I recently visited Chris Gayle’s Triple Century Sports Bar, which is located in the heart of New Kingston along the Hip Strip, at 69-71 Knutsford Boulevard.

Not, as a rule, a lover of sports bars (the noise!), I was pleasantly surprised by the relaxed ambience of Triple Century. The TV screens were all around but not screaming at me. My guest for lunch, a sports enthusiast, was impressed at being surrounded by a choice of cricket, football (both EPL and Serie A!) and basketball. I predict this is going to be a very popular and great venue for next month’s World Cup given the amount and sizes of the screens.

The restaurant is very well-thought-out; spacious with different dining areas to form one cohesive and friendly restaurant but providing a degree of privacy if required. There are two actual lengthy bars at front and back where patrons can drink, dine and enjoy the sports.

The menu is extensive and varied, from appetisers to entrées to desserts, plus a choice of burgers, sandwiches and pizzas (pick your toppings) for those who want to just grab a quick bite for lunch.

The staff was welcoming, friendly and attentive.

From a wide variety of appetisers we chose Oxtail Quesadilla and Shrimp Brochette, at which time we were joined by another friend and his crew of overseas visitors, so we added Ackee Spring Rolls to our haul. My original guest, a diehard pasta fiend, could not resist the Vegetable Pasta, as well, with curried coconut sauce. She was not disappointed as it had a true curry flavour with “nuff” coconut in it.

There were several other goodies to be had for starters which were also tempting — especially the BBQ pulled pork wrap, but we had to call a halt. All the appetisers were presented with a degree of artistry and eye appeal and proved to be delicious with the Oxtail Quesadilla proving the favourite. Soft pita bread pockets with spicy, shredded, tender meat led me to rather overindulge. The Shrimp Brochette disappeared quickly and everything was served on a bed of fresh, chopped salad. The ackee spring rolls, too, were very good.

I thought that the curry goat and oxtail would be the real testers, as far as the Jamaican dishes on offer went, so we ordered those two along with Chicken Marsala; Roast Stuffed Snapper and Jerk Pork with Festival as our entrées. Everything came up hot and nicely presented with tasty side dishes such as steamed bammy, festivals (light and fluffy) and a well-cooked, buttered baked potato. The curry goat was a huge hit with my guests, the oxtail was well-cooked tender until it fell off the bone — and the chicken marsala, I am told, tasted very good. The roast, stuffed snapper looked almost too good to eat topped with its chopped okra and orange twist garnish but was, in fact, exceptionally good to eat and certainly adequate for two people. The jerk pork was well done too — on par with Portland’s own.

The portions were large, but not overly so, and my guests were most appreciative of and enjoyed the food immensely, with our visiting Scotsman describing the fare as simply “brilliant!” Everybody commented on the glazed whole string beans and julienne carrots which accompanied every dish — truly al dente.

We ordered a variety of drinks and they arrived looking colourful, fruity and more importantly, tasted cool and delicious, with our English guest pronouncing his ‘Jamaica Island’ the winner — a blend of pineapple, orange, grenadine, lime and ginger beer. The mango daiquiris went down well, too.

Unfortunately, there was not enough time for dessert, but I think I could have trusted this eatery to come up with something appropriate to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Triple Century has certainly managed a fine fusion of local and international dishes with enough vegan options in the mix; all cooked and presented in style. It is not the most inexpensive dining venue, but the prices are certainly not too steep either, bearing in mind quality and quantity; as previously mentioned, the portions are more than satisfying. For six persons who had a variety of appetisers, a wide range of entrées, the pasta dish and drinks for everyone, too, the bill came to $16K plus change, which included GCT.

All in all, a most enjoyable venue: good food and service, a nice vibe, excellent value for money spent and, certainly, the sports enthusiasts among us could not ask for more.

Jimmy Joseph

@ Triple Century Restaurant