Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
( LEFT ) Peter Fraser, general manager, Royal Plantation Hotel. - CONTRIBUTED
( RIGHT )Louise Valle at the recently-held Canada National Day Reception. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
SO MUCH rain, so little water! Dears, there might not be water in many a tap across Kingston and St. Andrew in the wake of the hurricane, but we are in the midst of the zodiac sign Cancer - a water sign, and celebrations there are aplenty.
Peter Fraser celebrated his birthday yesterday, as he and friends headed for the South Coast, where the chic little resort of Mar Blue was the destination as the well-heeled and the fabulous trooped in from across the nation to join in the celebrations, which got under way on Wednesday evening and will culminate tomorrow evening.
Now, yesterday being July 14, was Bastille Day, the French National Day, and yes, its also the wedding anniversary of Canadian High Commissioner HE Claudio Valle and his fab wife Mrs. Louise Valle, as the couple toasted their 31st wedding anniversary.
Congrats mes ami and lots more!
And more congrats all around, as it is now official, the fabulously lovely Kathy Owen has accepted the proposal of her Spanish painter, and gallery owner, Jorge Lopez De Guerenu, the two having met at the Balboa, Spanish home of former model and party high-priest Kurt Hentley, at one of his famous gatherings.
No wedding date yet, but the buzz is it's one of the biggest rocks many have seen in a long, long time, and yes, it will be a smasheroni of a wedding either in the fall or early next year.
And it seems that yet another of the chic has said yes to the entreaties of marriage by her beau, as the word is that the lovely Odette Shoucair has accepted Robbie Epstein's proposal of marriage and the lovely Ms. Shoucair is now sporting one glamorous rock. More anon, but champagne wishes all around!
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
Dears, if y'all don't know it yet, y'all need to wake up and smell/taste the coffee as Kingston and destination Jamaica are decidedly taking on more and more of a cosmopolitan flavour, as one of the premier and safer destinations in the world.
There should be no surprises here because for as long as there have been records, Kingston, and Jamaica, have always been the 'in' destination for the international jet-setters and 'A'-crowd. It seems while Jamaica has been a constant for the international traveller however, the island has not kept pace with the taste of that international crowd and so, in matters of entertainment, we seemed to have dropped the ball.
On the other hand, Kingston and leading North Coast towns and/or resorts have managed to maintain a kind of entertainment mystique that has not only withstood the passage and taste of the international jet-setter, it has added some allure over the years, by developing its culinary appeal.
Luvs, Kingston and its leading North Coast satellites have moved away from being a mere neo-colonial outpost, rehashing take-offs of North American dishes, to satisfy the influx of Coca-Cola budgetary type traveller, to embrace as diverse a culinary offering as can be found in other leading capitals of the world.
So, what was once a destination with its primary offering being a quasi continental menu, ignoring the appeal of its own ethnic servings, has been replaced with a truly trans-continental fare with samples and fabulous servings from most everywhere, including the new emerging fusions of ethnic peoples who have fused their traditional dishes, with that of their host countries. This has created a new and exciting array of dishes and tastes, that has set tongues and palates a-fire since their emergence.
Sweet-things, one of the new ethnic fusions now taking the culinary world by storm is Cuban and other fusions from a number of Caribbean states.
Luvs, its now a sign of cachet and international chutzpah to not only be cognisant of the new and emerging culinary lingua franca, but also to be conversant with its attributes in an up-close and intimate mode.
Jamaica is now in the process of adding to its menu a whole range of ethnic culinary experiences for its nationals and visitors alike. And so, in recent years, we have seen the addition of Japanese, French, Thai, Indian, Italian, and Mexican, to the Jamaican culinary serving. Another ethnic fusion was added to the menu recently with The New Fashion Café, located over there at the 38a Trafalgar Road, smack in the middle of fashionably hot, New Kingston.
Doves, enter the charming Janete Rigg, a former professor at the University of California Berkeley, California for several decades, who was for years a frequent return visitor to our fair island with her university friends, who fell in love with the island and its people and culture and "hated to leave" when she had to return to her job as a professor.
For years Janete Rigg was consumed with a wish to make a life for herself here in Jamaica and during a visit last year, came up with a solution when she passed by the Caribbean Fashion Centre. Why not open a restaurant? Now, less than a year later, Janete and her partner, Roberto Corzo of Cuba, have opened the New Fashion Café - a delightful bar and restaurant, for lunch and dinner and specialising in dishes from Cuba and the rest of the Caribbean.
Dears, the place is a peach, and then some!
THEME
Done-up in a Mediterranean fiesta type theme, the unmistakable Spanish/Cuban theme is evident in its décor, colours and music, the music filtering from the inner dining hall and unto the quaint little deck that is a fab little adjunct to the alfresco bar at the front of the restaurant. That area gives way to Trafalgar Road, creating that added sense of cosmopolitan chic and fashionable élan, that makes it a winner!
Dearhearts, I lunched at the New Fashion Café last Wednesday, and so captivating it was that instead of going directly to the menu, for lunch, after a long and tiring drive from the North Coast, one opted for a couple of mojitos before lunch, and dears, they were just what the doctor ordered.
Aam-a-telling-yuh, New Kingston never looked so fine, as our party of six settled on the piazza swirling mojitos and Cuba libres, as the rush of vehicular and pedestrian traffic made for an absolutely fascinating matinee.
And luvs, when lunch was finally taken, it was worth its essence in precious stones as the West Indian curried crabcakes, shrimp melts, callaloo fritters and Cesar salad had guests humming. And then there was the sesame crusted salmon with orange sauce, Cuban roast pork with tamales in husk wrapping, coconut shrimp, curried ackee, shredded beef, all had diners pledging to their hosts regular visitations to the hot, new spot. But it was the finale of pumpkin flan and Marla's key lime pie that sealed the deal for many.
Coffee and/or tea were eschewed, as guests opted instead to return to mojitos and/or vino. Dears, it was closer to 5:00 p.m. before the party was able to tear itself away from the café, and when the charming Ms. Rigg, joined to advise that, indeed, there is happy hour Monday through Saturday 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m, with every third drink being on the house, parting became that much more of a chore.
Alas, news of Hurricane Dennis was in the air and so we took our leave. But with opening hours 12 noon to 11:00 p.m. we have since returned, and dears, it's all that!
