A truly marvellous feast

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

While the fine art of dining might be in decline in some quarters, it is indeed not yet a dying art. In fact, elegant dining is still practised and enjoyed by the well heeled in the confines of their homes, and promoted by fine restaurants and some hotels. Indeed, many a business deals are consummated over a well-prepared and presented meal and, in this respect, many a restaurants have been home and/or facilitators to the cementing of many such deals.

Well, to promote its fabulous facilities, and emerging role as one of Kingston's preferred spots for the social and business classes, the owners and management of the Spanish Court Hotel located in the heart of Kingston's most fashionable, and commercial and business district - New Kingston - just across from the British High Commission, joined forces with the Chilean Embassy here in Kingston, under the auspices of its Chargé d'affaires Rodrigo Meza, to host a three-day wine and food tasting and pairing. It was truly a marvellous feast - in style, fare, vino, and society!

Dears, there's nothing like the intimacy generated by a fabulous dinner party that was preceded by sumptuous cocktails. And this was served up over last Wednesday through to Friday to members of the diplomatic and consular corps; leading members of the business community and leading socialites.

To begin with, the three-night do began with an opening cocktail salvo in the hotel's Valencia Courtyard. That proved one fabulous do as guests mingled and exchanged pleasantries with a champagne prelude followed by sampling of some of the finest hors d'oeuvres to have blessed any palate.

Cocktails-taken guests then moved to the Valencia Hall for dinner and from here on in, it was a culinary journey of fabulous order all the way.

Talk about 'the thing tun up'. My dears, it was that kind of an affair as dinner was preceded by introductions, which included the guest chef, celebrated Chilean chef Juan Pablo Mellado, who jetted in from Chile for the occasion. So dears, y'all know we are talking high-culinary expectations here and then some!

Well my dears, chef Juan Pablo Mellado did not disappoint - from his opening quinoa salad (quinoa, avocado, corn, red pepper, lemon and olive oil) served with a spunky Chardonnay (Castillero del Diablo); to the entrée a seafood melange of shrimp, octopus, scallops and squid marinated in lemon juice and green chilli, and served with Del Diablo Sauvignon blanc, it was a case of a beautiful trip down culinaria. But the palate humdinger was the grilled salmon-filled with horizo, tomato and Mantecoso cheese with Chilean-styled bean purée, was definitely the belle of the feast, the Marques De Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon, equal to the task, but topped by the dessert - Chilean red wine turron.

Dears, definitely a fabulous taste of Chile, and served up in a state of 'salubria' that made for a simply fab outing, with the beauty and success of the evening due largely in part not just to the new culinary adventure, but the society.

Dears, definitely a social and culinary 10, executed under the watchful eyes of the GM the lovely Leeann Godfrey Porter and her coterie of able staffers.

Indeed, it was a fab do which saw hosts honorary consul of Slovakia, Christopher Issa and wife Kimberley Issa, and chargé d'affaires of the Chilean Embassy Rodrigo Meza; joined by Russian Ambassador HE Vladimir Polenov; Brazilian Ambassador HE Antonio Francisco Da Costa de Silva Neto; Mexican Ambassador HE Gerardo Lozano Arredondo and wife Senora Mariza del Rocio Aguirre; Trinidad and Tobago's High Commissioner Dr Iva Gloudon; HE Ambassador Dr José Tomas Ares German of the Dominican Republic; Jesus Orus Baguena of the European Union; chargé d'affaires of the Indian High Commission, Anil Saxena; husband of the Spanish Ambassador Alex Crowther; dean of the consular corps and honorary consul General of Norway, Grantley Stephenson; honorary consul of Iceland Robert MacMillan; honorary consul of Israel, Ainsley Henriques, and wife Mrs Marjorie Henriques, the honorary consul of Suriname; Charley Johnston and wife Mrs Lisa McGregor Johnson, the honorary consul of Costa Rica; esteemed attorney Michael Hylton and wife Mrs Keva Hylton, honorary consul of The Bahamas; Leo Cousins and wife Mrs Irena Cousins, honorary consul of Poland; honorary consul of Latvia, Robert Scott; St Lucia's Vitus Evan; Winston Bayley, honorary consul of Barbados; and honorary consul of Hungary, Laszlo Bakon.