Spencer Williams, Contributor

What would you expect to find in terms of restaurants at the bottom of Hope Road, close to Half-Way Tree? One or two 'hole-in-the-wall' eateries, but nothing fancier or more spacious! After all, the area is usually packed with buses, route taxis, and other vehicles trying to make their way downtown or out of town.

One would hardly make the effort to scout out Kabana Restaurant and Garden Bar, which is diagonally across from Winchester Avenue that leads you to the Jamaica Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

I did exactly that recently, and my initial reaction was, "I can't believe this is Kingston." Then I thought, "How do people not know this place exists? It's perfect for a social gathering of friends who wish to drink or eat."

Good parking space

The car park is of a reasonable size, but it doesn't give away what's in store for customers as they walk through the entrance of the restaurant itself. It's very much like walking into, or under, a cabana (hence the name 'Kabana' I guess), only much bigger.

The circular bar which sits in the middle of the dining area is reminiscent of one that you'd find in holiday destinations like Negril. Actually, the movie 'Cocktail' comes to mind. The tables do not crowd one other, giving some sense of privacy to diners, and in fact it's easy to forget that there are others around.

The waiters are polite and attentive as soon as you cross the threshold, but the latter might dwindle once you've ordered. I don't think that they are trying to be rude and unaccommodating at all, but they do give off an, 'I'm bored and want to go home now', kind of aura.

Truth is, 'guys', you have to be there until closing at midnight, so you might as well kill the time by plying us with drinks while we wait the 40 minutes our meals to arrive, and then consider pushing a few desserts and coffee on us before we pay the bill. Time does go by quickly when you're busy.

The cuisine is Jamaican, with some of the more humble options like steamed fish and bammy, coconut curry shrimp, oxtail, and the like, as well as a few variations of steak and lobster.

Hot meals

It's what I'd call good home cooking. Each item is fairly priced, and certainly does its job in satisfying this hungry man's belly! I'm pleased to say that the food, for the most part, arrives at the table hot, and the chef understands what rare beef and al dente vegetables entail.

If only they didn't take so long to produce it all. Let me stress again that 40 minutes is considered too long a wait between, "I'll have the T-bone steak with a baked potato", and "Enjoy your meal". I'm just putting it out there for the staff to consider.

And I realise that this is hardly different from other similar establishments, but that's no excuse really now, is it? I mean, you have a beautiful and cool set-up, pretty darn good food, and a bar that has not even recognised its full potential yet. You make that service impeccable and you could well be sitting on a 'gold mine' in which the likes of Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser should be liming and dining.

Kabana Restaurant & Garden Bar, 12 Hope Road, Kingston 10

Telephone: 908-4005

Opening hours: Monday-Saturday, noon-midnight

Look to spend: $1,500 on a steak dinner, $1,150 on curried shrimp, $2500 on grilled lobster, and $200 on a rum and coke.