Yah Mon was a Caribbean inspired establishment; but this was not some beachside shack, not this was a tastefully appointed dining area, with dark seats, white paper table cloths & formal looking white upholstered booths. Soulful island music wafted in the air whilst a large HDTV screen showed a looping Caribbean beach scene, complete with endless soothing waves. All the art on the walls were beach or gently rolling surf scenes.
A hostess stand greets you as you enter. A young man greeted me with a smile and welcomed me in finding a table by the bar.
It was dinner time in a Friday, however there were only two other sets of diners - perhaps its early yet...
Each table was adorned with a different sign boasting a pearl of wisdom... 'Don't count the days... make the days count'... 'Good things come to those who HUSTLE'.... I was in for an education whilst I 'chilled'...
The man instructed me that the menu was online at their website. I thought that was all done with after COVID passed, but apparently I was wrong. I suspect that their demographic does not include the AARP crowd.
As I called up the menu I noticed the first thing shown is a LONG disclaimer:
"Kindly note that a 20% service charge will be included with each order to support the seamless execution of our services & maintain exceptional standards for your satisfaction. Most of our dishes are gluten-free, made with organic products & seasonings, & contain no MSG, artificial preservatives, fillers, hormones, antibiotics, or injections. Meals may take approximately twenty-five to thirty-five minutes to prepare and cook. Depending on demand, meals can be finished before or after the approximate time. Everything is made fresh. All sales are final; no refunds. One payment for a party of 6 or more. Our no-cash-refund policy states that no monetary refunds will be given, though alternative refunds may be offered, such as store credit, depending on the situation"
Talk about a mouthful filled with red flags... 20% service charge mandatory... all sales final... ! I gulped and the hesitatingly looked at the menu pricing...
A Coke... $7. A Red Stripe (known as the cheapest beer in the islands)... $8.
Entrees consisted of jerk chicken, oxtail, wild caught fish... the lowest priced Entree was $31 plus that mandatory 20%... so much for the $$ price rating on Yelp.... The fish averaged about $49 plus that 20%.
I seriously considered leaving as these dollars were just not making sense to me... but the server returned and started rattling off all the tasty appetizers to get me going... Jamaican patties, jerk wings... it sounded good & quite frankly I was tired & couldn't be bothered to try and find another place.
I relented and ordered a $7 Coke. I didn't even look at the appetizer prices, but rather decided on just an entree.
Goat appeared, but after seeing what goats were eating on the island of Socotra, I passed.
A Signature Ribeye was offered, however it stated it would be prepared Well Done only... Sacrilege!!! Who in their right mind would do that to a Ribeye?!
To keep my blood pressure from climbing I opted for Janise's Jerk Chicken Pasta which was bowtie noodles and spicy jerk chicken with notes of asparagus. $35 plus mandatory 20%
My server warned me it would take about 25 minutes to prepare... no worries to me as I had no place to go.
My Coke arrived in a short, thin glass. Likely holding about 8 ounces. Maybe $1 per ounce...
When it was delivered he tried once again to entice me into an appetizer to 'snack on' whilst I waited... I declined
About 10 minutes after ordering, the entree arrived at my table; a cool 15 minutes faster than promised, making me wonder if the extended time forecast is just a ploy to get an appetizer ordered, or they have a very efficient microwave.
The square white plate was nicely presented with a few small sprigs of greenery to offset the creamy pasty & blackened chicken.
The taste was pretty good. Just the right amount of spice & heat for a good flavour. The chicken was just about to enter dry territory but the sauce from the pasta helped keep it in check.
My Coke disappeared as I ate, but my server offered no refill... at $7 a glass (plus 20% surcharge) I guess they are barely scraping by.
I finally caught his eye and asked for a glass of water, to which he tried on his upselling cap once more, trying to encourage me into a bottle of sparkling mineral water... uh, no thanks. Tap will do.
The other remaining couple finished up then the server approached me with his 'checkout machine' in hand. There would be no paper receipt to preview the charges... instead he rapped a few buttons then ceremoniously presented me with the gadget, strategically navigated to the 'Tip Shaming' screen. I guess 20% mandatory isn't enough, they wanted more. He waxed that the 20% was for the kitchen staff... I could feel I better get out of here quick before the owner wanted me to contribute to their IRA read more