Review coming soon! If in Kingston, it is worth the drive! If you are in Montego Bay or close by, what are you waiting for?! Make reservations ASAP and don’t miss your chance to Dig In at Marguerites this RW 2015.
Marguerites Seafood by the Sea
Location: Gloucester Ave. (The Hip Strip), Montego Bay
Fromage, always a fave of mine, will be offering Korean BBq Pulled Pork with Asian slaw and fries that should be delightful, as well as their other menu items.
C & C South Beach have really revamped themself this year. They have great choices from Appetizers to Desserts. See their recent review and RW recommendations by clicking on the link below:
Gimbilyn Restaurant at Alhambra Inn seems to always be off the radar, but has proven to be a lovely experience, especially last year. Their Fish pocket appetizer looks interesting and they have a wide range of main dishes including Chicken, Pork, Mahi Mahi, Beef and a Vegan option. Their dessert options look fantastic as well, including Plain and Chocolate Cake Rum Lollipops, Cheesecake and a Warm Coffee Bread Pudding that is known to be good.
M-10 should have dishes with a burst of Jamaican flavour. Ackee or Callaloo Quiche to start and Smoked Pork chops or their Fish fillet in coconut sauce to follow? Yum!
What’s sizzling on the North Coast?
Evita’s in Ocho Rios was a winner last year. This year they look like they will please diners with their Jamaican Viagra Conch Fritters. Yes I did say Viagra. Looks like the magic will be in the Chef’s special ‘Jerk’ sauce that it is served with.
Mystic India in Montego Bay seems to be the choice for Indian cuisine this year. They always have sizzling options on a regular basis and their menu will include just that, for instance, Chilli Shrimp, Mutton Sheekh Kebab and Tandoori Chicken. That is just an appetizer!
MoBay is also home to the well known, Pelican Grill and Seahorse Grill. Pelican Grill has good service, tasty food and is always a pleasure to visit. Their Surf and Turf as well as their Grilled Fillet of Steak and Lobster look like excellent options. Seahorse Grill will have Smoked Blue Marlin on toast with herbed cream cheese, Hummus Dip with roasted peppers, kalamata olives and pita points as two of the choices for appetizers. Their Shrimp Saint James with savoury shrimp, simmered in a New Orleans style Creole sauce, with red onion, tomato, red and green peppers, okra and jerk sausage looks like all kinds of goodness. Then there is much more!
Remember you can give your feedback here or go to the Restaurant Week Jamaica 2015 index page, choose the Restaurants and rate them.
Dig In!
Contact information and locations for Restaurants mentioned:
The Tasty Category for $1850JMD (Includes choice of Appetizer, Main course and Dessert. Beverages, G.C.T and Gratuity additional) during Restaurant Week has so many choices to choose from, but where should you really choose for the best deal?
Consider the menu quality and uniqueness, reputation of service and an ambience would be a plus.
Did you see my review from my Pre-Restaurant week tasting at Lucky Strike Lounge? It’s a winner.
East Japanese looks like the place of choice for Asian cuisine, offering value for money.
Portmore massive, the Milk Shake from Buzzers looks divine!
The UTECH students from Lillian’s Restaurant seemed to put a lot of effort into their menu as usual, offering unique dishes at a low cost. Their Seared Trout and Vegetable Lasagne including Eggplant and more look like they won’t disappoint.
Pizza Hut (Kgn and MoBay) is always loaded with goodness on their menu for RW with various Pastas and more. The spot should be great for a family outing and their Over-the-Top Cheesecake looks delish.
Sea Deck is always a pleasure. Even though their Crab back usually takes long, it is worth the wait. Other than that, you should be able to look forward to quick service, delicious, large servings and a lovely ambience for more than a reasonable price.
What else is going on outside of Kingston?
The Cardiff Hotel and Spa in Runaway Bay impressed me from the RW Launch, offering some of the items from their menu. Their Jerked Chicken Fettuccine had a good flavour with a touch of spicy and their Sweet Potato Pudding had an authentic Jamaican taste. Their Oxtail Mac and Cheese sounds salivating!
I have not dined at Chill Out Hut Beach Bar and Grill in Long Bay, St. James yet, but I would definitely give them a try. Their 1lb Whole Steamed Fish looks juicy!
Remember you can give your feedback here or go to the Restaurant Week Jamaica 2015 index page, choose the Restaurants and rate them.
Dig In!
Contact information and locations for Restaurants mentioned:
Lucky Strike Lounge
Location: 195 C Constant Spring Road (Manor Centre), Kingston 8
Ph: 876-631-9980, 876-631-9797
East Japanese
Location: Market Place at 67 Constant Spring Rd. Kingston, Jamaica
Ph: 960-3962 or 960-3594
Endzzone at Buzzers
Location: 63A Congrieve Park, Naggo Head, Portmore, Kingston
Ph: 876-939-2553
Lillian’s Restaurant
Location: University of Technology, Jamaica, 237 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6
Ph: 876-970-2224
Pizza Hut Dine-In (Kgn and MoBay)
Locations: 57 Knutsford Blvd. New Kingston. Kgn. 5/Â Lot 9 Howard Cooke Boulevard. Montego Bay
Ph: 876-920-8656/ 876-920-8657, 876-971-5380
The Cost of Restaurants in the Epicurean category is $4300JMD and includes an appetizer, salad, main course and dessert. Beverage, GCT and gratuity are additional, so it works out to about $6000JMD per person.
For Kingston, both Rojo Restaurant at Spanish Court Hotel and The Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel are good choices. Rojo may be more suited for a date or party of 4. While Terra Nova may suit bigger parties such as a family affair or dinner/lunch with the coworkers.
Rojo is known to have excellent service and a lovely ambience. Their menu for Restaurant week has finally changed as well. The Pan Seared Shrimp and Lobster with a Herbed Scotch Bonnet Cocktail Sauce and Mixed Greens or Seafood Chowder Flavourful Soup with Calamari, Snapper, Shrimp and Mussels, garnished with Scallion looks great for the Appetizer and Soup.
Terra Nova’s menu seems to have a little more variety and if you are a Lamb or Pork Loin lover, they usually excel with those dishes. Spicily seasoned Salmon cakes served with a Jalapeno Slaw should be a good starter and their White Chocolate Cheesecake with fresh Berry Compote, a delicious conclusion.
Look forward to dressing up and going to these restaurants. That is part of the fun about this category. Gentlemen, button up shirts are a must and no sneakers. Ladies you can still show a little skin and be classy. Flash back Friday to my style in the FLAIR last Monday!
***If you haven’t made reservations already, that is a must. Available space goes fast, especially with Rojo.
Contact information and locations for Restaurants:
Rojo Restaurant at Spanish Court Hotel
ADDRESS: 1 St Lucia Avenue Kingston, Jamaica
PHONE: 876-926-0000 Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel
ADDRESS: 7 Waterloo Road, Kingston 10, Jamaica, Kingston
PHONE: 876- 926-2211 Marguerites Seafood by the Sea (Montego Bay)
ADDRESS: Gloucester Ave., Montego Bay, Montego Bay, Jamaica
PHONE: 876-952-4777
But all that glitters is not Gold right? Although the negatives were negligible, Whitebones Seafood has not really changed since my last visit over a year ago. Their decor needs a makeover for a Restaurant in the Delectable category and so does their flatware. It is about time for those plates with the fishes to go! They have uplifting placemats but they are not practical for drinks and small tables. The aquarium could use some lighting and I do not think the kitchen should be so open to the diner’s eye.
The Black Forest Cake for dessert looked like a PriceSmart cake but the aroma of the rum from the Bread Pudding which seemed to be made in-house distracted me from the cake. Restaurants, especially those that do not usually offer dessert should avoid offering store-bought cake. I think it is better and safer to just offer ice cream!
Thankfully they have upheld their standard of good service and delicious food. So it was not perfect, but definitely Suga endorsed.
Menus for Restaurant Week Jamaica 2015 are also out today! So buy your Jamaica Gleaner NOW if you haven’t already. You know it’s Food Day. Get ready to Dig in starting tomorrow!
Also see what other ambassadors had to say about Restaurants they visited.
Note that the Chef loves to make things spicy so that Jerked pork may be hot hot hot like their Seafood bowl that they serve on Wednesday nights.
For Dessert they have Cuban Bread Pudding served with a warm coffee caramel that I hear is quite small in size and more Waffles! A warm Belgian waffle served with your choice ice-cream topped with a warm fruit compote.
Service was alright but they were the only people there, so hard to judge versus if there were more diners present.
The serving size was decent and provided value for money. However, their style of cooking is by smoking the chicken, not jerking. So why not call it Smokaz?
JERKAZ Restaurant has a lot of potential to be a nice chill spot to have some drinks and affordable food. Perhaps they should participate in Restaurant Week next year in the Tasty category for more exposure. Until then, a different marketing strategy needs to be used and they should ensure that they are prepared for an increased amount of diners.
Last Saturday, I needed a quick, light bite that was somewhat healthy because of the Sunday binge ahead at the Restaurant Week launch (Review coming soon folks!).
I quickly realised I was due a visit to Fromage Gourmet Market and made my way there a few minutes before 3pm.
I received the usual pleasant greeting and good service. I already knew I wanted a Panini, so ordered instantly, choosing the Turkey Panini Bijou over the Smoked Marlin Panini. I was happy to hear I had the option of having my Panini with wheat bread. Fantastic!
I had to wait 5 minutes more than I would have liked to though, because I do not think a Panini should take more than 15 minutes, but it arrived hot and was quite flavourful with the blue cheese.
The mason jars for drinking water or juice and flesh flowers on the table added a refreshing touch.
My Panini was also quite affordable and filling, costing $900JMD +tx. Thanks to Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica, I could use my Advantage card there for my 10% discount, so my bill did not go over a $1000JMD.
I am delighted that Fromage has maintained a high standard of service and food quality and also revise their menu so patrons never get bored there.