Restaurant Week 2014 Diary Entry 2

Hey World!:)

My second stop for Restaurant Week 2014 was the Regency Bar & Lounge located at Terra Nova Hotel (Kingston, Jamaica). I made reservations for 1 pm and went for their lunch menu, as they were apart of the Nyam and Scram section of Restaurant Week. On the menu was the Lobster Mac and Cheese and their Oxtail Tart, you had the option to choose which you preferred to have.

 Lobster Mac & Cheese
Served with Fresh Salad and Garlic Bread

The Lobster Mac and Cheese had visible chunks of lobster, which was a good thing. The mac and cheese was cheesy and nicely flavourful with a crispy topping.

In my head, i thought the Mac and Cheese would be small but oh my word was i wrong! I was full midway through my dish but it was just too good to stop and being the foodie i am, i finished it! ^_^ Don't judge me.

Oxtail Tart

Served with Fresh Salad

Now listen, this Oxtail Tart has boneless properly seasoned tender oxtail with spinners (i love spinners) and beans in a tart shell atop some mashed potato.

Dessert Shots

Trifle Shot (L) and White Chocolate Mousse (R)

The Trifle Shot had rum cake at the bottom with some cherry filling, fruit, white chocolate and whipped cream topped with a cherry. The other was a nice smooth white chocolate mousse with cherry filling, whipped cream and a cherry on top.

The staff was incredibly friendly which i appreciated. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch! Thanks so much Regency.

Restaurant Week 2014 Diary Entry 1

Hey World!

This unapologetic foodie is so elated that Restaurant Week 2014 is here & has begun in Jamaica. This year to start off RW2014, my girls & I decided to have some good authentic Italian cuisine. So we made reservations, got dressed and made our way to Caffé da Vinci located in Marketplace (Kingston, Jamaica).

I must say that it was a lovely culinary experience; we had an amazing time. The food was great and the staff was courteous. To start off the night with Antipasti (appetizers), i begun with the Aragosta alla Catalana (Lobster Salad), two of my friends had the Minestrone Soup (Shrimp & Vegetable Soup) and another friend had the Pork Meatballs. Ooops we didn't take a photo of the soup but according to my girls it was delicious albeit filled with a lot of diced vegetables.

 Antipasti: Aragosta alla Catalana 

Lobster Salad

Antipasti: Pork Meatballs

Now time for the main course:

Entrée: Filetto di Maiale in Salsa di Senape 

Pork Tenderloin in Mustard Sauce

 Entrée: Spaghetti di Mare 

Seafood Pasta

Entrée: Filetto di Manzo Panna e Funghi

Beef Tenderloin in Cream Sauce & Mushroom

(Look ya now! Yuh si dis beef in mushroom sauce? Dis did SHAAAAT & imma def go back for this but imma have it with some pasta!!!!! #UnapologeticFoodie)

Dessert: Dolce & Banana

Warm Banana flambé Bread Pudding served with Vanilla Ice Cream

(Three of us opted for this and it was truly delicious!!)

Dessert: Tiramisu

Twas a fab night!

Courteous staff.
Delicious food.
Good wine selection.
Lovely decor (inside).
Clean environment both inside and outside in the Courtyard.
All in all, a great experience guaranteed.

My only complain is that they did nothing special for our birthday like other restaurants we have been to while celebrating our birthdays during restaurant week.



For more information you can view Caffé da Vinci's webpage. You can follow them on Facebook here or on Instagram here.

Opa!

Hey World!:)

Jamaica recently welcomed a new restaurant in Kingston which prepares Greek cuisine. So when one of my friends birthday rolled around, i suggested that we tried something new and head to Opa Greek Restaurant and Lounge for her first birthday celebration of the week -- a good ol' girls night dinner!

The hostess for the evening was really lovely and pleasant; I can't imagine she had any trouble making friends in her life. Her presence was natural, not forced and overbearing which was a great factor. Our waiter was pleasant and knowledgeable of the menu. He could provide us with information on the different dishes. The decor of the restaurant was gorgeously chic with some statement pieces/ areas. My only regrets was that all my girls did not get to make it and also because i was driving so i couldn't partake in the extensive wine list!

All in all, i would definitely dine there again but on that night i will not be the designated responsible driver! Below are a few snaps from the night.

I was feeling Summer Whites with the Midas Touch:)

Lemonato

Lemon flavored baked chicken served with roasted garlic potatoes. 

Gourounopoulo

Boneless, slow-roasted pork loin with feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. (Bday girls' choice)

Pizza Kotopoulo

Greek cheeses, Greek-style tomato sauce and chicken fillet.

I ordered the pizza. I had plans of ordering something else but i just can't resist pizza! But i promise the next time i visit i'll order (this and) something else! ^_^

After dinner while catching up, laughing and acting silly with my girls (since we haven't spent time in months) the Opa! team came out singing and brought a lil excitement for the birthday girl!

Also at Opa! the birthday celebrant will be allowed to break a plate and shout "Opa!!!" lol. 

Well provided the time of day is good, the mood of the other customers and other factors.

And she loved every minute we spent at the restaurant and i'm glad. 

Thanks alot, Opa!

Love them!

I Wanna Be Loved

Hey World!:)

In honour of Buju Banton's birthday [15/7] yesterday, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY BUJU, i decided to post a song of his that i realized many girls are on the prowl for -- "love". Anyways, i won't get into my late discovery now but just pree the song for yourself!

♫

I wanna be loved,

Not for who you think I am,

Nor what you want me to be,

Could you love be for me?

Real love, with no strings attached,

I wanna give you my heart,

Don't want to take it back.

A this is my chat, cho,
Been searching for a long long time,
For that oh-so-true love,
To comfort this heart of mine.
No pretence stop wasting my time,
A virtuous woman is really hard to find.
I'm telling you lady,
I'm only human, not looking for impossibility,
Just a genuine woman with sincerity.
Someone who is always near to hold me,
Show me you care, up front and boldly.
Don't shun my feelings, all the positive meanings,
Love me morning, noon, all seasons. 

....

♫

Bless up yuh self Buju. Just keep the faith, better days are ahead!

Private Sector on board for Jamaica 50

The ‘Jamaica 50’ Secretariat will be receiving valuable support from private sector marketers as it begins ramping up publicity on celebratory activities.

Director of the Secretariat, Robert Bryan, told a JIS Think Tank on Tuesday (May 1) that efforts to co-opt support from private sector professionals and companies for the activities is far advanced and the public should soon see a roll out of this effort.

“We are working with quite a few persons already and in fact, some of them are engaged in the delivery of key components of the programme. A lot of companies have volunteered their marketing departments to assist us in doing quite a bit of this. We’ve made use of some of those offers and as we go along we’ll involve others,” he said.

Support is also coming from the organisers of already established activities, which will be held in the summer, such as Sumfest, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Military Tattoo, the National Athletics trials and the ‘Fun in the Son’ gospel concert.

“The idea is that we want to ramp up the whole marketing and positioning for the celebration,” Mr. Bryan told JIS News.

He informed that “there are some corporate bodies that will be doing specific activities to mark and celebrate Jamaica 50 and there are some companies that their history is part and parcel of Jamaica’s history and they intend to position and make sure that the whole world knows. Those elements will be tied together, published on websites and become part of the roll-out of information we feel comfortable with.”

He said that the Social Development Commission (SDC) has been asked to utilise its vast and intricate island-wide network to spearhead and coordinate a volunteer programme for Jamaica 50 and coming out of that effort, the Secretariat has been receiving numerous e-mails from persons and organisations offering their services.

Mr. Bryan said that most of the fundamental elements of the programme have been finalised and while requests have been coming in “we’re not going to be able to do everything”.

“We have to focus on a few things and try to do them well, that’s the reality of it. The job is to get to the point where everybody realises and accepts that that is where we are given the time."

By O. Rodger Hutchinson, JIS PRO

Source: Jamaica Information Service
                      Thursday, 03 May 2012

Special Hennessy Cognac for Jamaica 50

Hey World!:)

The Hennessy brand has come on board to celebrate Jamaica 50 with us by producing Special Limited Edition bottles of the Hennessy Cognac. Yeah!!! *back flips* Earlier this week Maurice Richard Hennessy (pictured above), an eight generation descendant and an ambassador of the brand was on the island to launch the Very Special (VS) Limited Edition bottles at the French Embassy in Jamaica on Monday, April 30, 2012.

Oh yes, did i forget to mention that this will only be sold in Jamaica?! Hahaha. Well afterall, as Jamaicans we are the trendsetters for the Hennessy Cognac in the Caribbean, so why not do a lil summin special for us.^_^

Also as a part of the Jamaica 50 celebrations, Hennessy Jamaica and J. Wray & Nephew Limited will also be running a bartender competition to find the Hennessy very special Jamaica 50 official cocktail. The deadline has now passed but it is worthwhile to remember the dates for the finals.

The Hennessy Bartender Competition regional finals will take place in Ocho Rios at Ocean’s 11 on April 16, in Montego Bay at Pier 1 on April 17 (for Montego Bay and Negril) and in Kingston at Macau on April 19. The winners of the three regional finals will compete in the grand finals on April 24 at J. Wray & Nephew Limited in Kingston.

But how could i possibly leave without giving you a Hennessy Cocktail recipe to wet your appetite:

The Hennessy Soda

1 oz Hennessy
1 oz Lemonade
A dash of Lime Juice
2 Thin Slices of Cucumber
Garnish with Slice of Lime

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

The Hennessy Apple

1.5 oz Hennessy
3.5 oz Apple Juice (cloudy)
Ice Cubes
Garnish with freshly sliced Apple