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Wednesday 4 november 2020

Restaurant Taste My Aruba:

Sustainable, Sea-to-table Savor

says De Mey. She checks every fish and I thought; let me turn it into this posh sand-
she buys because in her opinion it wich shop with everything fresh and all kinds of
is important to see how the catch is bread. But it is simply too hot during the day and
being handled. “We use everything my kitchen space is only 23 m2.” Her clientele
from the head to the tail. The lobster were government employees grabbing a sand-
is boiled and we make a bisque from wich and coffee on their way to work or picking
the head while the tail is used for the up lunch. It went well but as De Mey says: “To
Lobster Tower. The Grouper’s body make it half you need to sell 1000 sandwiches
and head carry a lot of meat which at least, I had to make a change.” One day she
goes into the fish cakes and the rest bought seven kilos of fish and prepared it on a
is used for the main course. We are George Foreman grill. “This is a historic building,
fully sustainable.” She calls her place so gas ovens are not allowed, everything needs
a ‘boutique fish shack’. Although to be electric. Nevertheless, I sold all the fish in
we cannot agree on that because one day, so I kept selling fish.” Initially she did it
it is way more. Taste My Aruba is like by herself. She woke up every night at 3 a.m.
ORANJESTAD — What you see is what you get. These Aruba’s ever-blowing breeze, a fresh to prepare and carrying foldable tables to her
descriptions suit both the restaurant and the owner. and honest surprise and located on a terrace every day. “I had to be here at 7 a.m.,
Straightforward, honest, pure and local. “Taste My beautiful spot downtown. “Our guests when the employees started passing by.” Her
Aruba is all about honest food, it is culture. Quality is are mainly tourists and they know principle of fresh and local food counted for her
my credo and my heart is in this place,” says own- how we work. If it’s finished, it’s fin- sandwiches and salads too. “This is me, my au-
er Nathaly de Mey, who personally selects the fish ished because what we get from the thenticity. I can’t do it halfway.”
caught daily at the port. “We have a different menu sea is all we can offer you. The only
every day depending on what the fishermen bring in.” foreign products I buy are my wild- Curious about Taste My Aruba? Make sure
Taste My Aruba opened on July 10th, 2020; and this caught shrimps from Norway and of to make your reservation for one of the 32
ship has been sailing steadily towards more and more course beef _ we do not have cows seats. Hours are from 6pm-11pm, Monday
great reviews. If it were not for the food, the enchant- on our tiny island.” through Saturday from. Website: https://
ing outside terrace would be worth it all. tastemyaruba.com/reservations/. q
Her story
At Padu Lampe Plaza in the heart of Oranjestad, you will De Mey lived in the United States
find a renovated monumental building which used to be for 16 years and another 17 years in
the governor’s mansion. Inside, it is all about local art and Dublin, Ireland. “The season in Dub-
crafts, the creative center, Cosecha, is open during the lin runs from March to September as
day. At 6 p.m., you will find the most romantically-lit ter- after that it gets cold. My birthday is
race under a canopy of trees with tables set up for you to in October so I thought; let me come
indulge in delectable food. The most curious thing is this home to celebrate and I will stay for
place is so unpretentious. the cold season in Aruba.” She did not
Ceviche, Lobster Tower, Grouper Fish Cakes and Lobster leave again. “In Dublin, I ran a culi-
Bisque are some of the divine starters. Drunken Shrimp Lin- nary business where we would hit var-
guini in Creamy Garlic Sauce or Lobster with Truffle Mash ious eateries in trendy places during
will make you happy. The entire menu improves your a culinary walk. I started this here too,
mood. But don’t worry; there are also options for meat but everywhere I went the food was
lovers. standing there forever. Do not get me
wrong, I like pastechi but it should not
Sustainable & local be eaten from a hot box, only fresh.”
“I buy local out of principle and I stick to that. I wish to She is firm not to have her food lay-
support Arubans and by buying 600-800 kg of fish each ing around, they make it as you or-
week I give back to the fishermen and their families,” der. “So this place came available