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What’s going on in the NBA Playoffs?!

There have certainly been some crazy endings to the last couple of games in the NBA Playoffs for both the East and the West recently.

Kyle Lowry of the Raptors made a crazy buzzer beater from the half court line the other night to force OT with the Heat but Dwyane Wade was on fire and they couldn’t hold him back. Heat won 102-96 to take the lead in the series 1-0.

Watch “Kyle Lowry Buzzer Beater to force overtime in Raptors vs. Heat Playoff Game!” on YouTube here:

Suga had Miami to win this series but with the recurrence of blood clotting in Chris Bosh’s left calf over the All-Star break keeping him out of the games, it will not be an easy task to overcome the Raptors. Their fate to meet LeBron and the Cavs is now at stake.

The Cavs – Hawks series will be dead. Cavs won easily 104-93.

But the last 13.5s of the Spurs-OKC game with OKC leading 98-97 in San Antonio was madness! So many things happened and no fouls were called for either team. The most obvious foul was the offensive foul on Ginobili on the inbound, players were scrambling all over the place and falling on the court and most hilariously, a Spurs fan (no it wasn’t Suga) grabbed the arm of OKC’s Steve Adams! Even though no fouls were called, at the end of the day, Ginobili should not have passed the ball to go for a 3. Shame on him. This win for OKC levelled the series 1-1. This will be the most exciting semi final series.

Watch “Dramatic Finish in San Antonio | Thunder vs Spurs | Game 2 | May 2, 2016 | 2016 NBA Playoffs” on YouTube here:

Watch “Spurs fan grabbed Steven Adams’ arm on the final possession Spurs vs Thunders” on YouTube here:

Last night, Trail Blazers led Warriors for the majority of the game with a 11-point lead into the 4th quarter. Lillard was on fire and Klay Thompson was not. Then Blazers forgot they had to play a 4th quarter and it all went downhill from there. They started to trail again.

Klay Thompson then started to make shots when it counted, ending the game with 27 points and the Defending Champs quickly erased the 11-point deficit in the 4th to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Trail Blazers have no chance.

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Photo: www.nba.com

So what’s the status of the NBA 2016 Playoffs now?

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Photo: www.espn.go.com

 

 

 

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La Bonne Crepe in Florida

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Cappuccino

 Two weeks ago, Suga took a walk on the strip of Las Olas Blvd. in Florida in search of a late Breakfast. It was quite a busy atmosphere because of the Festival taking place. People were everywhere!

I wanted to try somewhere new too so the sign, ‘La Bonne Crepe’ caught my eyes. I was like great, Breakfast Crepe.

Missed that though, because upon entry my friend and I were greeted politely then told that they were switching over to lunch so we may have a little wait. It was about 11am and we were fine with that.

Our waitress was not initially pleasant and she was a bit up in age but thankfully she warmed up as time went by.

We ordered Salmon and Turkey crepes with cheese ($15.70USD and $14.64USD respectively). Prices were reasonable and the Crepes on their menu were in different categores such as Breakfadt Crepes, Dessert Crepes, Cheese Crepes, you name it.

They are also a Café so a variety of coffee, hot and cold and other beverages were available.

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Turkey and Cheese Crepe with Bacon

After much anticipation, HUGE Crepes came our way but we were not impressed. We had no idea it would be crispy Crepes and they were bland. The meats needed more seasoning and a different kind of cheese should have been used to complement them or add some flavour. So it really was just a big pile of nothing that just satisfied my hunger. I enjoyed my frozen Cappuccino though. The experience makes me have to big up our local, Tea Tree Crêperie, although they usually have you waiting on the one person making their Crepes, the quality is good, consistent, tasty and the flavours are brought out well in the Crepes.

So next time I go back on that strip I will just go with what I know, YOLO!

La Bonne Crepe

815 E Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale,

FL 33301,

United States

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The Caterers that will be taking the Jamaican Market by Storm!

Goddard Catering Group also known as GCG Events are THE Caterers to watch! Up to last week Thursday, many did not know who or what was Goddard. How did that change? GCG hosted what I considered as a launch titled, ‘Destination: Delicious!’ last Thursday night at the Ruins, Mona that was Simply Outstanding, fully representing their brand.

Fidelity Motors Ltd. is a part of the Goddard Enterprises Group of Companies and GCG often works together with Tai Flora Luxe. So on the outskirts of the event, a car was on display followed by a beautiful table arrangement and lounge area decorated by Tai Flora.

 

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GCG and Tai Flora pair beautifully together, as GCG not only caters for Corporate and Social events but for Weddings as well. They describe themselves as expensive but based on Suga’s experience with them, I absolutely disagree. For the complete package that they offer, for instance if you also require their Bar Services, they provide all the necessary glassware, ice, flatware, cutlery, disposables and service staff for an unbeatable price. Not to mention that they come fully equipped with their cooling trucks, electricity and more. To add icing to the cake, they are partners with Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica, which means that once you have your Pop Up Gourmet Advantage Card you get a 10% discount. Depending on the size of your event, that could turn out to be up to $30,000 to $50,000 or more off of your bill! My Gosh, where have they been all along? They have been around for many years Suga Bears. After successfully catering for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007, they saw the need to raise the bar on catering services throughout the region, leading to the birth of GCG Events in 2008, an affiliated company of Goddard Catering Group and a member of the Goddard Enterprises Group of Companies. Some persons who know of them may also familiarise them with the airport or airport/airplane food. But when you taste their food, you would have no idea. They are thus familiar with the importance of punctuality as well.

They do a lot of Overseas Weddings and Funerals. Funerals?! Yes, because when persons land at the airport where their office is located, all they have to do is ask for GCG to take care of everything for them and work with their budget stating how much a head they can afford. The headache they thought they would have is usually gone once it reaches into GCG’s hands as they seem to be an excellent team. It is likely that you would communicate with Jasmin Ramsay or Cheridah Douglas who are the epitome of quick, efficient communication, quality service and the ability to deduce the needs of their customers, often without even having to ask.

To the general public, GCG probably started to visually creep into the Events market since the 1st Epicurean Escape in 2012 held at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove, close to Ocho Rios, Discovery Bay and Runaway Bay. The Festival featured some of Jamaica’s finest including Chef Ravi Anne, Chef Dennis McIntosh, Chef Theo Smith, Chef Christopher Evans, many others and most importantly, GCG’s current head Chef, Daniel Schwietzer. Since then they have been taking their time filtering into the Events market even more.

Executive Chef Daniel Schwietzer is Swiss and discovered his love for cooking from his Uncle who had a restaurant in Geneva, Switzerland. He knew very quickly from then that he wanted to be a Chef. He traveled across Switzerland where he learnt French and Italian cuisines, Los Angeles, California and then finally to Jamaica 25 years ago! He has served in the capacity of Executive Chef at Morgan’s Harbor Hotel, Temple Hall Estate, Plantation Inn and for the past 19 years, Goddard Catering Group Jamaica Ltd.

So what did Chef Schwietzer and the other Chefs as well as Bartenders have to offer at Destination: Delicious held last Thursday? It was quite a spread. Suga arrived at about 7:45pm. The event was slated to be from 6:30pm to 10pm so I arrived when things were about to be in full swing. Invited Guests were greeted with Sangria and I was just in time to hear Chef Schwietzer be introduced and have him take us through all the stations where he was sure to display his passion of fusing Caribbean and European cuisines.

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The Cocktail station had Roasted Tuna with balsamic glaze drizzled over micro greens, Bruschetta with jerked cream cheese, escellion and wine, Rice noodles with Salmon, usually paired well with white wine and Ceviche drizzled with lime juice and some country pepper. The Ceviche and Tuna Appetizers impressed Suga.

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The Soup station had Red peas, Manish water and Pumpkin soup with Spicy Banana Bread croutons that enhanced the flavour. All were tasty, but the Manish water was the hit for the night.

There was a Salad station to top off wetting the appetite. I loved the general use of fresh micro greens as I am in total support of the local farm to table concept.

Then for the meat lovers, the Beef and Pork station were kicking where the mango salsa complemented the Beef Tenderloin well and the coffee rubbed and chocolate infused methods were a delightful enhancement in flavour.

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The Flat Bread station had THE most toppings including pesto, smoked marlin, fresh mozzarella and mushrooms, basil, micro greens, you name it!

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There was a live cooking, Pasta station with Seafood pasta and a Dessert station where for Suga, the highlight was the Apple crumble. It was delicious.

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Wines, Cocktails and Premium Spirits galore were offered.

The most outstanding for Suga was the tender, fresh, succulent cut of Beef! Perfection.

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The Chefs were personable and pleasant, especially the men who had a charming flair to their service. Well done Goddard. Well done.

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Executive Chef Daniel Schwietzer and Gabrielle Williams from Suga Lifestyle

I thoroughly enjoyed the night and expected nothing less. It was evident that persons were pleasantly surprised, impressed and pleased with the high standard and quality of service, food and drinks that GCG presented. A lot of power players in the Events industry were present and I am sure they will be key to future events and persons that GCG will cater to.

There is currently a breakdown across the service industry, Wedding vendors in particular, with regards to efficient communication such as getting quotes to customers in a timely fashion, following up with customers etc., but GCG is coming full force now and they will be at Dîner en Blanc this Saturday and other events to come. You won’t have to look out for them too hard because they will be Simply Outstanding!

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Gabby from Suga and her fiancé, Randy Burgess enjoy their Goodie bags from GCG

GCG Events

Norman Manley Int’l Airport

Kingston, Jamaica

Ph: (876) 924-8364

www.gcg-events.com

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Burger and Beer at NK Deli today!

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Last Wednesday, I attended the opening of ‘Burger and Beer’ at NK Deli (above Cuddyz) with my fiancé.

It was advertised to run from 6pm-10pm and I arrived at 8:45pm. Music was still playing but I missed the Happy Hour buzz with the rush of persons who attended after work and had a good vibe going.

For $1500JMD tax included, you can get a Burger (Beef, Chicken or Fish from what I remember) served with wedges or fries and 2 beers. Quite a good deal!

I had the Chicken Burger and wedges and my other half had the Beef Burger with fries. My Chicken Burger was tasty and the Beef Burger was well seasoned and tender on the inside with a bit of crisp on the outside. Fresh meat, bread buns and veggies. Yum! You could also add bacon for a small cost.

Additional beers, wines, rum, vodka and juices were on sale as well. So check out ‘Burger and Beer’ this evening or any other Wednesday from about 6pm-8pm and make it your Happy Hour!

Also note that NK Deli offers lunch and delivery on Mondays to Fridays (closed on Saturdays) at reasonable prices with a good range of dishes, where the menu changes daily. The prices posted for lunches now include GCT.

More to come?!

Lasagne and Tiramisu on Thursdays! $1500JMD+tx (Beverages not included) from 6-10pm and Vegetarian will be one of the options. If I don’t make it soon, Suga bears, do feel free to report!

NK Deli

30 Dominica Drive

New Kingston Business Centre

Ph: 876.754.8714

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Oxtail from The Alibi!

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Oxtail and Bean

Last Saturday at about 5:30pm, Suga indulged in Oxtail and Beans with rice and peas and steamed vegetables for just $630JMD +tx and ~10% service charge, still bringing it to under $800JMD.

The Alibi is in the Lee Gore Business Centre, formerly known as Peppers.

The decor could use some work such as repainting and new furniture. Also, the high stools by most tables were uncomfortable. However, it was cool without the fans on and was quite a chill, bar environment with big screen tvs for me to take in the races left to run at the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics’ Champs.

The service was good with the manager overlooking things, costs were reasonable and the quality of the food was good. The serving of cooked vegetables was meagre but that was not the highlight of the dish anyway. That Oxtail was tender to the bone!

My other half enjoyed his Oxtail as well and the Red Peas soup he had as a starter.

I was feeling adventurous and tried their Alibi’s Hard Lemonade, which was refreshing but still had the presence of the spirits, red rum mostly. Careful ladies, don’t have too much of that one or drink it too fast. It is a creeper.

Happy to hit another spot with good local cuisine in Kingston though. Other favourites such as Curried Goat, Stewed Peas (on Wednesdays), Ackee and Corn Pork, Jerked and Bar-B-Q Chicken, Jerked Pork (Fridays) and Saltish & Beans are available as well for under $730JMD +tax and ~10% service charge.

For a starter, 2 main dishes and 4 alcoholic beverages to all come under $4000JMD inclusive of tax and service charge, is not that bad at all.

Suga endorses The Alibi and will return.

The Alibi

Lee Gore Business Centre

31 Upper Waterloo Road

Ph: 876-632-2063; 924-4645

 

 

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Where to get Chinese, Patty, Fried Chicken & more like at any fast food spot in town

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Chicken in Oyster Sauce + Soda – $970JMD on a Friday night

If you need some food fast and at a convenient spot, The Tuck Shop is the place, close to the Barbican Square roundabout.

They have a range of Chinese dishes, Patties, Fried Chicken combos, Dessert and more. They also open late at night, up to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. During the week, they are open from 7am to 9pm and Sundays from 11am to 9pm.

So a variety of Breakfast options are also available, which change daily, such as Ackee and Saltfish, Fritters, Callaloo, Porridge and more.

Service is quick, Servings are big and Prices are reasonable.

Their food hits the hungry spot. Check them out!

The Tuck Shop

33 East Kings House Road

Kingston 6

Tel.: 876-632-2553