Tue | May 14, 2024

'Fuzing' international flavours with local spices

Published:Thursday | March 14, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Pause
Fuzion House's pulled-pork salad.
Fire-breathing shrimp cocktail: jumbo shrimp poached in a fiery Scotch bonnet sauce, served with cool lime aioli. - PHOTOS BY Ian Allen/Photographer
Japanese udon noodles with panko pork cutlets and spicy curry sauce.
New Zealand French lamb chops marinated in tandoori sauce and grilled to perfection, served with mashed potato, fruit and herb couscous and shaved cucumber salad.
Cornish hen deep-fried, southern style, served with sweet potato chips and spicy Asian coleslaw.
Spicy Asian potato salad, which is julienne Irish potato tossed in a spicy Asian sauce. - PHOTOS BY Ian Allen/Photographer
Another section of the dining room with a few art pieces on show from the Olympia Gallery.
The modernly furnished dining room of the Fuzion House restaurant.
The well-stocked bar boasts a number of great wines from the Select Brands portfolio.
The grilled beef tenderloin pairs well with a Robert Mondavi Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
Fuzion House's tuna tartare with a Banrock Station Moscato (Australia).
English trifle with seasonal fruit, and for the wine lovers, try having it with a moscato. Pictured here is the Banrock Station Moscato.
Crème brûlée
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

Garfene Grandison, Assistant Lifestyle Coordinator

The new small-plate restaurant in town, Fuzion House, has its doors open to welcome patrons to the newly constructed Sovereign North property on Barbican Road. A mixture of Chinese, Japanese, and Mediterranean, with a little Jamaican, the restaurant boasts tasteful and modest furnishing, with trendy art pieces from the Olympia Gallery displayed throughout.

The small-plate concept isn't new to many foodies, but it is not often tapped into locally. Owned and operated by Anthony Phillips and Sean Garbutt, both managing directors, Phillips tells Food that there was a need to open such a restaurant because they wanted to take food to a different level.

Already the owners and operators of a catering company which caters to parties like Utopia, the young businessman wanted the new restaurant to focus more on the plating structure because presentation is key to any palatable meal.

FINDING BEST EXPERIENCE

"We looked at the plating structure to see how we could give people more for their money - having a great meal with excellent presentation and quality service. We wanted to make it pretty reasonable, so we did our market research and priced our menu based on that."

He continued: "People go out and they want to experiment and try many different things, but still stay within their budget and not overeat. Fuzion House allows them to do just that," he ended.

Since opening a little over two weeks ago, the new eatery has been having a steady flow of customers daily. Phillips tells us, however, that although the restaurant is open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, they are looking into a lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to start in about a month, where patrons can expect the same unique dinner taste in a lunch package.

With just over 10 employees - with one chef coming all the way from China - Phillips and Garbutt can boast about a restaurant that is creating a unique dining experience for Jamaicans.

A few of the most requested items on the menu are the beef tenderloin and the crab artichoke, which Phillips says is quite popular because of its unique taste, great appeal and exceptional price.

KEEPING THINGS LOCAL

With such a diverse 'fuzion' of international menu items, the owners still manage to keep things local.

"The crabmeat and the artichoke are the only things that are imported. All our other ingredients are sourced locally," Phillips said, a fact of which he is very proud.

Diners can also be enticed with Fuzion House's wonderfully stocked bar, featuring a wide selection of wines from the Select Brands repertoire of fine wines.

Fuzion House offers the rich traditions of Chinese, Japanese and Jamaican home cooking with the chefs' modern approach, presenting a wide array of unique and wonderful cuisine, which consists of a broad variety of the most exotic ingredients you can find in Jamaica. Whether you decide to join them for a romantic dining or a casual meal, we know you'll love Fuzion House restaurant.

With wines being a big foodie trend in Jamaica, we opted to make the job a little bit easier for our readers by pairing each dish with a fabulous vino of choice. The pairing is important for you to truly appreciate the 'fuzion' of the tastes. Just remember, your wine must always be sweeter than your meal to ensure orgasmic sensations of the palate. Bon appétit!

grandison.garfene @gleanerjm.com