Guilty Pleasures: Portie's New Feel-Good Food Spot

The bustle of Port Antonio's William Street can overwhelm even the most jaded city dweller, as the town's traders, hawkers, hustlers and "schoolers" converge on and scramble to traverse the seemingly always congested artery that runs just opposite the market and ends up outside the United Church.
As one might expect ,those masses (and the few intrepid interlopers) will be looking to the numerous food and fruit stalls and cook shops to provide their sustenance. Thus the great, unrelieved bore of starch, chicken and goat, along with various packaged snacks and the aforementioned fruit.

But in this unlikeliest of settings, something fresh has popped up. Since last August a new eatery (and for most "Porties" even the term eatery is alien) has been open at the upper (church) end of the street. Guilty Pleasures is the brainchild of KellyAnn Goodall Kissoon, who spent time in the US, but out of a strong desire to be near her family, returned home and  after some combination of thought, misgivings and serendipity, opened the business, initially as a take-out only . its since expanded to include sit-down dining, but the guiding principle is the same. "I'm really about serving stuff that I enjoy eating," she explains. "We're not trying to be another cook shop"

So here you will not find the staple rice (and peas), curried chicken (or goat) or other heaping traditional street fare so abundant throughout the town. that is not to say  you won't be filled. The restaurant offers panninis and sandwiches (like that on the right) or pastires (left).

Founder-owner KellyAnn

Thee's also the more traditional cake and ice cream, though the owner says she's considering reducing the number of flavours offered. indeed, though the business has more or less kept afloat the past eight or so months, its not all peaches and cream. Porties are notoriously resistant to new dining options and despite the fairly widespread adoption of pizza (which Guilty Pleasures does not carry), old eating habits die very hard indeed, which can create frustration in the mind of a young, forward-thinking entrepreneur.

Nevertheless, she says she will stick it out for a while longer, and has some guarded plans to make the diner more attractive as well as to increase awareness of its presence. Time will tell if toasted sandwiches and the like will become the norm in this seaside town, but consider Guilty Pleasures a worthwhile vehicle for change.