BON VIVANT Richard Elliot made a commitment at last year’s Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards to become a restaurateur. Less than a year later, the door of his establishment is opened and generating a constant buzz.

As is the norm, SunDay Cuisine had encouraged many to ‘go ahead’ and report on this establishment that has been opened a mere 30 days. The reviews have been pretty spectacular.

White Bones Seafood Restaurant (named after Elliott’s boat) so exceeded our own expectations that we have not stopped pinching ourselves.

It’s not at all what you’d expect to encounter on a hot Thursday afternoon at Mary Brown’s Corner. Stepping on lots of pebble stones, one passes a fishing boat, blue fishing nets used as dividers and a bar wrapped snugly in a corner before entering the main dining area. An aquarium forms an intricate part of the tribute Elliott pays to the sea, his passion. The ‘wow’ continues with the eclectic yet detailed approach to the décor.

Effortless chic immediately comes to mind as we take in the separate areas including a cosy VIP area with a private garden to boot that’s so smartly positioned that you are separate but still part of the action. There are more design details – all by the way conceptualised and executed by Elliott – like red galvanised steel running across the roof, a fibreglass skylight and fringed thatched details.

“It’s still a work-in-progress,” explains Elliott as we take in the lighting fixtures created from what were once food covers. The wooden tables positioned on wooden floors are set with straw mats. Smooth jazz and modern soul add to the refreshing air but without overwhelming. A peek, by the way, inside the well-appointed kitchen speaks volumes – this is certainly not the behind-the-scenes of your typical seafood joint.

As we sip blended fruit punches and peruse the pretty comprehensive (read not so typical) menu, our expectations soar – oysters on half-shells served New York-style nice start we surmise.

Other orders would include: shrimp, fish and mussels in white wine and a white wine cream sauce served on a bed of vermicelli, grilled mahi-mahi in a coconut cream sauce, mussels dolce vita and plantain-crusted salmon with citrus beurre blanc.

White Bones offers a traditional fish line too, with favourites like: roast fish, fried fish, steam, grilled, brown stewed, curry coconut fish, sweet and sour fish and jerk fish. There are salads too as well as lobster, shrimps and king crabs. When a restaurant places trout, mahi-mahi and sea bass on a city menu, one is forced to surmise that there’s a hell of a good chef in the kitchen!!!

Gregory Nelson is the chef at White Bones Seafood Restaurant. We remember him from Ciao Bella Restaurant days.

The menu suggestions, we soon realise, are more than page fillers. Nelson delivers food in a sensitive, confident manner, complementing and successfully contrasting textures like the meaty mahi-mahi without overwhelming the taste buds with the complexities of curry and coconut.

His culinary skills are further tested with the mussels dolce vita that are served in a rosé sauce on a bed of linguini.

The mussels slide easily from the shell and the linguini perfectly al dente. The plantain-crusted salmon proves a tad of a challenge but is saved by the beurre blanc.

Dessert comes in the form of baked papaya a la mode bringing the dining experience to a truly magical end.

The dilemma you’ll face after lunch at White Bones is that of resisting the urge to lounge for the rest of the day. The charming Donna Surgeon who passes with tray after tray of pina coladas does absolutely nothing to jerk us out of beach mode.It becomes an exercise in futility. it’s already 4:30 pm. Why not take the rest of the day off?

White Bones Seafood Café located at 1 Mannings Hill Rd Kingston 8 opens Mon-Sat 11:am-11:00pm and Sundays 4:00pm-9:00pm

Is truly worth several visits. A great place to take everybody. There’s a kiddies menu too.

Prices: realistically moderate.