#tbt to Picante at Jamaica Food and Drink Festival last year! As we are all at a bit of a standstill, see the festival’s NEW dates that will be before Jamaica Carnival here:
Looking forward to the last quarter of the year!
Stay safe Suga Bears!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this Blog, follow Suga Lifestyle Online, on Instagram (@sugalifestyle), Twitter (@sugalifestyleja) or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
Last Thursday evening, Suga had the pleasure of attending the official Grand Opening of the Reggae Mill Restaurant at Devon House.
After two and a half years of serving Greek Cuisine at Devon House, familiarly known as Opa, owner, Alexx Antaeus decided to leave it up to his business partner, Orlease King (Jamaican, born and grown) to take over and give Devon House and by extension, Kingston, Jamaica, an authentic Jamaican cuisine restaurant.
The restaurant shares the same space as Opa and the Reggae Mill Bar, but according to Antaeus, the prices for the Reggae Mill Restaurant should be more reasonable to encourage persons to make it their preferred spot for lunch.
Appetizers were offered to guests, giving you a taste of what to expect when you decide to dine at the new, authentic Jamaican dining spot.
The Ackee and Saltfish on pressed plantain gave persons the option of adding more seasoning or spice. While the tender Pork bites gave you the true Jamaican hit of spice, mixed with a touch of sweet from the sauce.
CPJ had an assortment of wines serving throughout the night and the buffet opened up, treating guests to Rice and peas, Curried Goat, Jerked Chicken, Oxtail and Stew Peas.
Suga enjoyed it all. The flavours were balanced and the meats, sourced locally, were well seasoned and juicy to the bone. Orlease did a fantastic job of recreating the meals we grew up enjoying from our kitchens. We all know the home cooked Stew Peas that tied our fathers is not easy to achieve. I am also happy to say in Jamaican words, ‘it neva salt’.
Well done to Orlease, Alexx and their team. Looking forward to see the Reggae Mill Restaurant maintain a high standard of true, home style Jamaican cooking.
I am also looking forward to trying the Jamaican desserts, in particular, my favourite, the Bread Pudding!
Reggae Mill Restaurant
Location: Devon House, Hope Road. Kingston, Ja.
Opening Hours: Mondays – Fridays: 12 noon – 11:00 pm, Saturdays 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm
***Closed on Sundays***
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this Blog, follow Suga Lifestyle Online, on Instagram (@sugalifestyle), Twitter (@sugalifestyleja) or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
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.
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
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.
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.
Picante is the event on the Jamaica Food and Drink Festival (JFDF) roster that takes you through a world of hot, zesty flavours.
It was held last Friday night at The Ruins, Mona Visitors’ Lodge from 7-11pm.
Suga arrived early, at about 7:20pm to beat the lines and made her rounds.
Coca Cola had tasty cocktails upon entry. They had a creamy cocktail that suited the ladies and a White Rum mix that the gentlemen like my husband, Randy enjoyed.
Select Brands had sweet wines to cool down the spice and a refreshing Stoli Blueberi Lemonade that was the talk of many patrons for the night.
By the entrance, there was National’s Scotch Bonnet Butter Cheddar Popcorn stand with Popcorn bags by Chef Christian Sweeney. It was finished in no time. As usual, he created delightful bites to please the crowd.
Chef Sweeney also had a menu of Spicy Chicken with Grilled Corn and Chick Peas Salsa. Thankfully it tasted better than it looked. Congrats Chef Sweeney, it was Picante. For those who returned later in the night like myself, Pan-seared Tuna was served instead of the Chicken with the Chick Peas Salsa and it was just as delightful.
Chef Shea Stewart had a menu of spiced Snapper with a Jalapeño, Chili and Scotch Bonnet infused Risotto, however the outcome was mild. The presentation was poor, but it was quite tasty nonetheless.
Chef Dennis McIntosh did a tasty seafood dish, but it was mild as well.
Broken Plate’s dish was delicious and flavourful with a touch of spice, but I was still waiting on another dish to make me say, ‘Picante!’.
Disappointing booths for the Night
Before I get to outstanding booths for the night, the majority of Chefs produced impressive dishes. However, there were two disappointing dishes for me. One was definitely worse than the other.
Chef Jonhoi Reid from the renowned Cliff Hotel in Negril was very personable, but had a sloppy display with Pork that was difficult to chew. I was excited to see Pork stacked on Pork, but the outcome was disappointing. The Black Bean Corn Yuca Cake didn’t save the dish for me, but was quite palatable beneath it all.
I observed that they were serving persons up to 11:20pm, when most Chefs left or packed up. Having so much food left may underscore my thoughts.
Then there was Walkerswood featuring Guest Chef from overseas, Patrick Simpson and UTECH. Sad to say, but it was the worst of the night. The Peppa Shrimp with Curried Vegetable Succotash was spicy a.k.a Picante, but the Pulled Jerk Chicken was terrible. Perhaps, Chef Simpson is unfamiliar with Jamaican sauces, but that sauce did not complement the Pulled Jerk Chicken well at all. It wasn’t spicy and it overpowered it completely.
Winners of the Night for Suga!
Suga had an overall winner, but there wasn’t only one winner for me, there were five Chefs who absolutely brought it to Picante!
Oji Jaja! Best Shrimp of the NightÂ
Chef Oji Jaja had Seared Scallops, but the hit with most patrons was the Seared Shrimp with roasted pepper Scotch Bonnet sauce and Micro Basil. It wasn’t spicy, but was the best Shrimp of the night for Suga.
Spiciest dish of the Night!
The spiciest dish of the night hands down went to Chef George Matthews of Summertime Villa (Silver Sands, Trelawny; also cooks at Tryall). I couldn’t even say or scream Picante. My running eyes and nose said it all. Mission accomplished Chef Matthews.
Culinary Showman of the Night
Chef Mark Cole from The Jamaica Pegasus cooked with a lot of flare, literally. He cooked two dishes, including a stuffed spicy Potato, but he had one of the two longest lines of the night for his Picante style Salmon Hash. It’s jalapeno salsa made you say, Picante and it was delish! Bravo.
Chef Mark Cole’s Menu:
The Best Dish at Picante
Drum roll…
For the Second year in a row, Stush in the Bush wins at Picante for Suga. We all know you can’t help but love Chris and Lisa Binns and the unique, savoury, delightful food they consistently produce, but without bias, although Chef Mark Cole came close, their dish was the best overall at Picante. Their dish made you hot and cooled you down at the same time with pickled watermelon radishes and pickled cucumbers.
On time/Flowing production – Check
Personality – Check
Presentation – Check
Theme (Picante) – Check
Flavours – Check
Textures – Check
Wow Factor – Check
Snaps for making Vegetarian look good! There were so many flavours and textures on one plate. Absolute perfection. Stush in the Bush showed up once again. Congratulations and Well done.
Drinks and Desserts!
Other than more drinks provided by the Appleton Estate Bar, desserts provided were a great way to cool off the taste buds.
Sagicor’s booth with Chef Rebecca Karram had sweet and spicy treats. She did well. I enjoyed all of her desserts. The Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie with a Chai Spiced Milk Shot was a crowd fave.
Wisynco’s Haagen Dazs Ice Cream booth was buzzing all night with patrons and when the night was over, they had brawta. They served one item from their menu at different points in the night. The items provided an added crunchy texture to the ice cream, with a touch of spice too.
Kudos to the organizers and sponsors of Jamaica Food and Drink Festival. ALL events were sold out and from what I heard, patrons enjoyed the majority of the events. Persons were disappointed with the smallest event, Crisp because it had less Chefs.
Jamaicans are a fickle bunch. So after a few successful stagings, I think that JFDF should change things up a bit, and replace Crisp with Seafood, perhaps call it Sea Breeze. It could be by Port Royal for a change of scenery or even in Portland or Ocho Rios. The event has been staged in Kingston for some time, but it is Jamaica Food and Drink Festival.
Looking forward to another great year!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this Article, follow Suga Lifestyle Online, on Instagram (@sugalifestyle), Twitter (@sugalifestyleja) or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this Promo, follow Suga Lifestyle Online, on Instagram (@sugalifestyle), Twitter (@sugalifestyleja) or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
Suga visited Christmas in July at The Jamaica Pegasus last Thursday. It was the 4th staging of the event titled, ‘Tropical Wonderland Trade Show’ put on by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (THF). It is a Tourism Linkages Network Initiative showcasing unique Jamaican products available for wholesale and retail by local businesses. Products are usually suitable for Gifts, especially Corporate gifting and Souvenirs.
There were quite a few eye-catching displays, however I was particularly impressed by the invitation and pitch from Mrs. Ronetta Crooks-Allen of RSS Naturalll Delites to try her flavoured Coconut Drops. I am not a fan of Coconut Drops, so I was pleasantly surprised with how appetizing her Cranberry flavoured Coconut Drops tasted. I was even more impressed that it was not too sweet or overpowered by the cranberries. The essence of coconut was still highlighted and quite delightful to the palate.
See Contact Information for RSS Naturalll Delites below to give those Cranberry flavoured Coconut Drops a try! Grater Cakes and other flavours of Coconut Drops are available as well.
Stay tuned to see where these yummy Coconut Drops may pop up in the future too! #BuyLocal
RSS Naturalll Delites
Location: 138 Rhone Park Estate. Old Harbour, St. Catherine. JA. W.I.
Ph: 876.486.7469
Email: [email protected]
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this Promo, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
1. Mangoes – They have about 31g of Sugar!
2. Condensed milk – Although Nestle is one of the better brands to use, it contains too much Sugar (22g) and Saturated Fat (10%) in just 2 tbsp (130 calories)
3. Escoveitched fish – Too high in Cholesterol (13%) and Sodium (17%)
4. Boiled/Fried dumplings (made with white flour) – High in simple Carbohydrates (Carbs.), i.e. bad Carbs.
5. Rice and peas (made with coconut milk) – High in Carbs. Also high in Saturated Fat from the coconut milk
6. National Bakery Jamaican Spice Bun – High in Sugar (18g), high in Saturated Fat (8%) and high in Carbs. (13%)
7. Sweet Cinnamon Bun – High in Cholesterol (9%)!
8. Beef Patties or any patty for that matter (That all-purpose flour crust!) – High in Saturated Fat (20%), Cholesterol (20%) and Sodium (18%)!
9. That awful, orange French Dressing that you put on your vegetables – High in Fat
Suga suggests you eliminate salad dressing from the diet and use a vinaigrette made with olive oil. Even a little lime juice can add a kick to the flavour of your greens.
10. Cornmeal porridge, Plantain porridge and Hominy corn porridge
Plantain porridge has too much Sodium and Fat; Hominy corn has too much Sugar and Sodium; Cornmeal is very high in Saturated Fat. Have Oatmeal porridge or Peanut porridge instead, but ensure that skimmed milk is used.
Why didn’t Ackee and Bammy make the list?
Bammy – No Saturated Fat or Cholesterol! High in fibre. No sugar, BUT high in Sodium (23%), so avoid if hypertensive or prone to hypertension.
Ackee – Although it is a fruit, it is classified in the fats & oils group because the main nutrient present is Fat (>50% fat). The majority of the fatty acid present is linoleic acid, which is an Unsaturated Fat therefore a ‘good fat’. However, it should still be eaten in moderation. A small amount of oil should be used to cook ackee since a large part of it’s composition is already fat/oil. Ackee also has 0 Cholesterol, 0 Saturated Fat and 240mg of Sodium.
Here are some Food Label tips to guide you in the Supermarket or when using your Fitness apps:-
Calorie free: <5/serving
Fat/sugar free: <1/2g/serving
Low calorie: <40/serving
Low sodium: <140mg/serving High in fat: >5%/serving
Too high in fat: >10%/serving
*For a woman following a 2000-calorie diet with 3 meals and 2 snacks, aim for about 1.2 teaspoons/4.8 grams of sugar per serving and fewer than 12.5 teaspoons (200 calories) sugar per day. Men are allowed a little bit more.
Have a Healthy Day!