I have tried this place twice and I am not still convinced that it works.
There is something about that background noise of slot machines and roulettes that is really a deterrent.
When it first opened, I was glad to see a new place on that busy corner of the Loshusan Supermarket. But my first attempt was not very memorable.
Nonetheless, I decided to give it another chance and invited some friends to accompany me to the noisy restaurant. I do not want to sound repetitive, but those machines are exactly that... a constant REPETITION of blares and blooms and dins… strident NOISE!
We ate and let me tell you that their food was terrible. Apart from their appetizers, the rest of the food was really despicable.
I asked for a Jambalaya and it was like frozen paella that had been sitting on the kitchen counter for at least three days. I’d kill for a good Jambalaya, but their version of this dish from New Orleans was completely different from what I know.
I tried it though… BAD!
I saw my acolytes’ faces and it was not a pretty picture. Just imagine, they could not even finish their dishes.
Service was good, but our experience was completely marred by the BAD quality of the food.
They need to revisit the restaurant idea… serve just appetizers… call the TAPAS. Escape from the erroneous formula of CASINO and FINE DINING RESTAURANT that you are trying to pull off.
It’s not working.
So, my dear BLOG readers…. When in the mood for a nice dining experience at Ambrosia, you’d better try the CASINO!
Think it twice!
Keep on eating… and BETTING!
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9 comments:
I went to ambrosia when they just opened....The food was good (had a shrimp pasta dish), service was impeccable and the slots were not so noisy.(lol)....Maybe that was their pull....Haven't been back since...
Dear Jamaica Gourmet,
I noted with concern the way in which you tore into one of you blog-members because she had noted your misspelling of 'gourmet'. I had to assume that you were hurt because what you are doing here is a labour of love, free, and you feel your hard work should not be criticised because of one small technological glitch.
I am here in her defence...because what you are doing is great, amazing, but if you expect to be taken seriously, then as a writer you are obliged to deliver a first class product, the same way that you criticise a restaurant that is serving 'food' about the high noise level.
After her comment, you went on to make a plethora of spelling and grammatical mistakes, perhaps in frustration? Please, accept her note, and my note as friendly, constructive criticism. We are certainly hoping that those restaurants you critique, will take your advice and criticism and use it for their own good, to help them deliver a better dining experience.
I wish you all the best. This is a great idea and I hope it becomes everything you wish it to become.
Sincerely,
Sebastian Ogden
Dear Sebastian,
Thank you for your message and your constructive criticism.
In my defense, I did take it seriously the first time she texted me about the spelling mistake and I apologized to her and explained that, despite my efforts, I was not able to correct such mistake.
I even added, without any feeling of frustration, a fe de errata where I publicly thank Phillippa, one of my readers, for her initial remark, since she was the first one who pointed it out to me.
However, what bothered me was her rude replied, particularly the fragment where she says that "the incorrect version looks bad, as though it's an uneducated group of inbred trying to be sophisticated, but they fell short cause they couldn't spell the word 'gourmet' correctly".
I accepted her comment and thanked her for it when she wrote to me the first time. However, I believe she was dissatisfied with my inability to change the name and replied with something rather inappropriate. Her comment, I considered it to be an insult and not a simple criticism. Thus, I decided to reply.
I believe, by principle, that nobody is entitled to insult other people by calling them an “uneducated group of inbred trying to be sophisticated”. This is far from being constructive. Would not you agree with me?
Once again, I really thank you for your comment and I would like to add that, by no means, I feel that my posts should not be criticized. I am always inviting people to write and share experiences and if there is a grammar or spelling error that is a nuisance to the reading process, let me know. I will do everything in my power to correct it.
Writing in a language that is not mine is a constant learning process for me.
Now, if you allow me, I would like to comment on your reply. I do not normally do this, because I conceive this blog as a forum for discussion and my opinion is not the only one. It should be enriched by the collective experience. I tend to discuss the meal with everybody at the table in order to enrich my own view.
You mentioned that I should deliver a first class product in “the same way that you criticize a restaurant that is serving 'food' about the high noise level.” I intentionally added the comment about the noise level because this factor affected the dining experience. I made the exact comment about TGIF, since it is impossible to have a nice conversation in that place without resorting to shouting.
Ambrosia is not as bad as TGIF, but there is a moment during your meal that the repetitive noise of the machines gets to you. For a restaurant, Ambrosia is a good casino, because this is the reading that you get from them.
In some other places where I have been, managers have separated their casinos from their dining places, because customers were not responding well to this formula; or they simply tried to find a suitable solution that combined both ambiances flawlessly. That’s respect for the clients’ opinion, ergo good service.
I hesitated to add this comment, since the food quality was already poor, but I asked my party if they minded the noise level at Ambrosia Restaurant and they all nodded affirmatively. This is why it appeared on my post.
So, my dear Sebastian, as a conclusion, I want to say that take full responsibility for my spelling mistake and accept all remarks pertaining to this “technological glitch” that I did not allow me to mend my title. Prior to the message that you saw, I had sent other messages excusing myself for this inability to correct that error. And every time a reader will mention that to me, I’ll thank him/ her for that remark… and for the fact of reading my posts!
To you, I say thanks again for your comments and I hope to keep counting on you to share your experience about Ambrosia or any other of your favorite restaurants and cafes.
Sincerely,
JG
Dear Sebastian,
I also noted with concern your support of such rude comments directed towards 'Jamaica Gourmet' for a slight technological glitch, one for which he/she has paid for dearly!
Please remember the person's comments:"an uneducated group of inbred trying to be sophisticated". These words are far from being constructive, in my humble opinion, and such comments and frustrations should be vented elsewhere (such as the STAR newspaper perhaps!). I have been a close observer of this blog since its existence was pointed out to me, and until these dreadful comments were posted, I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between readers and reviewers which always remained sensible and amicable. It is my belief that such discourteous remarks were unfortunately meant to insult, instead of criticize from an unbiased viewpoint. Furthermore, the rude person in question is not only offending 'Jamaica Gourmet' by these opinions, but all reviewers and participators too!
As an impartial member of this wonderful blog, and part-time contributor, I feel that negative comments, although well-intentioned, should not be directed at bloggers or the creator of the blog for simple grammatical error. These opinions, I feel, should be saved for contributing to the various wonderful reviews and diverse opinions which have come to make this new blog so popular. At the end of the day, this is, for most, a forum for people to post remarks regarding Jamaican eateries, and I feel that no contributor should be subjected to the pressures of grammatical correction or reproof for the way they write. Kingston's restaurants are grateful for the international custom, as well as the local, and diversity in language and culture is essentially the backbone to the country's culinary evolution, thus please be more aware of other cultures and languages while reading this blog, where the principle objective seems quite clear: to promote participation, and not hinder it by making people feel self-conscious about their style of writing. This blog, as I imagine, is intended for ALL circles of life, not just native speakers of English with a college background and an ability to write proficiently in English. By the way Sebastian, I hope you enjoyed the several reviews expressed partially in Patois, which I personally feel gives this blog a homely local feel. Wouldn't you agree?
This blog is, as you put it 'amazing', so why even attempt to place its reputation in jeopardy by advocating such impolite opinions? Please be a little more open-minded and tactful before criticizing other peoples' expression and style of writing.
At the end of the day, we are not writing reviews for publication here, therefore lets support 'Jamaica Gourmet' and keep things the way they are - a straightforward, unpretentious forum for reviewers and readers of Jamaica's culinary scene. By the way, I am not going to apologize for previous grammatical errors I may have made in the personal contributions I have made here, I do not usually have that much time to re-read my writing, yet I hope my comments may have been useful, along with those of all other contributors who post here, as that's the idea of a blog - no???
As a shareholder of Supreme Ventures I am going to be sure to pass on your comments to the powers that be. Keep up the good work.
i mainly go to ambrosia on a friday nite and i think its much more of a club than a restaurant because as you said it is WAY too loud and the food sucks everytime...i just go for the happy hour prices at the bar :)
This blog is amazing!!!! i love to travel everywhere and to know new thing all the time. actually i apprached
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That place sounds quite horrible place to eat something. When I was reading you post I thought if they food is edible.
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To those who responded to the comments I made earlier.
Firstly, I am used to sites like these 'advising' me of replies, a la Facebook, etc., hence my very late response.
I now feel somewhat humbled and idiotic for expressing my opinion about the bloggers writing, when I was not aware of ALL the facts. While I still believe people who write in public places should write properly, I too would have taken much exception to personal insults being levelled at the blogger. I believed at the time that it was someone (I never saw the insults, but knew they were being arrogant) who's restaurant had got a bad review. I merely said, if you are going to write a bad review about a bad restaurant, that it should be done professionally. Now that I know more of the circumstances, I would suggest that they be more concerned about trying to improve their restaurant than fixing someone's vocabulary.
I hope that the site is still going. I have not come across any reviews from you lately.
Would love to hear your comments on the new Terrace at Devon House. Please e-Mail me when you release new reviews.
Best Regards,
Sebastian Ogden
sebastianogden@mac.com
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