Jamaican ​If you’re ever looking for somewhere in Kingston to completely unwind and enjoy some great Jamaican cuisine  - Chillin’  at the Serengeti  is it!  ​It's rustic layout is totally in sync with the lush flora & fauna that surrounds it and their menu is pretty extensive offering  something for every palate!

Their menu includes but is nowhere near limited to these must-try dishes: 

 Ultra modern yet inviting, the design & decor at Cellar 8 KGN are in perfect harmony with their menu offerings! 

Cellar 8 is  a  wine aficionado's dream, boasting over 300 wines from which to choose;  some of which are unique to Cellar 8 KGN like the Chakana wines. Friends & colleagues can relax, celebrate or reconnect over a drink from their well stocked premium bar either at the bar, a table  or in the cool lounge upstairs. This in addition to savouring delectable bites served by knowledgeable, attentive & friendly staff!

​A truly great place to enjoy life one sip at a time and  gastronomic delights! Thanks to Cellar 8 KGN for accommodating us!  We'll be back sooner than you think!

​Team Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica

​So we finally made it to the Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial & Food Show after many years of promising ourselves to attend. Dubbed by some as ‘the Caribbean's premier agricultural event, this year was it’s 65th staging.

The three day event featured parish farmers markets with displays of Jamaican agricultural produce - both organic & non organic,  areas in which one could find livestock & pets on show, exhibits focused on greenhouse farming, farm products & equipment and a food court stretch.  Here's some of what we captured!
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Jamaica Producers St.Mary's Chips,  Mount Pleasant Chocolates & Buzz Honey were among the many Jamaican made products being promoted at Denbigh 65.

Just some of the eats that were on sale at Denbigh 2017.  

In our opinion, these were some of the more interesting exhibits at Denbigh 2017. Included in this batch is our feature picture at top of this post which is the 4H Club display whose brand is Clover Leaf. Among product made under the Clover Leaf brand are Banana MangoJamTopping, Honey, Pineapple Jam, Plantain Rum Drink, Sweet Potato Jerk BBQ Sauce, Guava Aloe Vera Wine - all 100% Jamaican manufactured.

​All in all an interesting experience but we expected more after 65 years.

Bun & Cheese are particularly popular in Jamaica during Easter! This is not to say that we do not observe the religious traditions associated with Easter like going to Church on Good Friday & Easter Sunday & no meat on Good Friday but there is just something about bun & cheese and Jamaicans at Easter. If you're looking for a different kind of bun this Easter be sure to check out this recipe below!

​We checked in with Executive Chef Simone Walker Barrett when we heard she was doing bun with a twist for the season and are we glad we did! Her Cassava Stout Bun was absolutely divine! In fact it was soooo good we asked her to share her recipe here. 

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!
The Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica Team

Restaurant Week 2016 Jamaica got off to a robust start with many rushing to make reservations at their favourite dining haunts. This year's event dubbed Eat In Dine Out offered persons not into the hustle and bustle the option of ordering in.

Our team opted to dine at Nirvana, the newest Indian restaurant in Kingston and we were not disappointed! For starters we had the tandoor grilled fish tikka marinated with yogurt and indian spice. This was followed by the Butter Chicken (tandoori chicken pieces tossed in a rich aromatic tomato and cream gravy) & the Thai Coconut Infused Green Curry Shrimp served with Garlic Naan & Basmati Rice - Deelish! For dessert we had Cheesecake flavor Kulfi (home-made indian ice-cream)

Twas a great dining experience- great service, great food. Money well spent! No hitches here!

The Culinary Federation of Jamaica hosted its sixth staging of their Taste Of Jamaica Culinary Competition & Expo at the Montego Bay Convention Center on November 12th & 13th, 2016 which saw teams and individuals vying for top honours and bragging rights in several categories; featured an increased number of seminars and for the first time - a Streetfood Village sponsored by the Jamaica Yellow Pages.

Amazing food & drink were the order of the evening at Chefs On Show 2016 as over eighteen of Jamaica's top chefs and caterers got into high gear serving dish after delicious dish to the delight of the many patrons who attended the event in the gardens of the Jamaica Pegasus on April 27th, 2016.

Chefs On Show is staged annually by the Culinary Federation Of Jamaica to raise funds to assist with expenses associated with sending our national culinary team to the prestigious Taste Of The Caribbean in Miami where individuals and regional teams compete for bragging rights as the best in the Caribbean. Below are some of the many chefs & caterers who gave of their time and talent to make the event the success tha tit was.

Among the attendees was Two-Time Chopped Champion - Jamaican Chef Andre Fowles - who just narrowly missed a third Chopped win.

Thoroughly enjoyed working with the Jamaica Yellow pages on this project which involved traversing the island with nine of Jamaica's talented young chefs sampling fare from hot Jamaican restaurants & food spots - among them Holland Bamboo for some of Musso's Curry Goat ,  Coconut Curry Shrimp at Allshmars in Port Morant, Steamed Fish at Anglers in St Anns Bay  & Jerk Pork from G& B in Buff Bay. 

This year, Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica was charged with the responsibility of identifying and selecting the participants for this year's Observer Food Awards Chef On The Rise Competition and co-producing the judging event by sponsors the Jamaica Yellow Pages.  It was a challenge which we happily took on and set about our research in earnest; the criteria - young unknown but talented chefs passionate about their craft. 

For almost three weeks we worked closely with these chefs traversing the entire island with Coaching Executive Chef George Matthews stopping and tasting dishes at nine of Jamaica's hidden food gems. The Chefs Challenge - to re-create one of the dishes sampled at one of our nine food stops putting their own twist on that dish. Who got which dish? This was decided by a drawing of location after the last stop.

The three finalists were Volae Willimas (1st place), Ricardo Allen (2nd place) & Lucian Dunn (3rd place). There were no losers here. Twas indeed a pleasure working with these very talented chefs who were said to be the best bunch yet in this competition!

The Mona Bowl at UWi was the secret home to the second staging of Diner En Blanc Kingston which was an evening filled withe glitz, glamour,food and fun!

It has been a long time in the making but it is finally here! Dine-In Take Out (for Android) - Jamaica's #1 Restaurant & Food App, developed by Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica & Contextual, is now available in the Google Play Store!.

​Stay updated on Jamaican Restaurants and Food with our Dine-In Take Out App!  See which restaurants are serving what, find your favourite Jamaican food and discover new Jamaican Eating Spots. Make your dining  reservations or order in!  Dine in Take Out – Food at your fingertips!

See who opened, who has closed, who is trending & why!  Read what others are saying & share your dining experiences. Find Upcoming Food Events, Escapes & more!