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Silk's, one of Bahrain's most popular hotel restaurants, is dishing up a whole new taste sensation on a Sunday with a poolside BBQ theme to sizzle the taste buds.
The Mšvenpick Hotel Bahrain in Muharraq continues to attract diners from across the kingdom with its buffets and brunches, which feature a variety of international cuisines.
The man responsible for creating the delicacies is a man of the world himself, namely Executive Chef Kim Gates.
At the age of 44, he boasts 28 years of culinary experience gathered from various parts of the globe starting from his home in Australia.
Chef Gates, who is now starting his third year with Mšvenpick, first got a taste for the industry at the tender age of 14 when he enrolled in cooking classes at school.
He said: "I took up my first part-time job while still studying at school and signed an apprenticeship in 1981. I was lucky to find a small restaurant and four years later felt experienced enough to join the Perth Park Royal Hotel."
One of the pleasures of managing a kitchen successfully is the golden opportunity to travel and Chef Gates was soon bitten by the bug. He explained: "It's a thrill to travel around the world and to try out different ingredients and styles of cooking from different countries and cultures."
After gaining experience across Australia at the Melia Darwin, Sheraton Resort Port Douglas, Seaworld Nara Resort, Sheraton Mirage Gold Coast, Holiday Inn Hotel Gold Coast and Sheraton Darwin Hotel in 1994 he began the 'gypsy' life by joining the Radisson SAS Lazurnaya Resort & Casino in Russia for two years.
He then spent the next three years at the Le Meridien Resort in the Republic of Vanuatu, an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean.
His first Middle East venture was in 1999 when he joined the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach in Dubai as executive chef. Chef Kim said: "I then went on a five-year long 'vacation' to the Maldives when I joined the Kurumba Maldives Resort. I cooked and went snorkelling, fishing, diving and moved around the islands."
During his travels he has cooked for leading politicians and entertainers including former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, former American Presidents George Bush Snr and Bill Clinton and singer George Michael, to name but a few.
In 2006 he joined the Swissotel Krasnye Hotel in Moscow before moving to Bahrain.
Chef Kim, who spends most of his free time playing with his four-year old son, particularly enjoys Thai food which he says is healthy, light and aromatic.
Dining at Mšvenpick Hotel can bring you a taste of overseas without leaving the island. Silk's Restaurant has recently launched its BBQ delights every Sunday with a range of seafood, tender meat cuts, American Certified Angus steaks, Australian barbecue and Indonesian satay skewers.
Monday nights at the restaurant are dedicated to fresh seafood including slipper lobsters, tiger prawns, hammour and red snapper.
The hotel's Gallery Lobby Lounge will soon have a Dim Sum buffet trolley rolling around offering shrimp dumplings, prawns and ginger, chicken and shitake mushrooms with Chinese tea.
Thursdays are steak nights and Fridays offer brunch at the Silk's Restaurant. Another special promotion is High Tea, served daily except Friday at the Gallery Lobby Lounge. There is a selection of tea or coffee served with sandwiches, French pastries, scones, and other sweet delicacies.
From December 4, the hotel will be holding festive brunches every Friday until Christmas Day with themes featuring various elements of the season. The lobby will also boast a big gingerbread house where guests can walk in and choose their sweets.
Today, Chef Kim shares one of the hotel's popular dishes with GulfWeekly readers.
Pistachio crusted loin of lamb
Ingredients:
Clarified Butter 5gms
Loin of Lamb 170gms
Veal Stock 40ml
Onions 20gms
Garlic 10gms
Sage 20gms
Cooking cream 100ml
Horseradish 2gms
Butter clarified 10gms
Potatoes Anna 90gms
Baked eggplant 20gms
Green zucchini 10gms
Fresh tomato 10gms
Dried tomato 10gms
Fresh tomato sauce 50ml
Procedure:
Season and pan sear the lamb loin. Coat with ground pistachio nuts and finish in the oven. Simmer onion in butter. Add garlic, sage and deglase with veal stock. Add cream and horseradish reduce by half and strain.
Cut potatoes into slices and them together like a potato fan in a small pan with clarified butter. Combine the eggplant, zucchini, sun dried tomato and fresh tomato for the ratatouille.
