Fridays are important to many for several reasons. For some it signifies the end of the workweek, payday, a day to get together with friends. Some will attest no Friday evening is really complete unless it involves drinks, games and of course good food. Thursday Food took a trek outside of the city of Montego Bay to check out Peckish Fridaze at the Smoked Marlin Restaurant in Hopewell, Hanover.

Smoked Marlin is an escape from city life. Located a mere 15 minutes outside of Montego Bay, it gives patrons a totally different vibe from the more fast-paced sports bars. The operators are not just focused on serving seafood but rather, on providing a culinary experience.

Restaurant manager Dionne Reid explained the little surprise that patrons get when they check in for food.

“Our food philosophy is to provide familiar food with a bit of newness. We take traditional Jamaican cuisine and add a touch of novelty and our goal is to always create dishes that provide comfort. Due to our location though, persons are always a little surprised as they are expecting just seafood done in the traditional manner. For our ‘Peckish Fridaze’ we applied the same thought process: keep it familiar but make it a little different,” Reid explained.

“On Fridays, after a long week at work, you want to link up with your friends, laugh, have a few drinks, hear a few good tunes, and catch up on life. You may not be famished but you may feel a little ‘peckish’ as we say. So we created three appetiser platters and three drink specials that were tailored to be shareable. It’s a more interactive way to dine; it’s laid-back. Being right by the sea certainly helps with that and you get the chance to enjoy some comfort food, and good company,” Reid added.

The regular menu features 15 dishes and, to add a little variety and keep it interesting, there areup to five special items on the menu that changes every four months depending on seasonality of items. Specials have included jerk calamari and mango crème brûlée with matcha green tea. The drink menu features tropical flavours and spirits perfect for just chilling by the sea.

Thursday Food serves up Peckish Fridaze but we are sure the ‘foodventurers’ will explore more on this journey.

Contact Number: 876-609-4181

Address: Main Street, Hopewell, Hanover

Opening hours: Monday CLOSED

Tuesday-Thursday 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Friday – Saturday 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Sunday 10:00 am – 9:30 pm