To the magical strains of Bob Marley’s classic Stir It Up, we step into Bob’s Café, the three month-old business concern of Rita Marley, Julius Chin Yee and Lenny Chen. It’s Wednesday afternoon and, thankfully, lots cooler than it has been for several days.

There’s a breeze, too, so we opt for al fresco dining although the ultra-exclusive air-conditioned dining room proves pretty tempting.

Table Talk Food Awards judge Peter Bunting had shared with us details of a great fish meal he’d enjoyed here. And more recently, Jamaica Observer photo editor Michael Gordon had given the vibes and pickings both thumbs up, so we’re pretty confident as we take our seats under the large, green Bob’s Café Tru Juice umbrellas.

Our server, Chinloya, allows us to settle (as usual, it takes some time) and suggests a glass of natural tamarind juice whilst we peruse the menu.

The suggestion is an excellent one and very soon we are into second glasses of juice. The rest of our pickings are left entirely up to host Julius Chin Yee.

And so there’s a hearty plate of red pea soup made with fresh herbs and spices (it is, in fact, ital) but there is no need to add, or wish for, salt, since the fresh herbs lend appropriate flavour. The taste and texture are both superb.

Those not interested in soup enjoy Jamaican crab cakes which are reputed to be the best in Jamaica. This, by the way, proves to be no idle boast, as forks lift the most crabmeat from the middle of the cakes that we’ve seen in ages.

“Natty dread,” some smart-aleck suggests, “might not approve of these crab cakes.” But as if on cue Who the cap fits is the next Bob Marley song to be played and we all burst into raucous laughter.

The soundman seems to have access to all of our favourite Marley tunes, for its time for Buffalo Soldier served with cheese and calaloo.

There are cheese and calaloo spring rolls, too, as well as Howard and Jane Taylor’s smoked marlin with roasted vegetables and garlic bread with salsa. The cream cheese served with the marlin is infused with special red peppers adding a new dimension to the taste.

Life at #56 gets better with each Marley beat, and with the additional discovery that our Johnny Hamilton-/Julius Chin Yee-designed chairs with black cushions and green bamboo backs actually recline, there is no doubt that we too will be ‘forever loving Jah’.

A pause from the pickings allows us to watch the busload of tourists still in awe at the legacy Bob Marley. Others are en route to the natural hair oasis located to the back of the complex.

It’s hard to believe that Bob’s Café is not fully in operation as tables continue to fill up and, in addition, we’ve heard about a few of the private sessions with another set for Friday night.and in the words of Chin Yee: “Fridays are pretty amazing.” It’s the whispers of those in the know who wish to keep the place as ‘low-keyed’ as possible.

But with the recent slick showing of Cedella Marley’s ‘Sixties and Still Smoking’, many perhaps followed the entourage to the home of their father’s longtime chef and confidante “Chicken George” and have just kept coming back for more.

Not too difficult a tale to spin especially after choosing a catch of the day (Chin Yee buys fish fresh daily from Rocky Point to Old Harbour) and having it cooked to order by Chicken George.

Seafood offerings are: Hellshire Style Steamed Fish (whole fresh fish steamed with mixed vegetables, okra, pumpkin and special South Coast spices); St Elizabeth Escovietch Whole Snapper (deep-fried and covered with onion, pepper, allspice and vinegar and Port Royal Sweet & Sour Fish (deep fried, boneless fillet in our world-famous sweet & sour sauce).

We order a steamed fish and escoveitch whole snapper. The size, however, is absolutely intimidating and we are not too sure if we can get through it all but with fork and knife in hand it suddenly gets easier.

What doesn’t get easier is the ability to further indulge and as such there is no space for Dawn Mitchell’s sweet treats. But in the words of Chinloya, “there’ll be a next time for you to taste the Jamaican pavlova or the Triple mocha cappuccino chocolate mousse cake and enjoy Bob’s Cafe Coffee Bar.”

Prices, in the words of proprietor Julius, “are not cheap and there’s no apology, either. What we’re presenting is high-quality food done in a unique way and served by excellent staff.An amazing experience.”

Reckon on US$100 for two.

Bob’s Café, located at 56 Hope Rd, Kingston 10, is opened Monday-Saturday 11am until.

A truly mystical experience, worth at least three visits.