in Porto Cupecoy
~ Pure class, generous portions ~
Mario Bistot has been at the top of the list of best restaurants on the island for decades, and now they have opened a location on the Dutch side, at the side of the lagoon at the beautiful Porto Cupecoy Marina. Well, as soon as I heard that, I called my friends and made plans for a fine night out.
It was a threesome on a Saturday night. We parked and walked up to the restaurant – one of several to choose from around the open plaza area. Live music floated in from a cafe as we approached the busy bistro. Perhaps we should have made reservations!
Not to worry, we sat in the comfy lounge and drank ice tea or wine for about 20 minutes and then were shown to a perfect table on the deck overlooking several striking sailboats. The menu is clearly a masterpiece of gourmet delights; the only problem is what to choose.
Fresh bread and butter were so delicious that we indulged more than planned and so decided to forgo the starters, although they looked amazing with five different salads and four kinds of soups, in addition to Carpaccio and sashimi offerings. The Trio of Crab looked particularly tempting with a Thai crab cake, spring rolls and bisque...ah well, another time.
I opted for the Chicken Breast a la Cubaine which was indeed delicious and a lot of food elegantly presented. The foundation of the dish was a lemony sauce, upon which was placed the grilled sliced chicken breast, spinach, fried plantain and fresh arugula. On the side came black beans and rice. It was delicious and well flavoured but not terribly spicy.
One of my companions chose the veal chop, a sumptuous display of well-prepared top quality meat. Perched on the plate with the chop were fingerling potatoes, a roasted head of garlic and a generous dusting of toasted almonds. Along with the veal, he was presented with a small cast iron ramekin, full of ratatouille.
My other companion ordered the lamb shank which was comfortingly indulgent. Her meal was brought in a hefty cast iron skillet and overflowed (not literally) with pearl onions, spring onions, carrots and dark rich sauce. In her ramekin was garlic mashed potato.
Between the Lamb Shank and the Veal Chop, we had a real doggy bag to take home to our pets, much to their delight! That was much later, though; first we had a situation involving a flat tire and to make matters much worse, part of the jack was not in the car! We asked the parking lot security guard if he had a lug wrench and he came to help us out, called another security guard and they tried to locate the needed item. Eventually, they brought a small electric pump to try to fill the tire, but it couldn’t do the job. Then I thought, “Of course! We can call Nagico Roadside Service!” We gave them a call and although it was late and a long way out, the helpful man got to us in about 30 minutes with a car full of tools and got us on our way. The roadside service is free with your Nagico insurance – what a deal!
Info:
Mario Bistrot
Porto Cupecoy
Tigris Road
Dutch side phone: 523-2760
French side phone: 0690-77-72-44
Hours: 6:00pm-midnight daily
(Closed Sundays for now, check in December)
Cuisine: French and international cuisine
Good: High gourmet food, great service and atmosphere
Price range: $$/$$$
Reservations: Recommended, especially on weekends or in high season
Credit cards: Not accepted currently, check in future
Children’s menu: Available upon request
Vegetarian/Vegan dishes: Available upon request
Staff friendliness *****
Service speed ****
Restaurant cleanliness *****
Food quality *****
Value for money ****
Ambience ****
