Asia’s Café: ‘Dem Pasta neida Dry nor Wet’ says a diner

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

A few weeks ago at about 8:30pm, I finally visited Asia’s Café, found in the middle of York Pharmacy on Half Way Tree Road. The restaurant will be opened for a year this December 15th. The news spread fast upon their opening since they are open 24/7 and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner options, sandwiches, salads and various pastries and beverages. It’s also convenient for patients visiting the pharmacy and nearby 24/7 doctor’s offices. The seating area is small so it’s usually order-to go.

For such a small establishment, I noticed a huge menu with affordable items. There were Breakfast items such as Eggs etc., Soups, Salads for $600JMD, OMG Burger for $550JMD, dishes such as Shrimp/Jerk Chicken Pasta and Chicken Lasagna ranging from $700-800JMD, standard Box lunch dishes such as Fried and Roasted Chicken, side orders such as Garlic bread, Potato wedges and Potato salad ranging from $70-$220JMD. They also offer both hot and cold Beverages, as well as Milk Shakes with different flavours for $450JMD. There is a good variety of pastry for $250JMD each including Brownies, Muffins, Banana Breads, Cookies, Cakes, Bread Puddings, you name it. Everything seemed more than reasonable except for some regular Chicken and Turkey Sandwiches that any mother could make and send their child to school with for $550 and $600JMD! Oh no. The same can be found in Mega Mart for $250JMD.

My friend and I ordered the Conch soup ($170JMD tx incl.), Roasted Chicken ($550JMD tx incl.) and Pineapple Jerked Chicken wrap ($550JMD tax incl.). The server came to us a few minutes after, telling us there was no more Conch, but we already made the order and we were ready to grab and go. While we waited, I scanned the room and saw some diners with a large ‘box lunch’ serving of Shrimp Pasta. The Penne looked dry. I braved it and asked one of the ladies how she found it and I said it looked a little dry. She responded, ‘It is awful! Not nice at all, it neida dry nor wet’. We laughed and she then shared her sentiments with the server who told the chef. He said he would redo their order, which was a decent response instead of the ‘I’m sorry to hear’ that can’t buy soldier lorry response. Hopefully there was some improvement.

Although the staff was neither pleasant nor hostile, they said all orders take 7-10 minutes and they stuck to their word, because my food was ready in no time. I saw a quick turn over with other customers as well.

The soup was a bit too salty and ofcourse lacking conch. The Roast Chicken was good but the rice and peas was dry. The Jerk Chicken wrap was tasty and spicy.

Asia’s Café is definitely a good place to get reasonable, decent food on the go, but they should leave the elaborate things to fine dining restaurants, hence reduce their menu size and improve on the quality of remaining items.

Asia’s Café 

Ph#: 876-929-3568 / 876-929-5961

Address: Located inside York Pharmacy, Half-Way Tree, Kingston

Date of visit: 7/11/14

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★☆☆

Ambience: ☆☆☆☆☆

Decor: ★★★☆☆

Comfort: ★★★☆☆

Service: ★★★☆☆

Speed: ★★★★☆

Food quality: ★★★☆☆

Serving amount: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★☆☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★☆☆

 

 

Gabby goes to Founding Farmers for Breakfast, just 3 blocks away from the White House!

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

After a late night in the DC streets 2 weekends ago, I was ready for some grub in the morning. My brother picked the perfect place, Founding Farmers, just 3 blocks from the White House where we would go sight-seeing afterwards. The place was filled with people, like The Cheesecake Factory lines to get a table. But apparently they have just started giving the option of making reservations. We didn’t know that, so just decided to wait until spots by the bar were vacant, since that would be quicker. Sitting by the bar didn’t look much less comfortable than booths or tables. It seemed cozy nonetheless. The two-story restaurant had old, wooden, farm table decor mixed with modern crafted elements throughout. It was a beautiful day with the sunlight flooding through the glass windows, highlighting various features and finishes of the designs by award-winning CORE architecture and design.

I ordered a Hot Chocolate immediately, which was divine. Then I ordered the Farmer’s Fare that consisted of Breakfast Chicken & Waffles with a side of Eggs anyway you liked it, white gravy and syrup. Despite the more than ‘full house’, my breakfast arrived quickly in less than 10 minutes and at a glance, I was salivating. Then the taste, mmmm. The Waffle was so big and thick, but light and fresh. The Scrambled Eggs were fluffy topped off with that Farm Fresh Fried Chicken. The Breakfast Fare was just $12USD, which was more than worth it. My stomach was full and satisfied. I mean, it was just typical ‘Breakfast food’ right? But it was so delicious. IHOP and Waffle House what?!

It was also a delight to experience such great service in a busy atmosphere. Heading to DC or the US Capitol anytime soon? Founding Farmers is a MUST STOP for Breakfast. Can you imagine they are practically open all day for lunch and dinner too?! Can’t wait to revisit and try those menus.

The award-winning Founding Farmers is also located in Montgomery County, Maryland and will soon be adding a new location in Tysons Corner, Virginia this fall. They have various Certifications showing that they are dedicated to environmentally friendly practices, including being a Certified Green Restaurant. Their products are sourced from local farmers with seasonal menu changes to always contain local produce.

For more information, visit http://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com.

Founding Farmers True Food and Drink, Washington D.C.

Ph#: 202.822.TRUE (8783)

Address: 1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20006

Date of visit: 19/10/14

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★☆

Ambience: ★★★☆☆

Decor: ★★★★★

Comfort: ★★★★☆

Service: ★★★★☆

Speed: ★★★★★

Food quality: ★★★★★

Serving amount: ★★★★★

Plating: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★★★

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★★★

Wraps are the new ‘healthy’ obsession but not every restaurant like Monty’s Cafe should try them!

by Health & FitnessRestaurant Reviews & Ratings

Monty’s Cafe on Old Hope Road is known for cheap, decent box lunch eats and have now added wraps to their menu like almost all of Jamaica.

First of all, many assume that wraps are healthy. Wrong!  Not all of them for sure. Healthy consists of baked, roasted or grilled, fresh, non-processed cuts of chicken, salmon, steamed fish, turkey or tuna.

All these shrimp and lobster wraps around the place that sound so appealing are high in cholesterol. The plain wraps are full of bad ‘simple’ carbs versus whole grain or whole wheat wraps, keeping in mind they are still all flour and everyone that may have certain goals are not always fully aware of their carbohydrate intake for the day. Let us also not forget the dairy aspect and that cheddar or mozzarella cheeses often used to add taste to the wraps are high in saturated fat (the ‘bad’ fat). Sometimes the amounts used are just added for taste, not considering portion control. Please ‘healthy’ restaurants, bring on the fresh, grated parmesan and reduced fat feta.

With all that said, Monty’s Cafe took the cake. I saw a Chicken wrap they sent to someone and I was appalled. It was a small, plain tortilla that consisted of FRIED chicken, lettuce and one or two pieces of tomato with a horrible salad dressing all over the lettuce for $425JMD. The customer was told it came with a salad, which to their disbelief was a toothpick with a piece of tomato and a shred of lettuce rolled up. Seriously?! A 5 year old could do better. Notice there is no picture? SuGa’s LCD screen has already cracked twice. Precaution necessary. I hope nobody makes the mistake of buying such a disaster. Some places should just stick to chicken and rice and peas.

 

 

24 Seven Café

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

The revamped 24 Seven Café at The Jamaica Pegasus, as the name suggests is open all day and all night. Take-out service is available seven days a week too. The Café was newly relocated in the Pegasus last June and still has a buzz going.

After frequent visits to the Café, I can attest to the fact that it is never crowded but still has a steady flow of customers. Afterall, it has more space than average cafés in Kingston, so the logistics are perfect. 24 Seven overlooks the pool with modern decor and provides free wifi access upon request. It is thus considered a great place to have mini meetings or dates over coffee, lunch or with light pastries. Its central location is convenient for a late night snack as well.

At my most recent visit, I ordered a chicken wrap and a café latte. I really had a skinny latte because they were flexible enough to make it with skimmed milk as requested. I wasn’t as lucky with my whole wheat or whole grain request for the wrap, but that was fine. The service was excellent and the staff was knowledgeable about items on the menu, a true reflection of being well trained. Waiting time was reasonable and most importantly I was comfortable and enjoyed my spicy, well seasoned chicken wrap. The wrap consisted of Jerk chicken breast, sautéed vegetables and pepper jack cheese, a fairly healthy option for the health conscious individual. The cost may seem a bit pricy to some since it isn’t offered with any sides other than a small cole slaw (the unhealthy part), but its price is comparable to other cafés and the wrap is filling.

24 Seven provides a variety of options to choose from including salads, breakfast bagels, vegetable wraps, tuna wraps, paninis, pastries, warm and cold beverages, desserts and a small kids menu. I also found it interesting that you have the option of buying a mini wine bottle for a quick fix or ordering to dine, possibly sharing a glass with someone, which costs less than its neighbour, the Blend Bar. Ofcourse your expectations for variety and quality would be less, since you are limited to the options of merlot or chardonnay.

Patrons also have the comfort of ordering then walking around the property for a few minutes to come back, as well as eating and drinking before paying. After all, a single shot expresso may not be enough, you may have to ask for a double.

A service charge is usually added to your bill when dining, but after such a refreshing experience, its negligible and well deserved. Hats off to 24 Seven Café for keeping it fresh.

24 Seven Café at The Jamaica Pegasus

Ph#: 876-926-3690

Address: 81 Knutsford Blvd., Kingston 5

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★★★

Decor: ★★★★★

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★★

Speed: ★★★★☆

Food quality: ★★★★☆

Serving amount: ★★★★☆

Plating: ★★★☆☆

Value for $: ★★★★☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★★☆