4 Nations
~ Not for the indecisive ~
“I feel like Italian food tonight,” says one friend. “No, I prefer something with more kick!” “Not me, I am craving Falafel.” What do you do in a situation such as this? Head immediately to 4 Nations, a small diner style restaurant tucked into the strip of stores in the heart of Simpson Bay.
The concept is fun – like a food court at the mall – you have your choice of cuisines from the four countries whose flags adorn the restaurant’s logo: Italy, Venezuela, Lebanon and Mexico.
My friend and I had to try this eclectic eatery, so around 6:00pm on Tuesday, we ambled in and found a comfy booth. We noticed a few happy-hour clients sitting on the sidewalk outside; they looked like regulars – a good sign.
Right away, the music cheered us up! Sort of Spanish pop tunes filled up any gaps in the conversation, and there were accompanying videos on the big screen. We ordered a couple of chardonnays to peruse the menu – and what a menu!
This place is not for the indecisive! We pondered the possibilities: Shwarma? Pasta? Pizza? Tacos? As they say in Chihuahua: Ai-yi-yi! They even had burgers, hot dogs and broaster chicken, just to confuse matters further!
We decided to order two things each and share – you know, to dive into the unknown with gusto! Feeling courageous, I chose the Patacon – a Venezuelan dish with mashed fried plantains forming the base of a chicken-salad-cheese mountain. The chicken was shredded white meat, very savoury and slightly spicy. The cheese was cheddar and generously applied. The lettuce in between had wilted sadly in the microwave that melted the cheese and so could have perhaps been omitted or served on the side?
We also tried the enchiladas, a staple on every Mexican restaurant menu the world over, we had choices there as well; we had a plate of four enchiladas, two ground beef and two shredded beef. These were yummy, if the corn tortillas were somewhat tough. We also got something called a mega tequeño. This was like a giant fried mozzarella stick – and if it looked a little obscene (we thought this should be served at a bachelorette party) that didn’t stop the taste from being very pleasing.
Then I had to try the Arepas which I remembered from my trip to Colombia several years ago. They have a lot of choices in this regard, but I selected white cheese as that was what I had on the trip. This humble little offering was actually very good and on subsequent trips to 4 Nations, I will undeniably be trying more of those varieties: the chicken arepa or the beef one – gotta be good!
Well, we were stuffed to the gills after all that, and there was no room for dessert, which was fine since there wasn’t any dessert section on the menu. It being Simpson Bay, diners searching for dessert shouldn’t have a worry – a short stroll in any direction will offer lots of options for the sweet tooth crowd.
So now we know about the Mexican and Venezuelan sections of the 4 Nations menu, Italy and Lebanon will have to wait for another visit. Most likely, it won’t be a long wait.
Info:
4 Nations
Simpson Bay
Telephone: 1 (721) 522-9004.
Reservations not necessary
Open daily from 11:00am to midnight
Ratings:
Staff friendliness: ****
Service speed: ***
Restaurant cleanliness: ***
Food quality: ***
Value for money: ****
Ambience: ***
