Aruba Wine & Dine, a local restaurant group experienced humble beginnings in the late 80s when it was first hatched by a number of Dutch-born entrepreneurs, and today their brands are everywhere — they have the island covered.
One of their first businesses was Café the Plaza, at the Renaissance Marketplace, a Dutch community stronghold. Over time, a cluster of eateries was developed in the heart of Palm Beach, Fishes & More, Mambo Jambo, Salt & Pepper, Tango Argentine Grill, Willem’s Dutch Pancakes, and Sopranos Piano Bar. Beach bars? Surfside Beach Bar is found just below the airport right on the beach, and MooMba Beach, Nos Clubhuis and Hadicurari restaurant, are strategically nestle between the Holiday Inn Resort and the Marriott Surf Club, targeting all customer demographics under the sun.
Then there is Que Pasa Restaurant & Wine Bar, in Oranjestad, on Wilhelminastraat, and Kokoa Restaurant & Bar at the Aruba Beach Club, soon to be joined by a sister eatery at Casa Del Mar. Two of the island’s most favorite activities Jolly Pirates Snorkeling & Sailing Cruises, and the Kukoo Kunuku Bus Tours, were added last year to the unbelievable register of gold minds.
I almost forgot Indulge Catering & Events.
This week we were invited to the opening of Le Petit Chef, an immersive dining experience, unfolding nightly at Willem’s Dutch Pancakes.
Which is a good idea, you must admit, as soon as the breakfast and lunch pancake crowd retires to digest on the beach, the curtain goes up on a different food concept that lengthens the kitchen’s hours of operation, making a more efficient use of the rented space.
So, what is the Aruba Wine & Dine secret to success, I bet many would like to know. They have a talent of finding great locations, and they work hard.
I think they have a galaxy modus operandi, some strategic leadership, and a network of locations, which work together but also allow the individual leaders in charge, to run their show to their understanding, like stars within a galaxy, inter-dependent but independent.
OK enough commentary.
The company has apparently plenty of resources and buckets of courage. The Willem’s Dutch Pancakes place was once part of Tango Argentine Grill and when we stopped eating so much meat it turned into a Burget King. Following a lukewarm reception, it opened as Dragon Fly, an Asian Fusion place. The company keeps reinventing that wedge of a space between other well established cousins, waiting for something to stick.
In walks a diminutive chef, from Belgium, a 3D mapping technology cutie, who huffs and puffs and grunts in a virtual garden, and a virtual ocean determined to prepare dinner for his guests.
In the process he gets into a fight with an octopus, a lobster, he lights a steak on fire, kills a fly, chases a clever gopher, who lives in underground tunnels, destroying his garden, and takes a chain saw to a broccoli stem. The projected animation is very adorable, and I saw online Le Petit Chef has many versions of himself cooking, telling whimsical, often disastrous kitchen stories.
Our version of Le Petit Chef took off with a Kir Royale at 7pm, a flute of bubbly flavored with crème de Cassis. Then we followed the projected action on our plates as Le Petit Chef struggled to make our Seafood Bisque. When the soup was served, made by a real, live chef in the kitchen, it was deliciously and sinfully creamy.
The Burrata salad with thin slices of radishes and mini tomatoes, was drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Le Petit Chef used a wheelbarrow to roll the cheese onto our plates.
A buttered Lobster tail followed, cooked just right.
The filet mignon with baby carrot and potatoes, in a red wine reduction, was beautifully seasoned and prepared. Our waiter came around with a yard long pepper mill for a dash of freshly ground pepper.
The lava cake for dessert, molten on the inside, warm on the outside, married to Vanilla ice cream was yummy.
The food was surprisingly good, and I surprisingly paid attention to Le Petit Chef, it brought some of my inner child back to life. I hear a restaurant in Japan serving sushi has virtual fish floating on the walls during dinner. Dinner engaged to technology, why not.
If you have kids with you on the trip to Aruba, you will get a kick out of their joyful reactions to the shenanigans going on tabletop.
“Le Petit Chef” can be experienced Monday to Sunday at 7:00 PM. Join the world’s smallest chef for this extraordinary dining experience. For reservations, bookings, prices, and detailed menus, visit https://lepetitchef.com/Aruba.
Le Petit Chef has arrived at Arawak Garden in the heart of Palm Beach. The animated dining experience begins with a welcome reception at Mambo Jambo, followed by an escort across to Willem’s Dutch Pancakes. In the evening, Willem’s transforms into Le Petit Chef restaurant, offering an unforgettable gastronomic adventure. Location address: J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 370, Arawak Garden, Palm Beach Located right in front of Barcelo Resort.
