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I’M going to be very careful what I write in this EatingOut review. I recall attending the restaurant a few days after it had opened within the swanky setting of the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa.
It’s one of my favourite hotels on the island and, to date, I cannot recall having anything but delightful experiences in its fine dining establishments.
The only criticism I had when I first visited Wok was its lighting, we needed a torch to view the menu and the venue was so dimly lit the beautifully-plated fare was difficult to savour in all its glory.
As soon as the paper arrived at the hotel voicing the criticism, the engineers began working on getting the matter sorted and an email to that order was sent to my inbox.
Talk about the power of the press. It still sends shivers down my spine to think that words penned in the island’s premier publication can get things done so swiftly.
(Ever the optimist … OK, boys, put down those petrol bombs, stop burning up Budaiya Highway, shake hands with the police, and let’s have some peace for a change).
Fortunately, the half-an-hour journey from my home to the Sofitel was uneventful over the weekend, not a protester in sight and just the occasional police car motoring on down the highway heading no doubt in the other direction towards Burgerland Roundabout.
A number of other couples had chosen to head to Zallaq to escape the disturbances around Saar and the calming ambience of the Wok was a delight to behold. Now the dimmed lighting is bright enough to see your partner and read the menu without losing any of its romance.
The food was the main attraction and proved to be a taste-tingling journey through the starters, soups, main courses and on to the sweets following the introduction of a new menu by Chef Phuc Nguyen.
Chef Phuc, a Vietnamese national, is passionate about his dishes and delights at the natural flavours of the cuisine he has created.
He had seven years experience working in five-star establishments in Vietnam before joining Sofitel Bahrain in January 2011, returning back home for a short period of time before being wooed back to the team in Bahrain, a magnificent coup by the management.
Guests are spoiled for choice with an array of mouth-watering dishes from an a la carte menu that offers South East Asian fares from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Kathryn, the good lady wife and I, shared a Thai asparagus salad (Yam Nor Mai Far-Lung) with squid, garlic, shallot and a touch of chili, which left a pleasant afterglow in the back of the throat (BD4.500) and golden crispy spring rolls called Cha Gio Hanoi (BD5.300).
I would happily fly to the capital of Vietnam to try these spring rolls again. Behind the crunch was a fabulous lobster, crabmeat, chicken and shitake mushroom concoction, which was superbly succulent and full of fragrant herbs.
When we dine in similar Asian style, Kathryn insists on the Tom Yang Goong Soup, spicy enough to blow your head off. I’m too chicken for the real hot stuff and went for the Pho Ga Hanoi. It’s a rich broth with sliced, freshly-cooked chicken pieces and rice noodles. What I particularly liked about this soup was that the customer could choose the amount of spice with chili and fresh lime served on separate dishes to be added according to taste – an impressive touch indeed, particularly for those new to the cuisine.
Among the star main course specialties to look out for is Tom Hum Rangh Muio, a deep-fried lobster with salt, pepper and herbs. It’s a little pricey at BD22.500 but well worth treating yourself.
As we were in sharing mode, it went extremely well with the marinated sea bass, accompanied by sour rice with fresh dill (a dish called Cha Ca La Vong, priced BD11). A side dish of stir-fried asparagus (BD3.500) added a further touch of star quality to the experience.
Ca Kho To and Ga Quay Ngu are also some of the Vietnamese dishes to look out for. Ca Kho To is made of stewed mackerel fish in a clay pot with caramelised fish sauce, chicken, galangal and chili, while Ga Quay Ngu is made of roasted chicken and five spices, all of which are served with rice. We’ll have to try those on another visit.
Wok boasts a trendy yet genuine Asian atmosphere. It has a perfect combination of stones and wood in the décor as well as art and craftworks that reflect the culture. Our waitresses were friendly and extremely informative when called upon to explain some of the choices available.
Sharing somehow came to a sudden end when the sweets were served. I fancied the Indonesian banana fritters (Pisang Goreng) but when Kathryn ordered them I went for the sticky rice pudding with fresh slices of mango (Xoi Xoai) instead, with both priced at BD4. I love rice pudding and this was superb, but by the time I looked up the fritters had all disappeared. Not fair. But another good reason to make a return visit to the one and only Wok!
