Feature Story XpBonaire Island Life
A real tapa restaurant on Bonaire! Although several good restaurants have been added in recent years, it turned out that there was still a spot that had not yet been filled: Tapas.
Atmosphere & Service
Marcel and Joel have tastefully transformed the former music café Woodstock into a spacious, well-lit and friendly-looking tapa restaurant. I've had the pleasure of eating there twice now. The basis of the success of a nice dinner is of course the company at the table, which was excellent on both occasions. This success was immediately reinforced upon arrival by a very friendly reception, followed by a particularly adequate and skilled service. Not a regular waiter, but everyone who came to the table was friendly, knowledgeable and by no means unimportant the service was smooth, but not rushed.
Sangria Specials & Cocktails
There is a wide choice of drinks, with in addition to the standard range a variety of cocktails and 4 types of sangria with fresh fruit and a modest amount of ice cubes. As with everything, the first impression is important, thus Bon Tapa hits the nail on the head. The energy of the young enthusiastic entrepreneurs can be found in all the detail.
Food menu
The menu fits that first impression seamlessly. It must have been quite a task to come up with dishes that are different from the menu of the existing restaurants. The diversity on Bonaire is quite large now, so to be able to distinguish yourself as a restaurant is a challenge, a simple menu of meat, fish, vegetarian has been insufficient for some years. At least a clear recognizable signature is a must.
The team in the Bon Tapa kitchen has understood that flawlessly. The dishes are not complicated, but stand out for their simplicity and flavor combinations. That starts with the salsa that appears on the table as part of the aperitif with the drinks. A salsa with a sweet-spicy twist. Bold, but extremely tasty and fitting.
Favorites
Of course I can describe all the dishes I've had, but newspaper print is expensive, so I stick to a few dishes that stood out to me.
The Carpaccio bonbon. If there is anything to criticize, it will at most be the name. Carpaccio bon-bomb would have suited better, in my opinion. A taste explosion of thinly sliced beef carpaccio, truffle mayonnaise, Manchego cheese, arugula and hazelnut. One more for me, please!
I once owned a small petting zoo that included mini pigs and a goat. That was a daily scene of bullying and arguing. On the Bon Tapa menu, that combination in the form of goat cheese wrapped with bacon is much better balanced. Perhaps because of the honey and dates, but this dish is also one that excels in simplicity. In each bite, the 4 ingredients can be recognized separately in the total taste. That is exactly how a dish should be, it should taste like the name it has and that is the case at Bon Tapa. Not only the tapas I just described, this also applies for example to the garlic shrimps, the pork tenderloin medallions and the tostadas.
Desserts & Conclusion
I haven't had the whole menu yet, but I am sure it is no coincidence that the balance could be found in the tapas I have eaten. That balance also continues unabated in the desserts. I don't like sweet in itself, but my table ladies do, so I can describe 2 of the 4 desserts as a masterful conclusion. The house special Liqor 43 Lolly pop and the creme brulee were not too sweet and therefore again an extremely tasteful end of a successful cozy dinner. I was billed with a fair amount both times which contributed to an enthusiastic "see you soon!"
Please note that the menu available at the time was a temporary menu due to covid 19 and will be changed.
