Hey, Internet! Things have been hectic lately but I promise I’ll update soon. Until then, the good folks over at ThePersian.com recently interviewed me about Yogurtsoda and all things food and travel-related: An Iranian in Paris, Istanbul, London, Puerto Vallarta…
Jamaica has no shortage of waterfalls and even before I’d purchased my flight I knew I wanted to visit at least one of them. Mayfield Falls was the closest to Negril, so after a hearty Jamaican breakfast at Country Country, I was picked up by a taxicab to take me on the long drive to Mayfield.
My breakfast of ackee, callaloo, Johnny cakes and fruit was filling but not quite as tasty as the banana pancakes I’d tried the day before. Although it’s a fruit, the ackee tasted (and looked) similar to scrambled eggs. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of scrambled eggs. A security attendant at Country Country told me that ackee can be prepared in a myriad of ways and tastes. If I ever have the chance, I’d like to try it again.
But back to Mayfield. The main road to Mayfield Falls was closed when I visited, so the driver took us through the long route, which was fine, because I got to see his hometown, sugarcane fields and endless mountain ranges as we drove by. After about an hour, we arrived at Mayfield and was assigned a guide to help our group hike through the river.
My only complaint about Mayfield Falls is that the guides encourage visitors to pose in all kinds of cheesy positions while they take photos. Frankly, I’m not looking for Disneyland-esque moment while I’m concentrating on not falling flat on my face in a rocky, gushing river, but I can see how the photography aspect might be novel for some visitors. Other than that, our guide was wonderful and the river was stunning.
A couple hours and countless unflattering photos later, we reached the river’s head and turned around to walk back to the beginning via land. I was famished, so I picked a beef patty for the ride back to my cottage.
Later that evening, I explored our neighborhood in Negril in search of more Jamaican cuisine. I wandered into Cool Spot, a spartan restaurant on Norman Manley Boulevard with four or five items on the menu that day. I had the curry goat with rice and peas.
The goat was far less gamey than I had anticipated and was pretty similar to beef, actually. It had stewed for so long that it practically fell off the bone (of which there were many shards to be careful for in the curry). The rice and peas sopped up the sauce, which tasted a lot like a richer version of khoresh-e kaari, or Iranian curry khoresh.
The walk back to my cottage was short and I was ready to call it a day. I had already crossed many items off my to-eat list in Jamaica, but I was still excited for all the ones yet to be discovered.
Even though I was staying on the beach side of Negril, I knew I couldn’t let this trip pass without visiting the cliff side of town at least once. After a short rest on my second day, I hailed a cab to go on the twenty-minute ride to Rick’s Cafe, where Negril’s most beautiful sunsets are reputed to be at.
It turns out the sunset was just as nice as those at the beach, but I finally learned where all the Americans were hanging out at. Red Stripe in one hand, “hang loose” gesture in the other, my compatriots were dude!-ing and bro!-ing it up. Rick’s Cafe turned out to be a concentrated pocket of a stereotypical spring break in Negril. I have to admit though, the cliffs are gorgeous and the water is a deeper, brighter blue than that at the beach side of town.
After half an hour of watching cliff divers jump from the 35 feet-high platform and into the ocean, I left the scene and walked down West End Road towards the Hungry Lion, Negril’s famed restaurant specializing in Ital vegetarian and seafood fare. I started with a Lion Heart, a blended drink of juice, rum, sugar, lime juice and ginger. My pumpkin soup soon arrived, which was absolutely delicious despite the hot, humid weather.
I also ordered an order of baked crab backs to share.
The crab wasn’t as fresh-tasting as I would have hoped, though it was spicy enough to be satisfying. Perhaps I’m too accustomed to San Francisco’s Dungeness crabs.
For my main dish, I ordered the grilled red snapper fillet in foil with rice and peas, callaloo and spicy vegetable stew.
If I’m ordering seafood at a restaurant, I usually don’t choose fish because I greatly prefer shellfish instead. But this snapper was juicy, succulent and practically melted in my mouth. The menu item said that my dish would come with plantains, which I love, so I was disappointed to not see them on my plate. Otherwise, I was more than happy with my entree.
I took my time at the Hungry Lion, enjoying a breathtaking sunset that put Rick’s Cafe to shame and savoring each course on the restaurant’s rooftop patio. Usually when I travel, I start to crave local Bay Area food after the first day or two, but not this time. Jamaican cuisine was keeping me sated and happy.
To say that the beach in Negril is beautiful is an understatement. Still, I don’t think I was prepared for how crystal clear and inviting the water is. Even at breakfast I wanted to run in and take a dip. I had a beautiful view of the beach from Country Peppa’s, the restaurant and bar on our cottage grounds at Country Country. I could literally throw a pebble from my table and it would hit the water.
The beach wasn’t distracting enough to take away from my enjoyment of Country Peppa’s ridiculously good banana pancakes, however.
Served with bacon and fresh fruit, these pancakes were smaller than their American counterpart, crispier on the outside and more moist on the inside. They were only mildly sweet, and had a curious hint of saltiness to them that oddly enough, worked really well. Along with a side of Blue Mountain coffee and fresh pineapple juice, it was the perfect way to start my day.
After breakfast, I spent most of the day near the coast, orienting myself and exploring the beach.
Seriously, Internet, how clear is that water?
After a few hours, I started getting hungry, so we stopped at the Cocobread Patties and Drinks stand on Seven Mile Beach to pick up some food and take it back to my cottage patio.
Aside from a pathetic patty knockoff I once tried in the Bay Area, I’d never had a real patty before, and these were absolutely wonderful. I got a beef patty and a piece of coco bread. I mistakenly thought that coco bread has coconut in it. Not so. It was sweet though and sated my hunger. The patty was flaky, juicy and delicious.
I retired to my cottage to rest up a bit while I plotted the next part of my day: a trip to the Negril Cliffs. Out of three meals I’d had in Jamaica so far, they were all solid wins. I was excited to learn what else Jamaica’s food scene had to offer.
I landed in Montego Bay at two in the afternoon, after a short stopover in Miami. Flying over the Carribean, I was amazed to see how clear the azure waters are, all the way up from the window seat. After a short wait in customs at Sangster International Airport, I was on our way. I had arranged for transportation to Negril through Clive’s Transport, a service which I was happy to use again later during my time in Jamaica.
The drive to Negril from Montego Bay is about two hours long, and not at all harrowing as some accounts I’ve read online described it to be. Sure, the roads are narrow and drivers have a habit of passing other cars in one-lane traffic, but that’s normal in many (if not, most) parts of the world. Jamaica’s west coast is beautiful and I loved getting to see so much of it right off the bat.
I soon checked into our cottage at Country Country, a locally-owned place on Seven Mile Beach.
Once we settled in, it was getting late, but I managed to take a quick dip in the ocean before the sun set. By that time, I was famished and had heard of a great jerk shack nearby, so we walked down Norman Manley Boulevard, the main thoroughfare in Negril, until we found what we were looking for: Ossie’s Jerk Center.
I ordered the jerk chicken and couple of Red Stripes. While I waited at the porch, a group of men played dominoes and tourists and locals alike stopped by to order take-out meals. Our chicken soon arrived, grilled to perfection and covered with a sweet sauce.
I’m pretty sure I ate every last morsel of meat off of those bones. The meat was juicy, the skin had a smoky flavor and though I usually don’t like sweet sauces, it was a good contrast to the chicken’s spicy kick.
After a long day of being in transit, Ossie’s was the perfect place to kick back and take in the sights, sounds and tastes of Negril.
