SIP’n’GO Juice Bar was at The Hub Coworking’s Christmas Pop Up Shop last December and I was encouraged to try their Green Natural Juice even though Green Juices and Smoothies are definitely not something I enjoy. I prefer Protein shakes with a little fat-free dairy and more flavour.
However, I was pleasantly surprised when I tried SIP’n’Go’s Natural Green Juice ($300JMD on that day) called the Refresher with Callaloo, Spinach and Cucumber. It had a tangy kick to it that I could appreciate, which came from the addition of Orange juice and a touch of Ginger.
SIP’n’GO Juice Bar has Smoothies, Shakes and more that I know some of my Suga Bears have been enjoying. So go and check them out. They deliver too!
No Christmas Fruit Cake comes close to my Mother’s or Aunty Mads’. With that said, I can be very critical about them. So I pondered for days what I was going to do to keep the tradition alive, especially since I was staying in Jamaica all season. I felt like I needed not 1 but 2 cakes!
I stumbled across a friend’s Instagram page, Sweet Obsession where it looked good and the price was right.
â— 1 1/2lbs – $1500JMD
â— 2lbs – $2400JMD
â— 3lbs – $3500JMD
Of course I had to do a tasting first, explaining that I don’t like it too fruity but I like it with lots of rum.
The quality of the tasting was alright. It had my rum content but the texture needed to be a bit softer. So I passed that information along and made my order with the assurance that adjustments would be made.
I was happy that my order came extremely close to my high standard. Friends and Family enjoyed it as well. It was certainly a treat for all of 700+ calories per slice. That’s right folks, Suga recommends you lose 5 to 10 pounds before each Christmas to fully endulge guilt-free!
Looking forward to another season with Sweet Obsession!
I also cannot forget to mention my annual craving of their Chairman’s Egg Nog. I endulged and enjoyed my spiked one as usual. You have until this Friday, January 6th to enjoy it as well as the White Chocolate Latte!
Chairman’s Egg Nog
Enjoy at Sovereign Mall, Irish Town or NMIA in Kingston or Shoppes at Rose Hall or Fontana in Montego Bay!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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The menu is pretty much the same and the quality of the food is still good with mediocre service. Pleasant staff but I thought 25 minutes was too long a wait for a Mini Nacho Supreme ($600JMD incl. tx), Gorditas (2 Chicken & 1 Beef for $1050JMD incl. tx) and a Burrito ($1000JMD incl. tx). The Mini Nacho Supreme should have come out quickly or we should have been asked if we would have liked that before the main. The Restaurant was not full either.
My husband and I have been pretty much ordering the same thing from them for years and I remember getting served within 5 to 10 minutes. Our food was made right infront of our eyes. I still prefer that method. I suppose as years went by with expansion and more customers they saw a need for a change, which I don’t mind but more speed in service is required. The waiters assigned to each table also need to be attentive in reassuring us the food will soon be ready and also asking if we would like anything else or if everything is ok.
Mini Nacho Supreme ($600JMD incl. tx)
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They have their usual Taco Tuesdays as well as Margarita Mondays and Burrito Fridays with various specials.
So go check out Chilitos at their new home on Hope Road. Lovely setting for going out on a date or for outings with friends and family. If the wait is a little long have some $300 beers while you do.
Jamaica Liquor Warehouse at Lindsay Crescent is the place to go!
They opened a few weeks ago and have affordable liquor for you in all sizes. Yes Johnny Walker Black is sold by the cue there too!
They have a Bar and a Deli that you can walk over to. Suga went last week Saturday and ordered food, browsed in the liquor store then ate.
The staff were very cordial. Food came out in an adequate time. I was salivating at their Chicken and Waffles from one of their Instagram posts, a Warehouse favourite. Apparently it had shrimp too. The spicy maple syrup was everything.
Golden brown Waffles and Crispy Chicken Tenders and Shrimp ($1850)
My husband had the Warehouse Burger that was cooked to order, medium. Well done Chef.
The Warehouse Burger served on an over easy egg ($1400)
GW Art will be at The Hub Coworking’s Christmas Pop Up Shop tomorrow from 10am – 6pm and there will be some deals!
Remember to come and collect your Orders during that time as well and browse the New Items.
The New GW Art Collection that was launched at the end of October is SOLD OUT! Thanks so much to all my Loyal Customers. But not to worry, I will be bringing back replicas of some of the favourites if you missed out or want more.
Get the ‘It’s Always Wine O’Clock’ Table/Desktop for your Wine Cooler, Bar top, Liquor trolley or any surface you desire like this happy customer here!
Other favourites such as ‘Martini Madness’, ‘Petals 2’ and variations of others will be there too!
Martini Madness
If you didn’t get to order your ‘Joy’ Bottle for Christmas that sold like hot bread, there will be more!
Please check out the Images below available for Ordering with new designs as well as designs for Table/Desktops (Acrylic on Canvas Panel) that you may have missed out on last month.
Decorative Bottles:
(L) Joy; (R) Peace Love Joy
Top Left: Live Laugh Love with Burlap flower; Top right: Live Laugh Love; Centre: Burlap flower
Left: Blue with Burlap Flower; Right: Gold with Ivory rose
Table/Desktop pieces:
Petals 2
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Prices:
Decorative Bottles – $2500.00
Table/Desktops (9*12)” – $3500.00
Table/Desktops (8*10)” – $3000.00
Bulk items – *Discounted prices Available
To Order:
1. Email ([email protected]) with your order by Monday, December 12.
2. You can Pick up your Order at The Hub Coworking’s Christmas Pop-Up Shop (34 Lady Musgrave Road, Unit #18) on Saturday, December 17, 2016 from 10am to 6pm.
How was Restaurant Week for Suga and her Suga Bears? Not so exciting. The majority of Suga Bears’ responses were ‘meh’, ‘It wasn’t all that’ and ‘I didn’t participate this year or feel the urge to’. I totally agree. Marketing was probably at its lowest this year. It seemed as if the Ambassadors were practically invisible until the week had almost passed by. The Nyam & Jam Food and Drink Festival had a lot more buzz going on. Did the US elections and the victory of Donald Trump kill advertising? It’s partially the media’s event so they should have had control over that.
The lack of creativity and variety in Menus were also disappointing for many this year, causing some not to participate at all.
Though in agreement, I still tried to find and suggest the best Restaurants and got a few to change their mind. One was pleasantly surprised with Nirvanna Indian Fusion Cuisine’s Nyam and Scram. It was not only affordable but filling and delicious with the right amount of spice.
Nirvanna Indian Fusion Cuisine ($1300 +GCT)
Sugacan’t say the same for CPJ Deli’s Nyam & Scram though. Thankfully I made the right choice with the Pan Seared Snapper Fillet. It was the best of the worse at the table with its bones and all. The Grilled Garlic and Ginger Pork Chop was lacking seasoning and a salivating sauce and the Crispy Parmesan Shrimp Salad was a disaster. The best thing on that plate was the taco shell that the Salad came in. The Salad arrived at the table with no vinaigrette as advertised and the Shrimps were burnt. When my friend was already trying her best to get halfway through, the waitress realised she forgot to serve it with the vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese for the Shrimp. The Parmesan cheese could not help that dry, burnt Shrimp though. Most of the staff were unpleasant and seemed overwhelmed by the Deli full of diners. They usually have good service but last Saturday was horrible. Even getting an extra fork was a production. Their Restaurant Week menu did not include a Soup or even a Muffin but only a glass of wine or a Vodka mix along with the meal. Thankfully we digressed from the Restaurant Week menu and ordered the Chocolate Endulgence. Go to CPJ Deli if you are in need of a proper Chocolate fix! Let it soften from the fridge for a bit and then allow it take your breath away. Endulge!
The Houseboat Grill (Delectable)Â in Montego Bay was average and the food was described as salty. Have they fallen off? That would be a shame. Suga will have to revisit and see for herself.
Marguerites Seafood by the Sea in Montego Bay (Epicurean)Â has kept up its sensational standards.
I was let down by the build up for L’Escargot (Epicurean). Thankfully the best thing was their Escargots. Long waits, tasty but not so delicious food, desserts that were not decadent and waiters that lacked charisma. Not value for money but will revisit as they have an extensive menu.
Escargots from L’Escargot
I was disapponted that I did not get to try Boardwalk Bistro, Ocho Rios (Tasty) for Restaurant Week. They took a while to greet me as a diner and did not start serving the RW menu until 5:30pm. Since it was literally on the Boardwalk close to the sea and given the casual look of the Restaurant & Bar, I think it would have been appropriate to offer their menu during lunch time was well. The tourists on their Cruise may have also enjoyed that option.
Boardwalk Bistro’s Rum Fire Ice Cream Cake (Photo credit: @jamaicagleaner Instagram Photo)
Sadly I will have wait to return some day to taste their Rum Fire Ice Cream Cake (if available) that I was looking forward to, as well as one of their best sellers, the Fisherman Seafood dish with scallops, shrimp, squid, mussels and fish.
Great Escape at Runaway Bay Golf Club (Savoury)Â was a pleasant surprise. New kids on the block with great service and food with a picturesque view.
Evita’s Italian (Delectable) also held it down in Ocho Rios. Kudos to them. They had another good year.
Evita’s Italian (Photo credit: Simone Green)
In Kingston, it was reported that Redbones (Delectable) was good but not great. I think they are consistently good but didn’t see based on their menu where they would be spectacular.
Saffron Indian Cuisine (Savoury) was not prepared for Restaurant week. A Suga Bear had an 8:00pm reservation with friends and got seated at 8:50pm at a two seater table for three people. What a shame.
The Regency Room at Terra Nova All Suite Hotel (Epicurean)Â lived up to its reputation of having the best Lamb Chops!
Many Restaurants may not have been mentioned but these are the highlights for Suga this year based on experiences and feedback given. If you did not choose to participate in Restaurant Week this year, still have a look at the Restaurants at www.go-jamaica.com/rw/ and see where looks interesting that you haven’t visited as yet. Let us remember Restaurants not only treat diners with special offers for Restaurant Week but participate for opportunities to expand their patronage and debut new items on their Menus.
I look forward to trying Bettino by Drax Hall Estate, Ocho Rios and Smoked Marlin in Hanover some day soon.
Well that’s it for this year folks. Until next year!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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