An exotic eatery in Santo Domingo

Formosano2000

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Sometimes you come across the most unlikely places when least expected.

Despite the crazy price inflation due to falling pesos, there is a little oasis for those with adventurous taste bud on Bol?var (well, should be Romulo Betancourt for the finicky) just past Baskin Robbins (if you are heading westward) but before reaching Nu?ez de C?cerez. It's called "Zona Fr?a" and serves low-key typical Taiwanese food/drinks so authentic I've managed to bump into just about every Taiwanese in DR while eating there in the past few months. The most amainzg part is the price: nothing on the menu is over RD$40 !

I've taken visiting friends and my American/Dominican suppliers there, all of whom marveled at how people can stay in business while charging so little for something so tasty. Beats me too. But I'm certainly not complaining :)

There are a few things worth sampling for first-timers:

1. Cold Noodles. (topped with shredded cucumber and sasame-peanut sauce)

2. Bubble Tea (Tea shakes in a variety of flavors with tapiocas optional)

3. Shaved Ice (Machine-grinded ice flakes with toppings (fruits, tapiocas, green beans and taro) of your choice)


Their menus are in Chinese/Spanish and it might be quite a struggle to decipher the items but it's well worth the effort. (When in doubt, see what your neighoring table is ordering)
I'd call this place sort of a Taiwanese "taparer?a" as food comes in medium small portions, good for those high on tasting but low on gorging. But you can certainly map out your whole meal for under RD$150.

It's a tiny hole-in-the-wall place that seats fewer than 15, so one could easily drive past without noticing. Just remember it's on the same side but 50 feet past Baskin Robbins as you head west.

I think the place is closed on Tuesdays.

Any noteworhy food finds in Santo Domingo or elsewhere in DR that you folks wanna share ?
 

Birdie

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Ooo lala!

Thanks!~~~ for posting this! I am sooo happy to know about this restaurant. My mouth is watering right now, a grumbling brewing in my stomach. I'll be sure to give it a try. Thanks for sharing with us! -Jane Allen
 

Formosano2000

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It's a real tiny place....

You'd be in for a real shock if you have a "restaurant" in mind. It's more of an informal family-run eatery with 4 tables total !

Still, it's air-conditioned, bright and clean. Since everything on the menu is so cheap, it doesn't hurt to be adventurous and try to explore. Long opening hours too, from 10am - 9:30pm I think.

Also, don't feel compelled to order food. You can order just drinks/shakes or dessert. I often do when I'm not hungry. Many people don't even bother coming in to wait in the cramped space but instead phone in for orders to take out.

Oh, one other thing. NO ITBIS, No service charge and true to Taiwanese form, I've never seen anybody leave tips !
 

bochinche

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i also live very close and hope to try their food very soon.

eating places/restaurants open and then close at such a fast rate in santo domingo, that as soon as you discover one by the time you go back it is closed again.

out of curiosity though - are you, formosano2000 (with a name like that) from taiwan? is this an idea to get free publicity?

after being here so long i have become very cynical, but good for you if it is.
 

Formosano2000

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No connection

bochinche said:
i also live very close and hope to try their food very soon.

eating places/restaurants open and then close at such a fast rate in santo domingo, that as soon as you discover one by the time you go back it is closed again.

out of curiosity though - are you, formosano2000 (with a name like that) from taiwan? is this an idea to get free publicity?

after being here so long i have become very cynical, but good for you if it is.


Yes, I'm Taiwanese, but I have no connection whatsoever with the folks who run Zona Fr?a. Am just a happy customer who is pleased to share my new find, that's all.

Doesn't anybody here have some of their own finds to share ? I mean there must be some obscure exotic/esoteric plances in DR for those who want to take a break from fritura/platanos.

I hear there are lots of Indians and Pakistanis in med schools in DR, but haven't come across any Indian restaurant.

Aslo, are there any Thai restaurants ?
 

bochinche

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i know of at least two thai restaurants.
i have no clue on the authenticity as i haven't tried either of them, but at least one of them is supposed to be good, even though a bit pricey.

i am hopeless with names of roads, but the best one is (or was, because they close so fast) on the same street with the drive-in beer stop on tiradentes. the one between roberto pastoriza and veinte-siete. it is a white building and i don't know its name.

the other is in plaza andalusia - gustavo mejia ricart with abraham lincoln. again, i don't know its name - and i don't think it is exclusively thai, but it does have thai food on the menu (i am told).

the owner of pepperoni's told me he was going to open a thai restaurant on the top floor of that new building with the circular roof-top, but maybe he was winding me up, or, as i suspect, the economy has hit him particularly hard as well.

although people say that there are many other good japanese restaurants, i believe the best one for value is the one on abraham lincoln (next to the sexy women's underwear shop). i don't like buffets much, but their sunday lunch buffet is good.

i tried a korean restaurant on churchill near charles sumner, but didn't like it much. there is another korean restaurant on veinte siete, between nu?ez de caceres and churchill - haven't tried it.

their is a good value mexican place - small and not overpriced like many mexican places (plastic tables and chairs, but the owner is mexican) - it is called "los huaraches" and is on a small street in front of multicentro (winston churchill - next to a shell garage). the street is always full of cars, because there is a plaza with a colmado that sells beers to jevitos. the mexican place is at the other end of the same building.

a pakistani canadian (canadian pakistani?) student opened up a pakistani/indian restaurant, curries and all, on a street just north of bolivar (romulo betancourt) - very near that big pharmacy and chinese restaurant. i don't think he is open any more though. i shall check.

a good place to meet friends, have some beers is provocon IV in gazcue. surely, most people know where that is. it is one of many pollo con wasakaca (spelling?) in sd, but it is a good one.

since imperiales (good hamburgers, great milk shakes) in el conde, la cotica (excellent mondongo) in front of the dominicano and chimi-mundo (demolished to make way for lincoln road) have all closed, i don't know of many more good down-to-earth eating places, except of course all the bargain chinese restaurants that are just as good as and much better value than all the expreso jades.
 

bochinche

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it's a pity this thread never generated much interest.

start a thread about interesting places to eat and it dies a quick death.

start a thread about an american all-you-can-eat pasta franchise and people post and post.

formosano - i tried zona fria, after your recommendation. it is a very curious little place, that really is worth a visit. it's not a place to fill yourself up, but it really is good for a half-hour refreshment stop.
i think the person who took my order does have a language problem - he definitely didn't bring what i ordered (normally i would have no qualms about returning it, but i really wasn't sure what i ordered in the first place and what he did bring did look interesting).
typically dominican, the person i was with didn't want to try anything. she just had no sense of adventure.
i had, what was essentially beans and ice (plus a tea drink). these things just have to be tried yourself, it wouldn't be fair to describe them here.
i really wanted to try the cold noodles, maybe next time.
i took a copy of the menu with me - i shall study it. it is a bit of a puzzle.

the curry house, just off romulo betancourt, is definitely closed. the korean restaurant in churchill is now a japanese one.

has anybody tried the vegetarian restaurant on 27? the one between churchill and nu?ez de caceres. any good?
 

Keith R

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Zona Fria

Formosano kindly introduced me to Zona Fria during my visit to SD last July (thanks again, William!), and I enjoyed it. Definitely unlike any other restaurant I have ever been to. Can't adequately describe the food, it was eclectic but tastey. We ran into Pib and Rob there, so I'm a bit surprised neither of them posted about the place. I'd recommend for those willing to try new and very different things.
Regards,
Keith
 

XanaduRanch

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Boy Is This Thread A Disappointment!

When you said, "An Exotic Eatery", well, I thought that the waitressess, well, ah. Oh hell. Never mind. I have been talking via e-mail to 'CCCCCCcccccc ' too much lately I guess.

A Taiwanese 'restaurant' sounds great! It's Thai food I can live without. I remember going to sort of a Thai 'McDonald's' fast food place once in Kuala Lumpur with some Indian friends. They had lighted, numbered, pictures of the food up on the big board and we still couldn't recognize any of it. We ended up skipping that and eating prawns from cattle troughs on banana leaves at an Indian place instead.

Life is always a surprise! Go for it!

Tom (aka XR)
 

Pib

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I've been there at least 4 times after we met, I brought my friends one by one. Those cold noodles are to die for, plus the marinated eggs... well. All yummy stuff. Some of the dishes are not exactly what I'd call my favorites, but some are very good. I am always willing to experiment and I am darn glad I tried that restaurant.

It's a matter of taste I suppose, my brother loved the food, his wife didn't like at all.

XR, the day we have real (or close) Thai food here I will be a happy woman.
 

bochinche

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Pib said:
XR, the day we have real (or close) Thai food here I will be a happy woman.

the thai restaurant i was on about before is called 'jasmine'.
it is actually on roberto pastoriza, between orlando y gassett and tiradentes (it is much closer to tiradentes).
i still haven't tried it yet.
if anyone does please let us know if it is any good.
 

dawnwil

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Pib, about Thai food...

Have you ever seen/used the 'Thai Kitchen' curry pastes?

I really enjoy Thai green curry-- tried this dish over rice noodles at a few different restaurants.

I was given a jar of that 'Thai Kitchen' green curry paste a few Christmases ago, and found it made a green curry as nice as the ones I'd had in those restaurantssame result; I've tried it on many, many people since and everyone loves it.

The Thai Kitchen red curry paste is excellent too, especially for a seafood/coconut soup with noodles. I think I read somewhere that you're vegetarian... so no seafood? The red curry would make a great noodle soup without the seafood.

There's one other exotic ingredient needed though, it's used in many Vietnamese/Thai dishes, and that's the fish sauce. Do you know if fish sauce is available in the DR? I'm assuming there's no problem finding coconut cream/milk!

Oh... fresh basil is also essential. I'm beginning a list of spices and so on now that I like to use, because I really like international cuisines... Indian, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Szechuan, Greek.

I tend to experiment with favorites I've discovered at restaurants over the years until I get similar/good results at home. I've been wondering about availability of exotic spices, etc. in the DR.

Any thoughts?

Also, if you don't know that brand of Thai spices, I'll bring a jar of the green curry paste and the fish sauce with me this fall and leave it with someone for you; I think you might be delighted with the recipe, which is right on the jar. Need a darn magnifying glass to read it though. :)

Sorry for all the questions!

Dawn
 

Pib

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dawnwil, shuddup already. You're making me hungry!

Oh god... Pad thai... sweet and spicy... peanuts. To die for. The closest Thai restaurant is in San Juan Puerto Rico if you need to know. And it's, well, ok I suppose.

I am not really a vegetarian, I eat vegetables and seafood. But I am not alone. :)

If you really must have it, I reccomend three things:

1. Check this website. I chose a few dishes I had tried and wrote to the webmistress for advice. She was really nice and wrote back with a few easy recipes and recommendations to make it the most authentic experience possible. I gotta tell you, I love the internet.

2. Head to: Demetrio Gourmet, Virgilio Garrido Puello 137, Santo Domingo Tel: (809) 563-8777. They have some Thai ingredients. The fish sauce we found in La Cadena, Carrefour also has it. Some fresh veggies can be found in the big supermarkets, others in the Asian stores in Ave. Benito Gonzalez.

3. Invite me. :)
 
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Formosano2000

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Re: Zona Fria

Keith R said:
Formosano kindly introduced me to Zona Fria during my visit to SD last July (thanks again, William!), and I enjoyed it. Definitely unlike any other restaurant I have ever been to. Can't adequately describe the food, it was eclectic but tastey. We ran into Pib and Rob there, so I'm a bit surprised neither of them posted about the place. I'd recommend for those willing to try new and very different things.
Regards,
Keith

You are welcome, Keith ! Actually I hope you didn't go home hungry that night because I ended up devouring most of the food ordered ;)

I'm probably heading to Buenos Aires/Rio de Janeiro for my year-end vacation, so please PM me if you could to give me some foodie advice. Thanks !
 

dawnwil

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Re: dawnwil, shuddup already. You're making me hungry!

Sorry! :)

I visited the links. 'the day I came out'... crack me up! thanks. The writing is cool. I am almost a vegetarian, go for months without meat and I don't miss it at all, partly because I hate the hormones/antibiotics/god-knows-what-else in beef, partly because I'd rather not eat flesh... excepting a certain Szechuan 'war tip' dumpling... needless to say, I watch the film 'Babe' every so often for a mental tune up.

Wow, the Thai cooking website is good too, and a shock... people actually make their own coconut milk? Their own curry paste? hee. I so love that little jar I buy!

Pib, it's good to know I can get the Thai fish sauce here-- one item one wouldn't wish to find broken in the suitcase. ewww.

And of course you're invited! I will make the pad Thai green curry (in a jar!) with shrimp! Will bring a jar for you to try as well... not kidding that the results are to die for.

thanks so much for the info! D
 

Formosano2000

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Lotus

bochinche said:


Has anybody tried the vegetarian restaurant on 27? the one between churchill and nu?ez de caceres. any good?

I think you are referring to "Lotus", at the southern-west corner of Ave. 27/Carmen Mendoza, a full block east of Nu?ez. I've only been there once. Frankly I don't know how to comment because I'm not a vegetarian so many subtleties of this food can escape my attention.

What you will find curious is the list of "grilled meat", "smoked duck", "steam lamb", "grilled eel" that are in fact vegetarian as they use a combination of vegetarian ingredients to approximate the look and texture of meat and seafood. Sort of like nicotine-free cigarette ;)

The price level is about RD150-250 per person. No alcohol is served.

One part of the fun is being served by waitors/waitresses dressed in traditional costumes. The restaurant is also a front for an annex store that sells anything from vegetarian ingredients/packaged food to Chinese craft and furniture.
 

Carla

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fish sauce

I found fish sauce in s.d. china town-actuallz just one street with lots of chinese stores parallel to avenida mella/above la sirena.basil ytou can get in any supermercado, not the red one, though,i buy at the little cadena just off independencia (cervantes,)they have a good selection and mostly very fresh.
i also like the vegetarian restaurant ananda-off pasteur-nice athmospehere...would love to find a good thaiplace though, too
 

jojocho

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Jazmin

Just three words about this place... NOT WORTH IT

I went with my wife about a month ago and we were really unimpressed (except for the bill, and it wasn't in a possitive way!!)

As for ingredients you can get the fish sauce and other goodies at the Supermercado Las Estrellas or Supermercado El Dragon de Oro (both and Ave. Bolivar somewhere between Churchil and Nu?ez).
 

dawnwil

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Re: fish sauce

Hey Carla,

Sorry-- I missed your message until now. Thanks for the tips... am saving all the info.

We might just need to organize a Thai night somewhere, somehow, someday. :)

jojocho-- thanks. Fish sauce is one ingredient I won't worry about.

D
 
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