Restaurant Week Jamaica 2013
So Restaurant Week is over and the verdict is in – It was a grand feast and food fantatics, gourmet lovers and foodie entrepreneurs like us are still licking their lips.
Mounted under the theme “Raise a Fork and Lift the City”, the 9th staging of the popular gastronomic galavant was also an opportunity for patrons to contribute to a very charitable cause, with part proceeds going towards the development of a state-of-the-art 24-hour Community Centre in Southside Kingston which will create a safe space for and meet the needs of high-risk youth and vulnerable children in that community.
And so from November 8 – 16, 2013 forks were raised not only in Kingston, but also in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay where patrons had their choice of more than 85 participating restaurants. All restaurants offered a choice of pre-selected three course dinner menus, with 5 fixed price ranges so as to cater to everybody’s pocket. Whether guests chose the “Tasty”, “Savoury”, “Delectable”, or “Epicurean” categories for their culinary experience, or even opted to just “Nyam an’ Scram”, they were treated to a fine and exciting fare, showcasing the best of the imaginative and creative talents of Jamaican chefs. With tantalizing choices such as curry goat ravioli, spring rolls with ackee, and chicken roulade stuffed with curried plantain, it was hard to resist the lure of the Restaurant Week crawl.
Traditional Jamaican fruits were pressed into service – a dab of sorrel chutney, a splash of tamarind sauce, or a drizzle of papaya salsa adding unique flavours and exotic toppings to already mouthwatering culinary creations. Promises of pumpkin-coconut infused soups, coffee barbecue shrimp kebabs and Jamaica rum cheese cake couldn’t keep wild horses, let alone salivating food fanatics away from restaurant tables which enjoyed a constant flow of well-sated guests all week.
For our part, Jamaica Culinary Tours felt no guilt after eagerly devouring the exquisite deboned oxtail pasta and the incredibly delicious ackee and red herring spring rolls at “Guilt” .We also made our way to Gimbilyn Restaurant at Alhambra Inn in Kingston which got the thumbs up for their sumptuous offering, starting off with melt-in-your-mouth mashed potato and saltfish cakes, and ending with a rich chocolate-crusted cheesecake topped with mango.
And so ended a tasty and successful week of celebration of the island’s rich culinary tradition. We’re already dreaming about Restaurant Week 2014 – make sure you’re here, you won’t want to miss it!
