There’s a NEW Hot Spot to Eat in Town!

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Suga’s Ratings for Chillin’ Restaurant

Date and time of visit: Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 9:00pm

No. of diners: 2 adults

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★☆

Ambience: ★★★★☆

Décor: ★★★★☆

Comfort: ★★★★☆

Service: ★★★★☆

Speed: ★★★★☆

Food quality: ★★★★★

Serving amount: ★★★★★

Plating: ★★★★★

Value for $: ★★★★★

Suga’s Breakdown:

Thatched roofs, bamboo, wooden tables and stools along with courteous staff, nestled in the lush greenery of the Serengeti Zoo, Chillin’ provided a comfortable setting to have dinner with my husband, Randy last Saturday night.

Chillin’ Restaurant emerged as a hot spot over the holidays and seems suitable for teens and up.

When I saw Murray’s Curry Goat on the menu, I instantly knew the owners of Murray’s Fish and Jerk Hut, Clarendon have come to town! It kicked my senses into high gear.

Appetizers

I instantly ordered the Murray’s Curry Goat and Roti Waffle bites.

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Murray’s Curry Goat and Roti Waffle bites ($1000JMD) – Jamaican curried goat and mixed leaves on a bed of roti waffles.

The Curry Goat was deboned, tender, juicy and spicy complemented by veggies and a soft Roti Waffle to cool things down.

Salads, Chicken Strips, Wings, Wontons, and Corn-on-the-Cob are other Appetizers on the menu ranging from $900JMD to $1600JMD.

There are also attractive group platters ranging from $2500-$3600JMD with options of healthy servings of Jerked meat, Wontons, Corn and Wings with a variety of sauces.

Main Dishes

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Serengeti Grilled Barbeque Chicken ($1200JMD) – Chicken quarter grilled and brushed with Chillin’s sticky House Barbeque Sauce, served with sautéed vegetables and any select side. Randy chose mashed potatoes.
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Healthy, Almond and Pineapple crusted Salmon ($2600JMD) – Cast iron toasted almond with oven-roasted pineapple crusted Atlantic Salmon served with sautéed vegetables and my chosen side of sweet potato croquettes.

Our mains were presented attractively in healthy portions, both well cooked and quite savoury. That Chillin’s sticky House Barbeque Sauce is one for the recipe books.

Murray’s popular, seasoned to perfection Curried Goat, Smoked Pork Chop, Peppa Shrimp and Braised Oxtail are other succulent main items on the menu.

Chillin’ Restaurant and Bar seems like the perfect place to have a bite and pregame before a night out or the place to have a savoury, well cooked and seasoned meal accompanied by the sound of good music.

Chillin’ Restaurant is #SugaEndorsed.

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Gabrielle Burgess a.k.a Suga at Chillin’ Restaurant last Saturday, January 19, 2019.

Chillin’ Restaurant and Bar

Location: Gibson Close, Hope Zoo. Kingston.

Ph: 876-630-7183; 876-542-5757

Social Media: @chillinrestaurant

Opening Hours: Tues. – Thurs. @ 4pm -11pm; Fri. – Sat. @4pm – 1am

By: Gabrielle Burgess

If you liked this Blog, follow Suga Lifestyle Online, on Instagram (@sugalifestyle), Twitter (@sugalifestyleja) or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.

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Suga has Pig Ears Thai Style in Jamaica!

Suga’s Ratings for Mystic Thai!

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★★★

Décor: ★★★★☆

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★★

Speed: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★★★

Suga Endorsement: ★★★★★

Comments: Great Service and Authentic Thai Cuisine dishes infused with a well-balanced variety of herbs, spices and flavours in satisfactory portions for affordable prices. Ambience and lighting for a romantic dinner, but also a neat spot to meet for lunch or dinner with family and/or friends over drinks.

I challenged Mystic Thai in Montego Bay to cook me Pig Ears Thai style and they did not disappoint!

I visited Mystic Thai two weekends ago to not only try the Pig Ear dish prepared for me, but to also enjoy other dishes for dinner on Saturday night at about 8:45pm with my husband, Randy who does not eat pork.

Randy started off with a fiery Tom Yum Vegetable Soup ($4USD), which was a mixture of lemon grass, Thai herbs and chilli paste. It’s not for the light-hearted. It was a burst of flavour defining all herbs that later offered the taste buds some relief with the cool, minty effect of lemon grass.

He then enjoyed the Crispy Fried Okra Appetizer ($8USD) that I highly recommended.

In my last article on Pig Ears, I took my readers through several countries and how they usually prepare Pig Ears for their cuisines. So I wasn’t surprised when Chef Bansi Joshi came to our table presenting a Pig Ears Salad. The Pig Ears were boiled first, then cut longitudinally and deep-fried.

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Pig Ears Salad with lemon juice, cilantro, scallion, tomato and onion.

I thought that was going to be it, but out came another Pig Ears dish!

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Kapow style Pig Ears with Thai Chilli, garlic and other spices.

This time the Pig Ears arrived Kapow style, that is, based in soy sauce and cooked with garlic, chilli and other spices. I am not a fan of soy sauce, but appreciated the spicy flavour brought on by the Thai Chilli that accompanied it, along with other added spices. It was sweet, then immediately followed by a hit of spicy.

The Pig Ears had a bit of crisp and slightly rubbery texture as expected for both dishes and they were prepared the same way. I preferred the Salad that was lighter with a more highlighted taste and texture of the Pig Ears, along with the refreshing taste of lemon juice and cilantro.

I actually could not accommodate much more food. I had a few of my delish Shrimps in Panang curry, then sampled a bit of Randy’s Basil Naan and Lobster in Red Thai Curry. The Lobster was tasty, meaty and its sauce complemented it well.

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A. Shrimp in Panang Curry based in Red Chillies and Peanuts topped off with coconut cream sauce ($14USD) B. Basil Naan ($3USD) C. Lobster in Red Thai Curry, a blend of Dried Red Chillies, Kaffir Lime rind, Coriander root and Cumin ($18USD)

We were both stuffed and satisfied, especially after the gastronomic day we had, but I ensured space was made for the Fruit and Nut Chocolate Naan that I missed out on the last time I visited. I am paying for that Nutella at the gym right now but it was worth it!

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Fruit and Nut Chocolate Naan

Suga snaps to Owner, Kareena Mahbubani for taking on and facilitating my Pig Ears challenge, Chef Bansi for great execution and the staff for their usual great hospitality and attentiveness.

Hope to visit again soon! #SugaEndorsed

Mystic Thai (Asian & Thai Cuisine)

Location: B11 – Fairview Towne Centre Unit, Montego Bay

Ph: 876-633-6535

Website: http://www.mysticthaijamaica.com

Opening Hours: Mondays – Sundays, 11:30am – 10pm

By: Gabrielle Burgess

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

Coconut milk is not good if you are on a diet!

First of all, here is a list of some of what Coconut milk is a common ingredient for:

Curries

Rice and Peas/Coconut rice

Run down

Pumpkin soup

Coconut cream sauce (often used on fish)

Banana pudding

Coconut ice cream

Trini Callaloo (stew)

Brazilian seafood and stews

Serabi pancakes in Indonesia

What is Coconut milk?

According to Wikipedia, it is the liquid that comes from the grated meat of a brown coconut. It should not be confused with Coconut water. The colour and rich taste of Coconut milk can be attributed to the HIGH OIL CONTENT. Most of the fat is Saturated fat.

Coconut milk has 21g saturated fat per 100g with 230 calories, that is 104% daily value of saturated fat or even 16% per tablespoon! No bueno.

So what do you do if you enjoy some of the dishes above?

Make a sacrifice and avoid them until your fitness goal is obtained or you can afford to have ‘cheat days’ OR substitute the Coconut milk for Almond milk or Skimmed milk, of course knowing the taste would not be as authentic or delicious.

Redbones

Redbones’ Restaurant Rating

Redbones

Redbones Blues Cafe

Ph#: 978-6091

Address: 1 Argyle Rd. Kingston 10

 

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★★★

Decor: ★★★★★

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★★

Speed: ★★★★★

Food quality: ★★★★★

Serving amount: ★★★★★

Plating: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★★★

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★★★

 

Comments: Flawless service. Lovely Christmas decor. Great place for dinner during the season with loved ones. Curry sauces used are unique and tasty.