Pink Supper, the latest in the ROK Supper Club series, was a summer soirée worth toasting!

On Thursday, August 15, guests filled the stylishly curated space of the ROK Hotel’s rooftop bar and pool area and were immediately greeted with rosé pours and glasses of pink cocktails. Scotch Bonnet Beetroot Rice Krispies and crab cakes drizzled with beetroot aioli were passed as numbers — the final count was 36 — grew.

An hour in, guests settled in for Executive Chef Volaé Williams’ delicious nine-course feast, appropriately tinged in pink. The tablescape burst with roses, hydrangeas, cherry blossoms, and hot pink bougainvilleas — a multi-hued arrangement by floral designer Hilgary Thompson-Wright — and the elegant treatment from Kike Whitfield of Kikes Koncepts. The true marvel, was, however, the ‘dining on water’ illusion the plexiglass pool covering provided.

“It’s a pleasure to host all of you tonight,” said ROK Hotel Director of Sales & Marketing Marlene Buckridge. “The team has put together some fantastic food, paired with some beautiful wines. I’m going to hand over to Volaé [ROK Hotel Executive Chef Volaé Williams] so he can tell you how he’s going to take us through this gastronomic journey.”

For his part Williams said: “We have nine phenomenal courses. I’ll be presenting each course as the night goes by. Gear up your tastebuds for bold, subtle, and explosive flavours. This is a gastronomical experience like no other.”

ROK Hotel Interim General Manager Feras Erksousi held court at one table, whilst Buckridge sat at the other, as servers — dressed in pink ties — placed bowls of Roasted Yam Cream.

A succession of artfully plated dishes ensued. Guests enjoyed marinated cherry tomatoes in the Caprese Romesco, perfectly seared melon in the Blackened Honey Dew, Jerk Octopus, and Spiced Duck Confit, paired with Caribbean Producers Jamaica Ltd’s (CPJ) best red, white, and rosé wines. Petite Fillet Farci, an arrangement of Callaloo and tomato-filled chateaubriand, banana croquette, baby carrots, Pinot Noir mushroom demi, and beetroot gastrique wrapped the savory journey.

After a bubbly palate cleanser — Rosé, and carbonated sugar — it was time for dessert. Bursting with inspiration from the bar, the garden, and pink nostalgia, Williams’s flight of desserts included Yogurt Panna Cotta, Raspberry Mousse Tartlet, Chocolate Sorrel Bon Bon, Irish rum Ball, Melon Mojita Sphere, and a special treat of Mango-Strawbeery Mille Feuille.

A hybrid between a dinner party and dining at a restaurant, often taking place in a chef’s home or spaces closed for the evening, supper clubs foster cultural exchange, closing the distance between chef and guests as everyone sits together for a meal.

Thursday Food reckons we’ve stumbled upon a renewed appreciation for a more intimate type of dinner party: The ROK Supper Club.

ROK Hotel

2-4 King St, Kingston

Photographer: Naphtali Junior