Mongoose Jamaica Restaurant & Lounge – Pt. 2

March 3, 2013

Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica W.I. – I had such an enjoyable experience here last time, I came back for the second time in three days. And, like last time (review link), this visit was the result of a recommendation.

My plan was to visit another restaurant across from Turtle Park where I had an unforgettable dinner in 2007. However, when I asked another person at the hotel where I was staying which restaurant is better, again Mongoose was recommended without hesitation. So here I am again. Turns out the other restaurant pretty much rested on their laurels while other restaurants in the area, including newcomer Mongoose, stepped up their game.

This time I started off with a glass of pineapple juice (JA$200), made from local Jamaican pineapple. Jamaican pineapples are not as sweet as those from Hawaii, but still very good. The fruit is a deeper, darker golden color.

Since my plan was to have steak at the other restaurant today, I decided to have it here instead. Today that would be the US sirloin (JA$1875). To go with it, I ordered the house white wine (JA$550). I forgot the name so I can’t tell you which one it was. No matter. I wasn’t feeling it anyway. It tasted like a watered down chardonnay.

You get a side with the steak. I just had to have those rice and peas again. The steak comes leaning against the cylindrical mound of rice and peas. Drizzled over the steak and on the side of the plate is peppercorn sauce. I ordered the sirloin medium rare but it arrived closer to medium. Still, it was still very tender. Cooked over a grill, it was incredibly flavorful. It tasted like it was seasoned with salt and a bit of pepper. No doubt, though, the flavor of the steak itself did most of the talking. Combined with the peppercorn sauce, the pepper taste was really brought out. I savored the flavor of the sirloin for several minutes after the last bite was gone.

For dessert, I wanted a key Lime Pie but they were out. I went with the Black Forest Cake (JA$425) instead. It is served chilled on a plate drizzled in a crisscross pattern with cherry syrup. The multi-layered affair has cherry frosting between the layers. On top is more cherry frosting. Cream icing frosts the top and sides. Finishing it off are chocolate sprinkles and half a cherry. I admit I am not a big fan of Black Forest Cake – I just wanted something chocolate for dessert – but it did taste fresh and the chocolate cake was moist. The cream frosting and cherry frosting were both pretty good, neither frosting was too sweet.

As I said in the last review, if you are anywhere near the Ocho Rios area while you’re in Jamaica, it is definitely worth stopping here. Don’t forget to check out the Events page on their website.

Mongoose Jamaica Restaurant and Lounge – 4.5 forks. Highly recommended. Even the locals dine here.