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FOR an upstairs downstairs choice of venues and cuisines take a trip to Zinj, next to the Nasser pharmacy, writes Shipla Chandran.
CafŽ Spasso (downstairs) and Sushi 101 (upstairs) offer two popular eating out experiences - Italian and Japanese - in one building.
Managed by the Remza Investment Company, both restaurants are relaxing and cozy.
The ground floor is a pizza and pasta lovers' haven and a spiraling staircase in the centre of the outlet leads to the sushi bar.
On invitation by food and beverage director Michael Sang-Kyu Lee, my husband Anoop and I chose a pleasant Tuesday evening to find out what the venues had to offer.
We were welcomed by helpful and friendly staff and led to a cubicle next to a window. We placed our drink orders with Erwin Virina, our waiter for the day.
In order to sample both outlets, we decided to select one dish from each restaurant. Anoop chose cream of mushroom soup and I opted for gyoza Japanese steamed chicken dumplings.
The soup was rich and filling and the pan-smeared dumplings were scrumptious. For people with a liking for strong flavours, the soya vinaigrette that is served with the dumplings provides a perfect accompaniment.
For our next course, we ordered a Jerk Chicken pizza, which tasted much better than it sounds. It consisted of Jamaican-style spicy chicken with mozzarella cheese.
The pizza tasted heavenly featuring just the right amount of cheese and chicken with a dash of chili (spoken by someone who can handle really spicey food).
Other choices in CafŽ Spasso's extensive menu include an array of pastas and pizzas, calzones, salads, quesadillas, sandwiches, burgers, risottos and wraps.
On Erwin's recommendation, we also chose the Shrimp Times 2 ,which is a plate of shrimp tempura, a popular Japanese dish of seafood and vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. It was crispy, crunchy and succulent.
The menu at Sushi 101 offers a long list of sushi, maki rolls, tempura, teppanyaki rolls, sashimi, sake and nigiri served with accompaniments such as rice.
We were too full to taste the desserts menu, which means a return trip as soon as possible. The Italian kitchen boasts a range of cold refreshments, gelato, croissants and cakes. Sushi 101 also offers an assortment of hot and cold tea.
The concept of CafŽ Spasso comes from celebrated Italian Chef Marco Mancini who first introduced the leisure dining concept.
Mr Lee explained: "He has travelled extensively to the Mediterranean and Caribbean and introduced a twist from these regions to traditional Italian cuisine."
CafŽ Spasso was first introduced to the region in Dubai and as well as the two Bahrain outlets, there is also one in Doha with plans to open another in Kuwait.
