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Gabby from Suga Lifestyle checks out Food and Drinks from The Terrace at 100!

Last Saturday, Suga went to check out the early vibe at 100 to see if service and more would be better than a Friday night. Although I wanted to go for lunch time, I made it for dinner. I arrived at about 6:50pm.

My other half and I were pleasantly greeted by a waitress who we are familiar with from other bars, who seems to be doing more supervising now. We were seated in a comfortable area with some plush, colourful cushions. I loved the modern decor and lighting. Colours were mainly grey and white with splashes of colour and the staff looked neat in their uniforms. Music was not loud either. We were even asked if the volume was suitable for us.

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Then suddenly, I was in First class on a plane. We were offered damp rags to wipe off our hands. They weren’t warm though, but definitely a nice touch. When we reached America, we were asked if we wanted lemon in our water. Keep it up 100, keep it up. It got even better, we got Complimentary Chips and salsa while we decided on what to order.

Our waitress was Cardia, who had a very sweet, humble personality. She was not sure of the costs and availability of everything off of her head but being new with such a large menu, she did well considering. She was also quick with following up on requests.

We didn’t order any Appetizers but they had Wings, Tuna stacks, Meatballs, Pita chips and dip and Quesadillas in the $750 to $1200JMD+tx range. Soups were also available for $400JMD+tx.

For a more Sports bar vibe, they had a variety of Flatbreads, Pizzas, Sandwiches and Burgers available mostly for $1200JMD, that went up to $2000JMD+tx.

For a proper dinner, there were Pastas ($1600-$2600JMD+tx), Chicken, Lamb, Beef, Salmon, Shrimp and Pork in the range of $1700 to $3200JMD+tx.

The Drinks menu had a wide range of choices as well. But the prices! $800+tx for a Blended drink and $1339+tx cue of V/X.

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Service time and Quality of food? Quick service within 15 minutes. Supervision of staff was obvious. I ordered the Beef & Reef ($3200JMD+tx), a 6oz filet mignon and a skewer of grilled shrimp, served with a chimichurri sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. My other half ordered the Beef au Poivre, an 8 oz filet mignon with a peppercorn sauce served with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted veggies ($2400JMD+tx). Neither of us felt like switching it up to test other items on their menu, so Beef all the way to check their consistency. There is lots of time to return. We both requested our Beef to be cooked medium rare. Mine was on point but my other half’s was slightly overcooked, obvious by the difference in colour and texture when cut. His White rum and tonic was a standard shot so tasted a bit weak. Good for him to know for the future. My Hummingbird was tasty with a twist. Wait, what’s a Hummingbird? Suga was introduced to the Hummingbird back in the day when TGIF was poppin with popular bartender, St. Aublyn the Kidd. When you don’t feel for the cliché Piña Colada or Strawberry Daiquiri, especially at all-inclusive resorts on the North Coast, it’s perfect. A Blended mix of mainly banana, vanilla ice cream, vodka and kahlúa or tia maria. Each bartender has their special touch. 100’s twist was a first, they added chocolate. Not bad at all. It was not overwhelming because I could still taste the banana.

The skewer of shrimp was not that impressive, it needed some flavour. Also, where was my Chimichurri sauce as described in the menu? It was MIA. Stush in the Bush needs to hook them up. That would have given my dish an excellent finishing touch. So, overall, similar to Rojó at Spanish Court’s serving size and price, aka ‘likkle bit’ and the meal assumes you had an appetizer, but lovely plating and presentation. The quality was good not great.

For a restaurant that is not within a hotel, is not fine dining and is more of a bar with a casino feet away, does it really need to be so fancy and expensive? Probably not. Especially if people would be consuming a lot of liquor and need some affordable, wholesome ‘grub’. For instance, Monte Carlo’s tasty burgers for $900JMD does a great job satisfying just that.

What’s going on for the rest of the new hit spot? – The Lounge, Gaming Lounge and Island Bet

Suga took a tour. The TV logistics of The Lounge was excellent. Great for sports and A/C for the hot times. There was also a screen that covered the whole side of one of the walls behind the bar, it was huge, bigger than the Projected screen at Cuddyz.

People seemed to be gambling casually in the Gaming Lounge. It wasn’t crowded. Probably not as popular yet. BUT I know what will be popular soon! ISLAND BET. Again, a familiar face. They got one of Just Bet’s competent employees, Marc-Anthony Pinnock who patiently took me through how Island Bet works. No paper or scratch pads. Purely Electronic. Print outs with the odds are not available as yet, but will be soon. Otherwise, the odds are available on the monitor they have there for customers, including a wider range of bets. Just Bet would have to have their employee take about 10 minutes to check the system online or just say it isn’t available as yet.

Here comes the best part. Island Bet will offer Live betting so you won’t be blocked by Just Bet who change their odds quite often. You will also be able to create an account, add money to it and BET ONLINE. How convenient! Ha! Of course there is an up side and down side to that, but wonderful when you don’t have to leave your house. Also, bets will be made in US dollars. But fret not, the payout is in the US equivalent as well. So if the dollar slides more than the day you bet, you get more money than expected if you win.

One monitor for logging in would not work for a crowd betting on the World Championships for example, but they are finetuning their logistics so that betting is not a hassle and there is time before the Olympics!

Suga senses an exciting Sports season ahead and will be returning.

100

Location 100 Hope Road. Kingston 6
Ph: 876.665-3BET (3238)
Instagram: 100hoperoad
Facebook: 100 Hope Road

By: Gabrielle Williams

If you liked this review, FOLLOW https://sugalifestyle.com/ to get other reviews or LIKE the Facebook page, Suga Lifestyle AND VOTE for Gabby from Suga Lifestyle to be 

The Jamaica Gleaner’s Restaurant Week Ambassador!

Go to http://go-jamaica.com/rw/ambassador

You have 10 votes per device and wifi connection until October 2, 2015. Just Refresh the page after each vote as instructed. Much love!

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5 Minute No Bake Cheesecake Shooters

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Image by Author, Ankso

(original url: http://share.allthecooks.com/m/yFO3CkTu4m)

Author: Ankso from Greece

Share your Photo of the Cheesecake you made from his recipe or share your review!

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INGREDIENTS

Cream part

1 cup – Cream cheese *(Fat Free Philadelphia Cream cheese could be used to reduce fat content)

3/4 cup & 1 tablespoon – Heavy cream

1/2 cup – Icing or Normal Sugar

1 tablespoon – Vanilla extract

1 cup – Graham crackers or Butter biscuits

1 Strawberry jam

Prep time is 5 min, serves 4.

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DIRECTIONS

1 For the cream part, put all the ingredients into a large bowl.

2 With a mixer, mix all your ingredients until the cream becomes really soft and stays. If you don’t have a mixer use a whisk, it will do the same job (it just will take more time)

3 For the bottom crust break the biscuits (with any method you want) until they become crumbs (also you may use ready biscuits crumbs like graham crackers)

4 Now you are ready to serve it in the glasses. Add the biscuits in the bottom then add your cream and lastly add your strawberry jam on top.

5 Let your glasses stay in the fridge for about 3 hours or a whole night.

6 TIP: If you want to make it more professional add only the biscuits and the cream in the glasses and add the strawberry jam right before you eat it, it will be more easy to fill the top.

Recipe found with Allthecooks (http://www.allthecooks.com)

http://cookpad.com/en

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How was last Friday night at the New Bar and Hot Spot, 100?

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Terrible. Suga and many others left sober.
Located at literally 100 Hope Road, is the new Bar 100. It is not only a bar but has a casino with the new, Island Bet and not 1 but 2 restaurants, The Terrace and The Lounge.

1 week after their opening and having people watch the last fight of Mayweather’s career, they should have been ready for the crowd. A huge crowd. People have been wanting and waiting for a new spot eagerly for quite some time now. With the controversy surrounding Don Creary from Ribbiz with his rape charges and The Regency enforcing new policies to keep their guests more uptown in Suga’s opinion or to manage ‘crowd control’ as they call it, 100 is in a real good position to hit them where it hurts.

The bar has a lot of space, upstairs and downstairs, but the parking lot was filled to capacity AND so was the additional parking at 80 Hope Road when it was still early. Wow. So eventually people were parked on the side of Hope road and that is not safe, especially with the fast driving that occurs on that strip in the day much less late at night.

Thankfully the security loves polite ladies not too bad on the eye and Suga just had to wait two minutes until a parking spot freed up inside the venue. But really, how about being creative or innovative and having a proper 2 or 3-storey parking lot, with the hope that your spot is buzzing for a while. Afterall, they have Island Bet and the Gaming Lounge to buffer temporary expenses.

Anyhow, I loved the look of the place. Decor was very modern and tastefully done. Lighting could be better upstairs aka the Rooftop that had thatch covered seating areas, but was good in the other areas. Due to the large crowd, seating was limited. There was only 1 bar upstairs behind a sea of people. Waiters were not abundant or accessible upstairs if one wished to run a tab. It took ages to get a beer by the bar. It’s simple, open and close the cooler door, that’s why I chose beer! Then there was only one computer to cash out people and most persons did not have tabs. The bartenders were not all well versed on the system either. Some persons may have walked out without paying, Macau had that issue when they just opened.

There was a wide crowd variety though; young, old, hype, nerdy, you name it. A sea of out of many one people, with only one exit from upstairs, quite dangerous if you ask me. If something went down, people would have to be jumping off the building. Something for them to consider. What happened to the building code anyway and how did that get approved?

The music? Well it was neither here nor there, I was not impressed. It was not a consistently good mix being played. Maybe the DJ was also confused by the wide genre of people there and how to please the majority. A good DJ always finds a way though. I think it was DJ Bambino playing, who is supposed to be experienced but he either had a bad night or is just better on the radio.

Well, what can I say, when you don’t have any Instagram pics you either shouldn’t be there, were having too much fun or it was too ‘lame’ to be ‘instaworthy’. For me it was the latter.

I wouldn’t advise persons to hit that spot on a Friday night for the next month, especially if you are not a fan of crowds. If you wish to check them out, I suggest going during the week to the bar, as people have had better experiences on week nights.

Fret not though, Suga went to the Restaurant on the Terrace the day after, also scoped out Island Bet and has a fairly good review coming soon!

100
Location 100 Hope Road. Kingston 6
Ph: 876.665-3BET (3238)
Instagram: 100hoperoad
Facebook: 100 Hope Road

By: Gabrielle Williams

If you liked this review, FOLLOW
https://sugalifestyle.com/ to get other reviews or LIKE the Facebook page, Suga Lifestyle.

Image: www.hotels.com

Regency will Deny Access to persons tonight! Back to strictly UPTOWN

Image: www.hotels.com
Image: www.hotels.com

Last Friday night, Mrs. Hussey seemed to be out a bit too late, seated close to the terrace outside of the Regency Bar and Lounge. The recruited, foreign bartender, Thomas’s eyes were peeled supervising the bar, back and forth. Staff including doormen were being monitored closely and it was said that even the DJ was instructed not to play Dancehall, but strictly EDM (Electronic Dance Music) and Soca. Suga smelled the rat that they would soon be filtering crowd access to the ‘high profile’ Bar and Lounge that was ‘high-profile’ no more after hours.

The Regency Bar and Lounge sent an advisory email out today to Loyalty card members, Frequent guests and Business partners.

They stated that from 9pm until closing time, access to the Regency Bar and Lounge will be limited to only those who were addressed in the notification and their friends.

They say it has always been their top objective to provide quality service to all guests, while ensuring that those who are regulars access at all times while fulfilling their obligations regarding Capacity regulations, Safety and a Carefree environment.

Challenges faced concerning the high demand and popularity of their Friday nights have forced them to review their capacity control polices, thus Friday night access adjustments.

The door staff will control access.

Suga advises not to head there tonight, elite or not elite, as it may be a bit chaotic upon entry. Care to check out the new spot on Hope Road, 100? Suga hears it is quite pricey for a cue of rum but will check it out soon!

TGIF! Enjoy the weekend and Keep reading or Follow Suga Lifestyle!

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Why Suzanne Stanley is a BIG Deal ! – New Deputy CEO of J.E.T

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If you aren’t already aware, Suzanne Stanley has been appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Jamaica Environment Trust (J.E.T). So what? Why is this news? A change for the future is always news but this is positive news, as Suzanne Stanley is a woman who is young, vibrant and motivated. She has also proven that she has superb Project Management Skills from various successful endeavours with JET, where she joined and served as Programme Director from 2010.

With first-class honours in a BSc. of Geography from the University of the West Indies, Mona, a Master’s degree with distinction in Environmental change and Management from Linacre College and the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University in the UK, along with her experience, she is definitely well equipped for the job.

Suga got in touch with the busy Deputy CEO this week, where she was able to give us the 411 by just answering 5 questions.

Question 1: 

At 30 years of age and as head of such an Organisation, you will interact with many older persons, in Government and the Private sector. What challenges do you think this will pose, and what are your general views on the average age of our Political and Private sector leadership?

Response:

‘I have the experience of working with all age groups, from the very young in schools to the very old and even retired members of society, for instance at Community workshops. So with that experience, I am very comfortable dealing with all ages.’

Stanley also stated that the challenges arise with donors and various fundraising efforts, as a lot of people may not know her, but know her boss, CEO Diana McCaulay because of McCaulay’s age. She then said she knows she has to get to know more people, old and young. She believes she is able to get along with people easily and does not think it will be too much of a challenge for her down the line.

You can tell she is a confident person that expresses herself well, which are good qualities to aid in facing any challenges.

With regards to general views on the average age of our Political and Private sector leadership, she is of the point of view that age brings wisdom. ‘Experience is important where leadership is concerned and thus a big part of the job. There are a lot of leaders that are old, not to say that young people can’t be leaders, but they are the exception rather than the rule,’ stated Stanley. She then went on to say that leadership takes a certain level of maturity and frame of mind that are not so common. She has even noticed a change in herself over the past 10 years.

Question 2: 

There is an impending election, what Environmental issues stand out as urgent for a new Jamaican Government?

Response:

‘It is not just the environmental issues that are urgent, but also social and economic issues, which go hand in hand. For instance, Transparency and Accountability on a local level are essential with respect to situations concerning our Natural resources, Riverton City dump, Goat Islands, Harbour View Sewage plant etc. Environmental campaigns such as ‘Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica’ all speak to transparency but there is a lot to tackle and improve upon with regards to social and economic issues,’ stated Stanley.

Question 3: 

Do you agree that Jamaicans are apathetic to Environmental issues, and what direct strategies can a Government and an Organisation like yours employ to combat this apathy?

Response:

Suzanne stated that Environmental awareness and concern for the environment is not at the level it should be, but there are more people who exercise interest and the correct practises than you would think. Still, there are so many social and economic issues on the forefront that it gets drowned. This is why it is important for JET to keep current in the media and to keep people thinking about the environment and proper environmental practises.

She also said that JET is action oriented and leads by example, thus creating an appreciation for the environment and persons. People should be allowed nice places to see instead of the Government bulldozing areas close to the shoreline for hotels, ports and cruise ships. That actually creates further apathy amongst the people. Major decisions at the Government level and Private sector are important to promote concerns of the people.

Stanley continued to say that JET targets schools, working people and society at large. For example, once a person such as a Teacher or President of an Environmental club at a school is established, there is a chain reaction and further multiplier effect. Suzanne said it starts with just ONE person and persons involved can be people other than JET representatives that are effective Community leaders and Ambassadors for JET.

On that note, Suga would like to remind you that it only costs $1000JMD to sign up with JET to get updates on local, current environmental issues and projects and to see how you can assist to improve those issues and participate in various projects.

Question 4:

What impact has your alma mater, Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS) had on your career decision and work ethic?

Response:

Suzanne stated that Immaculate Conception High School definitely had an impact on her direction and no, it did not have anything to do with being in the popular club, ICE (Immaculate Conception Environmental Club). Imagine, she was not even a part of it. Some would think that is shocking, but if you knew Suzanne in high school or know her now, she pretty much just went to school to learn, make friends and go home when the bell rang. Extra curricular activities were never her thing, however she was actively involved in JMTC (Jamaica Musical Theatre Company) outside of school and still assists them with productions to this day.

So how did ICHS help? Her Geography teacher, Mrs. Arlene Hay who taught her practically throughout all of High school except for the year she was on leave, kept the subject interesting and was very structured and organized. Leading by that example has had an impact on Suzanne, influencing how she approaches work today.

ICHS in general also had a way of making students develop high expectations in terms of difficulty of exams. She shared memories of how many would receive low grades or even fail Mock Exams, but then excel in the actual exam. So Immaculate held them to a high standard and she is thankful for that.

Question 5:

After a very catchy and effective, ‘Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica’ campaign, a huge team effort, which you mainly assisted with the Creative Production, such as PSAs, can you give us a hint as to what the next big project will be about or have to do with?

Response:

Suzanne informed Suga that the next big project will be launching Phase 2 of the Clean Coast Project and they are gearing up to deliver an extension and expansion of the ‘Nuh dutty up Jamaica’ campaign with great assistance from the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

In the past year, JET has had Marine-themed Field trips, Underwater Clean ups and Research Days at Secondary schools. They will now be implementing Debris Containment Booms on a large-scale. What are Booms? Haven’t heard that since Retired Senior Superintendent of Police, Reneto Adams said it on the news. No. Booms are nets at the end of gullies Suga Readers. Nets that JET has periodically emptied. Now isn’t that fantastic?! Most of our gullies are disgusting. They are currently monitoring the success of a trial run of a Boom at South Gully, Montego Bay, then will place more island-wide depending on its success.

Other than that, Stanley said the plan is to do additional Promotion, and have a more targeted approach in Communities to see how Solid Waste Management can be improved.

Outer Picture: L-R Deputy CEO of JET, Suzanne Stanley, CEO of JET Diane McCaulay Inner Picture: Suzanne Stanley with Diane McCaulay and other core members of the JET team
Outer Picture: L-R Deputy CEO of JET, Suzanne Stanley, CEO of JET Diana McCaulay
Inner Picture: Some of the JET team, L-R Suzanne Stanley with Nazli Williams, Felicia Wong, Diana McCaulay, Lisa Russell and Tamoy Singh

Other Current Environmental Information:

Tomorrow will be the 30th Annual International Coastal Clean up Day.

Registration for the Popular Beach Clean Up at Fort Rocky on the Palisadoes, had to be closed ahead of schedule due to an overwhelming demand of volunteers! Wow. Definitely a good look for the future of JET.

Persons were reminded that there are 124 other Beach Clean ups across the island to participate in. See list at http://tinyurl.com/iccsites2015.

Please, as citizens of our country, play your part in keeping Jamaica as the Land of Beauty. Environmental conservation is important not only for our Country’s survival but for ours as well.

See Coastal Clean up Promo video here and have a great weekend cleaning up our beaches! 

By: Gabrielle Burgess

If you liked this article, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.

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Have you been Eating the right Cereal? Get your Guide here!

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Tips to pick out your healthy cereal:

– The first ingredient should always be some form of WHOLE grain, e.g. whole wheat, whole oats etc. Keep it whole, so you can be ‘whole-hearted’

– Keep it low in sugar, less than 10g or preferably 8g of sugar per serving

– Go for lots of fibre to keep you fuller for longer, at least 3g of fibre per serving

– Stock up on more than 5g of protein, so you do not feel the need to overeat some hours later. If there is not enough in the cereal, have some 90/100 calorie Greek Yoghurt with it.

– Measure Measure Measure! Be careful when pouring straight from the box. Keep conscious of your serving size according to what is recommended on the box. If you are not having yoghurt with your cereal, adding a few slices of banana will help to bulk it up if necessary.

This is why Suga recommends Oatmeal. Oatmeal is best on its own. Healthy and full of fibre! A bit tasteless for you? Add a shake of cinnamon or nutmeg and even a sprinkle of raisins. Remember sometimes healthy is an acquired taste so give it a few tries first.

Here are some of the other good ones. Can you find your cereal? If not, check the recommended servings of protein, sugar and fibre stated above and see if it fits in the recommended category. Also, avoid the famous Corn Flakes and Honey Bunches of Oats! They are made from Refined Grains.

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– Oatmeal crisp (All Brands)

– FOSKA Oats : Low in sugar with just 1g and high in fibre, 4g. Support Brand Jamaica!

– Post Shredded Wheat : Tasty, 100% natural WHOLE grain with honey and almonds baked in

– Muesli

– General Mills Cheerios (The no added sugar one, Not the Honey nut!) : Just 1g of sugar, WHOLE grain oats and 3g fibre!

– General Mills Total : 100% WHOLE grain!

– General Mills Wheaties : Just 4g sugar and 3g fibre

– Kashi cereals eg. Go Lean, Heart to Heart Honey Toasted Oat, Cinnamon Harvest Whole Wheat Biscuits

– Quaker Honey Nut Oatmeal Squares : a little sweet with 9g sugar, but high in protein and very crunchy with 4g fibre

– Quaker Life

– General Mills Chex, Wheat or Multi Grain

Lastly, don’t feel like Cereal is just for Breakfast, if on a diet, you can mix it up and have a shake for breakfast and cereal for dinner. It’s easy, especially if you are coming home late after an evening workout.

Also, please do not make your cereal unhealthy by adding whole milk (that’s not making you whole-hearted!), 1%, 2%, condensed or evaporated milk! Use skimmed milk or almond milk. 

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Did you know there is ‘AnneX’ East Japanese?

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Have you been to East Japanese Market Place at Constant Spring Road’s mid town branch as yet? It’s called AnneX East Japanese. It’s only logical right? It is in The Courtyard, the same complex as CPJ and CRU, next to Y not Pita. Suga went on a lunch date there last Saturday afternoon at 4:15pm.

There were not a lot of people there, which I liked. So it wasn’t too busy, but not too quiet either. It was cosy and I was impressed by the modern, tasteful decor. They also had a wall with speakers, almost ceiling high, which I found unique. But no worries, they don’t blast music, they keep it mellow as their motto, ‘More casual and elegant. Mellow music’, states.

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Service was mediocre. Pleasant welcome and fairly professional attitudes. The food arrived in reasonable time, but it took forever to get a simple Piña Colada. I asked that the rum be substituted with Appleton rum, but I could not taste even a hint of rum. The rest of the drink was lovely, smooth, thick and creamy with the essence of coconut, but failed to have the zestful taste of spirit. Since I had to wait so long for it, I didn’t bother to send it back but made sure to tell the bartender before I left. He said because I requested Appleton rum, of which they used Appleton special, that he did not know how much to add. Any experienced bartender or drinker period, knows that Appleton is a weaker rum than White rum so you would need to add more.

The food? Decent quality. I had the Tempura AnneX Special for $1270JMD including Shrimp Tempura, a tasty California Majestic Roll, an oily Seafood Fried Bean Curd and a Ginger salad, of which I only ate the shredded carrot. The rest of the salad was boring as it was just lettuce with what looked like that orange, French dressing that I hate. But the carrot is what had the pronounced flavour of ginger.

My other half enjoyed The Sushi Platter AnneX Special, also for $1270JMD with Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi Yellow Tail,  White Tuna and Rock Shrimp, along with the same salad, Cali Roll and Bean Curd. Both specials came with a Miso Soup too. The variety given at that cost was satisfying and broke the monotony of me ordering my usual Appetizer and 2 Rolls from the many options available. It worked out to be much less money, yet filling.

AnneX East Japanese

Ph#: 876-481-0990

Address: 71 Lady Musgrave Road. Kingston, Jamaica.

Date of visit: 12/9/15

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★★☆

Decor: ★★★★★

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★☆☆

Speed: ★★★☆☆

Food quality: ★★★★☆

Serving amount: ★★★★☆

Plating: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★★☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★★☆

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The Weekend in Sports! US Open Finals, Mayweather retires & more!

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US OPEN TENNIS

Suga called it! Congratulations to Flavia Pennetta and Novak Djokovic, the 2015 US Open Champions!

The more experienced, Pennetta won her first singles Grand Slam title on Saturday in 2 sets, 7-6, 6-2, defeating the woman responsible for the upset of the year, Roberta Vince.

The Men’s Final with World no. 1, Novak Djokovic vs no. 2, Roger Federer was delayed by 3 hours because of rain but definitely worth the wait. Note that there will be no more delays next year because there will be indoor options.

Djokovic has won his 10th Grand Slam title and 2nd US Open. 3 this year except for the French, where he was a finalist! Amazing season. He won physically and mentally with the crowd against him in 4 sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Well deserved.

The match was epic! Both players were a bit nervous in the first set. Djokovic was the more relaxed player, but had a nasty fall in one of the early games, then lost his momentum. He got it back and played well to win the first set, where Federer was very tight. The commentators said it was a messy first set for Roger.

Roger looked more like himself in the 2nd set, using a lot of variety to even sets, 7-5. That set was an hour long!

Djokovic regained control and took the 3rd.

In the 4th set, Djokovic was up 5-2 to serve for the match, but Roger wasn’t finished just yet. Roger broke his serve and held for it to go to 5-4. Djokovic had some big serves in the last game and after 3 hours and 20 minutes, Djokovic hit a massive serve that Roger sent long to seal the deal for Djoko.

Roger is clearly the People’s Champion. Djoko had to hit deep to win most rallies or serve big to win points. A few well executed lobs worked in his favour as well. Roger said he is very pleased with where his game is at and we will see him next year.

After losing the 1st set, he was already at a disadvantage to make up physically in the 2nd, then try to overcome the excellence of Djokovic in the 3rd at his age and current fitness level. He looked fitter than Wimbledon but he has more work to do. Kudos to him though for helping to make the match so entertaining. You know it was epic when Djoko jumped up into the stands afterwards and shouted, ‘This is Spaaaaarta!’ with members of his box. Suga thinks this is probably his best and most meaningful win of his career so far. Well done Djoko.

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BOXING

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Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather has hung up his boxing gloves, going out with a win by a unanimous vote over Andre Berto to retire undefeated 49-0. It was a good fight. Much more entertaining than the most hyped and marketed fight in history, the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight earlier this year. Props to the referee for denying Mayweather Barney hugs and there was less running, but more dancing. No joke. Mayweather actually did the running man during one of the rounds. He enjoyed himself. He displayed his quickness and agility off the ropes, as he is known for. Besides a very low, direct blow to Mayweather from Berto (for all the abused women out there!), it was a fairly clean fight. Finally we saw some upper cuts! Yes! Both boxers lost their footing during the fight, but it was in the last round that Mayweather piled on the right hooks and upper cuts, weakening the knees of Berto. But Berto recovered quickly and put up a good fight.

What did Mayweather and Berto say after the match? Well Mayweather explained why he was retiring. He said he is almost 40, been fighting for 19 years and has been a World Champion for 18 years. He believes he has accomplished everything, having broken every record there is, so there is not much left in the sport of Boxing for him. He is happy to leave the sport with all his faculties, something he has mentioned before, that clearly was a concern for him. He also mentioned that he has done a lot of charity work, which the media never mentions, for instance, feeding the homeless. He of course closed with, ‘Money don’t make me, I make money. I am the best at boxing’.

The defeated, Andre Berto said Mayweather was slippery. He had a lot of speed and was real crafty, using a lot of little things to keep him off his rhythm. He was asked about an exchange between them during one of the rounds and Berto explained that he basically said, ‘Here I come. I am here to fight.’ Berto said he pushed it to the limit but he fell short. He was asked if he thought Mayweather was the best ever. There was a pause and unclear shout from the crowd. Thankfully he kept it real and said Mayweather is ONE OF the best ever.

FOOTBALL: Barclay’s Premier League

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It’s not looking like a good year for Chelsea. They continue to dig a deeper hole with a 3-1 loss to Everton. The other big sides, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United were all victorious. Arsenal with a 2-0 win over Stoke City, Man City beat Crystal Palace 1-0 and Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-1!

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Why did Serena’s quest for Grand Slam History end yesterday and more!

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Huge upset on the Women’s side of the draw yesterday at the US Open. Last year it was on the Men’s side with Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori knocking out Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the Semi Finals. Now, Novak Djokovic defeated the Defending Champion who has been plagued with an ankle injury during the tournament, Marin Cilic easily in 3 sets with a 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 victory. Federer defeated Stan Wawrinka easily with a  6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Wawrinka has not shown his usual fighting spirit this Open. So it will be a Djokovic-Federer final tomorrow at 4pm ET. It has been a few years that Roger has made it to the US Open final, but he surely looks better than how he was at Wimbledon this year. He has started to run more and looks fitter, but still 80% of the Roger Federer we know aka Fed Express so Suga has Djokovic for the win in an entertaining match.

Now for the ladies! It was expected to be a Williams-Halep final. First of all, Flavia Pennetta (26) upset young, world #2, ‘ jalepeño’ Simona Halep in 2 sets! 6-1, 6-3.  Suga did not see that match but one would think that after that marathon of a Quarterfinal with Victoria Azarenka, Halep would have been exhausted.

Then Serena’s quest for Grand slam history ended dramatically yesterday to an UNSEEDED 32-year-old that looks like 60, Roberta Vinci whose odds were 300 to 1! Wow. What an anti-climax! What happened?! Drake? No, just kidding. But you never know. Serena played relatively well, but was not consistent. With a 6-2 start in the 1st set she probably thought she was safe. She was crushed in the second and looked like she recovered in the 3rd, breaking Vince early, going up 2-0. But it all went downhill from there. She had a lot of unforced errors and just could not maintain focus and settle her emotions. Vinci capitalized on every opportunity she got. She played the match of her life and was pumped! After winning a long rally at a pivotal moment in the 3rd set, she put her hand to her ear to the crowd, then raised both hands saying something like yessss! Look at me! Applaud me! Check that moment out here.

https://youtu.be/VaQbbJRf1Ow

I thought Serena would steam roll her for that but Serena just could not answer. Vinci had a flurry of powerful forehands setting up Serena for an open court and frequently went to the net with effective drop shots. Then the inevitable happened, Vince finishing Serena in a LOVE GAME, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Steffi Graf can prepare to hand over the Championship trophy to Serena another time. All preparations can go back into storage. It will be an all Italian final at 3pm ET today with the oldest players in a women’s major final combined, as Pennetta is 33.

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Well done Roberta Vince for pulling off one of the BIGGEST upsets in history and showing that even towards the end of the road or your career, anything is possible if you keep fighting. She said it was the best moment of her life.

See Vinci’s hilarious post match interview here:

https://youtu.be/7ihotJQWLdA

Pennetta with a lot of experience, has already won the Australian Open Doubles title in 2011 and is well rested after just a 2 set match vs Halep. After Vince used all the gas her tank, it is likely that Pennetta may win, but Suga supports Vince for the win. Afterall it’s sports. As we witnessed yesterday, anything can happen. Good luck to her in the final. With an upset victory like that, it would be even sweeter to go all the way.