A taste of Bolt with jerk pork, grilled steak

Tracks & Records, spicy hot fillers and jerk pork — what do they have in common with Usain Bolt? He serves all of them hot and at a lightning speed. Somshuvra Laha reports.

Tracks & Records, spicy hot fillers and jerk pork — what do they have in common with Usain Bolt? He serves all of them hot and at a lightning speed.

Tracks & Records is Bolt’s newest restaurant and he is hard to miss. Autographed vests, giant screens replaying his races, bright red pair of running shoes, newspapers clips and digital clocks flashing New WR (world record) 9.58 and New WR 19.19 — capturing his 100m and 200m records at IAAF Berlin World Chamionships in 2009 — all scream Bolt.

In keeping with the owner’s track record, the service, too, is a dash. Dressed in Jamaican colours — black, gold and green — servers ensure that customers do not have to wait.

On offer are dishes ranging from spicy hot fillers to seafood crockpots to the famous Irish Blue Mountain coffee steak. Bolt’s personal favourites are spring rolls and Jamaican jerk pork. He is a voracious eater but alcohol is a big no. “He just drinks a lot of water,” said manager Dejas Waites.

Opened in April, 2011, Tracks & Records is one of the finest theme restaurants in Jamaica. "Brand Jamaica is about sports and music and Usain epitomises both," said Waites.

The day Bolt is racing, it is a full house, with all 20 flat-screens capturing all the action live.

Almost everything - décor, music and menu - is bounced off Bolt, who insists on having a lot of fusion music. "His favourite though is reggae," said Waites.
A regular at the restaurant, Bolt has a hard time getting out. It takes the fastest man in the world 20 minutes just to get to the exit from his couch. Fans mob him, many of them eager to share tips, which he patiently listens to.

In any case, Bolting from Tracks & Records would be so not Usain.