oyster, the conch -- which provides the meat for the Bahamas' de facto national dish -- will, under the right circumstances, produce a tiny pearl: lustrous, pink and all the more precious for being so rare.

Nassau's Pink Pearl Caféis named for this uncommon gem, and it's as unusual as its namesake. In a 1943 home built with hand-cut limestone blocks and local pine, cinnamon-hued walls boast an ever-changing selection of contemporary Bahamian art, windows give a distant view of Nassau Harbor and live jazz animates the terrace on weekends.

And the cuisine? ''Representative of the Bahamas but with a worldly appeal,'' says restaurateur Terrence Chisholm.

Ingredients are pure Bahamian -- locally grown herbs, freshly caught fish, crab and, of course, conch -- with a twist. Conch chowder, for instance, is creamy like a New England clam chowder rather than spicy like the tomato-based soup found in most Bahamian restaurants. Snapper appears, among other incarnations, in an ''escabeche'' style, though lightly cooked rather than marinated raw, as is usual; balsamic vinaigrette and a petit-herb salad add a continental flair. Charcoal-grilled conch drizzled with tamarind barbecue sauce is an elegant change from the ''cracked'' (pounded and deep-fried) version.

''I really love this menu,'' smiles co-chef Ziska Stuart. ''It's different from other Bahamian restaurants.''

''Totally different,'' echoes her partner, Yvonne ''Laura'' Rolle.

Though they have no formal training, the young chefs do remarkable things. They attribute their skill to the late Heston Ferguson, the former chef at Pink Pearl, who devised most of the menu and trained the two.

''I tell them, 'You have a canvas,''' Chisholm says. '''Within the restaurant's style, you can do whatever you want.' And beautiful things happen.''

Case in point: Their now-famous orange hollandaise sauce was improvised one night to serve with beef tenderloin. Laura recounts how her partner suggested the spin-off of the traditional sauce. '''Let's try it,' she said. I said, 'Let's not; it's a busy night.' But we did it anyway.'' Raves from the guests earned it a permanent spot on the menu.

''Most of the dishes,'' says Chisholm, ''are inspired by the produce and colors of the Bahamas.'' Indeed, the plates have the ebullience of their young creators. Chicken with mango and rum sauce comes on a bed of deep-pinkish-orange mashed sweet potatoes. The thin-sliced chicken breast is topped by half a mango and drizzled with dark amber sauce.

Desserts display a pastel splendor appropriate to their subtle taste: Banana fritters, not overly sweet, encase the pale fruit in a deep-gold coating; baked pineapple is likewise sweet but not cloying, a small scoop of ice cream complementing the acidity of the fruit.Stuart and Rolle avoid the pile-on-the-ingredients style, sticking with an unfussy approach.

''Simplicity is genius,'' declares Chisholm. But this is not to say they aren't constantly trying for interesting new flavors. ''Twisting it up,'' he says, as a waiter serves a crab salad spilling out from jauntily arranged wonton squares. A dusting of parsley, a drizzle of yellow sesame oil and avocado puree add a potpourri of color, texture and flavor. ''That's what cooking is all about.''

Are there any other bombshells in store, any tenderloins with orange hollandaise? ''No,'' Stuart says. Rolle gives her a look, and Stuart adds devilishly, ''Well, not yet.''

Posted online 02/19/02.