I enjoyed a full day adventuring through Jamaica’s famed Half Moon Resort which included breakfast on the beach, swimming with horses, a zippy golf cart tour of the sprawling resort and golf course, lunch at The Pepper Pot and a visit to Fern Tree Spa. After an unforgettable massage in my own private cabana on the beach I was whisked away by PR Pro Diandra Shand to the resorts signature restaurant, a cherry on my sundae!
Set within a beautifully restored sugar mill and overseen for the past 40 years by Mr. Solomon Gardner, Keeper of the Mill, The Sugar Mill is without a doubt one of the finest restaurants in Jamaica and one of the most acclaimed in the Caribbean. Diandra and I strolled past the restaurants breezy bar, past a stoic glass enclosed wine cellar and into our seats on a verandah overlooking the properties lush gardens. I spotted Jamaican-born Chef Christopher Golding in the garden plucking fresh mint before he came by our table with a smile to welcome us to dinner. Christopher’s menu evolves throughout the season but consistently focuses on showcasing the distinct flavours of the Caribbean.
Over the next two hours Diandra and I wined and dined through a proper feast. I quenched my thirst with Pina Colada and Mai Tai as a starlit tropical sky revealed itself above and mighty waterwheel gently splashed along its rotation. At 7pm the restaurant filled with families and couples recently rouged by the sun. Freckled “almost sun burns” and beach blond Jamaican braids make me smirk.
Highlights of my dinner at The Sugar Mill include addictively crispy Jerk Chicken Spring Rolls and fragrant Roast Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Bisque with crispy plantain and corn fritter. My most memorable plate was coyly called “King of the West Indies,” and featured a mouth watering beef tenderloin, shrimp skewer, fried plantain and tomato-thyme run down. Classic Surf and Turf just had a Jamaican Makeover and boy did it taste good!
The Feast:
Pina Colada
coconut rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice
Mai Tai
dark rum, triple sec, gold rum, pineapple, lime, sugar
Jerk Chicken Spring Rolls
pineapple papaya slaw
Ackee, Pumpkin and Grilled Vegetable Stack
pumpkin sheets layered with grilled veg, ackee, oven dried tomato, cashew molasses sauce
Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Bisque
plantain and sweet corn fritter, scotch bonnet oil
Island Spice Infused Pork Tenderloin
coffee, cocoa and pimento rub, vegetable and herb stew, pina colada sauce
King of the West Indies
beef tenderloin, shrimp skewer, fried plantain with tomato-thyme run down
Passion Fruit Mousse
caramelized bananas, coconut crunch
