BOONOONOONOOS MEMORIES. I recently reconnected with restaurateur Kurt Biermanns over Dutch pea soup, and great memories, as he is back on the island, having been away a few years. You must remember him from Boonoonoonoos, which was a charming eatery on Wilhelminastraat, serving Caribbean dishes, where patrons loved to tour the Caribbean islands’ kitchens without ever getting off their seats. Kurt categorized his restaurant as a bistroquet, and wrote and served a fondly-remembered menu which included Jamaican Jerk Ribs made from a 300-year old recipe, curried chicken a la Trinidad, Keshi Yena from Aruba, Dominican carne con papas, Chicken Barbados with coconut milk and plantains and also what the menu promoted as Mountain Chicken, which were in reality stewed frog legs. Kurt is also remembered by many as the creator of the Cellar bar, and I remember one or two nights where B52s were all I wanted to have at the cozy bar of that no-good place with Martin Buitenweg on guitar! So he’s back, with Kurti, his youngest son, an accomplished IT specialist, who missed the sunshine in the cold Netherlands, in spite of a decent career he was busy with, he left it all behind, when he bought a one-way ticket to come back home. Kurt reminded me it was Charles Croes that introduced him to the historic mansion which housed Boonoonoonoos, and Kurti reminded me that the bistroquet made the most astounding pumpkin soup, which many people still talk about! The restaurant went down with the demise of Interbank, and after that, the family went to Holland where Jacky Biermanns still lives. The gorgeous Nathalie is an actress who lives in Hollywood, married to a good-looking hunk, and she is talented with hear! I met Kurti this week hanging out with Tom Wientjes, his cousin, they are both too cute.
CHAMPAGNES ARE AN INVITATION TO CELEBRATE LIFE. It was finally announced this week that champagne Piper-Heidsieck has been chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as the “Exclusive Champagne of The Oscars®” for 2015, 2016 and 2017. This three-year partnership will begin with this year’s 87th Academy Awards ceremony on February 22nd, 2015. So you know what you must do when you watch the Oscars, right? It’s self understood, you’d better get a few bottles at Pepia Est, on Schotlandstraat, and while you’re there you’d better congratulate owner Michael v/d Berg on his recent marriage to an exotic beauty he met on his travels. Struck by cupid, hard, he then immediately decided to marry her. Well done, Michael.
GARBAGE IS WHAT GARBAGE DOES. I was driving in town just behind a parade of 12 Serlimar garbage compacting trucks, all honking, raising hell, Friday, a few minutes past 12noon. The noise was ear shattering. We sympathize with you that your salary was not transferred to your bank accounts on time, but your behavior on Friday was garbage, which also covers the blocking of Parkietenbos Landfill and the blazing fire! If you were wondering why ECOTECH trucks where all lined up on the boulevard across the governor’s mansion on Thursday, the drivers underwent training at Renaissance, no bad behavior here. P.S. I love my Serlimar people who come by the house to collect once a week, and I wouldn’t know what to do without them. I find it difficult to reconcile their Friday behavior with the nice people who drive the gray truck by my house, it’s like the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
OMAKASE IS WORTH THE VISIT. If you are in search of a quality Japanese sushi bar, head to the Manchebo Beach Resort & Casino to Omakase, right inside the French Steakhouse, where the bar was converted into a chill-out interactive center of deliciousness with chef Mayling in charge, slicing and dicing her way to sushi stardom! She is the undisputed queen of rolls and seaweed salads and she can do two things at the same time: Talk to her customers explaining the menu while her hands fly around creating gorgeous presentations such as the Caterpillar Maki with tuna and salmon, it actually looks like a caterpillar, the Dragon maki with eel and avocado, and the Manchebo Special with salmon and crab which is a meal onto itself. Her rice, is soft and moist and unlike other places where it is cooked days ahead, refrigerated and allowed to get hard and dry, her rice sets the stage for perfect rolls. I totally agree that rice is what separates great sushi places from average ones, and I also totally agree that the quality of the sashimi is what separates great sushi places from average ones, and Mayling’s sashimi is divine! Basically, we liked everything she made for us, in the spirit of Omakase, we trusted her to feed us and it was a total success, down to the fried banana with ice cream for dessert.
GOOD LUNCH PLACE IN NOORD, STRICTLY TAKE OUT. No Limit catering with Chef Ludwig Samson opened a tiny location in the wings of the Valero gas station, in Noord, last summer. Call in your order and come pick it up, nice and easy, and the chef guarantees a healthy alternative to fast food, as his philosophy promises, Eat Fit, Feel Great. The tiny place was jamming as I arrived, I met event specialist Rosetty Eleonora in line, she was sharing lunch that day with her mom. Having worked with chef Samson on events, she likes his daily special with easy on the pocket prices, and drops in regularly.
THE MARRIOTT MEDIA WALL BY ARMANDO GOEDGEDRAG. I saw him for the first time at Arikok Park, where a group of young artists created an event titled: Translucent Moon na Hofi Fontein. Even in the dark, we noticed he showed some excellent videos . Then I started hearing his name: Claretta “Aki” Nijhuis bought one of his paintings, depicting our north coast’s crashing ocean waves to complete the look of her condo. The Minister of Tourism used his sketch for the Shoco Award ceremony invitations. Island Temptations Magazine interviewed him for a feature: Where Art Meets Nature. Then the Marriott Aruba Resort & Stellaris Casino unveiled a media wall. You have to watch it in order to get the concept. This is not just a TV cluster, this is a giant screen in love with Aruba, its waves, its caves, its flowers, trees, birds and cacti. Aki says it best: Wish I could live long enough to see what his work will be like at age 50 ’cause that kid is going places! Armando shot a full hour of scenery for the Marriott resulting in a gorgeous, detailed and fascinating movie, and it plays nonstop in the lobby in the Great Room. Go have a drink and watch it. Many Thumbs up go to general manager Tom Calame and his hotel crew for the much improved casino entrance with imposing porte-cochere and the contemporary new look of Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant. Members of the press were entertained this week, at Champions, by the sales & marketing team with Carolina Voullieme and Stacy Banfield, starting with hors-d’oeuvres and then going straight through to dinner and dessert. It was a remarkable event!!
NETBANK ENHANCEMENT FOR RBC. This time the bank’s system upgrade went pretty smooth. Without warning a screen popped up and you had to answer five personal questions, then the enhancements were announced, basically adding a few layers of security to the RBC net-banking clients. I liked the fact that I now have to confirm the release of funds for a direct deposit! Pa Bien RBC, you must have been shaking in your boots, but it seems for the most part, it all went well!! [email protected]
