Full disclosure here, I know the owner of this shop, but my thoughts and opinions are not swayed but that fact.
Wall decoration on the inside
After moving to south Jersey, I do not have the chance to swing by the Garden State Plaza mall very often, and boy have things changed! There are so many more shops and the food court got a complete make-over too. Real Fruit Bubble Tea in a fairly new addition right outside of the official food court, across from the McDonalds.
When I got to the store, there was a small line, but it seems to be moving fairly quickly. I like slushy bubble teas, and the hubby likes liquid-y bubble teas. This place has both and the large cup — HUGE!
(Scroll down to see a regular compared to a large)
Since it was the first time, the hubby ordered his favorite – Taro, in milk tea form. I ordered their house special Mango Diamond Slush, to see what the fuss was all about.
While waiting, we received a Watermelon Slush due to an order mix up in nothing other than a LARGE. So we ended up with 3 drinks, but boy where they good. As the name suggests, this bubble tea establishment boasts using real fruit. Many bubble tea places use water/tea and powder. The mango diamond slush indeed had many pieces of mango cut right in front of you (or rather right by the window) that fit perfectly in the straw. The taro, to my surprise, used real taro as well! The watermelon slush was so good I felt like I was drinking a whole watermelon!
Watermelon, Mango Diamond Slush with boba, Taro Milk Tea with Boba
Maxine celebrating her birthday at her day program, Winding Way
For Maxine’s birthday in May, we ordered 24 bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cake in Newtown, PA. I have had their bundtlets (size of a large cupcake) in the past and really enjoyed them. However, a bundtini is sized much better for a small birthday treat. I figured it would be easier to share and get different flavors. Maxine doesn’t like sweet very much, other than chocolate, so of course, I made sure there were plenty of chocolate options for the birthday girl.
The order had 4 of each flavor: Chocolate chocolate chip, strawberries and cream (seasonal), white chocolate raspberry, confetti, lemon, red velvet.
The cakes at nothing bundt cake are so good! I have only had them from the Newtown, PA location, but I have heard that it is very consistent across their multiple locations. They are always moist and flavorful, and decorated with a generous amount of cream cheese icing. No matter what size, you really can’t go wrong. Now, is it the most cost effective option? Nope. Is it worth it? YUP!
To make it extra special, I used my handy dandy Silhouette Cameo to cut small “Happy Birthday Maxine” signs that our mom attached to toothpicks for customized toppers. Needless to say, the bundtinis were a hit!
Maxine ate a chocolate chocolate chip bundtini, and a confetti one (*gasp* It wasn’t chocolate!). Even consumers who usually do not participate in the birthday snacks quickly ate up their portion.
Miyabi was highly recommended by my friend Shelby who grew up in the area. (You should check out her blog, she published a book: shelbylee.home.blog ). The hubby and I went and made it in time for the lunch special, and thank goodness because I was HUNGRY. Thank God, my hubby loves me because he doesn’t like raw fish, but I could eat it everyday forever.
We ordered the Cooked Sushi so he could have a few pieces of that. It came with 2 eel, 1 shrimp, 1 crabmeat, and 1 shrimp tempura roll. The roll was huge! He also ordered the Chicken Teriyaki. Both dishes were good, I tried a little bit of each of course. The portion of the chicken was decent for a lunch special.
partially eaten chicken teriyaki
I ordered the Chirashi and a Spicy Salmon Roll. The Chirashi is a bed of seasoned rice with sashimi pieces on top. The rice is seasoned like their sushi rice, so it probably had some vinegar and sugar. There was tuna, salmon, tamago (egg), eel, crabstick, yellowtail, shrimp, salmon, and seaweed salad.
The spicy salmon roll had spicy salmon inside and on top, with some wasabi roe for added color. Overall, the rolls and sushi was great and was not too heavy on the rice.
Everything tasted fresh and the servers were very polite as well. If I’m around the area with a sushi craving, I will definitely be going back.
We planned to spend the whole day on the beach, so we headed down to Solanio for breakfast.
The beaches on Aruba are amazing. The sand is so pretty and it never gets too hot to walk on due to the massive amount of coral (thank you UTV tour guide for that information). The side of the island where all the hotels are have waist-deep water for what seems like forever and the surf is extremely calm. I’m talking basically no waves at all.
There are a few options at Solanio, but being on our honeymoon we splurged on the breakfast buffet. There were so many baked goods, daily changing fruits, cook-to-order stations, and a few made-to-order items that were included in the buffet.
One of those items included, but that needs to be ordered was the avocado toast. It was a single piece of toast, mashed up avocado, and a poached egg, all topped with some sprouts. It definitely needed some salt, and I added some hot sauce. Although it was a little pricey, the every changing options, and the convenience prompted us to eat there multiple times for breakfast. (Hey, it was our honeymoon!)
We opted for a quick snack on the beach via the pool and beach bar area. They took our order and delivered the food and drink right to our chairs. We shared some fish tacos and wings. The tacos were a little hard to eat, but over all a good balance of flavors.
After lounging at the beach, we went towards the busier side of the high-rise area via taxi in search of some asian food. We found a place called Dragonfly that boasted sushi. I was curious to see if they had sushi made with local catches or if the typical sushi would be served. When we arrived, it turned out we had come in time for the Daily Early Bird special; a 3-course pre-fixe menu.
The interior was cute, and since we had spent all day outside, we opted for inside seating. I honestly do not remember much other than the appetizers (pictured). The shrimp chips came with a sweet dipping sauce and was complimentary.
We both ordered the Grouper ‘Butterfly’ appetizer. The hubby ordered the Mongolian Beef, and I…well I can’t remember what I had and it appears we didn’t take any pictures (oopsie!). The experience was okay, and if we were craving asian food, we would go back, but we really enjoyed eating at the establishments who boasted the local flavors.
Day Five: Hadicurari, Madame Janette’s
We grabbed a quick bite to eat from the Cafe in the hotel, and were off for the UTV (utility task vehicle) sightseeing tour with Around Aruba Tours. The tour started at an animal sanctuary, and went to many places on the other side of the island. The tour guides were a little more mellow than usual, but they shared with us that a fellow guide had passed away the day before. The driving (not me), stops and exploration time, and overall experience was really fun – albeit very messy. Sunglasses/dust goggles are a must, and they provide you with the face cover so you can breathe (and advertise, lol).
By the time we made it back, we were starving, but desperately needed to shower. We couldn’t wait for our dinner reservation, so we decided to take a walk down the beach to see if there was something to eat. We headed in the direction of Nos Clubhuis, but on the ground floor found Hadicurari’s menu to sound good. We must have been tired and hungry, because only a few pictures were taken of the food there.
The view was very nice, the seating was shaded, but all open air. The calamari was good, but we couldn’t help but compare it to the previous one we had at Yemanja. Their piña colada has some blue syrup in it. We also ate something with french fries and I remember being full.
When it was time for dinner, we took a taxi to Madame Janette’s and boy were we sorry for eating so late. This is a place we definitely want to go back and try again. I was so full that I had a really hard time eating anything, but what the menu and the food looked delicious.
I ordered the Pork Tenderloin Schnitzel – Vienna Style. It was HUGE. Not only was I not very hungry, but the portion came out much bigger than I had anticipated. The schnitzel is a pounded breaded and fried pork tenderloin served with a traditional lemon and french butter sauce. Even stuffed, I had to eat some of it. SO. GOOD. The hubby ordered a Seafood Medley, it was one of his most favorite meals so far! There was shrimp, lobster, muscles, calamari, and vegetables, topped with fried onions in a light but very flavorful sauce. We took most of the schnitzel and some of the seafood dish back to the hotel.
Day Six – Solanio, Papiamento
We had breakfast at Solanio again. This time they have an Aruban passion fruit. SO. GOOD. It was sweet, tangy, and all around tropical. The outside felt like styrofoam, and the inside was very strange. After opening it, I had to ask the staff how to eat it. They informed me that I should just use a spoon and the seeds were edible as well!
Don’t eat the outside!
We had heard from people who had vacationed in Aruba for their honeymoon (20-30 years ago) that there was a nice restaurant situated around a pool called Papiamento. I thought it would be cute since that is the name of the local language. It was more difficult to find that I had anticipated, but eventually we were able to make reservations. The tables are indeed all around a pool, but there is also indoor seating. Since the weather is so great, we took a seat pool-side. I ordered a Red Sangria, that was very yummy with lots of diced fruit pieces.
The hubby and I shared an appetizer called Keeshi Yena. This is a Dutch dish with minced beef and chicken, prunes, golden raisins, olives, and cashews with a dutch cheese top. It was like a shepherd’s pie without any starch, and the cheese on top was melted like a french onion soup.
For our mains I got the Stone Specials: Mermaid. Which included wahoo and shrimp on a sizzling stone plate to finish the cooking with a papaya pepper sauce. The husband ordered the Mero Special Roti: Fish oven baked in butter with shrimp and scallops. We were underwhelmed.
The best part of the meal was the sangria, and everything else was sub-par, not really seasoned, not very flavorful. Nothing was outstanding, but nothing was horrible. What turned me off (and why we won’t be going again) was the restroom. Before leaving I stopped by the ladies room. There were ants EVERYWHERE. Now please bear in mind, I am very afraid of bugs and this may not have bothered some people, but it was a big no for me.
Day Seven – The Old Cunucu House
We ate so much on this trip. We took it easy on our last dinner, and took a taxi to go out for an early dinner at The Old Cunucu House. This is one of my favorite meals. It was not fancy, but the food was great!
They served us an Aruban bread that reminded me of American pancakes, with butter.
please excuse the bread in his mouth
We ordered the escargot with herb garlic butter which game with a side of cheese, garlic bread, lime. We tried the escargot with and without the lime. Both were delicious. The lime changes the flavors much more than I imagined.
After talking with the waiter, we ordered the Cabrito Stoba Aruban Style and the Beef pincho. The cabrito stoba was made of local goat and stewed in the traditional Aruban style. It came with veggies, rice. It was so tender and full of flavor. Not too gamey, but if you don’t like lamb or goat, this dish isn’t for you. The beef pinchos had beef and veggies on a skewer, with a side of mashed potato and an Aruban tomato-based sauce.
Day Eight – Dushi Bagels & Burgers
Our last meal in Aruba was breakfast at Dushi Bagels and Burgers. It’s a pretty small, but fairly new looking little place. I ordered the Fitness Combo. It comes with an egg white omelet: with spinach, mushrooms, a side of plain yogurt, fruit, a cup of orange juice. The hubby ordered the Islander Combo which included eggs, sausage, bacon, hash brown, toast, and coffee.
After some souvenir shopping, we took one last stroll on the beach and headed to the airport to head back to the USA.
Aruba – one happy island – lives up to its name. One week on the sunny, breezy, warm island was a perfect getaway after the craziness that is known as wedding planning. Due to the hubby’s awesome planning and credit card points hoarding, we were able to stay in two hotels on different parts of the island. This also freed up a lot of our money to spend on food!
Welcome to Aruba! A part of the Netherlands with their own language (Papiamento). The first part of our stay was spent in Oranjastad and the latter in the high-rise hotel area.
Day One: Dinner at Yemanja Woodfire Grill
After walking around near the hotel, it was time for dinner. We ended up at Yemanja Woodfire Grill. WOW! Maybe it was because it was the first meal in Aruba, but this was one of our favorites!
For our appetizers we jumped right into the local specialty. Seafood seafood seafood!
We ordered the ceviche (left) with a coconut shrimp on the side and calamari in 3 different styles (right). The scallops were so fresh, lightly spicy and totally refreshing. The calamari was amazing, you barely needed teeth to eat the calamari!
We opted to share a main to save room for dessert. The Grilled Seafood Medley sounded right up the alley. Local catches of Mahi Mahi, Parrot Fish, calamari (yes, more), shrimp, scallops, and mussels came served on rice and vegetable with a coconut curry sauce.
We ended the meal with berries and sabayon. The berries were tart, the filo dough were cooked in strips, the sabayon was sweet, overall the balance was perfect. We even got to experience an interesting fruit that resembled a small cherry tomato, but orange in color. They referred to the fruit as physalis, and after some research I found that it is also called golden berry, cape gooseberry, and golden strawberry.
Day Two: Dutch Pancake House, Papagayo Bar & Grill, Driftwood
We met a local on the way to breakfast.
The Dutch Pancake House is exactly what you think it is. So, what is a dutch pancake? From what I could gather, a dutch pancake it somewhere between an American pancake and a French crepe, but HUGE.
I opted for the Provencale savory pancake. It came topped with brie, caramelized walnuts, chives, and honey, with ham embedded into the pancake. The hubby ordered the Seaport breakfast with your usual suspects of eggs, hasbrowns, bacon, jam and toast, along with another Dutch pancake called poffertjes. These were much smaller than my pancake, and more closely resembled the American-style pancakes. We were there pretty early and only just managed to beat the crowd!
The hotel we stayed at offers passage to a private island. Free for guests, but day passes are also sold at limited quantities. The island is often referred to as flamingo island. There are about 6 flamingos that live on the island and don’t seem to mind the attention of children and adults alike. While on the island, we decided to try the food there. Honestly, we weren’t expecting anything with a huge local flair since we knew the island was owned by the hotel, but it was time for lunch! So off we went to Papagayo Bar & Grill.
We ordered a strawberry daiquiri to cool off and decided to try a Blue Ocean as well. The Blue Ocean was very pretty and tasted good too. It had spiced rum, coconut rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice, lime juice, and of course lots of ice.
Per the husband’s obsession, we had to try their jerk chicken wings (Ye Man Wings). A little kick, and all around great wings! They were juicy and crispy, but not too messy.
I noticed the couple side us had an amazing looking plate and after some menu browsing I deduced it was the Tuna Tataki Salad. The presentation was beautiful and the tuna was amazing. It comes with quinoa and cooked green beans and veggies, the combination was a little strange at first due to the competing textures, but the flavors tied everything together. I ended up eating all the tuna and then tackling the salad portion (mostly the green beans).
We also ordered the Hooked on Sandwich. The fried grouper was hot and juicy and it came with salsa with fries (score!).
Driftwood Menu
After a nice meal and enjoying the calm waters, we headed back to explore downtown and have dinner at Driftwood. We decided to walk since it wasn’t very far from the hotel, and although we did not get lost, it felt like we did. Driftwood is tucked away on one of the side streets with a unassuming front. Stepping inside it is a different experience. You feel like you are outside (due to the decor) but with the benefits of air conditioning. The most iconic parts are the walls, covered in driftwood and signatures from diners from all over the world.
We started with a crab cake and the fish soup. The owner was/is a fisherman, and the restaurant is known for servicing fresh caught and local fish, so they don’t always have all the choices.
The crab cake was pretty big and had an unexpected Asian twist. It was served with a sauce that was very similar to duck sauce from a Chinese take-out establishment, and Japanese-styled seaweed. The soup was full of all kinds of fish and some veggies, but ultimately reminded us of chicken soup.
We ordered the Seafood Pasta Thermidor. Linguine was served with fish, shrimp, scallops, baby clams, and lobster all together in a creamy sauce. This dish packed a punch of flavor, and there was a large seafood array. It was a different texture in every bite. There were definitely a few different kinds of fish in the dish, one was 100% Wahoo.
The catch of the day (our 2nd dish) was Wahoo that was caught by the owner. There were a few ways to have the fish prepared, so we choose the pan-fried “Aruban style” with rice, creole sauce, and some veggies. It also game with 2 pieces of bread. The bread was light, fluffy, and a tad sweet – very similar to a pancake.
The sauce was lightly flavored, but it’s at this point we started to get a little tired of Wahoo. It seems like that’s what was swimming around the island while we were visiting, and it was a little on the dry side as far as fish went.
Day Three: One Happy Bowl (last meal downtown), Nos Clubhouis, MooMba Beach
Our last meal downtown before heading to the “high rise” area of the island was breakfast. We had walked past this cute little place called One Happy Bowl during our previous exploration. After debating on if we wanted to go back to the Dutch Pancake House, we decided to try something new.
To my surprise and the hubby’s dismay, the shop caters to those on a plant-based and gluten free diet. No eggs or bacon in sight. We ordered the oat banana pancakes & fresh fruit which came with a side of light syrup. We encounter the physalis again, this time unhindered by any other flavors. It definitely was tart but I wouldn’t say it was sour. The tofu scramble had a hint of curry and was served with avocado, sprouts, and tomato salsa with a side of pan bati (corn pancake). They generously offered some hot sauce which was VERY hot and a perfect addition.
We made our way to our second (and more fancy) hotel accommodations in the high-rise area and by lunch we were starving. Per recommendation from the hotel concierge we walked along the beach to Nos Clubhuis, an open second-story eating area with a full bar and lots of beach goers.
We order the fish and chips, deep fried mussels, and a grouper sandwich. The fish was huge (see picture below) and the food was all around good eats. The atmosphere and serving style was very bar-esque.
Dinner was on the fancier side with seating on the beach at MooMba. This place was hard to find! The beach in Aruba are all public even though they are behind various hotels, so walking in the sand is recommended. However, if that’s not for you, you will require a car (taxi or rental is up to you). Along the beach there are so many places to eat and MooMba was right next to a very lively bar/tiki area. Once we found the place we were seated with a stunning view.
We branched out a little from the seafood and ordered the Beef Pincho: tenderloin, onion, bell pepper, and mushroom on a huge skewer with a side fries (yay!), salad, and 3 dipping sauces.
The Surf & Turf with the catch of the day (wahoo, again), shrimp, and a grilled tenderloin served with potato and veggies.
(look at those trees in the background, the breeze is no joke)
Dinner with a view
If we went back again, we would skip the catch of the day. I’m not sure if it was because it was Wahoo and we were getting wahoo-ed out, but the whole dish lacked the flavor and pizzazz that most of our other meals contained. The Pincho however, was tender and flavorful, even if it was a little cumbersome to tackle.
The first few days of Aruba we got to experience many local flavors. The eateries in Oranjestad (downtown) are right near the cruise port, so some of the places can be visited if your cruise ship makes a stop in Aruba. There were so many other places that we wanted to try, but you can only eat so many meals in a day!
Stay tuned for Honeymoon Days 4-8 where we traveled near and far for our meals! We tried our best to have try all different places in various locations both near and further from the hotel areas to see if we could find some true local flavors, some comfort food, and of course see how the food at the hotel was as well.
Home Sweet Home 