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Sushi anyone?

by FoodpornHealth & Fitness
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Photo: @love_food on Instagram

When last have you had your Sushi fix?

Remember you can keep it healthy if you visit Roe Japanese in Sovereign North and substitute your white rice for brown rice and have your food air fried instead of deep fried. You can also have the organic gluten-free soy sauce instead of the regular, unhealthy soy sauce. All substitutions for the low calorie, healthier versions come with a small additional cost of course.

Stick to fish, avoiding shell fish such as shrimp and lobster and avoid cream cheese.

Go for it!

 

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Did you know there is ‘AnneX’ East Japanese?

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

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Have you been to East Japanese Market Place at Constant Spring Road’s mid town branch as yet? It’s called AnneX East Japanese. It’s only logical right? It is in The Courtyard, the same complex as CPJ and CRU, next to Y not Pita. Suga went on a lunch date there last Saturday afternoon at 4:15pm.

There were not a lot of people there, which I liked. So it wasn’t too busy, but not too quiet either. It was cosy and I was impressed by the modern, tasteful decor. They also had a wall with speakers, almost ceiling high, which I found unique. But no worries, they don’t blast music, they keep it mellow as their motto, ‘More casual and elegant. Mellow music’, states.

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Service was mediocre. Pleasant welcome and fairly professional attitudes. The food arrived in reasonable time, but it took forever to get a simple Piña Colada. I asked that the rum be substituted with Appleton rum, but I could not taste even a hint of rum. The rest of the drink was lovely, smooth, thick and creamy with the essence of coconut, but failed to have the zestful taste of spirit. Since I had to wait so long for it, I didn’t bother to send it back but made sure to tell the bartender before I left. He said because I requested Appleton rum, of which they used Appleton special, that he did not know how much to add. Any experienced bartender or drinker period, knows that Appleton is a weaker rum than White rum so you would need to add more.

The food? Decent quality. I had the Tempura AnneX Special for $1270JMD including Shrimp Tempura, a tasty California Majestic Roll, an oily Seafood Fried Bean Curd and a Ginger salad, of which I only ate the shredded carrot. The rest of the salad was boring as it was just lettuce with what looked like that orange, French dressing that I hate. But the carrot is what had the pronounced flavour of ginger.

My other half enjoyed The Sushi Platter AnneX Special, also for $1270JMD with Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi Yellow Tail,  White Tuna and Rock Shrimp, along with the same salad, Cali Roll and Bean Curd. Both specials came with a Miso Soup too. The variety given at that cost was satisfying and broke the monotony of me ordering my usual Appetizer and 2 Rolls from the many options available. It worked out to be much less money, yet filling.

AnneX East Japanese

Ph#: 876-481-0990

Address: 71 Lady Musgrave Road. Kingston, Jamaica.

Date of visit: 12/9/15

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★★☆

Decor: ★★★★★

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★☆☆

Speed: ★★★☆☆

Food quality: ★★★★☆

Serving amount: ★★★★☆

Plating: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★★☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★★☆

Dinner is still great at Blue Window, The Pegasus, not to mention their Sunday Brunch!

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

I made it to the Blue Window twice in one week. What a treat. For dinner last Wednesday night, the staff were all pleasant and quite attentive. Turning off the AC in the cold, rainy weather we have been experiencing and all. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time. My beau had the French Onion soup, which was good but not as good as the one at TGIF. We also had the Grilled Atlantic Salmon with coconut cous cous and mixed green salad as well as the Hellshire inspired Steamed Fish Fillet with mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables. The Salmon was cooked just right. Most places tend to overcook it or think that black grill marks suggest it is well cooked. The Lychee Chili sauce to complement it was flavourful. The Steamed Fish Fillet had about 4 or 5 bones. But other than that it was tasty. We were too full for dessert but definitely made up for that at their Sunday Brunch.

The Brunch! Food galore, you name it they had it. What I found interesting is that since I am on my pre-Christmas diet, I thought I would have overdone my ‘cheat day’, as the food at most brunches are usually so heavy. But I was pleasantly surprised. There was also an even split of breakfast and lunch options. From what I can remember, there was the usual, Ackee & Saltfish, Callaloo and Fried dumplings. There was also Escoveitch Salmon, a unique option, but I think salmon is just not the seafood to escoveitch. The essence of the salmon is lost. Potato wedges, the Macaroni and Cheese and the Beef were good. Their Honey Roasted ham was very tasty but could be more on the moist side. Pepper Shrimp that wasn’t so peppery, Crab legs, a Sushi platter and a range of salads were present. The Sushi was delicious and their Greek salad is always appetizing. Food on the heavier side included Barebecue Pigtail, Jerk Chicken and Curried Goat. The 3-in-1 Waffle, Crepe and Roti station was unique as well, with the chef cooking up these delights with a variety of choices of fillings to suit your fancy. The Dessert section topped it off with divine Panna Cottas, Cakes and more to leave you feeling fully satisfied.

Service continued to be fully on point with staff monitoring the dining area and food stations, advising persons of options and what was available. Plates were also cleared around the clock as it should be. It was delightful to see happy, pleasant staff, as that mood somewhat transfers to diners and is an indication that General Manager, Mr. Peter Hilary is doing an excellent job.

Cost of Sunday Brunch: $3240JMD incl. tax

Time of Sunday Brunch: 11am-3:00pm

SuGa’s picks for Simple but Tasty (*$1850JMD) for Restaurant Week Jamaica!

by Restaurant Reviews & RatingsWhat's Hot

The Tasty category is more on the simple side with dishes that most persons should be familiar with. A few restaurants still stand out in terms offering more value for money even though they do not have the greatest ambience.

ROE Japanese Cuisine, Tandoor Indian Restaurant and the Chill Out Hut Restaurant (Montego Bay) seem like great choices. Chill Out Hut will have Chicken Wings, Nachos, 1 lb whole Fish/Fish Fillet any way you like it, a Chicken and Ribs combo and more.

JoJo’s Jerk Pit and More usually offers a large serving of BBQ Spare Ribs, small desserts and basic appetizers.

East Japanese seems satisfactory with their usual Miso soup and Salads, simple Vanilla Ice Cream and main course including Shrimp Tempura and Teriyaki Chicken. However the choices at Northside Kitchen, aside from their location seem like more value for money. There is also a wider range of items to choose from.

The menu from Lillian’s at UTECH looks good with a variety of options. The quality of food is usually decent as well.

Pizza Hut – Dine In in Kingston and Montego Bay look like awesome Binge fests!

Go to http://www.go-jamaica.com/rw/ for more information.

* Prices for each category include 1 choice of Appetizer, Main Course and Dessert. Beverages, Gratuity and G.C.T are additional.

 

Not one other diner in sight for Dinner on a Saturday night at Japanese Restaurant Cocoro ?!

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings

There were surprisingly NO other diners at Japanese Restaurant Cocoro on date night last Saturday. But was it really a surprise? With the currently revamped, more modern and more comfortable Roe in Sovereign North, the popular East Japanese and scenic Majestic Sushi and Grill as competitors? The advantage was a private, more intimate environment. But what about first dates where persons may not be as comfortable together with conversation yet or groups that come for dinner? I’m sure they would like a bit more buzz around. The only obvious thing that has changed at Cocoro are a few new items on the menu. Good service and food quality have never been an issue, but surely the decor needs a change. The surroundings are just outdated and not even modern antique. Some kind of marketing also needs to be done with new offerings to make persons remember Cocoro exists.

Japanese Restaurant Cocoro

Ph#: 876-929-0970

Address: 4 West Kings House Close, Mayfair Hotel, Kingston. 

Date of visit: 11/10/14

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★☆☆☆

Decor: ★☆☆☆☆

Comfort: ★★★★☆

Service: ★★★★☆

Speed: ★★★★★

Food quality: ★★★★★

Serving amount: ★★★★★

Plating: ★★★★★

Value for $: ★★★★☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★☆☆

 

Kaisen Don $1350 JMD+tx

Roe has expanded, but have they kept up their good standard?

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings
Kaisen Don $1350 JMD+tx
Kaisen Don $1350 JMD+tx

After visiting Roe a few months ago, last night I was delighted to see that they have expanded! Their previous space used to be comparable to the Burger King in Manor Park. But now they have expanded their indoor seating including Hibachi-style and their decor is fabulous, giving you a Manhattan, Sex and the City kind of feeling. However, the standard of service has already slipped with slow service, inattentive staff and an error with one of the orders. I was there for a Birthday celebration, but the Birthday girl felt that the other birthday celebration seemed to have gotten more attention that night. She should never have felt that way.

I noticed the menu had a few new items. The food took a little while to arrive, perhaps since they had a full house. It was alright, no CranWata WOW! but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

A suggestion for not only Roe, but for other restaurants when taking reservations, is to ask if it is a special occasion, so even though good service is always expected, they can be even more prepared to please. They should also think, what could these diners want next? For instance, if we provide cake or cupcakes to be shared, do not let us have to ask for plates and forks. The waitresses also need to smile, they didn’t even smeyze. So some improvement needed in their service and speed.

Ph#: 876-632-6669

Address: Unit 5, Sovereign North; 29 Barbican Road. Kingston 6.

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★★★

Decor: ★★★★★

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★☆☆

Speed: ★★★☆☆

Food quality: ★★★★☆

Serving amount: ★★★★☆

Plating: ★★★★★

Value for $: ★★★★☆

SuGa Endorsement: ★★★★☆

Top: Black Dragon roll; Below: Dragon roll

ROE for Japanese

by Restaurant Reviews & Ratings
Top: Black Dragon roll; Below: Dragon roll
Top: Black Dragon roll; Below: Dragon roll

Friday before last, after a long, hard week of work, I was ecstatic to let down my hair and finally see what the fairly new Japanese Restaurant, Roe in Sovereign North had to offer. Afterall, I have only heard good things, especially of their new healthy twist setting it apart from other Japanese restaurants.

It was already 9:00pm and I was quite famished, wondering if I could manage a wait seeing that the restaurant was full, but I was pleasantly surprised. My beau and I were greeted and seated quickly and they took our orders of Miso soup that we made immediately to fill the gap while we browsed the menu.

As a Personal Trainer, I was instantly impressed with the options of rolls available with brown rice, organic gluten-free soy sauce and low calorie air-fried preparation. Ofcourse, those options attract an additional cost but they were still affordable. Their menu also provided a calorie count for all appetizers, soups and salads and some main course items and specialty rolls.

I went ahead and ordered the Baby Octopus and Dragon roll with brown rice. The Dragon roll consists of fried shrimp, avocado, spicy mayo and eel sauce. My beau had a little difficulty ordering his appetizer, since they didn’t have the Squid Tempura he requested, but the waiter quickly appeased his disappointment by recommending the Ika Sansai Seafood Salad, that he promised to be just as good in quality and a personal favourite. He followed his advice and also ordered the Black Dragon roll that had the same contents of the Dragon roll substituting the avocado for eel.

The appetizers arrived quickly and were tasty. The recommended Ika Sansai Seafood Salad did not disappoint. A little while after, the rolls arrived. They looked splendid and were in fact just that. The brown rice did not take away the taste and flavours of the content of my Dragon roll.

I can see why last season’s winner of The Voice, our very own Jamaican songstress, Tessanne Chin frequently dines at Roe. The ambience is decent and comfortable, the service is good, the wait staff is knowledgeable about items on the menu as well as additional items used to give them a special burst of flavour and the food is delicious.