The Jamaica Pegasus Wedding Extravaganza was held on March 12th and 13th, it was two days of fabulousness. You may be wondering why we're blogging about it two months late and also why a food blog would go to a wedding expo.. But we can't know the answers to everything can we?
Just kidding... We are (were) University students and the work load absolutely killed us (we're blogging from our graves) for the past 2 months and we really had no time to do anything. But we're also a cut above the rest because we're blogging about it now...because everybody else blogged about it 2 months ago.
Also, what was a food blog doing at a wedding expo? I don't think there is any other expo with more food samples than a wedding expo. Firstly, Pegasus had food samples at the front, in the "free" section and then there were cake and pastry samples in the "paid"section. With 52 exhibitors participating in the event, there was never a dull moment.
Ann's Note: I don't know about you but most times I go to a wedding for the food.
One eyecatcher was a HUGE wedding cake on display in the lobby. It was a wonderful creation, layers of cake, colourful, edible flowers and even a vase ...yes, a vase. It was beautiful, and real...and so was the price...$450,000. Then the "creator" proceeded to explain to us why it was almost the cost of my entire degree programme. "It takes 650 hours to put this all together, not to mention to create the shape of the flowers..." and he continued, but I got distracted by the jewellery at the next booth and stood until Ann took pics and then we walked away. I didn't even want to breathe next that half a million dollar masterpiece.
    The paid section was so nice. It was like the difference between regular admission and V.I.P, real V.I.P not those things they claim are V.I.P. Oh let me back track; as said before there was an open area of the Pegasus' lobby where some exhibitors were on display, clearly that area was open to anyone and those food samples were available to anyone who just strolled in. However the hallway leading down to the Grand Jamaican Suite was were the paid section began, so you had to pay $500 dollars (each day) to enter that section. A variety of services were on display in that section, those things you would identify as more "wedding specific"... We saw extravagant cakes, lovely dresses, breathtaking jewellery, and ate tasty cupcake samples. In the Grand Jamaican Suite they also had fashion shows each day (on the first day they had a wedding, but we missed that).
          
Each booth was more interesting than the other, then we got to the Tai Flora booth... they dye flowers... yes they DYE FLOWERS. They're really beautiful.
(Ann's Note: Nicolette nearly died, oohing and aahing over the floral arrangements. Such a girly girl.)
We didn't just lust after the wedding decor, drool over the tasty samples, drink delicious non alcoholic wine, plan to buy lingerie and ask the exhibitors loads of questions... but we enjoyed the Wedding Extravaganza.. we truly enjoyed it.
It's not just for people who are getting married (hence our presence), it's really something nice to do on a weekend, and you get really great decorating ideas and make-up and hair tips... and don't forget the tasty samples. :D
Ann's Note: I love weddings and like most girls at one point I wanted to be a wedding planner. I think this expo is a great idea and I'm sure it gave many of the attendees a lot of help and resources for their own nuptuals, not matter how close or far they are in the future.
Also, LOOK, vintage limo-
COOL.
Dukunoo Deli
So, let me firstly apologize to Ann for deciding to review this place. She told me she heard it was bad, I insisted anyway. However, we're here to review food: the good, the bad and the ugly, and trust me this one was ugly.
Ann's Note: Apology accepted haha I'm sad I was right.
Dukunoo Deli is located on the University of the West Indies MONA campus. It is behind the Social Sciences faculty and in front of the new Faculty of Law. It used to be "The Deli", but with new management, new decor and a new menu it is Dukunoo Deli.
When we entered the establishment we were delighted. The decor was superb. The colours, the seating, the floor... just so nice. Most of this I recognized after I ate because I was so hungry. We looked at the menu board, but couldn't make out much (curse them and their white writing on the light-coloured wooden board). However, they had menu sheets on the cashier's counter.
I looked through the menu thinking some of these items were too highly priced (perhaps because it is located beside the law school, in front of the law faculty and also in front of the Mona School of Business- money people place?). Anyway, I decided on a personal pizza. It was listed for $200 on the menu sheet but I was told it was $300 after the cashier cashed the meal. Oh, okay. I paid and waited.
I looked at the pizza, it didn't look very presentable but I decided it must taste better than it looks... When in doubt, go with your gut feeling. Suffice to say that this was bad. As in, REAL BAD. Have you ever been at home idling and took a piece of bread, put ketchup, black pepper, cheese, and sausage bits on it then toasted it or microwaved it? If you haven't done that then you need to try it, and I assure you it will taste better than the pizza I had at Dukanoo even if the sausage was still frozen.
 The person who prepared it didn't care much for presentation, taste or appeal. The cheese was not grated like you would think it was just mashed. You don't understand what I mean by mashed? Have you ever bought a bun and cheese and used your fingers to press the cheese out so it spreads? Yes, that is what I mean by mashed and that is how the cheese was on the "pizza". The crust was tough and flaking like that of a biscuit (no not a KFC biscuit, I mean a Butterkist sandwich biscuit, a cracker...along those lines). The pepperoni (it was a pepperoni pizza I ordered, from their choice of grilled chicken, pepperoni or cheese) was okay, however it was not until my 3rd slice (the pizza has 4 slices) that I realized it was suppose to have pineapple on it. I finished my meal and I was sooooo dissatisfied. If it wasn't for the comfortable seating and the nice overcast weather I would've probably gone back to them and asked to see the person who prepared my pizza.
IT WAS HORRIBLE.
(oh and I tried the new CranWata flavour: White Strawberry Cranberry, although the name is a bit long, it is quite nice. I am really not a fan of watered down cranberry juice but this one isn't bad)
I can't even begin to imagine how Ann felt about her mess of a meal (although it looked good in the white paper bag)... Take it away Ann!
Ann: It was crap. Never again. NE-VER A-GAIN.
I tried to order a burger+soda combo then a serving of potato wedges, the cashier tells me this is actually a SEPARATE combo. Which of course is not on their menu as far as I could see. Whatever, I was hungry, let's get this show on the road. I ordered, paid and waited. When my food finally came around...disappointment is not even the word because I have heard before how bad the food was. One has to have expectations to be disappointed.
$450JA is a lot of money for a burger meal NOT from Burger King. Just saying.
I should have put this next to a ruler. It's smaller than a whopper. That yellow stuff? The chopped unmelted cheese Nicolette spoke of earlier. The pink stuff? Barely cooked bacon. BARELY COOKED. But that's not even the worst part, the wedges I ordered...
Burned, dry and one step from powder. It was horrible. HORRIBLE. I didn't even eat them, who as a chef can serve this to someone? And they were served with some weirdo brand of ketchup. Are locally produced products that hard to get? I think not. The potato wedges were obviously lower in quality than the wedges from Juci Patties (also on campus) which look like so:
Golden, crisp, delicious and not too oily.
Our friends dined with us of course. One ordered a hot dog and said it was fine because no one can really screw up a hot dog (she'd be surprised) and another had a club sandwich which contained burnt bacon.
Just...wow. No.
Scotchie's Jerk Centre
2 Chelsea Avenue
New Kingston
We decided to stop here for lunch, a rather late lunch because it tends to get PACKED when you go there at lunch time (the usual 12/1). We were pretty much starving when we arrived and we got through fairly quickly, but on the up side I got an extra festival.
Nicolette ordered:
1/4 lb chicken
1/4 lb jerk sausage
3 festivals
1 bottle of water
Ann-Loy ordered:
1/4 lb chicken
1/4 lb jerk pork sausage
1/2 lb pork
3 festivals
1 corn
1 bottle of Coca-Cola
On looking at the chicken, it didn't look jerked at all, and when we tasted it it really could ave been left to "jerk" longer. The lack of jerk flavour was somewhat disappointing because we had already prepared our pallets for some real jerk flavour. The pepper-content in the chicken was good enough for me, though, however I (Nicolette) am not a lover of pepper but for Ann-Loy it was lacking. (Ann's Note: It was pretty darn bland. more roasted chicken than jerk).
Now on to the POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORK! The Jerk (Pork) Sausage looked a little disappointing but I found it wasn't that bad: it was spicy enough, but some flavour was missing, I can't quite put my taste bud on it but something was lacking. The festivals were probably the best thing we had that afternoon, they were just right.
Ann had the corn and said it was way too salty for her tastes but at least the condiment cups were cute.
The ambience is real nice and the seating is lovely. It sets the perfect mood for the food they serve. I am especially grateful that they have started selling sodas in the plastic bottle, rather than just having the glass-bottled ones and cans. The meals can get pricey, but you're paying for the scenery haha. I am not sure if we went on an off day, or at an off time but the food was really mediocre.
The setup is nice and the parking is sufficient, or so it would seem until you go there on a really busy night. And although the set-up is nice, some of the bushes could do with a bit of trimming. I didn't know there were so many areas to sit because of the overgrown bushes. Increased seating could also be something they might want to look into, but traditionally jerk centres are wrap and go places not "dine-in" restaurants.
OVERALL: It could have been better, but still a classic stop for whenever you need that little kick of jerk, and is ideal to take those family members and friends who came from overseas.
Hello everyone, Ann again. Hungry Belly is on TWITTER! Operated mainly by Nicolette, we tweet on the go reviews and photos of what we eat daily, outside of review duties. So for your HB fix, follow us on twitter.
We're also on Facebook and if you're feeling generous, nominate us for a JA Blog Award. See you soon for our next review and a special Meatless Monday recipe.
Hello, Ann here. I'm not much of a writer but I did take the Hungry Belly camera to the 2010 staging of CB Pan Chicken Championship held on Sunday November 28th. Admission is free and each booth sets their own prices. At heart, this event is a competition but I did not attend with the intention to do my own judging- maybe next year. I was Nicolette-less on this adventure so consider this more of a photo post with notes here and there.
I arrived a little after 3pm and the event started at 10am, but still the crowd was very thick.
First stop was to get a 1/4 chicken (leg and thigh) accompanied by a slice of hard-dough white bread for $350. Next to that particular competitor's tent was a familiar face for me. My kryptonite, shrimp. Note, I love shrimp. I also have a shrimp allergy.
I only got one small bag for $100, I promise. More pan chicken was purchased. This time, a breast and wing 1/4 with wheat bread and hard-dough for $300.
Soon, I spotted a cotton candy man, $50 each he said. I had to. Just doing my part to support small businesses, of course.
A lady passed with a delicious looking boiled corn while I enjoyed my cotton candy, so I walked in the direction she was coming from. I was working, afterall. I passed the Celebrity Cook-Off tent on the way down the street. Stacious, Keida, Nadine Sutherland and Shane-O were competing. The crowd around their tent was huge.
Keida's outfit was very adorable and she seemed to know what she was doing.
Stacious was zipping around and very focused. It paid off, she won.
I eventually found the corn lady, she only had a few left but I got one. Victory was mine also.
I eventually got thirsty, spotted some kids with Sno-cones ($150) and proceeded to join the long line with the bitchy servers.
And then more pan chicken for $300. That's the point of the event after all.
Turns out at a tent near to the Sno-Cone's tent was selling popcorn ($100) and mango/sorrel slushies ($100).
All in all, I had fun and lots of food. There was a larger variety of food than I consumed, I assure you. But I got the the event fairly late and the crowds at each booth were daunting. In fact, at some point I was pickpocketed and am now cellphone-less. Such is one of the dangers of attending such a large event. Almost the entire stretch of Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston was blocked off to stage this competition and while there were policemen and women patrolling, there's only so much they can do. Lesson learned for future events of this nature. I look forward to next year's competition and promise to get there earlier- with Nicolette of course.
Brian Lumley and Stephanie Lumley
"Foodies Lyme; easily described as a foodie heaven which was created by the sibling team, Chef de Cuisine, Brian Lumley and Stephanie Lumley, for those who love to cook or just enjoy great food. It was created for persons to experience the joys of food and wine pairings and promote a resurgence of dining out on the local scene.
The Foodies Lyme team considers a foodie to be anyone who is passionate about food, whether they love to cook, eat or just experiment with differenct cuisine, flavour or food culture; thus, Foodies Lyme is the premier event for the novice and the savviest foodie."
Clearly the Hungry Belly team had to be there...
What: Foodie's Lyme (A Night of Seafood Creations)
Where: Devonshire, Devon House
When: Sunday, October 24, 2010
Cost: $2.500 pre-sold, $3,000 at the gate
When we heard about the first Foodie's Lyme we were ecstatic because it was such a refreshing idea: an evening of eating and mingling, no strings attached. Unfortunately we missed the first one, but this one couldn't miss us although Ann has a slight allergy to shrimp. (Ann's note: I love shrimp and eat it anyway, team antihistamine! Don't try this at home, kids.)
Keeping it at the Devonshire was a good idea. It is a nice venue that is under-utilized. It has an inside and outside component behind its big wooden doors. The decor was fitting and very elegant. On entry two waitresses provided cocktails, courtesy of Red Stripe Beer: Red Stripe Light + lemonade and Red Stripe Light + sorrel. Following the pathway, it led you into a larger reception area with high tables and a bar. The bar had wines, beer and the Red Stripe cocktails. There was also a stand with fruits: grapes, pineapples, strawberries and apples to start off the night.
 It was to start at 7pm, but it really began at 8. We were unaware that there would be demonstrations, but it was a pleasant surprise. All meals took about 5-8 minutes (although the "surprise" dish took a bit longer) to prepare, as Chef de Cuisine Lumley said seafood doesn't need a lot of time on the fire. As the demos went on, Chef Brian would give background info on the dish or tips on cooking it. Recipe cards were handed out by his lovely assistant Vannah White Stephanie.
1st Dish: Creole Lobster with sweet peppers and pineapple, served with sweet potato chips
This was simply delicious. Usually lobster is very bland, but this one was flavourful. I really enjoyed the different flavours of the creole sauce and the peppers and the pineapple (I frickin' love pineapples). Pairing it with the sweet potato chips was a good idea, because all the flavours really complemented each other very well. If my memory serves me correctly Chef de Cuisine Lumley thought this would go well with white wine.
Carving station: five spiced Roast chicken with sorrel ginger reduction
This tasted like sweet jerked chicken. I am not sure what the five spices were but the sorrel ginger reduction stood out. Its sweetness was not overpowering but flavoured the chicken just right. The ginger was not too loud either, and that made it easy on the palate. This went well with red wine. Ann later cornered Brian requesting he roast her a chicken of her own.
Vegetarian station: Moroccan spiced potato and green pea spring roll + Fresh market vegetable spring roll
These were served at the same area as the chicken and paired with it nicely (although it was meant to be a separate dish). I only had the fresh market spring roll and it was just right. Not too oily, not soggy, just light warm and fresh (as the name suggests, but not fresh as in flavour-less).
The carving station and the vegetarian station were open throughout the night while the 2 main stations featured the 2 dishes which were demonstrated. Though not the main attraction, Ann's love of good chicken and spring rolls made this station her favorite.
2nd Dish: Surprise Dish
It did startle and excite a few people (we were among the few). It was a mixture of lion fish, parrot fish, shrimp and lobster in a laksa paste (this included a special sauce and spaghettini).
This dish wasn't too bad, but was a bit anti-climatic for the final dish. Chef Lumley included lemon grass into the paste and that flavour was a bit too overpowering for our liking. I am not certain if the one he prepared was as powerful but the one that was served in the main area was certainly overpowering. However, you could taste (beneath the lemon grass) that the seafood was well done. I found that this dish went well with white wine, as it helped to cut the lemon grass flavour.
Dessert station: Brandy Blush pudding and Intense Passion Fruit Cheesecake
I have a HUGE sweet tooth.... but I am not really a pudding fan. The brandy blush pudding just tasted like bread pudding. Simply okay. The cheesecake was good, but there was a film of some sort of passion fruit flavour that made it a bit too sour... but I removed that film and thoroughly enjoyed my cheesecake. There were also chocolate balls and caramel carvings. Although those weren't on the menu people gravitated to that more than the pudding and the cheesecake. Ann of course loved the pudding and had seconds (maybe thirds).
The fabulous thing about the event was that it wasn't just about the food, but about food and beverage pairings. The chef would suggest that the meal would go well with a certain drink and would ask us to try it and then walk around and ask us for feedback on the meal itself and on the beverage pairing.
The event was good and we recommend attending future ones (we'll be there). There was even a "surprise" - everyone (with their ticket stub) will receive 10% off any procedure at Isabella's Day Spa, after presenting the ticket stub of course... we have yet to use ours.
Side note: The entertainment was excellent also... there was live entertainment in the form of a steel band and there was a DJ while the band took breaks.
The only poor things about the event were the Red Stripe cocktails... who really thought that light beer and lemonade or sorrel would be a good idea. Normal beer with lemonade is Shandy... and Shandy is delicious...but light beer was a bad idea for those cocktails.
Yo quiero...Chilito's?
Chilito's was the first stop on our Hungry Belly journey. To write the first review seems daunting, but we decided to go to a popular spot in Kingston. On Tuesdays, Chilito's has what they call "Taco Tuesdays" where hard tacos are sold for $100 (not including tax) and soft tacos cost $150 (again, not including tax). I am not sure how much a taco usually goes for, but in this economic environment pretty much anything for $100 is a steal.
The restaurant is housed in what was once a home. This may be ideal for some persons but off-putting to others. We found that it gave the place a nice "chill" vibe. As such, this environment has less of a night time or formal dinner appeal. It is fine for lunch dates and hanging with the friends though.
   The restaurant has some very nice background music, that adds to the appeal of the place. You can tell the wide variety of musical tastes from the LP covers that decorate the "living room" wall. Inside has limited seating, as the front is set up like a living room and verandah (as I said before, this may be appealing to some but a turn off to others). Large groups (more than 4) would have to sit outside or take the tacos to go. Please note, parking is shitty...very....very...shitty. On a busy day/night like for Taco Tuesdays the parking situation is an absolute mess. Since it is set up like a small home, it has the parking space of a small home. Customers park on the streets, double and triple up in the tiny car park or park on residential avenues...one day a vehicle will be hit, towed, or totalled.
The staff is pretty pleasant, however there was one bitchy worker (I'm sure you know how one bitchy person can just alter your eating experience) however, the cashier was so pleasant and helpful. We just had to leave a tip for her (there is a tip jar at the register).
I (Nicolette) ordered:
-3 hard tacos + 1 soft taco
3 beef since I like to stick to the "taco stereotype" that it should contain beef and 1 jerked chicken. Both with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and chopped salsa.
-1 Ting (grapefruit soda)
Total: $599.23.
Might be a little pricey for some persons, but its not a sham because you know the tacos are $100 plus tax (not many things are without tax in this country, as we are well aware).
Ann ordered:
-5 hard tacos
All were filled with jerked chicken with "lettuce", cheese, lots of sour cream and chopped salsa.
-1 Pepsi
Ann's note: Jerk chicken for the win, the "grilled" chicken is bland in comparison but if you're not a fan of even remotely spicy food (...why are you eating at a Mexican restaurant?) then have the grilled. I personally don't find the tacos very filling so I have to have at least 5.
Note: we brought friends and they tried out the blended salsa (rave reviews)
For tacos, Chilitos offers a choice of minced beef, jerk chicken and grilled chicken fillings in hard or soft shells. This is with your choice of toppings: cheese, lettuce, sour cream and salsa (blended or chopped), but you can also get guacamole at an additional cost. Bottom line, the tacos are pretty damn good. The beef was not too salty, as is usually the case with beef dishes (it was absolutely delicious). However, the jerked chicken could have some more spice, it was sort of bland (especially since we know what jerked chicken is suppose to taste like, it was somewhat of a shock for it to be so mild, almost tasteless). The day we went they didn't have lettuce and used cabbage...I had no idea! I was probably enjoying the meal too much.
The soft taco was very good, and a welcomed difference. However, it could have been toasted a bit more so that the contents don't keep spilling out.
If you're afraid of getting your hands a little messy, then tacos are perhaps not a meal you will enjoy. Their contents tend to spill out. I think they could offer utensils at the cashier so you have that option, as opposed to your fingers; because even after I washed my hands thoroughly my fingers still smelled like seasoning.
The Good: THE TACOS, ambience, staff
The Bad: The parking
Overall: Good lunch and hang out spot, would go back for sure.
Chilito's Mexican Restaurant
65 Hope Road,
Kingston 6
Jamaica.
(google map)
Opening Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 12pm-10pm
Friday & Saturday: 12pm-11pm
Sunday: CLOSED
978-0537
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