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How was the Restaurant Week Jamaica Launch?!!!

by Restaurant Reviews & RatingsWhat's Hot

The Restaurant Week Jamaica Launch was at Boardwalk Beach last Sunday from 1pm to 6pm. The beach? Interesting choice of venue, but different and breezy. The set up was lovely and I liked it.

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Images: Sparkles Productions

The sponsors had their booths buzzing with giveaways, food and drinks galore. Highlights included the Woodbridge and Robert Mondavi wines from Select Brands. Absolut had Vodka flowing and El Dorado had rum flowing. But it was the rum aged for 5 years! It was sponsored, but I believe they could have done better with at least a cask aged 12 years.

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FLOW was quite unique with a theatre set up, having guests watch a movie and popcorn available nearby. Jamaica Yellow Pages had unlimited, spicy Oysters that were a hit. They gave away some beach bags as well.

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The Jamaica Gleaner had pots of ‘Jus Cool Puddin’ and other goodies. Gas Pro gave away stove lighters and bags too. They had Chicken, Lamb and Pork. I only had the Chicken since that was the only thing left when I went there. It could cause hypertension but the staff there were awesome.

The best Pork was from Copperwood! Definitely a cut above the rest. Lovely sauce and juicy, tender, pork. Close behind was the Pork Belly from C & C South Beach, who really made an effort with their booth. From the Professional banner display and presentation to their variety of food, C & C South Beach did well.

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Sea Deck on the other hand had no banner, but a piece of foil with the menu written on it with a marker. Something probably went wrong there or some misunderstanding when they got to the venue. 20151011_161109-1However, it was not totally about the presentation, but what they had to offer. Their food is usually good and it was on Sunday too. There was Roast Fish, Boiled Crabs, well seasoned Beef Kebabs, Crayfish soup and more.

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Caffé da Vince disappointed with some bland Beef Lasagne. Patrons would know they can do much better. They had brochures available with their menu though.

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Lucky Strike Lounge had tasty offerings of their popular Chicken and Waffles, along with Crabs and small pieces of pudding.

The Cardiff Hotel & Spa from Runaway Bay also impressed with Jerked Chicken Fettuccine and Pudding.

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There was a TV by The Gleaner booth displaying the Restaurant Week Website, however, Suga thought some brochures outlining the categories with different restaurants and some highlighted menus would be a nice touch and takeaway from the launch.

Very few Restaurants from the list had booths, as it was mostly sponsors. However there are more events and promotions to look forward to! Stay tuned to Thursday Food in The Jamaica Gleaner and follow https://sugalifestyle.com.

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Gabby from Suga Lifestyle has won the Jamaica Gleaner’s Restaurant Week Ambassador Competition!

by FoodpornRestaurant Reviews & RatingsWhat's Hot

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Suga Readers from Jamaica, USA, UK, Cayman, BVI, USVI, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, St. Marten, St. Martin, Greece, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, India, Ireland and more, it’s official: Gabby from Suga Lifestyle is now one of Jamaica Gleaner’s Restaurant Week Ambassadors for 2015.

I would like to express tremendous gratitude to all readers, family, friends, Immaculate Conception High School Alumni and Rotaractors from District 7020 for voting extensively these past few weeks, resulting in a landslide victory.

Suga will start out by attending the Restaurant Week Launch this Sunday and will soon attend various dinners and outings.

Set your calendars and look forward to ‘Dig In’ with Gabby from Suga Lifestyle this November 13-21 during Restaurant Week!

Have a look at some of Suga’s faves for Appetizers, Entrees and Desserts. More to come!

Appetizers

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Entrees

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Desserts

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The Journey Continues for Jamaica rising as a Foodies Paradise and Suga Lifestyle will be there every step of the way.

FOLLOW https://sugalifestyle.com/ to get reviews and ratings of Restaurants, Sports Updates and more or LIKE the Facebook page, Suga Lifestyle.

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Suga Lifestyle Readers in Jamaica, USA, UK, Brazil and the rest of the world, Suga aka Gabby needs your Votes Today!

by Restaurant Reviews & RatingsWhat's Hot

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The showcasing of restaurants in Jamaica, especially new ones and what they have to offer at a discounted price, is what caught my attention and encouraged me to participate in Restaurant Week Jamaica since 2007 in the three cities of Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay that it has spanned. I am a Kingstonian, but my visit to The Houseboat Grill in Montego Bay in 2010 has been my most memorable experience.

I have travelled across the United States, the Caribbean and as far as Japan, where the local cuisines and fine dining options are a must stop. On most weekends, regardless of which parish or country I may be in, I can be found satisfying my fancy of exploring the culinary talents on offer at the restaurant of my choice.

I used to write on www.interestingarticles.com, where you will see ‘Gabrielle Williams’ in the author’s showcase and you can click on my name or the link,

http://www.interestingarticles.com/author/gabrielle-williams/4076/1

to see my articles, including ‘Jamaica: Foodies Paradise on the Rise’, which was at one point, the 2nd most popular article on the website.

My articles related to Food and Beverage, Health and Fitness, Charity, Technology and Sports are in order to inspire, educate and entertain. However, Restaurant reviews proved to be the most prominent of my articles that many looked forward to reading.

People now rely on this website, www.sugalifestyle.com for fresh information, honest opinions, reviews and ratings of Restaurants to suit various occasions. They get social media tags of the Restaurants, contact information, locations, whether or not reservations are recommended, an idea of the menu items and of course, a hint of how deep they will need to dig into their pockets.

I feel proud and appreciate that the Culinary Industry in Jamaica has improved majorly over the past few years. I look forward to being a part of the journey of Jamaica rising as a Foodies Paradise and believe I should be one of Jamaica Gleaner’s Restaurant Week Ambassadors.

With that said, I have been shortlisted to become The Jamaica Gleaner’s 2015 Restaurant Week Ambassador.

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All Suga Readers from Jamaica, the rest of the Caribbean, USA, Canada, UK, Brasil, and more!

PLEASE VOTE for me 10 TIMES on

go-jamaica.com/rw/ambassador

*(Website does not allow Chrome browser)

by clicking ‘Vote for Gabrielle Williams’ below my video and refreshing the page each time.

You can vote 10 times per IP address. So please exhaust all resources you have, i.e. phone, tablet, house, office, different wifis. Everything! Today is the last day to rack up votes and tell family and friends.

The video with the most votes will be deemed the winner.

The race has been tight. You know how passionate I am about this from my Reviews and Promotions of Jamaican Restaurants, Caterers, Chefs and Foodie events. Help them to appoint the RIGHT Ambassador! Let’s do this!

Thanks to everyone who has voted so far to put me in a good position to win! The support has been overwhelming and I appreciate it.

What will I win? See below:

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Maybe they will even publish my reviews, who knows!

THANKS! I Will appreciate it a lot and you know I will do my best if I win!

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How was Kingston Kitchen?

by Restaurant Reviews & RatingsWhat's Hot

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Kingston Kitchen was crawling with people when I arrived a little after 8pm last Saturday at Hope Gardens.

As I walked in I was happy to see one of my favourites, Stush in the Bush to my left, so that was my first stop. An Avocado Green Goddess Dressing immediately caught my eyes. Avocado and Guacamole are very popular right now. As a result, they were totally out of product and it was still early. A sample bottle was left. I got to taste it with a cracker and it was lovely. Now this Avocado dressing is quite versatile. You can use it on your burgers and Lisa Binns of Stush in the Bush even advised it is lovely on pasta with a sprinkle of parmesan. Yum! Remember their products are located at CPJ Market on Lady Musgrave Road.

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Moving along, I was greeted by a Suga Bear who told me that Suzanne Couch‘s food was a winner. I found a long line nearby. It wasn’t clear that it was her tent because she needed a bigger sign, but clearly word spread fast especially since she has a reputation for good quality food. Her meal was $800JMD including 2 meats (choices were Panko Fish, Sate Chicken Skewers and Pork), Oriental Cucumber salad, Coconut rice, Jerk Corn and Pasta Alfredo. Not to mention the variety of sauces offered such as Mango Chutney, Pineapple Salsa and Peanut Sauce. The picture featured does not do the quality of the meal justice as presentation was sloppy with everything piled on each other. But that heap of rice actually covered a good portion of my pork. The Pork was quite fatty but everything else was delicious. The Pasta Alfredo was spicy, so the Cucumber salad was a great choice to quell that heat.

Other highlights and observations? Persons got lucky with salivating Chicken and Waffles and the Lucky Bucket overflowing with extremely peppery Seafood and more such as Crab, Lobster legs, Louisiana Sausage, Corn, Potatoes etc. The Lucky Bucket that usually costs $1500JMD incl. Tax and Service Charge was just $800JMD for the night. What a deal! Both can be found at the Lucky Strike Lounge inside the Jamzone Bowling Alley in Manor Centre, Kingston 8 on Wednesday nights from 7pm-11pm.

Liqy Liqy and Tutti Frutti pleased as usual.

The Best Dressed Chicken Tent with Chef Brian Lumley had its familiar fans to see the Celebrity Chef at work and of course to taste what he had to offer. Apparently the Oxtail Wontons and Oxtail Pasta were a hit. Anything Chef Brian Lumley tends to do with Oxtail is perfection.

Reggae Jammin had delicious White Chocolate Smoothies and I also satisfied my craving for Magic Mint Lemonade from Tea Tree Creperie. On point!

The Ribs from Sheriff’s BBQ was not all that, also quite tough, but Lamb from NCR Sheep ‘sell off’! Literally.

Sliders from Fromage Gourmet Market were a hit as expected.

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Potato Pudding that was $150JMD a slice from Del & Dutchy touched the right spot. They cater, specialising in Jamaican dishes and operate out of Liguanea, Kingston 6. Looks like they are worth a try so call 876-833-0727 or email [email protected] for more information.

New Kids on the block, Ikiru, do not have a location yet but they are on Facebook. Persons who were in need of a refreshing drink with no added sugar and preservatives were pleased with their natural Naseberry and Papaya juices. They also had Fruit salads and Fruits with Yoghurt.

Pebble’s Pastries was there. Most of us know that the only thing good from them is their Cheesecake but Suga found Cheesecake on the other side of Kingston Kitchen too! It was from Sweet World Enterprise that operates out of Portmore, featuring Molly’s Cake Cups with Cheesecake in many different forms such as Oreo cheesecake, Red velvet cheesecake, the traditional Strawberry cheesecake and the list goes on for $600JMD each. Samples were given (God bless them!) and a hard decision was made between the Oreo Cheesecake and Strawberry Cheesecake. The narrow edge went to the Strawberry Cheesecake. It was divine. Not sure if they had cute little bags to put them in, but they were not offered so a lot of persons had to remember to come back to them and pick up before they left if they were too full like myself to have that on the spot. Check out Molly’s Cake Cups on Facebook and Instagram.

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Overall, food was affordable, a lot of filling food in the range of $500-800JMD and other booths not mentioned seemed to be well supported too. So I think it is safe to say the event was a success, especially for those who went mainly to socialize, have a family night, girls’ night out and to lyme. It is a pity they had to do it with the painfully annoying, loud saxophonist in the background. Until next time!

Top 7 Restaurants to Wine and Dine Tomorrow in Kingston, Ja

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

Expensive (~$4000-$5000JMD per person)

1. Rojo at Spanish Court Hotel

2. Strawberry Hill

3. Terra Nova All Suite Hotel (The Terrace)

Mid-range (~$2500-$3500JMD per person)

4. Majestic Sushi and Grill, Villa Ronai

5. The Blue Window at The Jamaica Pegasus

Affordable (~$1500-$2800JMD per person)

6. South Avenue Grill

7. EITS Cafe at Mount Edge Guesthouse, Newcastle

*Considering at least 2 courses, not including beverages

Tag a ‘Foodie’ friend and you both could win Pop-Up Gourmet Advantage Cards!

by What's Hot

Participate in Pop-Up Gourmet’s promotional giveaway to commemorate their First Anniversary. The first raffle draw will be next Wednesday, then there will be more for about two weeks after.

So what do you have to do to enter? Share the above photo, use the hashtag #myfoodiefriend and tag a friend(s) and Pop-Up Gourmet Jamaica.

The winners will be given the option to choose 1 friend to give the 2nd Advantage card to.

Both you and your friend must be following @popupgourmetjamaica on Instagram or like their Facebook page for your repost to be considered.

***For Instagram users: If your account is private, message Pop-Up Gourmet Jamaica so that they can follow you to see your entry.

Share and tag away for a chance to begin or continue enjoying Instant Savings of 10-20% at over 70 Restaurants, Bars and Clubs across Jamaica!

SuGa Global Readers

Happy 1st Anniversary to SuGa Lifestyle!

by What's Hot

SuGa Global Readers

SuGa Lifestyle has kept readers up to date for the past year on Restaurant Ratings and Reviews, Recipes, Health and Fitness, GW ART, Charities and What’s Hot, for instance with popular Sports events or tournaments. Restaurant Reviews continuously proves to be the most popular posts amongst readers.

Conceptualizer, Gabrielle Williams has traveled across the United States, the Caribbean and as far as Japan, where the local cuisines and fine dining options are a must stop. On most weekends, regardless of which parish or country she may be in, she can be found satisfying her fancy of exploring the culinary talents on offer at the restaurant of her choice.

Gabrielle also had the pleasure of being a Table Talk Observer Food Awards Judge for 2014. She will unhesitatingly give restaurants, chefs or caterers fair recognition for their good work, objectively highlighting those that have been inconsistent, mediocre or low in quality and by offering suggestions for general improvement.

What is considered as a simple website with a slow start and hardly any promotion, has attracted over 7600 hits and readers each month from as far as Spain, Bulgaria, Israel, Italy, Malta, India, Algeria, Thailand and Uganda to name a few and sustains consistent readers from the USA, Canada, Barbados, UK, Cayman Islands, Brazil and ofcourse, Jamaica.

SuGa Lifestyle is happy to receive the continued support and feedback from its readers, whether it’s from Facebook, WordPress, LinkedIn, Google Groups, Twitter, word of mouth or other sharing avenues and looks forward to being a part of the journey of Jamaica rising as a Foodies Paradise.

Keep on reading SuGa and continue to make us the Go-to website to keep you in the know and aid in deciding on your dining destination. Thanks SuGa Readers!

Get an Advantage on your Budget by Signing up for your Pop-Up Gourmet Card Today!

by What's Hot

Pop-Up Gourmet can satisfy a variety of customers. Families, persons in the corporate sector that may have to buy lunch daily or host business lunch or dinner meetings, bar hoppers and ofcourse, the foodie that loves to dine at restaurants frequently throughout each month, all benefit from Pop-Up Gourmet.

Pop-Up Gourmet Advantage Card Holders can use their cards at over 70 locations in Kingston, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Port Antonio and the South Coast. Members can also enjoy special discounts and privileges at Food Lovers’ Experiences such as the annually held Simply Red ($500JMD off of ticket for 2014) and more.

It costs $6500JMD to sign up annually, where payment can be made online. They will also even come to you with a swipe card machine for payment! The card is valid for one (1) year and there is a referral programme for other benefits.

So how does it make sense? The average working person that buys a decent lunch including a beverage everyday for about $1000JMD and goes a little harder on the weekend can make back that fee in just over a month with 10-15% discounts at various restaurants and bars. Not to mention the family that eats out or gets take-out at least twice per week, that money is made back promptly.

Unfortunately, card holders cannot use Pop-Up Gourmet for Restaurant week menus but cards can still be presented for items otherwise. Also remember that Christmas is right around the corner with many outings, so the more you can save, the better.

Popular lunch locations include Toss & Roll, CPJ Market, China Express, Cuddy’z, Deli Works, New Leaf Vegetarian, JoJo’s Jerk Pit and More, Ocho Rios Jerk Centre, John Crow’s Tavern, Pier 1 and more.

Hot dinner spots include Caffe da Vince, Tamarind Indian Cuisine, Saffron, Fromage Gourmet Market, Evita’s, Opa, 689 by Brian Lumley, Mystic India and more.

When the end of the week comes and you are running up that bar bill, fret not if you hit up Macau, Bin 26, Cru, Margaritaville, The Deck and others.

I have enjoyed discounts of $500JMD and more from The Wine Shop, Christopher’s at Hermosa Cove and China Express to name a few. My Pop-Up Gourmet Card is so precious, I literally never leave home without it. One night I was hurrying to leave the house, switching from hand bag to clutch so carried just my cards and ‘get vex’ money, only to realise when I got to the restaurant that I left my debit card and only had my Driver’s License, Insurance card, Pop-Up Gourmet card and hardly any cash. Hilarious. But that Pop-Up Gourmet card popped me out of debt or having my friends pay when I was able to use my exact amount of cash as a result of getting over a $500JMD discount by presenting my Advantage card. Phew!

I have also found that when I have slightly overspent or was just within budget, the money from my discount can be used towards tips instead of having to find even more money to spend.

What are you waiting for? Check out http://www.popupgourmetjamaica.com/ for information on more participating locations, what’s hot in the culinary industry, benefits and to sign up now!

Also follow ‘popupgourmetjamaica or Pop-Up Gourmet Jamaica’ on Instagram and Facebook respectively, to keep updated on deals and when new Restaurants and Bars have signed on thus giving you more options to save!