The Italian Restaurant, Luna di Mare is the winner for fine dining restaurants at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa. Two Saturdays ago, it was an elegant evening for my party of four. It was also a refreshing experience compared to the mediocre service, quality and poor range of options offered by the Main Buffet Restaurant and Grills during the days.
Our waiter, Kenrick pleasantly greeted the table and within 5 minutes our appetizers arrived, of which we all chose the Seafood Soup of the day. It was a bit spicy, but to the right degree. I must also point out that the table’s serving of garlic bread came with a very tasty Pesto sauce. Their menu included Pizzas, Pastas and Piattis with salivating descriptions of a Salmon Filet Risotto, Seafood Medley Pasta with creamy tomato sauce, Smoked Salmon Spaghetti with pesto cream sauce and more. Kenrick was quite knowledgeable about the menu and based on his description of various items on the menu I ordered the Fusilli Marinero, the Seafood Medley consisting of fish, scallops and shrimp with creamy tomato sauce. I suppose either my friends were not feeling as adventurous that night or the dish just seemed so appealing that we all ordered the same thing. The pasta was as good as we thought it would be.
Our servings were filling and the quality so satisfactory to our standards, that there was no room or need for dessert, so we enjoyed the quiet, dimly lighted setting with Italian themed wall paintings as we chatted about current affairs and sipped Chardonnay.
It was the night to see what fine dining restaurants at the Hilton had to offer last week Thursday for the Rotaract District 7020 Conference. Of over 100 attendees, 32 dined at the Seaside Grill including myself. Our reservation was made weeks in advance and everyone was on time for their 8:00pm reservation excluding about 4 of us. So I was surprised to see them off to such a slow start.  By 8:20pm only some orders were taken and no appetizers had arrived as yet. I quickly contacted our Sales and Catering Manager who came down to the restaurant soon after. Then things started clicking.
I ordered at 8:30pm, immediately got my Lobster Bisque that was quite appetizing. We waited a little bit for our entrees that arrived at 9:05pm, but the wait was tolerable and quite worth it. I had the Seafood Mixed Grill with shrimp, fish and scallops kebab style accompanied by Cilantro Beurre Blanc, Rice and Vegetables. It was surely divine as the Cilantro Beurre Blanc sauce truly complemented the seafood well, as expected. Others were happy with their entrees, all of good serving sizes. Persons had Pork Loin, Grilled Swordfish Steak, West Indian Spiced Curry Shrimp, Beef Tenderloin and more. Clearly a wide range on the menu.
Sadly the Pie and Chocolate Cake may have given us diabetes, but the lucky ones had tasty Ice Cream and the divine entrees were still on our minds. A decent selection of wines were also available. So overall the Seaside Grill is a good choice for dinner at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, Montego Bay.
Gabby took it to the poolside of The Jamaica Pegasus for her birthday last week, where their new Restaurant, the Blue Window hosts their weekly Tuesday night Grill. The poolside was buzzing with patrons from about 7:30pm and General Manager, Peter Hilary was in eyeshot for most of the night being a perfect host, also monitoring staff throughout.
I was initially seated and served my choice of soup from the two kinds offered for the night, then I was free to head to the buffet tables, where I could pick, choose and refuse. There were a variety of options from Jerked Chicken to mouth-watering Beef, accompanied by many sides, to a wide array of Salads, but the highlight was the Pasta station with Pepper Shrimp. The desserts were pleasant to the palate as well, including Chocolate Cakes, Cheesecakes, Tarts, Gizzadas and much more.
The entertainment was good and I thoroughly enjoyed the Happy Birthday song dedicated to me, surely putting a bright smile on my face on my special night. The service was exceptional and the food was delicious. For an ‘All-you-can-eat’ Buffet with lovely ambience, food and service, $2960JMD per person, tax included (Beverages separately*) is a steal of a deal.
Check out the Blue Window’s Tuesday Night Grill by The Jamaica Pegasus poolside tonight!
Have you tried the Pumpkin soup at The Terrace, The Liguanea Club yet? It is quite thick, filling and tasty. It used to be a huge serving for $250JMD but now they have downsized and its now $300JMD, but still very reasonable.
New chairs came out today, quite fitting for the name, ‘The Terrace’. They surely seem to be stepping it up with service and quality. The lunch and lunch menu is not so impressive for me as yet but the dinner menu looks interesting, so stay tuned.
As The Terrace continues to revamp its decor month by month, be sure to visit them on Tuesdays and enjoy that lovely Pumpkin soup!
Cuddy’z has fluctuated over the years with both quality of food and service, but it has taken a steep decline again where both are concerned. I went there a month ago and it was as if I had to put out a search party for the waitress to make an order. Thankfully the televisions by the booths are now working.
I ordered the ‘Pocket Rocket Burger’ that includes guacamole and sour cream, which I thought would be a safe bet but I was terribly wrong. I was so hungry by the time I got the burger, I don’t even have a picture of it. It was quite sloppy in presentation and taste.
The bill was about $1500JMD including tax for the burger with fries and a beer. So, I probably should have stopped by Burger King instead. Word has it that they are currently experiencing changes with their chef and general business plans as well as downsizing staff. We do not have a confirmation on that but if true, the factors have caused a negative impact on the restaurant. We do hope they rise above and the tailenders come in strong.
Stay tuned to tomorrow’s review for where you can actually get a good burger.
When in Portland, nothing is ever normal, from the beautiful landscape to the humorous, hospitable nature of the people. So it is no surprise that Anna Banana is nestled within. It is sometimes hard to find a decent, affordable meal in Portland if you do not wish to go high end at Trident Castle, Geejam Hotel or any of the well known villas. But when driving along Folly Road it is hard to miss the Anna Banana sign. Anna Banana is a triple threat with access to the Restaurant, Beach and Bar. They are open everyday for lunch and dinner, so with that said, I made a visit on Easter Monday.
Upon entering Anna Banana, I was greeted nicely and given a choice of where to sit. They have a beautiful seaside view. There is also an antique authentic, wooden, thatchy decor and irie feel to the Restaurant and Bar. Local artwork is displayed and a stage is present, since they have performers and various events on some nights.
The waiter approached the table with old school style, hospitality and charm. He issued the menu and what they had to offer for the day rolled off of his tongue. They seemed to have a limited amount of dishes available that day compared to the wide range of options displayed on the menu. The menu shows a variety of chicken, pork, beef, vegetarian and seafood dishes with many side order options.
I ordered the soup of the day and the Grilled Cray fish with garlic sauce. Both took a little while to arrive but it was a tolerable wait. The Crayfish was a decent size served with a tossed vegetable salad and baked potato. The salad was quite ordinary but the Crayfish was tasty and the garlic sauce complemented it well.
The bill was about $2550JMD, so could be less. However, the waiter was attentive throughout and with the lovely ambience, I left a happy diner.
I returned to Di Grill Shack mid-April for the Salmon burger, one of my favourites on the menu. It was a Saturday night, but didn’t look so busy. All the paintings were removed from the walls, leaving the decor a bit plain, however a few plants were added indoors close to the seating areas.
The service was still good, staff remained well dressed and pleasant and food was delivered in a timely manner. I ordered the Piña Colada again and it was just as good. The Salmon burger was almost perfect but the temperature could have been on the warmer side. It was as if the burger had to wait a little on the fries because the fries were hot. Other than that, the burger was as tasty and well seasoned as expected.
Although it was a Saturday night, I didn’t stay for more drinks. I was not inclined to with dreary songs like ‘Endless Love’ playing in the background. The decor is also too decent for the name ‘Di Grill Shack’, so perhaps they should revise decor and give the place a bit more of a buzz. My experience in February was better. Rumour has it that there has been a change in management. If true, will Di Grill Shack in Courtyard 71 last? Time will tell.
Two Saturdays ago, I finally got to visit the new restaurant in town, Opa Greek Restaurant and Lounge on Hope Road. I delayed my visit a bit as the reviews were not so good, from the food being bland to getting cold pizza. Nonetheless, many persons did not hesitate to display themselves on instavideo breaking plates with great delight and shouting ‘OPA!’, a renowned Greek tradition to express a joyful emotion or a celebratory response to something.
Upon arrival, my beau and I were greeted from the outside with the door opened for us, which isn’t the norm in Jamaica. The owner and hostess welcomed us pleasantly and we were shown to our seats.
The decor was instantly impressive, however so much blue on the walls can tend to darken the place up a bit. It still had an overall unique tasteful touch and the lighting with the waterfalls was creative. It was refreshing to see well dressed waiters as well.
Our waiter, Alan approached the table immediately and took our appetizer orders. Complimentary pita bread for the first round with the option of getting whole wheat is a thoughtful incentive. My beau ordered a traditional Greek soup, Avgolemono.
I haven’t had Pork in a while so I went with the Gourounopoulo and my date chose the Psari Sharas. Alan brought a Chateau Menuty rose wine for us to taste and we went with his selection.
All orders, excluding the wine arrived in a timely fashion, not having to wait more than 5 to 15 minutes for any of the dishes. By right, the wine should have arrived before or with the main course.
The Pork was a bit on the rubbery side but had a nice flavour. Pairing the Pork with feta was interesting, not sure if it was the best choice of cheese though. The Fish on the other hand was lovely.
The meals seemed to be overpriced, especially for the portions given and perhaps the plates could be a little smaller to skew our judgement. There could also be more of a variety of side options provided with some of the dishes. The majority of appetizers cost close to or over $1000JMD, not to mention a glass of wine, which is also on the high end for a spend.
A birthday was being celebrated that night so plates were broken traditionally with exclamations of ‘Opa’ and persons seemed to be having a good time. I am sure their bill was blinding though, as my dinner for 2 without dessert, including a free appetizer costed $8791.75. The bill included tax and a 10% service charge but who pays $850JMD for soup?! My beau did, but not if I saw that price first.
Opa is a decent place for a planned dinner or celebration with satisfactory service and good but not great food. So after what seemed to be a decent night out for dinner, you will ponder if you really got value for your money.
