Having opened its doors to the public just over a year ago, Star Grill restaurant in Mandeville is still surviving the economic downturn. “Although there are slow periods in these hard times, business has picked up overall since we’ve opened,” Andrea Patmore assured Thursday Life. She and her husband Christopher are co-owners, and they tend to split the working hours between the days and nights. The pair live close by, so they are able to keep a close eye, but their success is very much owed to the 27 staff members; most importantly, their two main chefs Paul Raynor and Tavoy Smith, who were trained on the job by a previous head chef.

On a recent visit by Thursday Life, Javed Ellis, a most helpful security guard in Star Grill’s car park, escorted us through the front doors, into a serene setting which one could only describe as a contemporary garden of Eden. Designed by HGTV’s celebrated interior designer Vern Yip, this restaurant is like nothing you’ve seen before in Jamaica. With waterfalls cascading down glass sheets, mini palms growing, and oversized framed photographs of nature blooming before your eyes, Yip has certainly earned his meal ticket in the design business.

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Having avidly watched him on television for some years, Andrea Patmore told us how she got in touch with Yip, and asked him to work his magic on Mandeville. “I went on his website, sent him an e-mail, and he agreed to come down here,” she said simply. “He came down once, before we started building, and another three times since. We basically left the design up to him as we were familiar with his work from television, and so knew what he was capable of. Of course, throughout the whole process he would check in with us on some things, but we basically agreed on everything,” she continued. The concept of Star Grill came about from wanting to cater to a wide range of customers, at prices people could afford. In the midst of building, it dawned on the Patmores and their designer that perhaps they could also put in place a fine dining experience serving 36 people, which would be upstairs from the more casual eatery, seating 20, and ‘fast-food’ drive-thru window, which is ideal for travellers passing through town and the busier clientele who may not have time to sit and enjoy the fresh ambience of Star Grill. “Everything is made to order,” Patmore boasted, “including whatever is ordered at the drive-thru, so yes, there is a short wait for that, as a result.” But having tested out the menu ourselves, Thursday Life concludes that for the quality you get, you really don’t want your food to be ready quite as quickly as a bag of nuggets and fries would be.

We chose to sit and eat in the bar at the back of the VIP Lounge (the upstairs dining area), which seats around eight people and has a window looking out into said dining room, so that we could get a chance to chat to the staff as they moved swiftly in and out of the kitchen with diners’ orders. We were kept entertained by the very pleasant cashier and waitress Andrea Willock, who told us she loves working at Star Grill, and the charming bartender Yohan Graham, who was dying to show off his expertise with the cocktail shaker. However, we felt it was a bit early in the day for anything more than a soft beverage. The fact that we were there for over two hours speaks to how well we were looked after.

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Derek Williams, a Jamaican working for Homeland Security in Tampa, Florida, happily waited for the arrival of his family from Comfort Hall for an hour-and-ahalf! Upon arrival, each member received a red rose for Valentine’s, something every lady in the VIP Lounge had the pleasure of taking home with them that day.

The husband-and-wife team of Dr Avery Roxborough-James and Dr Masada James, who are frequent diners at Star Grill, attested to the quality treatment given to customers. “We usually go upstairs,” Dr Avery Roxborough-James told Thursday Life, “but it is packed right now, so we’re happy to dine here in a more casual setting downstairs.” Star Grill “is very popular with doctors, as it is close to the hospital and the prices are good”, she continued. “In fact, when we don’t have time to sit, we come and get take-out,” she concluded.

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Indeed, the cost is competitive, as even students can experience the eclectic Jamaican cuisine Star Grill offers. “We keep costs down by supporting local farmers, using local meats, seafood and chicken, and minimising wastage,” Patmore informed us. As a result, they don’t skimp on freshness of the fare. Nor do they skimp on flavour, meal-size or flair. With terrifically tasty meals, each beautifully presented, the chefs have turned typical Jamaican food into something a lot more stylish than stew and rice dolloped on a dish, and baked chicken in a box lunch. Star Grill is most certainly a stellar concept.

The menu includes: soups for less than $300; sides for $110-$290; simple sandwiches ranging from under $350 for jerk chicken, $400 for a Pull Pork, and less than $700 for their Ring the Alarm Burger; inexpensive meals consisting of a quarter chicken (jerk or BBQ) with rice and vegetables for under $700, their signature Shrimp Mandeville with mashed potatoes and vegetables for less than $1300, Pull Pork meal with all sorts of sensational sides for under $850; and more decadent fine dining dishes like the New England T-Bone Steak for $3,500, BBQ Ribs, and the outstanding Crab Backs stuffed with shrimp, crab and rice, topped with cream sauce, all on top of a bed of vegetables both for under $2,000.

Star Grill

20 South Race Course Road, Mandeville, Manchester

Telephone: 876 632 3834 • Email: stargrillja@gmail.com • Website: www.stargrilljm.com

Opening Times: Monday-Thursday 10:00 am – 10:00 pm; Friday & Saturday 10:00 am – 11:00 pm; Sunday 12:00 noon – 8:00 pm