BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LAST night (July 20) saw the official opening of one of the hottest restaurants and nightspots in St. Kitts called Illusions, which is situated at the Sugar Bay Complex in Frigate Bay. And patrons who turned out to dine and be entertained undoubtedly had an amazing time.
Veteran calypsonian King Starshield, for over four hours, did a number of selections including his famous hits 'Build Our Nation' and 'Socarengue'.
He also did many popular tunes by other artistes such as ‘Nobody Wanna See Us Together’ by Akon, ‘You’re Beautiful’ by James Blunt and ‘Feeling Hot Hot Hot’ by Arrow of Montserrat.
One visiting national from the US, Nigel Walwyn, after becoming aware that he was being entertained by King Starshield, was obviously star-struck in seeing the legendary calypsonian in person and requested he perform 'Good Sheppard', which landed an encore from the audience.
Another calypso icon, Mic Stokes, happened to be on the compound and visited Illusions upon hearing King Starshield was there. Although, his intension was to briefly view the atmosphere and listen to his counterpart, he was spotted by some patrons who requested he perform one of his famous songs.
Mic Stokes did as they requested and treated the enthusiastic and very appreciative audience to his famous hit 'Tiny Whiny'.
Manager of Illusions, Neisha Thomson-Gillis highlighted that there was an opening of the dining and entertainment venue some five months ago, but last night was termed the “Grand Opening”.
In response to who were the target audience, Thompson-Gillis proudly said, “Mature people.”
She informed that Illusions caters to a “unique dining experience with intimate setting and superior audio quality”.
The manager highlighted that from time to time patrons are being treated to live entertainment.
As gathered, the opening hours are 12 noon to 11:00 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 12 noon to 2:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
SKNVibes interacted with a few customers who shared their feelings about nightspot.
It was first time visit for Keslyn and her boyfriend 'Cookey'.
"It is an awesome place! I love the atmosphere and the ambiance. I'm loving the staff...great service....food, drink...everything great."
When asked if she has plans on returning, an enthusiastic Keslyn said, "Of course I will...this month end actually."
Meanwhile, Cookey had this to say about Illusions: "It looks okay to me. The prices are very reasonable even though the menu is not that big, the prices are reasonable. The food was great, especially the tamarind chicken."
SKNVibes also spoke with two students from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine.
According to Emily, “It’s great food, very friendly service. I've been here several times.” And her friend, Caitlin, who was on her first outing, shared: "The food is great. They even cater to gluten-free."
Another local, D'Angel commented: "When I first came here I thought the prices were very reasonable and the food is great and I have a girlfriend and I am going to bring her here."
Another customer, John Francis, said, "Everybody should hear about Illusions and discover that it has something for everybody.”
And Tina exclaimed: "It's a nice venue! They've put a lot of effort into it. It's a shame a lot of people didn't turn out. The food was great...big up to the chef."
Carla Astaphan, too, was there and she recited a poem called ‘The Snapshot of An Afternoon Swim’. She had announced that she and a group of other poets usually perform at Illusions on the last Tuesday of each month.
Speaking to this media house prior her performance, Astaphan said, "I've been here before. I like it.”
The nightly entertainment schedule is as follows: Sundays 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - Live Concert featuring King Starshield; Tuesday 8:00 p.m. until...? - Open Mic Nights; Wednesday 8:00 p.m. until...? - Latin Night (Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton and Bachata); Thursdays 7:00 p.m. until...? - Karaoke; Friday 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Happy Hour; and Saturday - Couples Night.
