It turns out our readers like grocery shopping around the world almost as much as we do! So here’s your post on the grocery stores of Bonaire. Despite the warmth of Kralendijk, we still made first-day minestrone, to set us up for success.
One of our friends who had just been in Bonaire told us that there were a number of discount grocers and one fancier one. We, of course, started with the fancier one, named Van den Tweel. Like much of what we have found so far in Bonaire, it is Dutch! It was about a twenty-minute walk from our flat, mostly along dusty, rather industrialised roads. When we arrived, we found the store packed with shoppers, mostly (we think) recently arrived tourists.
It is a great store, with a good selection of fruits, vegetables, meats, and regular groceries. Fresh fish was not so much to be seen – surprising given that we live on an island. We always like to look for what is distinctive, and here we discovered it in the cheese section. An impressive variety of Dutch cheeses greeted us. We found the familiar ones (gouda, emmentaler) but also about four or five that closely resembled these but were distinct (we were assured). Such as maasdam, which (they say) is like emmentaler. We’ll get through as many of these as we can, for research purposes.
The store also had a very impressive bakery, which included that dark bread that we love. Since nearly everything has to be imported here, the prices were pretty high – though not, we hasten to add, Norway high! Somewhat to our surprise, there was a good selection of Italian, Mexican, and Asian ingredients. And some excellent fresh pasta! Less surprising, perhaps, but still welcome, was the availability of Indonesian spices and also those from Suriname (which we’ve recently become acquainted with).
Right down the road is the more economical store, called Bondigro (for Bonaire Discount Grocers). This was a very unusual place with an air-conditioned front area that had a small selection of bread, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meats. The vast majority of the store was without air-conditioning and looked more like a warehouse than a proper store. But here everything was much cheaper. They also have a store-brand, Gwoon, which is pretty good, at least from what we’ve had so far. (We pronounce it in the way Mrs Doyle on Father Ted would encourage a cuppa.) An excellent tea section and lots of good beverages mean we’ll be back every time we have a car.
So much for the grocery stores of Bonaire. (There are also a couple of Asian markets where we’ve bought vegetables and specialty ingredients.) We have not found any markets to speak of, at least so far. We did notice that in one of the main squares there were a number of booths, and this raised our hopes. But we have since discovered that these are small shops that open when the cruise ships come in. And, not surprisingly, they are mostly souvenir shops.
What almost makes up for this – ok, it absolutely makes up for it – is that we have found an astonishingly good bakery, Artisan Bakery Bonaire. They offer a series of sourdough breads, including a country bread, a focaccia, rolls, and a naan that is one of the best breads we’ve ever eaten. Each is well-nigh perfect: crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and flavourful throughout. They also have croissants (plain and filled), hazelnut buns, and a laminated pistachio bun. We have tried them all and they are superb. The chocolate croissants have hazelnut added to them, which you might think is gilding the lily. It isn’t! And the pistachio buns are gooey heaven.
The owner hails from Iran by way of Amsterdam and is very friendly and informative. The bakery only opened last December, so is a relative newcomer but seems very popular already. By itself it would be a reason to return to Bonaire!
Aother bakery that we’ve found is called Stitches and Coffee. This is a unique place. On one side, as you go in, there is a small kitchen where the owner (a lovely woman from Venezuela) makes coffees and pastries. On the other side is a seamstress’ shop where the same lovely woman makes and alters all sorts of clothes. We have not yet needed the sewing services, but we have had the coffee and pastries. The latter are both sweet and savoury, and they are all excellent, especially the arepas!
The reason we went in the first place is that one of us saw a picture of the cinnamon rolls she makes. And they turn out to be extraordinary! She will add chocolate or cream-cheese frosting (or both) if you like, but they are perfect even without them. One unusual thing: she doesn’t make the cinnamon rolls until about 11 a.m. The reason, she says, is that Bonaireans do not eat them for breakfast, but will have them in the late morning or for lunch.
So it looks once again as if in Bonaire, as in other places, we will not starve. Perhaps the one saving grace for the two bakeries is that they are both a good distance from our flat. So possibly we won’t go too often. Or, more likely, when we do walk there, we can tell ourselves that we are having a good workout, after which we can enjoy some sweets!
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I am enjoying every post. You two are such great travelers!
Thanks Betty! It’s great to have you following along with us!