WESTERN BUREAU:
As was expected, the ‘coming of age celebrations’ for Couples Swept Away and Couples Negril took place in fine style this past weekend.
And guests who attended the 21st anniversary parties at the two sister resorts were in for a gastronomic delight.
Fusion food was the order of the night at Swept Away on Friday night, where guests were treated to an array of Jamaican and Asian fare, with sushi being in abundance at the station set up solely for that type of food. There were tuna rolls, smoked eel, salmon rolls, pickle ginger, and even a vegetarian roll to delight the vegan taste buds.
Jamaican-style sweet potato chips, cassava chips and plantain chips were complemented by roasted pumpkin and habanero dips, and other types of novel dip ideas.
Shrimp cocktails, mini fruit and cheese kebabs and the much sought-after jerked chicken and avocado with fried plantain, as well as bammy served with ackee and salt fish were there for the taking.
There was even a ‘Jamasian’ steam dumpling station, featuring oxtail dumplings, shrimp dumplings and ackee and callaloo dumplings to please the more adventurous taste buds.
The resort pulled out all the stops. All its culinary staff rolled out in full force to execute what can only be described as Negril’s seafood party of the year.
From grilled lobster tails with garlic butter to, Couples Negril’s staff rose to the occasion like champions, cooking up whatever guests wished right in front their eyes. It was a delight to see the layout of the booths, which spanned the property’s poolside and extended just to the fringes of the beach, all heavily decorated with Jamaican fruits.
Sushi of all types, similar to that which was provided by its sister property the previous night, were all on display.
There was a station dedicated totally to fresh tropical fruits, shellfish station, with a crab section featuring mixed seafood in crab backs, New Orleans seafood Creole, among other delights. A pasta station and an Indian food station were among the other hits of the night.