ORANJESTAD—Many local dining aficionados and the thousands of tourists that make their vacation to Aruba an annual trip will recall that once upon a time, Aruba’s premier fine dining restaurant, specializing in classic French cuisine and garnering the island’s first four-diamond rating from Triple AAA, was Chez Mathilde. Located in a renovated historic downtown manor, it was the in-demand dining experience that often required reservations weeks in advance.
As culinary trends in the new Millennium shifted towards the chic and trendy, and diners began seeking contemporary cuisine in generous quantities and lesser prices, old school French cuisine became passé in today’s world of gastronomy. Chez Mathilde management recognized a need to refresh their concept with a contemporary edge, while still maintaining European elegance and quality.
Chez Mathilde closed shop for nearly a year, and the manor was essentially gutted. Kept in tact were the black and white tiles in the back pavilion, with a mini lime mosaic-river with sunken lights added for flair. Triangular glass awnings were hung overhead, with a walk-in wine vault running the length of the room. In the front portion of the19th century architectural beauty, cushy, modern sofas and chairs replaced stiff, formal seating.
The team of culinary professionals poured years of food and beverage experience into the mix to bring the former Chez Mathilde back to the top of the dining scene under the name “Matilde,” and now diners will be delighted to find a menu that tips its hat to both classic French cooking and contemporary food styling.
The new menu does not disappoint. One could make a meal out of piggybacking several appetizers—there are many hot and cold selections to choose from. Pan-Asian is hot right now, and the black peppered crusted flash-seared tuna loin paired with a tuna tartar, Japanese seaweed salad, sesame cracker and Tobiko wasabi caviar with wasabi soy certainly fits the bill, as does the scallops and grouper tempura with an asian shitake mushroom salad. Traditional with a twist can be found in the duck liver and mango tarte tatin with Munster cheese and raspberry champagne sauce.
Soups include the signature Bouillabaisse de Marseille—Matilde’s traditional rich seafood soup served with garlic croutons and the traditional French rouille, and a fascinating crab cappuccino with fresh crab and herbs.
Fresh seafood is heavily mingled throughout the menu, and whilst in the Caribbean, a dinner of fresh grouper must be had, and Matilde’s Brie-crusted version with Caribbean fruit salsa and citrus vinaigrette imparts that island sense of taste and place.
Of course, meat lovers will not be disappointed in another Matilde signature dish—the Chateaubriand Béarnaise, heartily served with a double baked potato, green beans, roasted tomato, and béarnaise red wine sauces, or the generous U.S. beef rib eye served with a roasted garlic butter and steak fries that is spectacularly simple and satisfying. Other carnivorous choices include Moroccan lamb with cous cous and mint, and a suckling pig marinated in Provencal herbs and lentils.
Matilde’s menu is rounded out by several poultry and vegetarian entrée choices as well.
The menu is competitively priced, and portions generous. Several prix fixe menu specials and multi-course dinners are also offered.
Dessert…ahhh, well that is a whole other story in and of itself, but here’s a hint: chocolate adventure!
