Comforting taste of home

The comforts of home are being dished up in an expat club to lonely husbands whose families have fled the summer heat to visit family and friends away from these shores.

The Dilmun Club in Saar have prepared a special menu called Home Alone to ensure their members do not waste away whilst their wives are on holiday with the children.

The old adage ‘while the cat’s away the mice will play’ may ring true for some men who have been left alone this Ramadan but for others it soon becomes a lonely experience.

Many initially jumped at the chance to gorge on a daily diet of late-night greasy take-aways, but the novelty quickly wore off as the heartburn kicked in.

Enter the Dilmun Club, which is serving up its special wholesome and healthy dishes for members to get some hearty grub at a very reasonable price.

The menu has been designed by head chef/ interim general manager Mark Rowe who took the helm of the club three weeks ago.

In between the day-to-day running of the club, Mark was determined to continue filling the niche in the market by providing a special menu for abandoned husbands.

The eclectic menu changes every fortnight and Mark even takes requests for dishes to be included on it. The current menu boasts old favourites like beef stroganoff, fish ’n’ chips, steak, chips and egg, the Big Dilly Burger and the popular all-day breakfast, as well as some healthier options like poached salmon and grilled calamari.

He said: “It is comfort food for a lot of people. We used to feature a Home Alone menu here some time ago but it stopped and I thought this would be an ideal time to bring it back.
“It’s going down really well and we have approximately 80-plus people ordering from it each day. It’s basically a compilation of our most popular dishes, including old and new favourites, but it changes to ensure there is a rich variety.”

In the coming weeks, the menu is set to include more fish and chicken varieties plus a larger selection of steaks, including signature steaks like flambé pepper fillet, plus more burgers.

On this taste-testing mission I had a hard time picking something off the menu, so I took Mark’s advice and went for the steak, egg and chips.

This is a staple dish in any man’s diet (unless he’s vegetarian) and the Dilmun Club’s offering did not disappoint. The steak was juicy, tender and marinated in a magnificent secret glaze that Mark refused to divulge to me.

The chips, fantastically crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, were more like wedges and came in a sizable serving.

Obviously there was a side of vegetables which I’m not usually a fan of but I’m glad I decided to give it a go because it was so fresh and flavoursome, the carrots especially.
Members sitting nearby had a similar opinion about the fare but unlike me (sat with my girlfriend and her parents) they were missing their families.

Chris Digby, 48, a project manager from Al Jasra, said: “My Mrs is away for four weeks and it can be pretty lonely at home, all I seem to do is work, eat, sleep and work again.
“Luckily, I can come here to watch some sport with friends and get some good grub while I’m at it. I had the smoked salmon and it exceeded my expectations. It was tasty and really fresh and full of flavour.”

The menu is also providing new members and their guests with an opportunity to sample an unfamiliar type of cuisine.

Siebe Butter, 37, a consulting director from Al Jasra, said: “I just had my first cottage pie ever and I thought it was really good.

“I’ve never had one before and I can’t compare it to anything-else but it was well-spiced and the veg was absolutely lovely. I didn’t expect such a tasty surprise.”

It’s not just the food that’s proving a hit, the understated decor and relaxed ambience are key factors to enjoying a meal too, according to Mr Butter.

“I really like that the Dilmun is not a pretentious type of place like some restaurants on the island. It offers good food in a relaxed atmosphere,” he said. “However, since my wife went away I’ve remembered how much I disliked being a bachelor. I’d rather she and my kids were here to enjoy it with me.”

The Home Alone menu runs throughout Ramadan and costs BD4.500 with a selected beverage and BD3.500 without.