By Rosemary Parkinson, Freelance Writer
Grilled to perfection: The Habibi Latino Mix offers tender cubes of chicken marinated in lemon, cuts of spicy tenderloin, and grilled ground beef with parsley, pepper and some obvious chef's secrets. This came with mounds of superb yellow rice with pinenuts and savoury paprika fried potatoes.
Middle Eastern and Latin fusion will have you babbling about the great food
Habibi Latino Club
& Restaurant
61 Knutsford Blvd.,
New Kingston
Telephone: 926-2285;
Fax 929-3862
Hours: Monday to Sunday
11:00 a.m. to midnight
Club opens Wednesday to Saturday 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
WHAT A life eh? Last week we ate with the English at Cassons Pub, they then ate us (as predicted) at Sabina Park where it was Duck and not Jerk Sauce used as marinade.
A birdie told me di West Indian cricketers were partying dung Kingston the night before. Honestly, it's really not to be believed. Maybe we should recruit some of those Kingston Leprechauns I talked about last week -- then our team might do a far sight better 'cause dem can drink and work. All I can say is thank God mi was not at Sabina Park 'cause for sure I would have made the front page of the newspaper. I can see it now -- full colour photos of moi being hauled away to the cells of Kingston, containers of 'Mound' Red Stripe gripped to the chest and a caption that reads, "Bong Attack at Sabina. Gleaner Food reviewer does the duck on the jerks at the Park."
Instead, (thank you Lord) I took a leisurely trip to beautiful Port Antonio and The Marina. The good company of friends allowed for a whole day with nary an enquiry re cricket scores. The return to Kingston, however, heralded a saucy despair -- my mother's necessity to share the score by Digicel (all the way from Barbados), jerking me to the pits. Hence, I have dreamt of ducks all week.
Enough said. Today, thank you very much and quacks notwithstanding, I have some great news to share.
I have discovered Habibi Latino Restaurant and I'm thrilled. I visited this establishment above Burger King on Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston, and had a most delightful evening of brilliant Middle Eastern food and great companionship. (Note: For those of you who get nervous just thinking of the Knutsford Boulevard predators, have no fear, Habibi Latino Restaurant is open for lunch when New Kingston is a hub of business activities. Plus, thanks to the attention given to security by the owners, at nights the passage-way between Habibi Latino and the bank (as well as the car park to the back) is clear, clean and safe.
Continuing right along. Some 22 years ago Jordanian Abdul Hadi arrived in The Bahamas with one thought in mind -- a United States visa. His hopes shattered by the big American NO, the 'From Jordan to Jamaica' saga began. "It was destiny, that is all I can say. A great destiny. A friend of mine happened to be in Jamaica and asked me to come try this island. I did. I never left. This is my home now and I love it," said this absolutely charming gentleman when questioned as to why Jamaica.
Today Abdul Hadi is the owner of several clothing stores in downtown Kingston. So, from clothing to food and nightclub? Strange combination, but a natural progression of sorts because Hadi has a claim to fame -- his love of entertaining friends at home. It was this that encouraged him to "try and reproduce the same thing for everyone to share with me," he added with a big smile. "I like the Latin culture and so I make a fusion and Habibi Latino was born."
He also noted that he had gotten a Five Star Lebanese chef who had worked at the Meridien in Egypt and then the Biblos in Panama. While the Jordanians have great food, it's the Lebanese who really know how to take it and make it special, noted Hadi.
LET THE FEAST BEGIN
We feasted as follows -- and I say feasted because feasting is the preoccupation of the Middle East. In culinary terms the region has one of the world's most sophisticated and elaborate cuisines spanning thousands of years and their food is celebrated among the best in the world. Habibi Latino certainly brings that reputation to Kingston.
We began with Maza or Appetizers -- Hummus, Baba Ganouge, Kibbe Maklyeh, Sambusek B'lahmeh, Warakinab and Ekhyar Bellaban. It's more than a mouthful but quite simple, once explained. Hummus is a well known chick pea dip with tahini (sesame seed puree) lemon. This had to be one of the smoothest Hummus I have tasted for a long time. Beautiful. (One of my companions hogged the bowl and ordered more to take away. Baba Ganouge is smoky, roasted eggplant dip with tahini-lemon. Absolutely divine. We literally gorged this down. The Kibbe Makllyeh was a lesson in perfection (fried cracked wheat (not oily) mixed with ground meat, onion and pinenuts). The Sambusek B'lahmem -- tiny patties filled with meat and onion -- was excellent. Warakinab was all about rice and finely chopped vegetables wrapped in grape leaves and love at first sight. Last, but not least, was delicious yoghurt with cucumber -- Ekhyar Bellaban. See how easy all that was?
Now let's get down to the hard stuff -- Shish Tawouk, Shish Kebab and Kafta Halabi all in one plate and called the Habibi Latino Mix. The first Shish was all about tender cubes of chicken marinated in lemon, the second Shish consisted of cuts of spicy tenderloin, and the Kafta 'thingie' had ground beef, parsley, pepper and some obvious chef's secrets. All were grilled to perfection and served with mounds of superb 'morish' (no pun intended) yellow rice with pinenuts and savoury paprika fried potatoes.
Hello, all of this should be enough, right? No, not when you are a food reviewer. I am sorry but what I am about to describe is lethal. (Emancipation Park will see me doing laps upon laps this week. I hate this job). I'm talking about specially imported Jordanian sweets -- tiny slivers of Baklava (layers of fine filo pastry filled with nuts and honey), Osh Albulbul (miniature bird nests filled with nuts and other strange goodies) and Barazek -- didn't even bother to enquire about that one because by this time talking was the last thing I wished to do.
Prices are extremely reasonable -- in the J$200 - $500 range. The menu also has many choices for Latinos -- Al Ajillo Fish Fillet, Paella, Arroz con Pollo (Rice and Chicken), Frijoles Negros (Black Beans) and other goodies such as Bunuelos de Malanga (fried coco) or Patacones. The service is good, but remember that the place is new, there's one chef and all is cooked fresh. Waiting is made easier with Abdul's Special Fruit Punch or one of his beastly cold, and I mean beastly cold, Red Stripe beers.
Habibi Latino has a fine Club/Bar upstairs (there's an introductory party March 31) with roof balcony for dining under the stars. There's an array of exotic Argela or Hubbly Bubbly -- commonly known as Hookahs -- with fine mango, strawberry, apple, rose and mint tobacco. A touch of the East. Casablanca. Humphrey Bogart. Fez Caps and Caftans. Camels. Deserts. Dates. Goodbye.
NOTE: Another great piece of news: Norma's at the Port Antonio Marina is set to open its first phase, the Beach Grill and Bar, by Easter. Mr. Barbecue himself, Gary Ferguson of Rib Kage, will be at the helm with his sweet wife, Gillian, at his side and Colin Hilton (Guilt Trip) on top of the desserts. The fine dining restaurant phase is due to open in August.
Rosemary Parkinson was last seen being removed from Emancipation Park by the Bellevue Ambulance. Exercise found in her bloodstream was the cause of her dementia.
