Fine dining at the Regency

The crown jewel of fine dining is tucked away in the corridors of the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel. Complete with its old-world charm and sophistication, the opulently furnished romantic Regency Room a-la-carte restaurant created a one-of-a-kind dining experience for our Restaurant Week ambassador Kerry-Ann Clarke and her husband Paul Burke. Greeted by the maitre d', Frank Gilmore, who was as attentive as he was efficient, our ambassadors started off their culinary pleasures with their choice of appetisers. Paul opted for the baked escargot while Kerry, a recent vegan, went for the Asian salad.

For both, the best part of the meal was the appetiser as Paul just loves escargot, but Kerry thought that her salad was very different from the traditional and thoroughly enjoyed the incorporation of the nuts with noodles and how fresh and clean the taste was.

"The overall experience was great, the staff were attentive and nice, and it did feel like fine dining," says Kerry. In the same breath, Paul loved the service. "Good service is not a common thing in Jamaica, so it was refreshing to finally get some proper service."

Paul, a creature of habit as he describes himself, is a lover of a "good steak". So, for his main course, he went with the New York strip, while his wife went for the blackened snapper stuffed with crab.

Although the pair often dine at the Terra Nova Hotel for either brunch, lunch or breakfast, they forgot about the dining experience in the Regency Room and how remarkable it was. "It was nice to revisit the Regency Room, because I haven't been here in years," says Kerry. She added, "The ambience feels very traditional." The best part for her was the background music that was the piano, followed by the service, the food and the ambience. Paul agreed but added that he liked the table furnishings because they had a "proper table setting".

Both lovers of the concept of Restaurant Week, the couple spoke about the camaraderie of the whole affair and what it does for both the economy and for people's social morale.

As the night drew to a close, the warmly lit 45-seat room with its twinkling chandeliers, warm chocolate and gold-coloured décor was the backdrop for our Restaurant Week ambassadors who were treated to an unparalleled dining experience in Kingston.

- G.G.