Left: Shandel Crew shows off the restaurant's fish and fries specialty before serving a customer. Right: Christopher Bird is in the process of preparing the pork chops usually served at dinner time.
If you happen to have the appetite for Mexican, European, Greek, English or local cuisine and you are in Mandeville, luck is on your side. At the very front of Cobblestone Professional Centre in Mandeville, is Bird of Paradise Restaurant. It is arguably one of the finest restaurants in that part of the island, specialising in international and local dishes.
Stepping inside, one immediately feels relaxed by the soothing colours, all of which are representative of the flower itself - the bird of paradise. Customers have the option of dining indoors or on the patio, indulging in meals taken from the breakfast, lunch or dinner menus.
Opening from seven in the morning to make way for the early bird customers, the restaurant closes at 10 p.m. "It is casual by day here and elegant by night. In the days, you will see the granite exposed on the tabletops with mats but in the nights it changes, with the tables being covered with table cloths. There is also the change of staff uniform from short sleeves in the days to long sleeves in the nights," explained owner Chris Bird.
Always striving for efficiency, the owner says an electronic system has been installed in the restaurant to handle orders. "All orders are entered in a computer and picked up in the kitchen," noted Bird. Being up to date in technology, customers can also take advantage of wireless Internet at the restaurant.
The restaurant, which was started in 2006, has been trying to cope with the strains on the business caused by economic pressure. This has prompted Bird and his staff to come up with attractive specials with its customers in mind.
Just-Wrap-it-Up
A wrap favourite, this sautéed marlin and scrambled egg wrap is ideal for those customers on the run.
"We are concentrating on our Just-Wrap-it-Up section in our revised menu. Wraps will be one of the main specialities on the new menu which we are working on now. The wraps will also be ideal for people on the go because they are easy to hold and also can be taken with them."
There are also moves afoot to benefit customers by inviting them to enjoy eating out services. Up until April 9, diners enjoyed a free appetiser during dinner. Children will not be left out of the dining experience as they too will will benefit from a special offer. Offers are available under certain conditions. There is also the all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch where various types of food and desserts are prepared, giving customers a wide array of options to have a bellyful.
To increase the tempo on a Friday evening, the restaurant hosts a Happy Hour to end the work week for the average person. "We have free hors d'oeuvres during Happy Hour. We have background music and over 100 different types of liquor and there is also a big screen television," said Bird.
To highlight specially recognised days, the owner says Bird of Paradise always looks forward to hosting guests with their planned package. "On Valentine's Day we had a saxophonist and with Mother's Day coming up in May, we should be planning something special for mothers and other guests."
Upstairs the restaurant is the conference centre, which serves as a spot for several small functions. "We accommodate small wedding receptions, engagement parties, birthday parties and other small gatherings. You would be amazed how we transform the small place to please our clients," said the entrepreneur. Also offering catering services, the restaurant provides a package which includes catering and decorating of events held at the conference centre.
latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com
If you have the appetite for pork chops, you can check out Bird of Paradise with its sizeable portions.