“Meals and Memories” Chef Conroy Arnold came across my radar a few weeks ago when a good friend in Kingston called me excitedly about her daughter’s birthday dinner/dining experience at a restaurant located in Oracabesa, St Mary. With details in hand, contact was made and voila, a dinner reservation was made for Friday, September 25, 2026.

Unfamiliar with the location, I did a drive-by days before and an unscheduled stop to get a feel of the space. Not surprisingly, Chef Conroy Arnold was up and about, tending to his yard. We spoke briefly; a conversation which inter alia included a brief background on the restaurant, food preferences, allergies, and time of reservation.

Brief Background
511 Conroy’s Plate is owned and operated by Chef Conroy Arnold also known as The Stuttering Chef, a moniker he adopted because of a sporadic speech impediment, which motivated him to immerse himself in cooking as an outlet “because you don’t have to talk a lot when you cook”. The name for the restaurant came about many years ago when his mother gave him a plaque with the numbers 511 engraved in it. It was around these three digits that 511 Conroy’s Plate and culinary/dining experience started in July 2025. The 511 stands for 5-in-1/5 courses at any sitting. Now cue: The restaurant’s name — soup, salad, appetiser, entrée and dessert. It is a reservation-only chef-led (accompanied by a cook, sous-chef and mixologist) dining experience, featuring a seasonal prix-fixe menu, open-fire flavours, and handcrafted Jamaican plates mixing Asian, French and American cuisine.

Food Awards judge Pauline Edie at 511 Plate.

Originally from Wait-A-Bit, Trelawny, Chef Arnold migrated to the USA in 1983 where he lived for 25 years. After completing a degree in political science at SUNY Purchase, then becoming Culinary Institute of America-trained; he cooked at NOBU and The Tonic in New York. More or less, 12 years ago he returned to Jamaica and was culinary lead for the reopening of the Golden Eye Resort. He then spent nine years as executive chef at Hermosa Cove in Ocho Rios, after which he left to open 511 Plate.

The 5-in-1 Experience
Now, cue the mento band, and listen to the rhythm, as my palate was transported to a culinary destination reminiscent of a long gone but never forgotten birthday dining experience I had in Rome. The experience encompasses a five-course tasting menu built entirely around me and my three guests’ preferences (after consultation with him) to which he added his inimitable twist.

First Course
Palate-cleansing pumpkin-based seafood chowder with mahi mahi, bite-sized chunks of carrots and cho-cho, served with warm, freshly baked home-made bread with compound butter consisting of parsley, cilantro and garlic.

Second Course
Boneless Ram Goat Ravioli seasoned with local herbs and spices on a bed of well seasoned curried coconut reduction sauce — his take on curried ram goat as stuffed pasta.

Third and Fourth Courses
These courses were combined for a customised family-styled experience. Our palates were introduced to different elements of taste — a melting pot of different cuisines including pan-seared (seasonal) lobster tail seasoned with an assortment of local herbs and spices, dripping in compound butter; shrimp in coconut curried sauce (rundown style); curried white beans combined with root vegetables such as pumpkin and carrots; slow braised assorted vegetables (tomatoes, squash, brussel sprouts, sweet peppers with garden basil) in a tomato based sauce; pickled kimchi vegetables (beetroot, carrots and cabbage) and fluffy, steamed white jasmine rice.

Fifth Course – Dessert
Pumpkin pie with home-made swirled vanilla ice-cream and cocoa chocolate sauce.
Each course was paired nicely with copious amounts of house red wine. Portions were more than enough (we took home leftovers) and intentionally not heavy since it’s five courses. We could taste the freshness in the ingredients as they were locally bought; and with Scotch bonnet peppers, thyme and escallion as the foundation, our palates danced with pleasure as each course was enjoyed independently; that is, with no left over/after taste from the previous course. Vegetarian options and pre-booked cooking classes are also available.

Other menu items, customised to your preference of course include but not limited to a meat platter consistingof jerked pork, chicken rotisserie, tenderloin of beef; shrimp dumplings simmered in seafood alfredo; oven-roasted salmon on arugula with subtly spicy-sweet tomato salsa; slow-braised beef short ribs marinated overnight, served with kimchi; homemade smoked marlin — brined in aromatics for 24 hours and then smoked with pimento wood; kombucha, pickled vegetables; pumpkin based seafood soup with crab claws, shrimp and mushroom; callaloo ravioli in a light cream based sauce and home-made coconut-based vanilla ice-cream.

Described as one of the newest and hottest culinary destinations on the north coast, this small, quaint al fresco dining experience and space, will not only tantalise your taste buds but is a feast for the eyes with its generous sprinklings of art and objects d’art, which adds to its nostalgic charm.

I give it a rating of 5 out of 5 for food and experience and 4 ½ out of 5 for aesthetics (some external work needs to be done/work in progress).

Do call ahead for reservation as it’s by consultation only. Do advise of any allergies or food items you do not eat. From this you will ascertain approximate cost. Our experience, including wine totalled US$270 (including tip) for a table of four.

Located 5 minutes from Golden Eye, two hours via Junction, St Mary and more or less an hour and half from Kingston via the North-South Highway.

Parking is challenging but can be arranged. For large groups it is recommended that you carpool.

511 Conroy’s Plate
Telephone/Whatsapp: 1 876 224 140
Message to view each week’s menu or reserve table
Instagram: @stutteringchef
E-mail: 511platesja@gmail.com generally and on weekends stutteringchef@outlook.com
Opening Hours: Thursday to Sunday – 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm. By reservations only.
Closed Monday to Wednesday

The cosy interior of 511 Conroy’s Plate

Freshly made homemade bread with compound butter

The generous pours of Noble Vines 337 Cabernet Sauvignon were much appreciated

Tomatoes, avocados, parsley and beetroot salad