AS is our wont, we took the pulse of our younger bon vivants with respect to Jamaica’s dining landscape.

We broke bread recently with some 15 new gourmands starting around 7:30 pm. Few were surprised that we were still in heavy discussion at close to midnight.

Our hosts:

Celeste and Roderick Gordon

The guests:

Andrew and Karen Chang

Brett Wong

Jason Ritch

Rachel McDonald

Stefan Wright

Siri Brown

Dennis Reid

Julian Robinson

David Walton

Sarita Rowe

Avril Leonce

William Saunders

Kellie Magnus

Marilyn Bennett

The evening’s menu

Oven-roasted salmon with citrus dill cream

5-spice roasted potatoes and breadfruit

Mixed Greens with roasted apples, radishes, bell peppers and sherry vinaigrette

Desserts:

Raspberry black bottom chocolate cream pie

Lemon pound cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream

Crème fraiche cheesecake with honey-rum pineapple glaze

What we discussed

The plea was not just for more interesting places in which to eat but for consistently good food and service. Business consultant Sarita Rowe eats out on average three times per month but laments how “tedious it all becomes after a while.”

“I guess I now need to go out of town some more,” she said.

Rowe’s favourite eating spots in the city are: Mac’s Chop House, Gaucho’s, China Express and Restaurant East.

David Walton of Wray & Nephew eats out regularly but also loves to entertain.

“I entertain at least once a month and invite some 50 persons,” he says. “My last ‘do’ was a pork fest, which was very well received.”

Entrepreneur Brett Wong eats out all around the island at least four times per month, but marvels at the short lifespan of eating establishments, and laments the shortage of quality waiters.

“Service is for the most part quite unsatisfactory,” he shares with Thursday Food.

But this, he believes, will improve if patrons demand better service.

“There are so many interesting food spots,” he continues. “I eat roast fish in Greenwood, pork at Scotchie’s and yes, I like what Mac’s Chop House has to offer in terms of atmosphere and style of cooking. But, as good as a popular spot like Pelican is, it would be good to see new items on the menu.”

Most agree with Wong, who throws another spoke in the wheel by lambasting the many restaurateurs who fail to market their establishments. “There’s no advertising or marketing… they tend to wait to see people first,” he adds.

What also struck the group was the fact that there were so few young restaurateurs.

“Many, like me, have gone into the catering side of the market,” explains Jason Ritch.

“That in itself,” chuckles Avril Leonce, “is not too bad a deal for us who can look forward to great dinner parties like this one.”

Leonce, who is a native of St Lucia, but resides in Jamaica, sees the restaurant scene in Jamaica as pretty buoyant, remarking that it’s mostly the tourists who eat in the restaurants back in her homeland.

Thursday Food is, however, anxious to know if the next generation will be like their parents and entertain more at home.

Wong and Julian Robinson are fully aware of the dilemma. Both have full-time helpers so can more than understand why persons their age eat in more than they do out.

The luxury of having a full-time helper is not a reality for many. Andrew and Karen Chang, for example, have a daily helper and eat out whenever they can. Karen, who is a vegetarian, is pleased with the progress restaurants have made, citing Toscanini, Velisa’s and Norma’s as places where she dines but is still not satisfied with the level of service (generally). She cites slow service and inconsistencies whenever the owners are not on spot as major turn-offs.

Architect William Saunders concurred and used Susie’s Bakery and Coffee Shop as an example of not only capturing a niche market but offering very good customer service.

“It’s not the cheapest of places,” he hastened to add, “so I don’t go as often as I would like.”

This triggered off great discourse about the cost of dining out in Jamaica and the oftentimes negative perception of waiters and those in the service industry.

“Being a waiter is not a job many would aspire to,” shared Robinson. “Perhaps not!” was our response.

“(But) this is as a result of how we view them here in Jamaica… an excellent waiter can make a lot of money by freelancing as many do,” explained our host Celeste Ritch. “And they do make a sizeable amount in tips.”

What Thursday Food found heartening was the fact that tomorrow’s gourmands understood the importance of the tip, invariably leaving ten to 15 per cent of the total bill.

In between delicious mouthfuls of lemon pound cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream and sips of Blue Mountain coffee, our group concluded that despite its challenges there’s still enormous potential for the industry and yes, these gourmands speaking on behalf of several of their peers are willing to challenge the status quo, spend more money at restaurants and more importantly, be part of the change.

Caterer Celeste Gordon shares a couple of the evening’s recipes.