Bay View by day, [Tim] Bamboo by Night: Portie Mothers Get Fetedy

Lukie D thrilled at Tim Bamboo

"Lust" is listed as one of seven deadly sins, but it took only one-quarter of L.U.S.T. the pop-reggae harmonizers, to put a scintillating stamp on a Mother's Day Sunday of entertainment in Port Antonio. Lukie D, the "L" showed that he was well capable of thrillin an audience all by himself as the featured act on Hotel Tim Bamboo's programme (which actually saw brunch and dinner offered on the day).
The performer unapologetically set the tone for the night with a suitably stirring rendition of Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" the audience immediately joininig in.

Thereafter, a thoroughly energetic and professional set , backed impeccably by the Natural Vibez band, saw the seasoned performer romping through ska, gospel and roots reggae classics as well as dipping into the L.U.S.T. catalogue

All of which helped the full house of patrons dig into a sumptuous four-course meal.


Earlier in the day, at Bay View Eco Resort, the reception/dining hall upstairs the pool deck (the latter marked by sweeping views of  Dolphin Bay/Turtle Crawle as well as the hotel's lush greenery and installed solar panels

Upstairs, patrons feasted on hotel fare which included chicken ham and fish all in a tangy sauce and pistachio ice cream for dessert, a repast made palatable by the ultra smooth selections of Stone Love legend Rory 9supported by Jaabo Sound), and the  striking African-oriented fashions of Aya Wear whose proprietor/designer Arlene Passley is an enrtertainment all-rounder herself.

Jah 9 will soon release debut album

After the visual stimulation Jah9 took the room and delivered for the brain and the heart, offereing cuts from her upcoming debut album, "New Name" a video for which the artiste recently shot in the scenic Blue Mountains (more on that in a later post).

At Tim Bamboo (on the eastern edge of town), ladies were presented with a rose upon arrival and ushered into the dining hall.

bay View Steps Up with Events

Bay View Eco-Resort, tucked into a slope overlooking the Turtle Crawle/Dolphin Bay area of Portland, has since the start of 2012, developed a monthly series of events highlighting various aspects of parish and national life.

Manager Marcia Lawrence explains that the activities are designed to achieve a number of objectives, including:

Exposure for the property and its varied offerings (spa, rooms, venue, meals)

To boost the entertainment quotient in Portland

To offer to  guests and local Portlanders opportunity to participate in

February Reggae Month

March – culture; poetry, photo exhibit and “Pig Out” night all pork dishes

And ‘Nuh Badda Cook Sunday” month-end; Jamaica Corner set up

April Health and Wellness Month

Healthy Moments @ Bay view Eco resort – each Thursday

Barter and no-cash exchange; performers give their service in return for either accommodation and/or meals.

For May, focus on Youth

June- Father’s day and Jazz Festival

Looking also at Olympics tie-in

Boston's Jerk in pics

The dust has settles; the stalls have been broken down and packed up; the food not consumed put away or given away.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.375394239171961.92854.160448100666577&type=1
See our coverage of the return of Jerk Fest to Boston Sunday last.

Food With A View: Urban Spoon in the Royal Mall

Ever since her childhood days, Nikki Shaw always always loved cooking. She was a fixture in the family kitchen, whipping up dishes to be savoured by all. Fortunately, she also proved to have a flair for business, whether as a manager or as an entrepreneur.

Port Antonio's Royal Mall

Within the imposing walls of the Royal Mall in port Antonio, she has ample opportunity to exercise all her attributes. She manages the property, and is also a "tenant" as proprietor of Urban Spoon, her very own restaurant on the second floor. In the cool airy confines of the eatery, patrons can sit at individual tables or at the bistro counter running along the rear wall. They can also opt for the coveted balcony seats, which look out  onto the entrance to the Errol Flynn Marina, and the bustling town square, as well as upwards towards Titchfield. Of course, if they're really in a hurry, they can have their meal to go. 

Turns out that the culinary space was not her first entry into the business arena. "With a partner, I had started a boutique, which was really a 'crash course' in business," she recalls. Remarkably, both she and the enterprise survived that crash course, and the boutique - in another location  - and restaurant are now operating satisfactorily.

For this, the owner gives copious credit to her staff. "I really have a tremendous team here," she points out. "People who really get that we're trying to offer a higher level of service and they just pitch in and they just jump and give as the situation requires, and that makes a difference."

The interior of Urban Spoon

Of course, the proof is in the eating as they say. Two visits in quick succession - on which we saw repeat customers -  confirmed that the chef knew his way around a savoury piece of meat. The stew pork consumed on our first visit was tender and juicy from start to finish, with just the right proportion of seasoning. On our second visit, we switched to the "house specialty" bar-b-fry chicken, and found that too, to be near perfect, crispy outside, succulent on the inside, with a sweet sauce nicely tempered by hints of ginger, pimento and cinnamon(?). The rice and peas was a little stickier than we'd like on both dys, but markedly better the second day.

Urban Spoon is located in the Royal Mall
opens for breakfast lunch and dinner (will remain until the last customer leaves)
Prices: - US$3-5 for the typical meal (including soda or most soft drinks)

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.

Ambiance resumes with "Billz"

Sherine Smith, manager, Ambiance Lounge

The Ambiance Lounge, situated atop the Royal mall at the base of Port Antonio's Titchfield Peninsula, will officially "re-present" itself to the entertainment public this Saturday (March 10) via an event approrpiately billed as "Billz". Cover charge will be $100 dollars (or a "billz" in local parlance), and mixed drink coctails will be offered at the special price of......you guessed it! $100.

Newly installed manager Sherine Smith explained that the popular lounge had been closed for some five weeks or so, during which time a number of improvements had been affected, and it was now time to publicly acknowledge the recreated entity.

The Ambiance will now open daily for lunch, but evening operations will be concentrated Wednesdays through Sundays, with an assortment of themes for each night including Latin (Thurs) Open Mic (Friday) and Karaoke (Sunday).

The club's location affords patrons handy views of the town's western harbour and the adjacent Titchfield Hill. 

Portie To Get "Curry"

This is all the official info I have thus far for the upcoming Portland Curry Festival - the 5th Annual, in fact.

Venue - Port Antonio High School

Date  - March 25, 2012


But what we can see looks good so far and holds out the promise of an entertaining - and filling  - day, especially if you are one of the many who go for "our brand of curry". I use that term in quotes, because what we here in Jamaica accept as "curry" is merely one form of the spicy melange.

Anyway, mark your calendars for another stellar food/entertainment mix.

More Wining and Dining - in pictures

Night one of Restaurant week 2K10, Day one of the Jamaica Pegasus Wine Spirit and food Fest, and the Bin 26 wine tasting......all in pics