This mouth-watering bread pudding will have you taking countless trips to the Spanish Court Café. The pudding is glazed with Appleton rum and has a topping of vanilla ice cream. A piece of fried sweet potato coated with powder sugar complements the presentation. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

It is not yet officially opened, but the Spanish Court Café located at the Spanish Court Hotel is already getting good reviews about its creative and, of course, tasty dishes.

Beautifully styled in black and off-white, including the tables and seats, the restaurant is located right off the lobby and ground floor of the hotel. Within seconds of entering, it is quite easy to forget the busy events just outside the doors on the streets of St Lucia Avenue and Trafalgar Road where it sits.

Food and Beverage manager at the hotel, Ayako Robinson says at present the café caters to mostly in-house guests. "We do have some outside guests who come here to dine, but it is mostly in-house guests who we cater to at present. After June 14 when we officially open, I imagine that many more locals will come in".

In the interim, it isn't the café's policy to turn away guests, so Robinson urges diners to call and make reservations in advance. The restaurant which includes a bar, can accommodate 56 seated guests. "We also make arrangements for group dining here, couples are welcome here too", she noted.

Newcomers to the midtown hotel scene, the restaurant is eagerly trying to take a piece of the already competitive market. "Many of these dishes, you won't find anywhere but at the Spanish Court Café", said Robinson. The restaurant is also credited by the manager as being flexible in terms of the dishes prepared, catering to persons of different tastes and cultures. "We are pretty flexible about serving different nationalities. We can do Jamaican, Chinese, and Italian and more and even if someone who is Muslim comes here, we will definitely be able to please that person", boasted Robinson.

To show off their creativity in the kitchen, Food recently checked out the menu. The dishes were prepared by chefs Keneal Jackson and Gregory Nelson. They were among favourites of guests or diners at the new hotel. "Sometimes people will call beforehand just to see if they will be able to get one of these. People really enjoy these dishes", expressed sous chef Jackson.

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com.

Left: Feeling a little cultural? Well, you can try the national stuffed shrimp at the Spanish Court Café. Ackee and saltfish are used as stuffing for the deveined shrimp which has a topping of mayonaise and cheese. Right: Open up your appetite with this fish and shrimp coconut cake. Served with garlic ioli, a mayonnaise-based sauce, this appetiser is normally one of the preferred dishes to start the dining experience.

Sous chef Keneal Jackson (left) and executive chef Gregory Nelson show off their dishes at the Spanish Court Café on St Lucia Avenue in New Kingston.

It is the flavour of the cornbread and bacon that stands out in this dish. The cornbread stuffed chicken leg and thigh with roasted garlic cream sauce is served with the creatively designed mashed sweet potato.