CAFE AUBERGINE @ The Market Place

This place is really WONDERFUL.

Perhaps, it may not be suitable to visit on a daily basis, due to the pricy menu, but it's certainly fitting for special occasions... and they will let you feel that way.

Aubergine has all the ingredients for success: impeccable service, outstanding ambiance, attention to detail and FABULOUS food.

We made a stop at the outside BAR for the aperitif and we immediately knew that we were off to a good start. The people at the restaurant had prepared one exquisite table inside one of their rooms and it was nicely dressed and lit with candles all over the place. APPEARANCE, as I have always said, is extremely important and it rounds up the dinner or lunch experience.

I recommend several dishes from this restaurant: their onion soup and their bouillabaisse (restaurant’s trademarks and simply delicious), their pates (luscious and rich in flavour), and their excellent escargots (utterly delectable).

As main course, some of us went for the SURF and TURF, and it was one of the best Filet Mignons that I have tried while others tried the DUCK and their PORK medallions. Everything was extremely delicious!

I have dined at Cafe Aubergine in other occasions and the experience has always been FANTASTIC. They have transferred all the charm and flavours of their place in Moneague to Kingston with flying colours.

Even their other more casual restaurant option, CAFE ROMA, is a success! Try it for lunch and you will see what service is all about. Please, ask for the TIRAMISU for dessert!

Two thumbs up for Cafe Aubergine, waiters and charming owners!

So, dear blog readers, comment, share and, most of all, keep on EATING!

Oh... TGIF!

I have given a try to TGIF several times, but it does not seem to conquer me. I was very enthusiastic about this place when they first opened in 2005 because it really offered a new alternative for a nice food at a good price. However, it seems that time has caught up with them and they have not made any effort o keep themselves up to date. Even this American food chain has tried to remain "cool" in the USA by adding new plates to their menus, improving their service formula and being creative.

Here in Jamaica they seem to be at a STANDSTILL. Although, servers really make an effort to keep their smiles ON at all times, the quality of the food has gone downhill. The famous TGIF's burgers are really meager and their steaks are almost invisible in size, just to mention a couple of examples.

I was there today, against my will, I should say, and it was SAD to see the level of deterioration that this restaurant has suffered. Worn out menus, damaged lamps, dirty wood boards... it was a SAD spectacle.

I went for a sure choice and ordered a fajita dish and I think that I was the luckiest on our table. My colleagues' dishes were not really appetizing and we rushed through our meals to get out of the place as soon as we could.

Notwithstanding, I have to say that the service was GOOD and the girl who served us was smiling and helpful.

I certainly believe that they need to rethink their place. Add some local dishes, TGIF style, reprint their menus, speed up the serving process, lower the music and give a in-depth clean to their place.

TGIF has a lovely location, but I think that it has not embraced Jamaica yet. We should demand that as customers... they need to be reminded that they have to keep up with our standards. We demand innovation, quality food, nice service and creativity and this has to be be part of the new GAME of the sports bar.

So, my blog readers, give me a hand in letting our dear TGIF people know that we still want of them, but we want them to be GOOD... not AVERAGE!

Keep on eating!

You've got to try Pastry Passions

This Pastry haven at the Sovereign Centre has really given a new life to its food court. I would dare to say that it is now a pleasure thinking that you can get a dessert that tickles your palate in the right places and that this is coming from a FAST FOOD place.

Their concept is not bad at all... DESSERT FIRST with a touch of class. You can even see how the chef and assistants are working hard behind the counter putting together all sorts of delicious sweets.

For the people who, like me, have a sweet tooth, a place where you can go for a coffee and a nice sweet treat is always PARADISE... and who doesn't want to go THERE?

Another thing that makes me run back to that place, which is really one of the most important attributes of any place that sets sail in the restauration business is the quality of their SERVICE.

The cashiers are always smiling and the assistants are never cranky. Everybody there is eager to recommend their delicious preparations and, on top it all, they offer SAMPLES!

What a great IDEA...! I have been there trying to make up my mind in front of the myriad of treats that they offer and IN ALL THOSE OCCASIONS, there has always been someone that has approached me offering a sample of one of their dessert du jour!

I HIGHLY recommend the Appleton Bread Pudding and their most recent addition... LEMON SQUARE! The best that I have tried in town...! And I mean the BEST!

However, I would recommend to Pastry Passions to stick to the sweets, because that will result in a more coherent offer. Mixing savory and sweets for a FAST FOOD facility that wants to infuse some class into their offer translates sometimes in confusion to the clients.

Dear readers...keep on eating!

Cafe Blue @ the Sovereign Centre

This is one of the new additions to the Sovereign Centre. I have seen how this "mall" has grown in the years that I have been in Kingston and how its culinary offer has improved.

I still remember the early days of Deli Works, do not quite recall if it had the same name though. This place used to serve a kind of mixture of Latin (mostly Colombian) and Jamaican food.

It was one of the first places that I visited during my days without a car as I stepped out of the plane at the OLD Norman Manley International (Now, it looks REALLY nice) and wanted to go out to eat something.

That place was not really outstanding and when Deli Works replaced it (or when it was given that new look) I was pleased. However, their food was average and a little bit costly in terms of the concept of the restaurant and the relation quality and price.

But this place underwent yet another metamorphosis and something grew inside of it... CAFE BLUE. This facility was partitioned into two distinct stores and each one of them has a very different personality. You will see on one side Deli Works and on the other CAFE BLUE.

I had only heard good comments about CAFE BLUE up in the hills, but I was really reluctant travel the distance to go visit that place. However, one day, on my way to the famous Strawberry Hills Hotel, I passed by and it did not seem very attractive to me... I cannot say anything about their food though, because I decided not to stop on that occasion.

But APPEARANCE is also really important and there was something about that view of the cliff into the roofs of the houses that was really a deterrent. Nothing really outstanding!

Fortunately, they have decided to come down the hills for US and opened that little place at the Sovereign Centre. Good for you GUYS!

Although the variety of the offer is meager, the quality of the food is excellent. Their Sandwiches and Paninis are DELISH and the smoothies are INCREDIBLE! Ask for their Marlin Sandwich or their Turkey and Brie Panini and drink one of their berry smoothies and you will be set to enjoy a VERY GOOD lunch or snack!

If you like COFFEE, I am a BIG fan of their frozen coffee... WOW, one of the best that I have tried recently... I have become addicted to it!

But what makes me go back to BLUE CAFE on a regular basis is their staff. I really feel welcome and cared for... and their smiles are always ON. Service is really GOOD there and I believe that it is worth the trip.

I really recommend BLUE CAFE for lunch or for a quick snack in the early afternoon...

NONETHELESS, it will be wonderful if they opened until a little bit later. Jamaicans and Jamaican residents are really BORED to see how these NEW places are imitating the same OLD opening times, leaving US without the chance to meet some friends for coffee after 8p ... What a shame!

Rethink this time frame... and I'll guarantee more clients coming!

Keep up the good work!