On my trip 18 months ago I had asked our informed Negril.com hosts for their suggestions for special dining (cost no object). They suggested Ivans and Rockhouse. Tried both and agreed, with each having their strengths. So for a couples experience I leaned towards Ivans and for groups, Rockhouse. So this trip I took our Newbie friends to Rockhouse for our farewell dinner. I made a big,big mistake. What has happened to that place in the year since my last visit? From hotel pick up to reception and wait staff to food and presentation we were disappointed. The waiter was downright miserable. He was rushing us and actually sighed when we asked for a few more minutes with the menu. Drinks were ordered but he would not let one person keep her Ting bottle at the table. (She had an ice phobia) without an argument. The one glass of red wine ordered was forgotten and when reminded the waiter suggested it had been delivered by another waiter despite the fact that there was no glass on the table. He finally relented. Pumpkin soup special of the night was just warm and not good and I'm not even comparing it to Ivans. First time in Jamaica when I regretted ordering soup! Not one appetizer got an ooh or an aah! What happened to the special presentations like aquarium plate and chicken served in mini jerk barrel models? Main course was served by an army of waiters with no knowledge of which dish went where and just infusing a confused stressful urgency into the experience. Food was ordinary. Two orders of Seafood linguine had different servings of seafood. One had only a few shrimp and glob of unrecognizable fish while the other had shrimp lobster and fish. For 6-7$, deserts were nothing special. Despite asking for separate bills they were so screwed up ,we adjusted the bills ourselves after. I did not detect one smile from our waiter the during the entire meal! I normally would not write about this if it was not such a great restaurant in the past. This is the only bad eating experience thatI have ever experienced in my 10+ trips to Negril. Hopefully my last. I hope to hear better reviews for Rockhouse in the future. It is a beautiful location.
