Feature Story Xp Bonaire IslandLIfe
The restaurant we visited this time is located at Kaya Grandi #4. The Peruvian restaurant was established some time ago and even before it became Tasty Bar & Steakhouse this location was well known for its Peruvian cuisine.
The restaurant consists of 2 parts and therefore has 2 entrances. From the Kaya Grandi you enter a simply furnished space with a few tables and a bar. From that space you can continue to the back, where a semi-open area with a palapa roof top and typical rustic wood furniture houses the main restaurant. This rear part has also an entrance, which leads directly to a spacious parking lot. This is a private parking space that is closed during the day, but is freely accessible to Tasty Bar’s guests in the evenings. On this side you will also find the rather small kitchen, where chef Moises Ceras Bautista prepares the Peruvian dishes with much care.
Upon entering we were warmly welcomed and we were free to choose a table. Pretty soon we were provided with water and the menu. The menu is very extensive. Whether that's really a good thing is hard to tell, but the chance that you find nothing to your liking is at least minimal.
Appetizer
As an appetizer we choose Papa a la Huancaina and the Peruvian Chupe Camarones.
The Papa a la Huancaina is a cold starter, consisting of boiled potato, topped with a mild creamy sauce, boiled egg, lettuce and olives. Very tasty, although we feel that it should have been served at room temperature and not right out of the refrigerator to let the creamy sauce develop its rich flavor.
The Chupe Camarones is a fish soup with rice and seafood. This is indeed not your average fish soup. This very tasty Peruvian variant is richly filled with fresh grilled fish and mixed seafood. We also notice that the portions are quite large, which is of course ideal for someone with a big appetite.
Main Course
As a main course our choice fell on Arroz de Mariscos, a rice dish for us close to a Paella, but again a Peruvian version. A generous portion and also very richly filled with fish, mussels, shrimp and squid. Definitely recommended for the big eater. A lot and very tasty.
The second main course was a grilled half chicken. Always a feast for me, especially. I love it. In addition to the right seasoning, preparing a chicken is also a question of the right timing. A chicken basically consists of 2 “parts”, mainly leg and breast. If you cook the chicken too long, you will have a good leg, but a dry breast. If you don't cook long enough, you'll have a juicy breast but a leg that doesn't come off the bone well. Chef Moises has excellent timing, as well as a great choice of herbs. The half grilled chicken with fries and salad is recommended.
NOTE: When you like your hot sauce, ask for the homemade “pika” , you will love it , but be careful, it is really Hot!
The menu doesn't tell you what desserts are served, as this changes regularly. This evening we had the choice of a cup with 2 scoops of ice cream, or a flan. Both okay, but nothing special.
Our Favorites :
#1 Half grilled Chicken
#2 Chupe Camarones ( seafood soup)
Our Conclusion
In summary, we had a great evening with friendly service, although the staff could be a little more attentive to empty glasses. Tasty Bar is very much worth trying. Good food, more than enough, easily accessible with excellent parking and, last but not least, for a reasonable price.
