A-Bar Restaurant and Lounge gets a ‘D’ from Suga

I haven’t been to A-Bar Restaurant and Lounge located in Springs Plaza for months. But I have been craving changes since becoming bored with the current restaurant and bar scene in Kingston, Jamaica. A-Bar is known to have a young demographic and that surely has not changed.

After passing the entertainment of a small ‘street dance’ by the parking lot at the corner of the plaza, the hosts were pleasant upon entry and I was seated at the bar until an available table was ready. Did I just walk into the Youth View Awards though? ‘Flashes Flashes, Lights Lights’, all around as different ‘teeny bopper’ groups posed for not only their phone cameras but it seemed like A-Bar had professional camera staff on hand as well. Clearly not my scene, but what’s important is they looked like they were having a good time. The music was loud but I could still have a conversation, unlike Ribbiz UltraLounge, where I can hardly hear myself.

My other half and I were really hungry so decided to order food at 8:50pm and wait on it before having any liquor. However, I had my eyes on the A-Bar Mojito that I saw being served in a jar, that looked extremely refreshing. Lovely presentation.

The drinks menu was extensive and the food menu had a range of items as well. I liked that they offered Popcorn Lobster, Calamari and Cocktail Shrimp for appetizers, compared to the usual Wings and Quesadillas at other places. They did not have the Soup of the day available though. Not even a substitute.

Their entrees were quite affordable, ranging in price from $950-$2500JMD. Entrees included Pork Skewers, Fried Chicken, Shrimp Pasta Linguini, Rock Lobster, Grilled Salmon and more.

As we waited, we were approached by different waitresses asking if everything was ok. My main concern was the food, then as time went by with all the televisions they had mounted, I requested to see a basketball game that was on. Different waitresses took this request and after half an hour, there was no food and no channel change. The food came a few minutes later. The presentation of the Jerk Chicken Penne Pasta with Shrimp that I ordered was sloppy. It looked like they threw everything in there and scantily added a few shrimps that I had paid extra money for. The excess pasta sauce should have been wiped off the sides of the plate. The creamy sauce was average and the chicken was bland.

My other half had the Chicken Breast that was supposed to be stuffed with plantain, but instead he got what seemed to be callaloo with cream cheese. From a glance at the chicken, it looked overcooked. Typical Jamaicans overcooking a Chicken Breast. Of course, it tasted that way as well, not even slightly overcooked but more on the tough side.

I also quickly ordered the A-Bar Mojitos as the food arrived at 9:30pm to hear ‘Sarry, it done. Dat’s why unnu shoulda orda long time when me ask you’. That is as close to what I can remember the waitress saying. Excuse me??!! It’s 9:30pm and I am at a bar and one of the signature drinks is finished? It wasn’t even ‘bar time’ yet. It was dinner time. Furthermore, who was she speaking to? She probably thought it was one of the 16-year-old patrons there. Thanks for the compliment, but even at 16, I would not appreciate or deserve that response. She did not recommend another drink to appease the situation either. We just instantly asked for the bill, ate and left ‘D-Bar’.

Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX!

What a game! Patriots sealed the Super Bowl win last night with an interception on own goal line in the final minute to beat the Seahawks 28-24. Everyone was expecting the Seahawks to run the ball so we could see ‘Beast mode’ but sadly for them, they made the wrong call.

Patriots’ Tom Brady now ties Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for most Super Bowl wins by a starting QB with 4. Congrats to Tom and the Patriots.

Djokovic wins his 5th Australian Open!

Suga congratulates Novak Djokovic for winning his 5th Australian Open title yesterday in Melbourne, beating Andy Murray 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-0. He is now 5 for 5 with the Australian Open and it is his 8th Grand Slam title. Sadly it is the fourth time in four tries that Murray has lost the Australian Open final. This makes the 3rd time Murray has lost to Djokovic, while the other final was a loss to Federer.

It’s a good sign that a wife and kid has not slowed down this world #1 just yet.

Spoiler Alert! Serena wins the Australian Open!

Apologies SuGa Readers. The match seemed to be in the am and not the pm. However, Congrats to Serena Williams who fought through that cough and beat Maria Sharapova 6-3; 7-6, closing the match in style with an ace. This is Serena’s 6th Australian Open title and her 19th Grand Slam victory. She is looking to reach 22 to be on the same level as Steffi Graf to be the best in the open era for women. She plans to take it in steps to reach 20 and then 21 before she can look to 22.

SuGa wishes Serena all the best this year and hopes she can do it! The quicker, the better.

The time difference would also affect the time stated previously for the men’s final. So look out for that one in the early am tomorrow. There will be no clashes with the Super Bowl. Can’t have that happening. Enjoy the weekend!

Big Sports weekend! Australian Open Finals too!

For the Women’s Singles final tomorrow, it will be a battle between World number 1 and 2, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova not before 7:30pm.

News just in that Serena cut practice short because she is suffering from a cold. Can she find the Michael Jordan within her to win the Championship and move even further up in rank amongst the greats?

The Men’s Singles final will be this Sunday, not before 7:30pm, conflicting with Super Bowl time. It will feature World number 1 Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray (6).

Spicy Jerk Shrimp Pasta @ Macau

Service is still not the best at Macau, but their spicy Jerk Shrimp Pasta is extremely spicy and delicious! Penne and fettuccine pastas are so common, I was impressed to see them serve bow tie pasta. It was filling and the sauce was on point. Ensure water is present though. They had a 2-for-1 Heineken special last Friday, but it wasn’t clear how long that promotion may last. Then ofcourse, using my Pop-Up Gourmet Advantage card dropped the bill even lower.

Congratulations to the winner of the 63rd Miss Universe Pageant, Miss Colombia?

Miss Colombia, Paulina Vega was controversially crowned Miss Universe on Sunday night in Doral, Florida, as one of the crowd favourites Kaci Fennell, Miss Jamaica Universe placed 5th in the competition. When Jamaica was called 5th, there were resounding boos and after the crowning, half of the contestants rushed over to Miss Jamaica, lifting her up in the air as the crowed chanted ‘Jamaica ‘. Why? Did the judges get it wrong? Was Jamaica robbed of the crown or even a place in the top 3 because she did not have the traditional look with long, flowing hair?

It all comes down to the questions to determine the winner, or so we think. All 5 represented themself well in their gowns and then came the questions. The first question from the judges was a disaster for all 5 contestants. None of their answers were impressive. They either did not answer the question, that is, saying something totally irrelevant to the question asked or they gave an answer lacking in substance. It was also obvious that most of them had difficulty hearing the judges ask the question and then nerves instantly overcame them.

Miss Jamaica was the only contestant to greet the judges and the audience when answering her question. However, at that point I would say the field was leveled or the contestants that gave an answer lacking in substance, for instance, USA, had a slight edge. It was obvious Jamaica did not hear the question, even when the judge repeated the question with an accent, since Spanish is his native tongue. Saying we should come together to fight crime does not answer a question on tackling sexual abuse of women. Come together how? Maybe its best she said ‘World Peace’. But putting fun and joke aside, it was at least a start to an answer. How about education, counselling? The list goes on. But hey, she didn’t hear the question. I think it would have been better to ask the question to be repeated one last time because she couldn’t hear it clearly instead of saying she did not understand the question. Big difference in use of words.

Thankfully they had a chance to redeem themselves with the question polled from the people on Facebook, basically asking what kind of influence has their country had on the world. As USA, Colombia and Ukraine approached their question, one could instantly feel sorry for them, as the first thing that came to mind was war, racism and drugs. Then poor Netherlands, what have they really done? But Jamaica! This answer should have been textbook. She should have been trained to answer this question from the Miss Jamaica Universe Competition. She should have been prepared to answer this question in case it was asked in the Prelims or even by Donald Trump on the golf course. Any intelligent Jamaican could be asked this question at the airport or a hotel on the north coast as well. The answer should roll off of our tongues with ease. Former Miss World, Lisa Hanna and Former Miss Universe runner-up, Yendi Phillips ‘woulda mash up dat’. There is a standard way of starting each answer. For instance, Jamaica is a very small island etc. Include the pathway Bob Marley has paved for reggae music and other talented artists globally, his impact on our tourism etc. The word, culture should not be forgotten. Jamaica’s culture is so rich, not only in music but dance as well. Yes, Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, but for such a small country we have so much talent etc. Yes, it’s easy to sit here and say all of that without standing in front of the world, however nerves or being hard on yourself because of messing up the first question should never have an impact on this question. At this point, the judges were probably observing the composure and poise of the contestants in such a situation. SuGa thinks the expectation of a great answer which she ‘bombed’ again, put her in 5th. Basically saying Usain Bolt and Bob Marley leading and trailblazing in music and track and field then full stop cannot win the crown. She knew there was more to say and stopped abruptly leaving us wanting more. Keep talking. Let them cut you off. Don’t be afraid to say more.

Not remembering both of Colombia’s answers, she at least answered one, also lacking in substance. USA I remember, had a mediocre response for both answers, but they were still suitable answers compared to the others, hence her placing second. Should she have reached top 10 is another question, but the host country is usually in the top 5. That is just how it is with these pageants. Ukraine and Netherlands are not worth a comment. But that final walk after all questions, for the judges to see them one more time?! Colombia slayed it. She looked like a star and the winner. She was comfortable, beautiful, sang along with the performer and still modeled like she was in a pageant.

Now Kaci, it is the end of the competition, kill the fierce look for a moment, we get it, but smile all the way for that final walk. There was an awkward slip and an awkward dance. There was a serious face (Oh no I messed up) then a smile as the camera focused on her. The judges weren’t watching the television, they were able to see them at all times at all angles. It is the recovery and choosing the best out of the worse set of answers that mattered. But it’s over. ‘Coulda shoulda …never’. Jamaica was not robbed of the crown, but SuGa believes she should have placed in the top 3. Kaci may have disappointed Jamaica towards the end, but it was still bittersweet. It is not an easy task to make the top 5! Jamaica should still be tremendously proud of what she accomplished and how beautiful she was, being able to stand out amongst the rest. All the best to Kaci Fennell in the future.