Sushi & Seafood at Montego Bay Seafood Restaurant

Montego Bay Seafood Restaurant, Sushi and Oyster Bar was opened almost 20 years ago! To survive that long in the Food & Beverages industry, there has to be something special about it ... right? Well let's find out!

Located in the open area at Nelson Mandela Square, it's got a very nice, open air, cool breeze feel to it. And even in the middle of summer it still feels pretty nice.


After ordering, I look around and almost everyone is having oysters. I've never been a fan of oysters myself so I can't share in the joy - but at least I do have some multigrain bread to keep me company. It's a poor start to the meal, though - the bread is cold, which makes properly spreading the cold butter over it impossible.


In my haste & hunger I forgot to take a photo of the Salmon Roses (R 69 or $10.90 for four) with my camera, so you'll have to excuse the (poor) quality of this iPhone photo :)

Not that it matters though. As with many non-dedicated Japanese/sushi joints, the sushi is sub-par. Cold and clammy vinegared rice that has been squeezed so hard that it tastes more like ketupat than sushi rice.


The Scallop & Prawn Kebab (R 79 or $12.48), was ordered off the Chef's Recommendations section and turns out to be a disaster. I've never had prawns as tough as these. Actually, I've never even imagined that prawns could even be this tough. Chewy and rubbery, I've no idea how this starter made it to the recommendations list.


Heading on to the main course, the Peppered Tuna Steak (R 129 or $20.40) was a breath of fresh air after the starters. I'd perhaps have preferred it to be more strongly seasoned (seeing as it's described as "Peppered" but didn't have much pepper taste). I liked the flavor, though, and the accompanying mango salsa & mashed potatoes complemented the fish very well.


If you've never had a tuna steak, they typically come medium rare, so the middle 75% is basically raw. Which is a good thing, because I can't imagine being served a dry tuna steak cooked all the way through.


Overall, a disappointing start to the meal rescued by a solid tuna steak. If I ever do come back to visit, I'll definitely skip the sushi and go for the other grilled seafood items on the menu - things like lobster, langoustines, prawns and other fish. And maybe by that time I'll be an Oyster connoisseur :)

Awesome Biryanis at The Raj Indian Restaurant

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When you're travelling in a country with very small Indian populations, the Indian food is typically watered down a few notches in the spice/heat department. Y'know ... so that the locals can actually eat it. Not so in The Raj restaurant though - read on for the full disclosure!

The Raj is located in Nelson Mandela Square - pretty decent sized mall in the heart of Johannesburg's Sandton district. It's got a pretty upmarket look and design, and even has an open kitchen of sorts:


Does pappadum count as the Indian version of the French amuse bouche? Hmmmmmmmmmm ...


We start off with a Punjabi Samoosa - 4 pieces for R48.80. Stuffed with peas, potatoes and masala, it's delicious! And, according to my makan-mate, fairly authentic-tasting, too! Size is a bit on the small side for the price, though.



For our main courses, we split a Nizami Gosht Biryani (R118.80) and a Shai Murgh Biryani (R98.80). For those of us who don't speak tamil or hindi, these are Lamb and Chicken Biryanis respectively. Taste-wise they were absolutely delicious. Fragrant rice with just enough gravy mixed in so that it doesn't become too dry. However, the lamb was somewhat dry and tasted like it had been frozen for quite a while prior to being cooked. Oh, and we made the mistake of ordering "very spicy" - it turned out to be super pedas.



At about R300 (RM118.00) for two people it's not the cheapest place around to eat. Food's authentically delicious and the portions are huge, though - I could only finish half of my biryani and took home the other half to warm up for dinner.

Definitely recommended if you're in the area!