Tropical Foodie Paradise Expands

The food has always been good on the island but it is continuing to get better and better as we are currently experiencing an influx of great new Ambergris Caye Restaurants. If you missed reading about the other recent restaurant opening check out Two Indian Food Reviews and Frozen Custard.

First off while I did not make it there yet, I am super excited Two Tree Banh Mi is back. I am also not surprised people are raving about her food, I have had it before many times. For those of you who do not know back in 2010 Cori, used to cook and sell her delicious Caribbean fusion of Vietnamese and Thai cuisine at Lola’s Pub (click through for the menu). After that, she moved to cooking her famous Bahn Mi sandwiches out of her house on the beach and was very popular among the dive crowd in Bocal Del Rio area.

The following pictures are courtesy of Carrie Tripodi who does a great Belize blog, Letters to my friends back home. You can also check out Letters to my friend’s facebook page. The picture on the left shows what building to look for. Two Tree Bahn Mi located on the beach in Boca Del Rio beside (north of) Sandbar. The picture on the right is the owner of Bahn Mi, Cori’s yummy cooking.

Next up comes Truck Stop. Again much raving and happiness over this unique new spot that just opened across the bridge. Ben and Joanna Popik, known for Island Films are now known for turning their creative film talents into foodie visionaries. Making a stylish outdoor food court out of remodeled shipping containers is something new and has never been done before on Ambergris Caye. The couple has executed their vision very well.

Located 1 mile north of the bridge on the paved road, Truck Stop Food Park and Beer Garden is open Wednesday – Sunday from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Head on up there tomorrow (Sunday) for the official grand opening with live music and cornhole tournament for entertainment. If you are a good shot you have a chance to win the $300 bar tab grand prize. There will be a pig roast on the new fire pit, 6 for $20 buckets of beers and s’mores at sunset. Tell your friends too.

I recently went to the soft opening with a group of friends, we were all anticipating trying something new especially since we know the people behind it. All of us gave it 2 thumbs up.

We started with drinks first as the bar is the first thing you hit when you walk into this funky fun food court.

Onto the food – Yum. The outdoor food court has 2 meal options and dessert. For main course options, Arpea and Rasa are owned by popular Ambergris Restaurateurs Jackie and Adam who own and operate well known and very popular Casa Picasso Restaurant. Dessert at Cool Cone, is run by Joanna. The ice cream served there comes from the Ice Cream Shoppe in Belize City (formerly known as Scoops.)

Arepa, Rasa and Cool Cone

First up, the Asian themed food from Rasa. Spring Rolls and the peanut soup were both a hit from this place. I could have tried everything on the menu if my stomach was bigger. Will just have to go back for a few do-overs with a friend, then we can taste things two by two. Thankfully most people I know are into food sharing even if only for tasters versus halves.

Rasa South East Asian Kitchen at the Truck Stop

Rasa menu

Mee Soup Istmeowa aka peanut soup that had people very excited

Vegetarian spring rolls

My main course was parrillas steak. I knew if anyone could do decent steak (a very hit or miss thing on Ambergris) it would be here. It was served on a corn flour cake and had skirt steak, onion, tomato, and chimichurri with a side of cassava fries. I enjoyed my meal but next time I would opt for the Arepa bowl instead. My reason is by the time I ate my fries the dainty cornbread bun it was served on did not hold up and I ended up needing to eat my sandwich with a fork. Note, that did not lessen the flavor factor.

South American inspired Arepa

Arepa menu

Parillas Steak

After dinner, we were all up for a sweet treat. I opted for a double scoop with black cherry and chocolate fudge. maple bacon was also a hit among the crowd. I tried a sample of it and while it was good, I am glad I chose the other two – they hit the right flavor combo for me that night.

Last but not least Thanksgiving day potluck at Sandbar Hostel and their one year anniversary. Congratulations Brittney and David on doing such a great job. Many people came together and cooked up some amazing potluck dishes to make a fantastic feast. The line up got long fast so I did not take any food pictures as I did not want to jam up the works. Here are a couple of crowd shots from the night.