Oak Wine Bar adds Jamaican Food Flair

Jhunelle J

5 years ago

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UPDATE: Oak Wine Bar has closed since this post. Check the Related Posts for similar businesses.

Want a literal taste of Jamaica in an elegant space? Oak Wine Bar has launched a lunch menu to accompany your afternoon drink! The Oak Kitchen lunch menu options are available on weekdays from 11am – 4pm: red peas soup, fried chicken, curried goat, and oxtail. The entreés are served with sides of vegetables, rice & peas / white rice, and ripe fried plantains. Servings are presented on a rectangular porcelain dish with the main ingredient to the side, possibly sitting in small skillet. A subset of the Love Not Likes influencer community joined 2 round tables to get an introductory taste of a couple of Oak’s offerings.

Photo by YouTravelLucie

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Oak Wine Bar and Cocktail Lounge
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Oak Wine Bar and Cocktail Lounge

Modern, chic, elegant: a few descriptions come to mind when you step into Oak Wine Bar & Cocktail Lounge. Decorative symmetric furniture with the understated palette of mostly cream and charcoal creates a sophisticated atmosphere; definitely a candidate for a romantic meal date venue . Not to mention, actual bottles of wine against the walls showing just what you’re probably here for. Seating lining the bar and rounding the compact tables cater to pairs and small groups to enjoy cocktails, and now, a favourite Jamaican dish!

Oak Wine Bar’s Jamaica Lunch Menu

As “simple” as fried chicken is, there’s no doubt it’s a big favourite among Jamaicans. Unfortunately its popularity and comparative price left us unable to sample the chicken on our visit, making curried goat and oxtail the opted choices of the day. The satisfactory serving is brought to the table by a pleasant staff member in a suitable time frame. Chopped lettuce and tomato sat beside a couple pieces of sweet plantains. The rice and meat are roughly equal in portion size, with more than enough gravy to pour over if the curried goat or oxtail is meal choice! If you’re only a little peckish, the red peas soup may be a better option to fill the small gap in your tummy.

Travel Tip: Fried chicken w/ curry gravy is a favourite combination of many locals

When I order oxtail at a restaurant it’s usually as a test of flavour and quality for the establishment’s cooking. Unlike many Jamaicans, oxtail is not my 1st choice, so just like at FnB Downtown and Miss T’s Kitchen I tried it to see how enjoyable it is to a non-admirer. Let’s just say there was barely any meat left on the dish. A common issue many fear when ordering oxtail as well as goat is the meat to bone ratio, and I’m happy to report that there was more meat than bone!

Both the oxtail and goat options came with multiple small- and medium-sized pieces. The flavourful seasoning of the meats made them worthy of taking in hand to suck the juices off their bones (maybe I did). Judging from the taste of the meals we did enjoy, plus Oak Kitchen’s tempting photos, I’d love to return to try the crispy fried chicken and of course my favourite, red peas soup! If unable to make it to Oak Wine Bar & Cocktail Lounge during lunch hours, you can always ask them for a menu from Fromage Bistro downstairs to enjoy a meal with your drink.

Guests of Oak Wine Bar have the option of being served food from the downstairs restaurant

Jamaican Food at Elegant Kingston Restaurant

What I love about these lunch menu options is that with Oak Wine Bar’s refined space, it would’ve been easy for them to opt for more continental cuisine options. Have you ever encountered the problem of choosing a nice restaurant to eat real Jamaican food or a certain Jamaican meal? I’ve been tasked numerous times with introducing a visitor to the country and/or Kingston and have found myself brainstorming dine-in restaurants that serve authentic Jamaican cuisine.

Our capital city, Kingston, tends to be a business tourism hub, which is ranking higher in recent years for visitors who also want to experience our culture undiluted. It’s also filled with multiple international franchises and provides a variety of cuisine options to choose from. Many Kingston restaurants that serve local favourites tend to offer a fusion of continental options with a small selection of traditional meals. It’s refreshing to know that there’s now another option to consider.