Their menus were extensive for Food, Drinks/Cocktails and Wine. They had a special on Hardy’s wine (Merlot, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Moscato) from Select Brands for $450/glass and $1850/bottle which is probably much less compared to other Restaurants and Bars for decent enough Wine.
The name of our waiter slipped my memory but he offered excellent service. They have a buzzer for each table as well.
I would have preferred for Food to arrive quicker but it was still within a reasonable time.
Our waiter was very knowledgeable of the menu and I was happy with his suggested Appetizer of Seafood Sumiso ($820JMD) -Boiled Shrimp & Scallops in a nice homemade Vinegar Miso Sauce that complemented it well.
My husband and I also had Miso Soup ($280JMD), Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura ($1750JMD), the Philly Roll ($1050JMD), California Roll ($730JMD) and another roll.
We didn’t expect the Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura to be all fried into one, meaning you couldn’t see the vegetables. So that was a bit disappointing but the Rolls were good as expected.
We topped dinner off with the Oreo rare Cheesecake ($780JMD) that was lovely and actually tasted homemade.
***Note that Sora will be participating in Restaurant Week (RW) in the Savoury ($2800JMD) category (excluding Bar, Service and G.C T) and is recommended by Suga.
Sora Japanese Sky Cuisine
(Reservations Recommended)
Location: 9-11 Phoenix Avenue. Kingston
Ph: 876-649-0131; 876-649-0132
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat, 11:30am-11pm
*Closed on Sundays*
Some more Savoury Picks from Suga for RW! :
Other than Sora Japanese, in Kingston, Suga selected Fromage Gourmet Bistro and The Palms Restaurant at C&C South Beach.
Suga did not select any Indian Restaurants in this Category because if you are going to go with Indian, why go halfway? Go all out in the Delectable Category.
Fromage Gourmet Bistro has consistently good food and service. Their menu of Steak, Crab stuffed Chicken, Lasagna Florentine is quite inviting.
The Palms Restaurant at C&C South Beach’s Smoked Pork Chops are delish! They do large servings that taste good. Great value for money.
For the 2nd city, Montego Bay, Suga’s pick is the good old Pelican Grill, where the Surf and Turf should be a pleaser.
For Ocho Rios, if Suga were to choose what looks like good gambles, I would go with Caffe da Vinci Ochi that suits Vegetarions, Meat lovers and Seafood lovers and the Great Escape Restaurant at Runaway Bay Golf Club.
***For Reservations***
â— Fromage Gourmet Bistro
Location: 8 Hillcrest Avenue, Kingston
Ph: 876-622-9856; 876-927-7062
â— The Palms Restaurant at C&C South Beach
Location: 2 Brompton Rd., Kingston 5
Ph: 876-630-4571; 876-630-4163
â— Pelican Grill
Location: Gloucester Avenue Strip, Montego Bay
Ph: 876-952-3171
â— Caffe da Vinci (Ocho Rios)
Location: 7/13 Turtle River Road. St. Ann, Ocho Rios
Ph: 876-630-7025
â— Great Escape Restaurant, Runaway Bay Golf Club
Location: Main Street, Runaway Bay. St. Ann, Ocho Rios
Ph: 876-973-4239
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Suga could not select a clear #1 choice for RW’s Delectable Category ($3800JMD excl. Bar, GCT, Service charge) this year because of the difference in Cuisines.
The Surf and Turf from The Houseboat Grill should be to die for!
Remember that the Delectable and Epicurean categories are excellent considerations for Date nights or to dress up and go out with Friends and Family. Shampoo!
The runner-up for Montego Bay is the new, Mystic Thai. I think they could do better with their menu based on what they are capable of offering though.
For Ocho Rios, I gave Evita’s Italian Restaurant the edge over Christopher’s at Hermosa Cove for those that haven’t visited Evita’s in years. Both have good service and food but Christopher’s has the better view if seated outside. So Christopher’s is known for delicious, authentic food with a seaside view but even though the menu for Evita’s seems more of the same, their Linguine ‘Contessa’ Fettuccine was one of my most memorable and favourite RW dishes to date. Whole Lobster in the shell tossed with Baby Shrimp and Lobster meat! The Salmon Risotto was lovely as well.
Evita’s RW 2014!
***For Reservations***
â— The Houseboat Grill
Location: Montego Freeport, St. James. Montego Bay
TGIF! We have 1 week to go until Restaurant Week Jamaica (RW) starts next Friday, November 11 and runs through to Saturday, November 19th.
The Epicurean Category ($4310JMD excluding Bar, GCT, Service Charge) has been a drag with the same Restaurants every year so Suga is excited to make the new addition, L’Escargot in Ocho Rios the top pick overall for Epicurean this year.
Do you have your passport Suga Bears? Ochi here I come!
For those who are doubling up or can’t make it to Ocho Rios for RW, my top pick for Kingston is Rojo Restaurant at the Spanish Court Hotel, which strives to give consistently great service and serve consistently good quality food compared to Terra Nova. Terra Nova usually lives up to their polished reputation for Restaurant Week but Rojo’s menu is Suga’s preferred choice.
Fling Back Friday (#fbf) to RW 2013 at Rojo Restaurant
Marguerites Seafood by the Sea, which was my choice last year, is my top pick this year for Montego Bay. The menus from Sugar Mill and Restaurant at Round Hill haven’t grabbed me. I love that Marguerites revised their RW menu. The Pepper Steak Moderne accompanied by a Caribbean risotto topped with oxtail ragout should be a treat. I was thoroughly impressed by my visit last year, which was perfection.
#fbf RW 2015 at Marguerites!
***For Reservations***
â— L’Escargot
Location: Main Street, Runaway Bay. St. Ann, Ocho Rios
Ph: 973-5652; 973-5589
â— Rojo Restaurant at The Spanish Court Hotel
Location: 1 St. Lucia Avenue. Kingston.
Ph: 926-0000
â— Marguerites Seafood By the Sea
Cloucester Avenue, Montego Bay
Ph: 952-4777
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Gourmet Jamaica Delicacies cater in Montego Bay and Kingston and this week they are in Kingston offering decadent Vegan Banana Bread as well as Organic Pasta sauce!
Who is behind all of this? Owner, Amanda McCreath. Her Plantain tarts are to die for!
Send them an email to order – gourmetjamaica@gmail.com.
The day is here for the Greatest Show on Earth, Super Bowl 50!
If you have no clue what has been happening but you have to watch the Super Bowl, update yourself and check out past NFL or post round ups by Suga.
Practically everywhere will be showing the Broncos-Panthers showdown. Who will you be carrying? Where will you be watching it?
Just to name a few, MoBay massive, Bigg’s BBQ Restaurant & Bar should be a treat. Anglers, Ochi with Wray & Nephew to keep you company and Endzzone with Heineken & Loaded fries specials for Portmore City!
Kingstonians have a range of options. To name a few, The Grid Iron @ Hope Gardens ($2500 presold; $3000 Gate; Food on sale; Free Parking) with host Yendi Phillips, $1500 Drinks inclusive @ Medusa, 100 Hope Road, The Blend Bar Pegasus, The Regency Bar & Lounge, C & C South Beach with tonnes of specials and the list goes on.
So whether it’s at the Bar or BBQ at a friend’s house, ENJOY!
Suga had a great start to the New year with lunch at Bigg’s BBQ Restaurant and Bar last Friday on New Year’s Day at 4pm on the Hip Strip, Gloucester Avenue in Montego Bay.
The host was extremely polite and attentive and so was our waitress.
The menu was full of succulent Bbq and Jerk eats. I had the 1/2 lb of Pulled Pork ($16.99US incl. 2 small sides) with fries and added mixed grilled chef vegetables to slowly reintroduce healthy items to the diet since vacay was soon coming to a close.
My friends had the Biggs Burger (15.99UD with 1 side) with baked mac and cheese and and the Jerked Pork ($16.99US incl. 2 small sides) with baked mac and cheese and mixed grilled chef vegetables. The Jerked Pork was lacking the actual Jerked flavour and tasted more like BBQ Pork, but was good nonetheless. There were no complaints about the popular, delicious, Biggs Burger made with a blend of minced Beef and Bratwurst with your choice of cheese on an onion bun.
The Blended Fruit punch, Frozen Lemonade and Blended Hummingbird beverages were delightful.
A bit pricey in tourist town but filling and worth it!
After a 3-hour drive from Kingston on Sunday, November 15th, I arrived at Marguerites Seafood by the Sea, Montego Bay on time for my reservation at 8pm. Of course, I arrived not only hungry but with high expectations. Let me tell you from now that these high expectations were met!
My other half and I ordered by 8:05pm. The staff from the entrance to being seated were all very pleasant and professional. The ambience was lovely overlooking the sea where I sat on the balcony and the decor modern and decent. Sitting by the garden would have been nice as well.
Shelly Ann was our Maître d’ for the night. She worked hard to ensure everything was alright and checked in with our table now and then, but not to the point of being overwhelming. I noticed that the General Manager visited the table next to us as well, welcoming them and ensuring everything was satisfactory. I find that proper supervision and interaction with guests are very necessary when a restaurant wishes to provide and sustain a high level of service.
Appetizers were out within 10 minutes and the other dishes followed like clockwork. Our glasses were refilled with water when needed and our waiter, Ricardo offered us the Robert Mondavi wines that were on special for RW. We had the Zinfandel and Sauvignon blanc.
All of the dishes were delicious. Presentation was salivating and serving sizes were appropriate. For instance, I was a bit worried about where I was going to fit dessert, but thankfully I was not tempted too much and the Bread pudding and Cheesecake were small and compact, just the right size to fit in the space available in my tummy without feeling uncomfortable.
The Appetizers were excellent. The Jerked Chicken Breast was well seasoned and minced up for the Beggars Purse and the Shrimp Trucillio had a lovely flavour. A delicious Caribbean Spiny Lobster Salad followed as a bonus with fresh veggies and a tasty vinaigrette. Then all of a sudden, our attention was called by one of the waiters to see a Stingray in the ocean. Hardly a dull moment at Marguerites!
It was hard to leave. An extremely refreshing experience to have all-round excellent service and food. Epicurean to the core. It was definitely worth the drive and I cannot wait to return.
Marguerites Seafood by the Sea
Location: Gloucester Ave. (The Hip Strip), Montego Bay
Restaurants in the 3 cities were certainly buzzing with diners throughout Restaurant Week (RW) that was held November 13 – 21. Persons were excited to ‘Dig in’, the slogan used for this year’s RW.
Suga was happy to report that all, if not, most of her recommendations were excellent choices based on feedback from Suga bears a.k.a. Suga Lifestyle readers and friends.
Just to highlight a few,
One Love Cafe at Bob Marley’s Museum and Susie’s Bakery & Coffee Bar really satisfied diners for the Nyam and Scram category.
For the Tasty Category, the UTECH students from Lillian’s Restaurant who seemed to put a lot of effort into their menu, offering unique dishes at a low cost showed that there is a bright future ahead for Jamaica in the Culinary industry.
Sea Deck had nice, big, tasty servings as usual with decent service.
C & C South Beach Restaurant in the Savoury category got two thumbs up. Their service, food and atmosphere were impressive. Kudos to them for a 10 minute waiting time during RW!
Christopher’s at Hermosa Cove, Ocho Rios was a winner for the Delectable category. No surprise there. Props to Executive Chef Conroy Arnold for sustaining a high standard of food quality and service. The ambience there is just an added plus.
Then of course, with a full review coming soon, Marguerites Seafood by the Sea in Montego Bay took the Epicurean category hands down. Excellent ambience, service and food topped off by a premium selection of wines.
Well done Restaurants, looking forward to next year!