Feature Story Xp Bonaire IslandLife - Anonymous Diner
This time there is no review about an already existing restaurant, but instead, a completely newly opened restaurant with a modern concept - shared dining. In the side street off Kaya Grandi, next to Gio's, Marleen and Maarten Marchal, together with Goos Baars, recently started Restaurant Hofí.
Hofi, garden in Papiamentu, is a small, snug and cozy eatery where you go for a real night out. Maarten is responsible for the kitchen, Marleen for the service and hospitality and Goos provides hospitality at the bar. With his extensive knowledge of drinks, the bar is where, among other things, various beautiful cocktails are created as true works of art.
We are received with the utmost kindness, led to our table and seated in comfortable school chairs. Despite the fact that the small place has walls around it, it is pleasant in terms of temperature and the interior creates a comfortable atmosphere. Just like the restaurant, the menu is also quite limited. Nevertheless, there are enough dishes to make your mouth water when you read them. The concept of “shared dining” is also briefly explained to us while Goos takes care of our drinks.
We start with French oysters that are fresh, firm and delicious in taste. We could both continue with oysters for the rest of the evening, but that would be a boring review. We order 3 more dishes; short rib beef, confit de canard and pork belly.
The short rib beef consisted of 3 small ribs served with a mix of tomatoes and onion. These ribs were very beautifully prepared, so tender the meat almost fell off the bone on its own. Definitely recommended for lovers of tasty beef.
The confit de canard was cooked to perfection and equally almost fell off the bone, a delicacy that you don't often find on a menu anymore. The leg was served with carrot and I honestly expected potato. After all, Idaho potato cooked in poultry fat is a treat in itself. But let's be honest, this confit de canard was a real feast, even without potatoes.
DID YOU KNOW? CONFIT DE CANARD
Originating in the French province of Gascony in southwestern France, this dish has quite a long preparation time compared to most meat dishes. According to the original recipe, the meat is seasoned, refrigerated for up to 36 hours, rinsed and then poached in duck fat at a low temperature for at least 4 hours.
Pork belly is now on the menu at many restaurants, but of course it can be served in so many ways. At Hofí, just like the short ribs, these are 3 small pieces of meat prepared with love and care. This time on mashed cauliflower, soft with a subtle crunch, and again, a very tasty dish.
At the end we chose 2 very special desserts, tiramisu di lamoenchi and foie gras with red fruit and vanilla ice cream.
The tiramisu is not made with coffee, but with lime, wonderfully fresh and creamy.
The most special, the foie gras is a brilliant ending for the meat lover. Foie gras likes to be combined with fruit and other sweets, in this case with vanilla ice cream. The dish is drizzled with tarragon oil and crisp. For the first time in our dining history, we had to compete for the last bite of dessert.
The fight was immediately settled with a wonderfully fresh Espresso Martini and a particularly beautiful Islay whiskey, served in a heated glass.
We can conclude that Hofí is not suitable for the fast eater who comes to fill the belly for a small price. No, this trio has succeeded in creating a place where you can enjoy a pleasant culinary evening.
Our Top 3
No. 1 : Beef short rib
No. 2 : Oysters
No. 3 : Foie Gras with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream
