All Nations bar and restaurant offers pretty much what a lot of other local restaurants offer - Creole lunch, fried fast food at night, a chilled Kubuli beer and a house rum punch, amongst other things. But at All Nations, something is different.

When I begrudgingly went to All Nations for the first time, it was after a day that was screaming for me to kick off my shoes, strip down to my birthday suit, and stand underneath a warm cascade of water. l was in no mood to choose from the limited menu. Craving familiarity and predictability, I ordered fried plantains. Shanita, my energizer-bunny Dominican friend whose idea it was to go to All Nations, ordered the deep-fried fish coated in a seasoned batter. She offered me a taste. I shook my head no and thanked her. She was relentless; the third time, I politely accepted. At the first bite, the look on my face prompted Shanita to say, “that is why a lot of locals come here!”

The next day, I took a 20-minute bus ride back to All Nations. To my fleeting disappoint, Raz, the Japanese anime-loving Rastafarian owner, told me that only Creole lunch is offered during the day. I decided to try the fish lunch. The tuna was overdone, due to what I guessed was the early addition of the delicate fish to the cooking process. That said, the flavors of the dish as a whole were once again superb.

At All Nations, it’s all in the seasoning!

#Dominica