Jamaica Food and Drink Festival has come and gone. Brunch at The Gallery was quite memorable for patrons yesterday. Now on to the next!
Restaurant Week Jamaica starts Friday, November 11 and ends Saturday, November 19, 2016.
Here are your categories. Suga’s picks coming soon!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Trevanne Donegal’s Bon Voyage Lunch Special at Jerkaz did not disappoint last Friday. The food was superb as usual. The stuffed Pasta shells were delish!
Somehow, she always manages to combine unique flavours that complement each other well. Carefully thought out dishes.
Thanks Trev. Good luck on your 1-year journey in London that will make you even more fantastic in the kitchen.
Bon Voyage from Suga!
This Lobster Special comes with Dessert too for less than $2000JMD!
Sea Deck Restaurant
20 Barbican Road, Shop #7. Kingston 6.
Ph: 876-702-4032
Suga had a decent time at Rib Roast Rum last Friday night. The event was obviously scaled down from the larger venue at Police Officer’s Club to The Grillin’ Pit at the corner of Argyle Road and Musgrave Avenue.
There was Secure Parking and organized entry into the venue. Lighting was superb, items were labelled properly and the labels were visible. Servers seemed happy and were very polite.
The advertised menu seemed to have a few changes as well. I was looking forward to the Pulled Pork Summer Rolls and 3-Cheese Mac and Cheese but they were nowhere in sight. I didn’t miss the Pulled Pork but the Mac and Cheese was missed as the side orders were not that enticing. Loaded Baked potatoes would have been a good option as well. Perhaps the side orders should have gone along with the meats because they stood alone with hardly any visitors.
Anyhow, that was a negligible negative along with the fact that the Chicken Pasta had way too much sauce. There were many other items to fill that tiny void and tantalise the taste buds though.
The Crayfish Soup was a nice starter for me. Then I made my rounds. The winner for me was the Chicken! I had both BBQ and Spicy. Well seasoned and cooked. Lovely texture topped off by unique, flavorful sauces. The succulent BBQ Ribs followed with tasty sauces as well.
The Dessert options were a hit. Jodicakes had tasty Mini Banana Nut Cupcakes and D.A.M. Good Brownies had Very Berry Vegan Bites and yummy Black Forest Brownie Parfaits.The Kremi Ice Cream cart with self serve toppings to the side was also guiltful but delightful.
The Bar kept liquor flowing quickly. Video Games, Board games and Dominoes kept some patrons happy and occupied.
Good food, Good vibes, Good music and an overall Good night.
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this article, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
Time: 6pm-11pm
Venue: The Grillin’ Pit @ the corner of Argyle Road and Musgrave Ave.
Cost: $4000 All You Can Eat & Drink
This will be the 8th staging of the event although it has been M.I.A for 2 years.
Official Catering Partner: Chef Christian Sweeney
Guest Chefs:Â
> David Kay (Azuri Catering & Culinary Services and The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel)
> Tiffany Gooden (Confections of a Sugar Junkie)
> Lianne Chen (Lilee’s Cakes & Catering)
Some of the salivating bites to look out for!
Pulled Pork Summer Rolls, Sesame Chicken Skewers, Rum BBQ Ribs, Slow-Roasted Beef Brisket, Foil wrapped Grilled Fish, Crayfish Soup, Smoked 3-Cheese Mac and Cheese and more!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this blog, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
I’m looking forward to choosing from their menu and you should be too!
Biggest screen in town and best place to watch Sports at the moment. Big up.
100
Location 100 Hope Road. Kingston 6
Ph: 876.665-3BET (3238)
Instagram: 100hoperoad
Facebook: 100 Hope Road
Chez Maria Restaurant
Lebanese & Italian Cuisine
Ph#: 876-927-8078; 876-430-3822 (Digicel)
Address: 80 Lady Musgrave Road. Shop #3. Kingston 10
***Menu on Website
Website: www.chezmaria.webs.com
***You can now order online for delivery at www.myquickplate.com
***Like them on Facebook: Chez Maria Restaurant
Date and time of visit: July 9, 2016 @ 3:30pm
Suga’s Order for party of 2:
Chicken & Vegetable Soup: $340
Smoked Marlin appetizer: $940
Jerky (Jerked Chicken Pizza): $1650
Filet Mignon with Creamy mushroom sauce: $2400
NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum
Parking: ★★★★★
Ambience: ★★★☆☆
Decor: ★★★☆☆
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Service: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★★
Food quality: ★★★★☆
Serving amount: ★★★★★
Plating: ★★★☆☆
Value for $: ★★★★★
Suga Endorsement: ★★★★☆
Suga’s Comments:
Love the options of indoor and outdoor seating. Quick service. Large serving size. Tasty, spicy pizza. Filet Mignon slightly overcooked for medium rare but mushroom sauce was delicious!
Nice variety of flat bread pizzas to order for take out or delivery.
Last Saturday, my husband and I made it all the way to Blue Ridge. A 40 minute drive from Papine that was worth it.
We made reservations for 5pm and we were on time. Upon arrival, I loved the colourful landscape driving in. We were greeted nicely and offered fresh market lettuce with lovely foliage to purchase.
We were seated and given enough time to become acquainted with the picturesque view and fresh air that surrounded us. We admired the rustic decor, use of colours and cute centerpieces with fresh rosemary.
After we thought the decor was nice, they just kept stepping it up a notch with uniqueness and creativity. The main menu came in a picture frame that stood on the table so you didn’t have to hold up anything. We ordered the Soup of the day ($650JMD), Corn Chowder that came out in a reasonable amount of time and was decent.
Then came our exciting entrees with a twist. I had the Blue Ridge Pork Chops in Guava Glaze with a side of mashed potatoes ($2700JMD) and my husband had the Homemade Chicken Pot Pie with a side of macaroni and cheese ($1800JMD). The Chicken Pot Pie came in a tray with a globe and my Pork Chops came with a huge elephant head sculpture.
There was a burst of flavour upon tasting the Chicken Pot Pie. The macaroni and cheese was ok but the mashed potatoes that accompanied my Pork chop was herby and tasty. The Pork chop was tender and succulent. I enjoyed every piece of it.
We topped off our meal by sharing a delicious Coffee Rum Ice cream.
Since persons travel all the way up there, I love that they make special efforts to be unique. I enjoyed their creativity and the fact that the majority of their food was fresh and homemade. They also found a way to incorporate our famous Blue Mountain Coffee into their menu with the Coffee Rum Ice cream, Blue Hot Chocolate and Blue Ridge Coffee.
A bit pricey but when you have good service, good food, excellent presentation with a spectacular view and fresh air, then your bill comes in a gift box, that’s value for money and a lovely experience that was worth the long drive.
Blue Ridge Restaurant and Cottages
Location: Salt Hill Lot 9 East Rural, St. Andrew, Blue Mountain
Ph: 562-7580
***Reservations recommended
About 2 Saturdays ago, Suga faced the famous question from her other half, ‘Where should we go for lunch?’. After the usual pondering for a few minutes, I mentioned that House of Loaves was having a New York ‘Halal’ Cart-Style day at Active Home Centre. His response when he looked at the ad showing that their food ranged from $800-$1500JMD was, ‘No sah. 15 bills for food from a truck that sells in New York for $7.99US and we can still sit down and have something nice somewhere else for that price or less?!’ He suggested Café El Centro above Fromage on Hillcrest avenue where friends have been going and enjoying their food, so I agreed to go.
We arrived at about 3:30pm and we were greeted pleasantly and seated. I instantly felt cosy in the quiet, quaint atmosphere with vintage décor. I loved the use of wooden palettes for the ceiling, hanging lanterns, decorated wooden signs on the walls and wine glasses hanging from the palettes in part of the ceiling above a wine and pastry cooler. All of this was complemented by a calming colour scheme of browns, beiges and a pastel green.
There were a few diners and one of them was enjoying Pancakes and Eggs beside us because they serve American-style Breakfast all day!
My husband and I were discussing items on the menu which they seemed to have revised again including items for dinner as well. The menu had quite a range of items including Paninis, Sandwiches and Wraps, Pastas, Soup, Snapper Fillet and Shrimp dishes, Pork Chops and more. The prices quoted were tax inclusive as well.
The diner beside us overheard us trying to decide and since I mentioned that I felt for a Wrap, she said that their Chicken Roti Wrap was really good. So my husband ordered the Lamb Burger with fries, which you can get with a wheat bun ($1200JMD) and I ordered the Curried Chicken Roti Wrap with veggies on the side ($950JMD).
Our food arrived quickly and the manager, Tina Newman who took our order was very attentive. She was Professional but friendly at the same time. She gave my husband the option of having Mint jelly on the side, which she brought and I also ordered their homemade Lemonade ($300JMD) that was refreshing.
The Curried Chicken Roti Wrap was very tasty and did not kill me with pepper, it had just the right amount of spice that I enjoyed. I liked that the veggies were fresh as well.
The Lamb was tender and flavourful for the the Lamb Burger, the bun was fresh and it was appreciated that the meat filled the bun perfectly. Not many places get the meat and bun proportion right.
Even though we were sitting and chatting after our meal, our table was cleared quickly. The Chef came out and asked for our feedback, which was positive.
Tina came back over to our table and told us about their Steak night that they started on Fridays. Since Medusas is now closed, the same Chef Robin Rickhi does Steak night and I know his Steaks are succulent and he has a special marinated seasoning.
We were told they face the demand for Steak on other days so she said you can call in your order early if you wish to do so and the Chef there will whip it up for you, whether you are ordering steak or not.
The newlyweds had a delightful experience and we will return.
Café El CentroÂ
Location: 8 Hillcrest Avenue
Ph: 876-927-8415
Opening hours: 9am -10pm
Email: [email protected]
