Not one other diner in sight for Dinner on a Saturday night at Japanese Restaurant Cocoro ?!

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

There were surprisingly NO other diners at Japanese Restaurant Cocoro on date night last Saturday. But was it really a surprise? With the currently revamped, more modern and more comfortable Roe in Sovereign North, the popular East Japanese and scenic Majestic Sushi and Grill as competitors? The advantage was a private, more intimate environment. But what about first dates where persons may not be as comfortable together with conversation yet or groups that come for dinner? I’m sure they would like a bit more buzz around. The only obvious thing that has changed at Cocoro are a few new items on the menu. Good service and food quality have never been an issue, but surely the decor needs a change. The surroundings are just outdated and not even modern antique. Some kind of marketing also needs to be done with new offerings to make persons remember Cocoro exists.

Japanese Restaurant Cocoro

Ph#: 876-929-0970

Address: 4 West Kings House Close, Mayfair Hotel, Kingston. 

Date of visit: 11/10/14

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★☆☆☆

Decor: ★☆☆☆☆

Comfort: ★★★★☆

Service: ★★★★☆

Speed: ★★★★★

Food quality: ★★★★★

Serving amount: ★★★★★

Plating: ★★★★★

Value for $: ★★★★☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★☆☆

 

Simply Red! Wine and Food Galore! Gabby checks out BBQ Oxtail, Cheese fountains and more

by Restaurant Reviews & RatingsWhat's Hot

Simply Red’s 25th Anniversary was a night to remember. Relaxed atmosphere with a wide variety of wine and food as expected. The only thing lacking was a range of desserts. Chocolate Dreams locked up shop pretty early and there seemed to be mainly Mousses and Pana Cottas. Other than that, nothing to really bite or cut into. The tents were also pretty hot, probably as a result of humidity setting in after the evening rain, but no fans were in sight. The logistics however, allowed enough space for persons to walk around freely in the large central area to cool off.

It would be hard to give highlights, as every chef, caterer, company or organization had something special to offer. UTECH had a few stations. You could hardly taste the lobster in their Lobster roll with red pepper remoulade, but their Brined Duck Breast with breadfruit soffrito was cooked to perfection. Brian Lumley’s signature Herb de Provence Chicken marinated with white wine was up to good standard as usual, complemented by mushroom cream sauce and red pepper coulis. The Ham stuffed 689 Croquettes were decent as well. Chef George Matthews had a wicked Steak flank with Corn on the Cob and Barbecue Oxtail! The Barbecue Oxtail was alright, I expected more with the sauce and it surely didn’t slide off the bone.

Rainforest Seafoods had Smoked Marlin sandwiches that had way too much butter, but a Bread pudding with cheese and an optional honey topping that was delish. Their Avocado salad with arugula was also divine. The Chilean’s Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Pebre had a savoury, unique taste. Unfortunately the beef was not tender enough and the representative did not sufficiently or enthusiastically explain the dish. Perhaps the kids also representing the booth that were oh so adorable, stole her spotlight.

Interesting and fun options were Tastee’s cheese fountain with potato wedges and Kendel’s Mackerel Tempura rolls.

Persons that wished to load on the carbs had unlimited options of pastas, noodles, lamb and beef burgers as well.

Jacqui Tyson put on quite a show with her Best Dressed Fried Chicken and dancing chefs. Her area as well as the Pop Up Gourmet/CPJ booth, were crowded all night compared to all the others that had a free flow. Kudos to Jacqui for occasionally going on the mic to keep the crowd in the know of what she had to offer, raising person’s interest and having them go back for more.

Mission Catwalk also had a booth showcasing red dresses made by contestants, of which there was a poll going for the best dress. Only two were impressive, though the others showed great potential and it was a good promotion for the show.

Grace, Campari, BETCO Premier Ltd. along with JMMB, CPJ wines with Pop UP Gourmet, Select Brands and the Chilean representatives kept the spirits flowing all night. The Little Penguin Chardonnay and BETCO’s René Barbier Blanco were the winners for me.

The event seemed to be well supported, so hopefully The Heart Foundation reached their target and it will be even more spectacular next year.

Cost: $5000JMD or $4500JMD from Pop Up Gourmet

 

Tea Tree Crêperie

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

Nice atmosphere and good service. Keeping in mind Tea Tree makes everything from scratch, the Nacho Platter took too long to come out, so much so that the Crepes arrived two minutes after. We understood different persons were attending to the order, so there was a lack of communication since the person who made the Crepes probably thought the Nacho Platter was out some time before.  They apologised sincerely.

The Nacho Platter was alright. It could have had more crisp and had cheeses with more flavour. The popular Smoked Marlin Crepe was good. Nice flavour,  accentuated with the pepper jelly. The Crepe au Poulet with chicken breast, mushrooms, white wine dill sauce and mozzarella was bland though. The preferred option was the Calzone Crepe that had chicken breast, white wine tomato sauce layered with 4 cheeses, black olives etc. but they did not have the white wine tomato sauce.

The majority of Crepes range from $1400JMD to $1600JMD. There is an extremely wide range to choose from, whether you are feeling for something savoury or sweet, so you can choose something new every time. It’s a nice daytime spot to take the kids or have a chat with a friend or two.

Tea Tree Crêperie

Ph#: (876) 927-8733

Address: Unit #5. 8 Hillcrest Avenue, Kingston.

Date of visit: 13/9/14

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★☆☆

Ambience: ★★★★☆

Decor: ★★★★☆

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★☆

Speed: ★★★☆☆

Food quality: ★★★★☆

Serving amount: ★★★★★

Plating: ★★★★★

Value for $: ★★★★☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★★☆

 

 

Wraps are the new ‘healthy’ obsession but not every restaurant like Monty’s Cafe should try them!

by Health & FitnessRestaurant Reviews & Ratings

Monty’s Cafe on Old Hope Road is known for cheap, decent box lunch eats and have now added wraps to their menu like almost all of Jamaica.

First of all, many assume that wraps are healthy. Wrong!  Not all of them for sure. Healthy consists of baked, roasted or grilled, fresh, non-processed cuts of chicken, salmon, steamed fish, turkey or tuna.

All these shrimp and lobster wraps around the place that sound so appealing are high in cholesterol. The plain wraps are full of bad ‘simple’ carbs versus whole grain or whole wheat wraps, keeping in mind they are still all flour and everyone that may have certain goals are not always fully aware of their carbohydrate intake for the day. Let us also not forget the dairy aspect and that cheddar or mozzarella cheeses often used to add taste to the wraps are high in saturated fat (the ‘bad’ fat). Sometimes the amounts used are just added for taste, not considering portion control. Please ‘healthy’ restaurants, bring on the fresh, grated parmesan and reduced fat feta.

With all that said, Monty’s Cafe took the cake. I saw a Chicken wrap they sent to someone and I was appalled. It was a small, plain tortilla that consisted of FRIED chicken, lettuce and one or two pieces of tomato with a horrible salad dressing all over the lettuce for $425JMD. The customer was told it came with a salad, which to their disbelief was a toothpick with a piece of tomato and a shred of lettuce rolled up. Seriously?! A 5 year old could do better. Notice there is no picture? SuGa’s LCD screen has already cracked twice. Precaution necessary. I hope nobody makes the mistake of buying such a disaster. Some places should just stick to chicken and rice and peas.

 

 

The Wine Shop, not necessarily a place to wine and dine your date just yet

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

The Wine Shop is not the bar or one of those places where everybody knows your name, which is a good thing. So it is a place currently under the radar that persons can go for dinner and not only shop for wine. They are open until 11pm from Monday to Saturday, closed on Sundays and have both indoor and outdoor seating.

Their menu has a wide range of items and appetizers that go well with wines, for instance, Hummus and dip, Bruschetta, Smoked Marlin plates, Jerk Sausage, Lamb chops and Penne Pasta bowls with different choices of sauce and meat.

The service was good, not great. The Hummus and dip arrived in a reasonable period of time. The dip’s taste was quite basic. The entrees took too long to arrive, more than half an hour for 2 Pasta dishes and Jerk Sausage. The serving sizes were big so quite filling to make up for that wait if hungry, but the quality was mediocre. The Jerk sausage was decent, but slightly overcooked. The Shrimp Penne Pasta bowl with Cream sauce was salty and the Grilled Chicken Penne Pasta bowl with Cream sauce was bland. I was disappointed that they did not have Basil Walnut Pesto sauce for the Pasta bowl, maybe that would have been good.

In terms of the wine, they have a wide range available to choose from for groups or couples buying by the bottle or buying for the home, but for rum drinkers that just need to buy a glass with dinner before they hit a real rum bar, the choices were way too limited. Literally, a restriction to 3 or 4 types of wine, not even a Riesling?! Unacceptable.

So quite a cosy, inexpensive little spot, but though a wine shop, no pun intended, the quality of food can be improved upon.

 

Hummus – $450JMD +tx

Jerk sausage (with Lyonnais potatoes) – $950JMD +tx

Shrimp Penne Pasta bowl with Cream sauce – $1150JMD +tx

Grilled Chicken Penne Pasta bowl with Cream sauce – $1550JMD +tx

*Pop Up Gourmet Card accepted (10% discount)

 

The Wine Shop 

Ph#: 876.620.5098

Address: Shop 7B, Southdale Plaza, South Avenue

Date of Visit: 5/9/14

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

 

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★☆☆

Decor: ★★★★☆

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★☆

Speed: ★★★☆☆

Food quality: ★★★☆☆

Serving amount: ★★★★★

Plating: ★★★☆☆

Value for $: ★★★☆☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★☆☆

Fromage Gourmet Market continues to be a winner for dinner

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

Great service from entrance to exit. Props to our server, Dwight who knew how to handle a few troublesome ladies. Food arrived quickly. We were seated outdoors where the tables are quite small, so for groups that come that have to be seated outside, bigger tables need to be considered.

We had the Calamari starter, Blu Crab Cakes, Shrimp Scampi and Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo. All dishes are recommended, especially the Blu Crab Cakes that are consistently spicy and flavourful. The serving size of the Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo was small, compared to the Shrimp Scampi that was just $200JMD more.

The majority of their dishes are winners and costs reasonable, as entrees and pastas on the menu range from $1000JMD to $2000JMD, giving value for money. Specials are also available to break the monotony of the items listed on the menu.

Fromage Gourmet Market

Ph#: (876) 622-9856

Address: 8 Hillcrest Ave, Kingston

Date of visit: 6/8/14

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★☆☆

Decor: ★★★☆☆

Comfort: ★★★★☆

Service: ★★★★★

Speed: ★★★★★

Food quality: ★★★★★

Serving amount: ★★★★☆

Plating: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★★☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★★☆

Top left: Turkey wrap Below left: Escoveitch Fish wrap Right : Menu

There is a NEW Healthy Food Spot in Town – VIANDAS!

by Restaurant Reviews & RatingsWhat's Hot
Top left: Turkey wrap Below left: Escoveitch Fish wrap Right : Menu
Top left: Turkey wrap
Below left: Chicken salad
Right : Menu

Just this week, Verginia Mitchell opened her BRAND NEW Restaurant, VIANDAS at Shop #46, Pulse 38A, Trafalgar Road, Kingston 5. The menu is mainly comprised of healthy wraps, salads, shakes and smoothies. 

Understandably, there are a few kinks to iron out since they just opened, for instance, only cash will be accepted for the next 2 weeks and its best to call their cell number. Ambience will also be worked on this weekend and others to come so you do not have to just walk in, but you can sit and enjoy your meal. Calorie counts are expected in the future too, but until then you can trust that Verginia who studied Culinary Nutrition will not be using fatty milk or any milk for that matter in your mashed potatoes, will give you a healthy selection of cheese or portions and will use natural seasonings. Nothing is fried.

I had my Turkey wrap delivered to my office today and it was quite tasty and filling for an affordable price of $550JMD. The presentation was lovely and vibrant. The delivery time was not too delayed either. Quite impressive for an opening week. I am surely looking forward to more weeks to come and will be trying other items on the menu. Word is the Escoveitch wrap is delicious and filling as well.

For now, Viandas is OPEN Mondays to Fridays from 8am to 5pm. Delivery is free with 5 orders and $300JMD if less than 5 orders. Call Viandas at 876-946-2424 or 876-831-3606. Follow Viandas on Instagram @viandasja!