Our Thursday Night Kingston food crawl continued with reservations at Kingston’s newest eatery [it opened on May 14] Broken Plate restaurant, where Chef Damion Stewart’s dream of opening a restaurant has been realised.

If Stewart’s name does not readily ring a bell, his face certainly will. He’s got culinary credentials, too!

Chef Damion Stewart received his formal culinary training at the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica where he earned a BSc (Honours) in Food Service Management majoring in Culinary Arts. Overseas internship opportunities allowed him to further hone his culinary skills. It was a stint at Tommy Bahama, however, that ignited his passion for fine dining and elegant plating.

In between sips of Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc and forkfuls of oxtail bolognese we learn more…

Thursday Food (TF): Why Broken Plate?

Damion Stewart (DS): While brainstorming for a name we had an idea to serve some of our signature dishes on a broken plate (we haven’t rolled out this aspect yet), and decided to call it that. Once something is broken the norm is to throw it away. In our quest for perfection and to be the place that provides an excellent dining experience for each client — if it is “broken”, then we fix it!

Broken Plate brings a refined, cosmopolitan flair to Jamaican culinary tradition. The concept of Broken Plate came from us wanting to break away from the traditional menu and dining experience locally by allowing the creativity of our team to go wild in creating signature dishes that are served on our signature broken plate.

TF: And the menu selections?

DS: It is a chef’s dream to open a restaurant and to create a menu that he or she would be very proud of. This menu was crafted with the idea of being different, while staying classic with taste and presentations. The menu stays true to my big and bold flavour profile of fusing traditional culinary flavours with our Jamaican richness. As proud as I am of the menu that has been created, I am also aware of how fickle patrons can be. So there’ll be lunch, dinner and appetiser specials weekly. In addition, the menu changes every three months to incorporate fresh, local and seasonal food.

TF: What’s your favourite menu item to prepare?

DS: Favourite meal to prepare is the seafood tacos. It’s a clean lunch or dinner dish that will appeal to any seafood lovers’ palate.

TF: You’ve been open for a short period, but what has been your most-in-demand menu option?

DS: The most popular items are quite surprising to me. Our Duck Breast Bruschetta has been doing extremely well and the feedback has been very positive. However, the most popular item is the Three-Cheese Basil Personal Salmon Mac and Cheese. The Oxtail Bolognese and the Burger and Lamb Shank are very close behind.

TF: What’s the seating capacity?

DS: There’s seating inside for 33 and outside for 28.

TF: How was your staff recruited?

DS: We scoped hard to get the best staff out there, as what we truly wanted was a team that shared our resolve: to change the Jamaican culinary scene. Whilst our staff is young, they have invaluable experience in the industry and are trained by the top food service schools in the country. This is to ensure that service is always on par from both the back and front-of-house.

TF: Who did your wine pairings and which ones are you carrying?

DS: Select Brands handled the wine pairings which have been well received by our guests. Da Luca is our house staple; others include Meiomi Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Estancia Heritage Red Blend, Robert Mondavi Napa Chardonnay, Sentito Pinot Grigio, among others.

Our suggestion is to go with a group, order several different options and split the bill.

Dinner for nine with wine $34, 591.

This new establishment gets our nod. Do share your experience with us:whyten@jamaicaobserver.com

Broken Plate

14 Canberra Crescent,

Kingston 6

Tel: 667-6891

Email:brokenplateja@#gmail.com

Opening Hours:

Monday – Saturday:

11:00 am – 10:00 pm