Café What's On is back!

Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore, Staff Reporter

Behind the big red wall located at 133 Barbican Road is Kingston's newest gastronomic hidden treasure, Café What's On.

This little piece of cuisine paradise is operated by Suzanne Couch, chef extraordinaire. Most people will remember the restaurant from its Devon House days, but after being closed for a while, Couch, who had this property in Barbican, decided why not reopen? And that she did. Inside, there is an art gallery showing off Jacquelyne Hussey-Pearson's work, creating a gorgeous backdrop throughout the restaurant.

Couch noted that reopening was somewhat challenging. Nonetheless, she is pressing on.

"Back-to-school was a big challenge but, generally, there are challenges in business. However, we just stuck with what we have been doing and waiting on clientele to build up," said Couch.

Since the café reopened two weeks ago, things have been going slow, but Couch's approach is to take it slow and ensure that she gets the formula right. So much so that she said she does not get too caught up with aesthetics, but focuses on tantalising her customers with fantastic food.

At Café What's On, the cuisine features American style with a Jamaican fusion.

On the menu are wraps, melts, burgers and soups and, of course, the servings are hefty (seven ounces of meat in each burger) and it's mouth-watering. But Couch noted that the beauty of the huge serving is that it can be split between two people if you cannot manage to eat it all. The restaurateur added that because she knows that Jamaicans are big on pork, she added a pork burger to her menu.

Now, if you are faint-hearted, you will not be able to enjoy the sinfully delicious variety of milk shakes topped with whipped cream and a cherry. And if you have a sweet tooth, there is ice cream and cookies for you. But if you would rather finish off your meal with a caffee latte or espresso, then there is an array of yummy coffee mixes to choose from.

Another plus for the new eatery is that unlike most restaurants, you can rent private dining rooms for small parties and you can take your own wines with you, but you will be charged a small corkage fee. The restaurateur added that while they don't have a bar, they serve a variety of freshly made fruit juices.

Love affair with food

Couch noted that her love affair with food began when she was just a girl watching her mother, Phillis O'Connor, who was also in the food business. She said she started cooking when she was around 17 years old before moving to the United States to study music. But after she returned home at age 19, she began doing catering, and since then cooking and music have been a part of her life.

She told Food that she can't wait to take the café to the next level.

"I can't wait to start cooking grilled lamb chops, ribs, steak and more, but everything will be done in short order with quick turnover time."

Couch also noted that, coming soon, she will be serving eggs all day. And patrons can come out and enjoy the absolutely divine meals in a cozy setting from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

keisha.shakespeare@gleanerjm.com