After a day at the beach soaking in the warm sun and a little shopping in downtown Oranjestad, Darren and I headed to Chez Matlide for dinner. Chez Matilde is a five star award winning restaurant and we couldn’t agree more. From the moment we arrived we were greeted with first class service from the friendly staff. The entree area is adorned with digital pictures on the wall that change periodically. The restaurant was not very busy so we were seated immediately. Our table was in the middle of the second dining room, which is very contemporary in style. The lightly painted walls are accented with bright and colorful art that really catches your eye. Each piece of work is tastefully displayed around the dining room and they add just the perfect amount of color. The wait staff was unbelievably attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and answered all our questions.

From the moment we sat down, fresh bread and butter arrived along with ice cold water. We placed our order and were served a complimentary appetizer – a house special pate over a few greens. I was unable to eat it due to the ‘no pate’ rule for pregnant women but Darren sampled it and said it was good. We each started with soup. I had the roasted tomato red bell pepper soup which was extremely flavorful. The aroma of the soup seeped from the bowl the moment it arrived and the smell was just amazing. The taste was even better! Darren had the hot and sour soup which he enjoyed albeit a little too much cilantro. We were then served a berry sorbet intermezzo to cleanse our palette before our entrees arrived. Darren had the Moroccan lamb with indian flavored cous cous and roasted zucchini. I had the chicken breast over fettucini with wild mushrooms and asparagus in a tarragon sauce. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meal but were way too full for dessert. We did however peek a the menu and there were lots of wonderful choices.

Overall, we both give Chez Matilde a 10 for the beautiful atmosphere and service and a 9 for the food. This is by far one of the best restaurants in Aruba and we highly recommend making reservations for dinner if you are coming to the island. You won’t be disappointed.