Location: 60 Welfare Rd, Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten
Date Tasted: 2/13/2023 (Monday) (lunch)
Price: $12.50
Beverage: Rum & Coke
This selection from the Sint Maartin (Dutch side) is going to be given a tremendous amount of grace in this review for a number of reasons.
One of the things that I love about the Netherlands, and their Caribbean islands, is that you can find carpaccio everywhere. Somewhere along the way, the Dutch got it right when it comes to a great way to start a meal.
So that you’ll be able to understand why I could even bother to put up a review for this dish let me tell you the circumstances. We were on the last stop of a 5-stop open air bus tour when we stopped at this rum distillery with a bar and restaurant attached.
I wasn’t interested in the rum so I went to the bar which has a food menu from the attached restaurant. I had only 20 minutes at this stop but I wanted to order this carpaccio nonetheless. Even though I was in the nicely-lit bar area, this offering was probably more intended for the restaurant side.
The bartender in her wisdom said she would package it to go “just in case”, hence the Styrofoam container. The service was excellent despite being so busy. As it turns out, I didn’t end up taking it to go but couldn’t finish it because we had to rush back to the bus.
The meat itself was good, which is the foundation. That’s why I think this dish has potential. The diminutive flecks of parmesan are not acceptable, nor is the (parsley?) shaker application. Very much over-dressed and no capers. At least they thought of the lemon. I believe this to be simply a “to-go” configuration and the sit-down version would be better.
I think they know what they’re doing here but trying to fit a round peg in a square hole, I just didn’t have sufficient time. That being said, the flavor was still nice for a (very) quick lunch break. If I ordered this again on a plate and it came out the same way, I would be greatly disappointed.
Overall Score: 5/10 – would get again, but would like to have it on a proper plate with the time to enjoy it more. The atmosphere is wonderful, right on the water in a spacious bar area with a stage and good service.
