Portrait by Paul van Driel. Bottom photo courtesy of Amuse Bistro

A Muse-Inspired Bistroby Susan Campbell

Creative cuisine to arouse your taste buds.

Patrick van der Donk and his wife Ivette

haven’t looked back in the three years since they

founded Amuse Bistro on the strip beside Playa

Linda Resort. The booming bistro’s name was

inspired by the French tradition of serving diners

an amuse-bouche: little bites of gourmet fare to

showcase the chef ’s culinary talents. While the

offering of small plates alongside full-sized en-

trées was a unique concept on Aruba, the restau-

rant’s real claim to fame is now Chef Patrick’s

creative cuisine. Amuse Bistro’s special three and

five-course specials with wine pairings have also

become a huge draw.

“I was born and raised in ’s-Hertogenbosch

(Duke’s Forest) in Holland, where my father

grew all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables,”

says Patrick. “Cooking was often dependent on

what grew best and when, which made balancing

of different tastes and textures a daily necessity.

That’s when I became interested in experiment-

ing with food.”

Patrick went on to study culinary arts in

Eindhoven and Utrecht, and cooked under many

famous chefs in the Netherlands. “I then moved

to Australia where I also worked as a chef in

Melbourne but once I fell in love with Aruba,

I never looked back.”

On Aruba, Patrick created great dishes for

some of the island’s foremost dining spots and

later met his wife Ivette, an award-winning mix-

ologist. After dating for 11 years, (now married

for four) they decided to combine talents and

open their own establishment. It’s turned out

to be a marriage made in restaurant-owning

heaven.

“Ivette handles the door, the bar, the dé-

cor, the guests, the staff – basically everything

else but the food,” says Patrick. “That allows

me free reign in the kitchen to create, and I so

appreciate that.”

And create he does. Inspired dishes like rock

lobster served in a baked potato with whole-

grain mustard, lemon, and parmesan cheese will

definitely “amuse” your palate. So will Patrick’s

signature herb-crusted lamb chops, while the

chocolate brownie served with homemade, red-

wine ice cream is to die for. In fact all dishes

served at Amuse are made from scratch and are

seriously delightful. But don’t take my word for

it, try them yourself. K

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