Throwback Tuesday to Seaside Dining with Stellar Views!

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Suga’s Ratings for Juniper on the Water

Date and time of visit: Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 8:30pm

No. of diners: 4 adults

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum 

Parking (Valet): ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★★★

Décor: ★★★☆☆

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★★☆

Speed: ★★★★★

Food quality: ★★★★☆

Serving amount: ★★★★★

Plating: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★★☆

Suga’s Breakdown!

Juniper on the Water offers valet parking and has both indoor and outdoor dining, but I can’t see why you would pass up the stellar views by the water to dine indoors.

They specialise in Seafood and offer happy hour daily, dinner nightly and weekend brunch.
Our server was a bit quick on taking away the menus each time, but other than that, she was polite and quite attentive.
Serving sizes were more than generous, as some mains could be shared for two. The seafood was fresh and the dishes were flavourful. We all enjoyed our appetizers and main courses, except for the Seared Red Snapper Fillet. Jamaicans tend to prefer Saltwater fish versus Freshwater fish and appreciate a bit more seasoning.
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Red Snapper Filet (USD $28) – Roasted cherry tomatoes, charred cipollini onions, capers in a saffron broth.
Appetizers
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Ceviche Mixto (USD $16) – Shrimp, Cod Fish, Octopus, leche de tigre, shaved red onions, micro cilantro, aji amarillo dressing.
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Sautéed Mussels (USD $15) – Roasted garlic, parsley, butter, chardonnay cream broth.
The Mussels were fantastic. It could be shared amongst our party of 4.
Entrees
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Lobster Gnocchi Fra Diablo (USD $32) – Potato dumplings, garlic, cherry tomatoes, lobster meat, spicy sauce.
The Cioppino (USD $38) (Not photographed) that was a Gulf shrimp, mussels, clams, Atlantic cod, lobster meat Seafood Stew served with grilled bread was delightful as well.
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Seafood Paella (USD $38) – Toasted Israeli couscous, walnut pesto, calamari, mussels, clams, gulf shrimp, fish filet, chorizo, English peas, roasted bell peppers.
Their signature Seafood Paella lived up to its prestigious reputation. It was a steamy burst of flavour that I thoroughly enjoyed.
There was no room for Dessert, but Juniper on the Water is #SugaEndorsed.
Juniper on the Water
Location: 1975 S Ocean Dr, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009, United States
Ph: 954-544-3370
Website: https://www.juniperonthewater.com/
Instagram: @juniperonthewater

By: Gabrielle Burgess

If you liked this Blog, follow Suga Lifestyle Online, on Instagram (@sugalifestyle), Twitter (@sugalifestyleja) or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.

A Suga Taster’s Review for Casa Sensei, FL!

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Suga Taster Ratings for Casa Sensei, FL

Date and time of visit: October 13th at 7pm

No. of diners: 2

Server: Dane N

NB. Ratings fill 5 stars maximum

Parking: ★★★★★

Ambience: ★★★★★

Décor: ★★★★★

Comfort: ★★★★★

Service: ★★★☆☆

Speed: ★★★★☆

Food quality: ★★★☆☆

Serving amount: ★★★★☆

Plating: ★★★★☆

Value for $: ★★★☆☆

A Suga Taster’s Breakdown !

A friend and I selected Casa Sensei as the place to be when we decided that a night out was overdue. Casa Sensei had been high on our list of places to try, since the cuisine is pan-Asian mixed with the dynamic culinary traditions of Latin America.

The restaurant does not have its own parking lot, but there is a parking garage within close proximity and payment is collected via the Pay By Phone App.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted quite pleasantly by hostesses, Kamilah and Daniela, who seated us within five minutes of our arrival. Although the interior of the restaurant is Asian-chic, we decided to dine outdoors by the waterfront, overlooking the Himmarshee Canal on Las Olas Blvd.

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Our server, Dane approached us shortly after, provided the food and drink menus, and took our orders quickly. However, within one hour we no longer had our server’s undivided attention and we had to be asking other servers for him to fill our glasses with water on several occasions.

Closer to the end of our disappointing dining experience, we were approached by Barbara, who I was told was the night manager. She was seeking feedback on our evening. She apologized for the server’s sparse attention and stated that it was due to it being a Saturday night, where the restaurant had its fair share of patrons. With regards to the saltiness of some of our dishes, she urged us to give them another try. Despite the mediocre service and food quality, we had already planned on returning to try their Sushi dishes. Complimentary Cotton Candy was also a sweet ending to a salty night.

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Kimchi Flavoured Popcorn (4/5) – The Kimchi flavoured Sauce gave the Popcorn quite a spicy kick. It would have been more enjoyable if the Kimchi sauce was evenly distributed though.
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Tom Yum Shrimp Soup (2/5) (USD$6) – The soup had the potential to be delectable but the sodium level was at an all time high. It was returned to the kitchen.
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Blue Crab Rangoon (4/5) (USD$9) – the Rangoons were deep fried to perfection and the sauce was just the right amount of sweet. The only complaint was that there should have been sauce drizzled on top of the rangoons as well.
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Rock Shrimp Tempura (4/5) (USD$13) -The Rock Shrimp Tempura was perfectly fried and then bathed in a sweet chili sauce. The only downfall was that the Shrimp was sliced up.
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Lobster Curry Curl (3/5) (USD$19)- The red curry sauce was also high in sodium and the flesh of the lobster was hard to remove from the shell.
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Pescado Frito (3/5) – The fish, although fried to perfection was a bit on the salty side and the accompanying sauce was quite congealed.
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Sensei Special Fried Rice (5/5) (USD$18) – House special fried rice with pork, chicken and shrimp. I’m not a big fan of rice, but I enjoyed the quantity of various meats incorporated within the dish.
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Coconut Cream Creme Brûlée (3.5) – This is my absolute favorite dessert in the world and while the flavours of the coconut milk and the berries came shining through, it was clear that the Creme Brûlée was not set, because it was very lumpy in texture.
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Lycheetini (USD$10) and Melontini (5/5) – Both were delicious.

***N.B. Prices quoted subject to additional tax and Service charge***

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Casa Sensei

Location: 1200 East Las Olas Blvd. #101 Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33301

Ph: 954-530-4176

Instagram: @casasensi

Edited By: Gabrielle Burgess (Founder/Owner of Suga Lifestyle)

If you liked this Blog, follow Suga Lifestyle Online, on Instagram (@sugalifestyle), Twitter (@sugalifestyleja) or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.

TGIF to this Creamy Seafood Cheese Tortellini!

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Suga’s Seafood Cheese Tortellini (Cheese filled Pasta with Lobster, Shrimp, Calamari, Mussels, Conch and Octopus tossed in a creamy seafood sauce from Ribbiz Ocean Lounge last Saturday, January 5, 2018.

TGIF to this Seafood Cheese Tortellini! Last Saturday I indulged in a creamy, cheesy Seafood Pasta from Ribbiz Ocean Lounge. The Lobster that topped it all off was a bit cold, but other than that, it was quite scrumptious and enjoyable. I wish I could say the same about the limited parking options and intolerable service. My experience was unreviewable. I will not be returning to that location, but the Seafood Cheese Tortellini is on the menu at Ribbiz Ultra Lounge in Loshusan Centre, Barbican! Go get it there!

Have a great weekend!

By: Gabrielle Burgess

If you liked this Blog, follow Suga Lifestyle Online, on Instagram (@sugalifestyle), Twitter (@sugalifestyleja) or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.