Aquarela Restaurant – 1363 Wilson Ave, North York, ON M3M 1H7
Country: Dominican Republic  
Must-try dish: Chivo a la Monte Cristi
Seating: There’s an epic covered patio and indoor dining that turns into a dance club at night. 
The high: Great atmosphere, food and service. It made a trip to the restaurants of Santo Domingo a priority after the pandemic. 
The low: Beer and Mamajuana (the Dominican Republic’s native alcohol) are almost impossible to import into Canada, so we sadly settled for Coronas. 

Do you have the travel bug but haven’t been able to get away because of the pandemic restrictions? Your problems are solved. 

There’s a restaurant from the Dominican Republic in North York that makes you feel exactly like you’re somewhere in the Caribbean. Between the rocking Latin music, the friendly staff/owner and the smell of grilled meats wafting through the air, there really is no better place to be. 

We arrived on the first day of the patios opening across Ontario – the sun was warm and it felt like pre-pandemic times again on aquarela’s covered patio. It wouldn’t have been surprising if a dance party had erupted because of peoples’ pure joy to be out again. Mandrea Bike was immediately at home, and it felt real good. 

So let’s get to the food. The owner Sammy created a plate of the Dominican Republic’s favourites which included meat, rice and beans. Each item was seasoned to perfection without anything being overdone. The next step was getting barbecued goat with plantains and salad, which was just as tasty, if not more than the first course.

So here’s what to order for two people: 

• La Bandera Habichuela: This is slow cooked beef without bones that comes with soupy beans and white rice. Mixing the rice into the beans is the only way to go! 
• Pollo Guisado with Moro Rice: This chicken dish is extremely popular in the Dominican Republic. It’s slow cooked pieces of chicken breast with spices and onions that create a sauce to coat the meat. This dish is accompanied by Moro Rice, which takes on a dark purple colour because it’s essentially rice cooked with black beans. 
• Sancocho Soup: No matter how hot it is outside, this is definitely worth getting. The soup is a clear broth with spices and root vegetables, and if you’re lucky, you get large pieces of tender meat. 
• Chivo a la Monte Cristi: Goat. The smaller pieces of meat are fall-off-the-bone tender and it’s served with a fresh salad and fried plantains. The dish is light yet filling. The meat is done on a charcoal grill that becomes an important flavour in accompanying the side dishes. 

The dishes that we were served are staples in the country, and they’re absolutely worth a visit to Aquarela. The menu offers many seafood options, which will require a second trip. Not surprisingly, the place is packed every weekend. Sammy is also going to start grilling pigs and goats on a spit over the summer on the patio, and Mandrea Bike won’t miss those! 

Note: As we wanted to try as many dishes as possible the first few dishes were ordered off menu, and therefore were not served with Salad and plantains as was with the goat.

Comer contigo pronto!

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)