Aruba has an exciting and unique addition to its roster of outstanding restaurants. Owner Chef Patrick van der Donk, together with his lovely wifeYvette, opened Amuse, a little French bistro at Playa Linda Beach Resort, serving contemporary favorites in appetizer portions.
For the past eight years, Chef Patrick worked his magic at the Flying Fishbone Restaurant. He now manages his own bistro, in collaboration with Yvette,
formerly the popular bartender at Le Soleil Cocktail Lounge, Tierra del Sol. Sous Chef Urvin Croes, an Aruban-born chef classically trained in some of Europe’s best restaurants, returned to contribute to this new and interesting venture.
“At Amuse Bistro, patrons sample and nosh on dish after dish, feasting on small, delectable specialties, perfectly plated and garnished, escorted by appropriate sides and drizzled with nicely-matched sauces, accompanied by quality wines, to be enjoyed at leisure, one at a time or shared,” Patrick explains.
The menu features a variety of truly made-from-scratch soups including a creamy Potato Pumpkin Soup and a hearty Seafood Chowder. A small smoker in the kitchen allows Chef Patrick to slowly smoke veggies for his Chilled Smoked Vegetable Salad with herb vinaigrette and his outstanding Smoked Duck Breast with Truffle Dressing and Aged Balsamic served on a bed of green.
Peruvian Ceviche delivers the authentic coastal recipe, made daily with fresh fish marinated in lime, cilantro, red onion and milk. Other tempting cold appetizers include Snow Crab in a Melon Yogurt Sauce, and Sesame Tuna with Oriental Grapefruit dressing. Among warm appetizers, Amuse offers Truffle Linguini, Seafood Pasta, and a classic Deep Fried Calamari.
Chef Patrick’s love of seafood is expressed through Pan Fried Scallops in Orange Cardamom dressing, with Smoked Eggplant and Rucola, and the restaurant’s own signature Shrimp Amuse, in spicy tomato and creamy herb sauce. Because of the appetizer portion, beef lovers may order it all. Enjoy delicious dishes ranging from Arabic Beef Kebabs with Tahini sauce to Sirloin Brochette with Potato Gratin and Chimichurri sauce, and the Herb Crusted Pork Loin and the Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak.
For dessert, try Strawberry Romanoff, Crème Brûlée with a Caramel cap, or red wine ice cream with Brownie. The Specialty Coffee menu includes an Aruban Coffee with Ponche Crema and an Espresso Martini. For a fun evening of alfresco dining featuring gourmet dishes at very reasonable prices, Amuse is a perfect choice.
Story courtesy of Aruba Today