Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards judge for the parish of Kingston & St Andrew Rachael Barrett shares her final two culinary gems

When people ask me what living in Jamaica is like, I use the analogy of our island as “the New York” of the Caribbean, a bustling hub of business, trade and tourism with a large city teeming with our world-famous culture. That said, many have a hard time navigating a path off the regular circuit, or taking advantage of our culinary gems that are hiding in plain sight. Weekends in Kingston are a great opportunity to take full advantage of a pulsating city at the heart of Jamaican culture of music, style and food.

In spite of what most locals may do or say, I keep driving along the harbour and take every visitor to downtown Kingston on their first day in the city. I find it’s an important starting point and it’s usually the first place that artists, fashion designers and musicians are begging to see. Landmarks like Trench Town, the National Gallery and Augustus Pablo’s are thankfully near to that epicurean oasis of chic, F & B Downtown. Like any other city’s downtown spots, F& B is an amalgam of the rich mix of cultures around it.

That corner of Harbour and Church Streets boasts beautifully preserved fretwork and tiles for design and history buffs, and inside walls lined with Craig Phang Sang’s black and white photographs of the city and its people add a contemporary urban flair, while the staunchly modern decor provides a sharp contrast to the traditional architectural exterior. As a last stop, this mix of rough Kingston, old Kingston and the energy of a new Kingston to me is the epitome of that intangible appeal of our city.

The food is an eclectic yet very Kingston mix of European-styled sandwiches and salads, South Asian-inspired roti wraps, traditional Jamaican soups and entrees, and an assortment of “Jamaicanized” Chinese dishes. Everything is made fresh on site, the servers are attentive and knowledgeable, and the fully stocked bar is a popular watering hole for an Appleton rum on the rocks to ring in the weekend over a steamy Kingston sunset.

The best part about living in a city on the sea is the access to fresh seafood. Weekends in Kingston are a good time to celebrate that this metropolis is on the water, so take a quick drive out to Port Royal to see the ruins of the original sin city and experience Gloria’s fresh fish.

Regulars know that calling ahead saves time and sanity; if one of our beautiful cays is the final destination, then an even better option is to take the meal out to sea by canoe! Most importantly, a trip to Gloria’s is a trip back to authentic, no-frills Jamaica. Accept that it will take a while, the service will be slow, and the state of the facilities is unpredictable, so walk with wipes. Once you’ve let that all go, get ready to enjoy a delectable seafood feast with flavours that are often imitated but never duplicated. Steamed snapper, curried conch, grilled lobster, steamed okras, janga soup, cassava bammies fried or steamed, and hand-rolled crunchy sweet ‘festivals’ are the stars of the fare on offer, while the pepper pickle is essential to tie the range of flavours together.

Sitting on the simple wooden deck above the fishermen and their boats with a cold beer or chilled glass of wine, a trip to Gloria’s is also a chance to escape the heat and pace of contemporary Kingston and fall into a reverie, with a view of what was once the most important harbour in the West Indies in the centre of what was once universally acknowledged as “the wickedest city on earth”. Drawing parallels between past and present Kingston, thankfully the sea salt air and reggae bass thrumming across the road as you savour a mouthful of crunchy fish help keep a balanced appreciation of who we were, what ups and downs we have experienced, and where the spirit of the people is headed… eat UP!

F&B DownTown

107 Habour Street

Tel: 922-1109