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Something new is brewing at the Al Nakheel Centre in Saar. A one-of-a-kind, cosy, two-storey eatery is offering customers some much-needed tea therapy with tasty Asian fare in a serene environment.
Darcha, which means house of tea, boasts more than 23 different types of tea leaves infused into aromatic warm beverages that are perfect for any mood or occasion.
How true that is. Personally, I’m a huge tea drinker, opting for a yummy Earl Grey when relaxing with my mum, a cup of green tea after a heavy meal or even a spot of healthy South African Rooibos for a taste of something different.
I’m not surprised that there is a huge tea culture following on the island with its multi-cultural pot of nationalities living together. The Chinese have been drinking it for more than 5,000 years, sipping at the hot drink morning, noon and night. The UK is also one of the largest per capita tea consumers, having been enjoying it since the 18th Century, with each citizen drinking on average 1.9 kg per year.
In Hong Kong, cha chaan tengs, meaning tea restaurants, are found on almost every street corner serving tea with canto-western style cuisine.
Weena Clark, a former marketing and merchandising executive, spent much of her youth visiting different cha chaan tengs and it made perfect sense to bring the quaint tea house environment to Bahrain, as she has been living here for more than 12 years.
The mother of eight-year-old St Christopher’s School student, Osian, said: “It’s very popular in Hong Kong with a range of tea houses to suit all tastes. The whole concept seemed right to develop here.
“I always think of the customer because I am a customer myself. Consumers nowadays are very smart. They don’t only look at the price, they also look for quality.
“Anybody can make a big bowl of rice but it’s the taste that’s important as well as the ingredients used. I want to offer the Bahrain community a taste of my culture, with a twist. I have adapted the tea house style to this country and market, serving quality food that I love, which is light and healthy as well. Everything made at Darcha is fresh, made in-house and with love.”
The soft décor and hearty cuisine is heavenly influenced by Weena. Pastel-toned furniture, white mugs and giant silver tea tins provides a crisp, clean feel to the tranquil venue.
Upon entering, customers are greeted with smiling faces, soothing scents and light jazzy music. The cup, saucer and spoon art work around Darcha is captivating and clever. Not to mention the seating arrangements, which include tables with pull-out features to further extend the counter in order to make more room for more food. And, after tasting the fare, trust me, you will want more space for more!
The intimate interior is accentuated by the scrumptious Asian-inspired dishes from giant crunchy spring rolls to a comforting fish ball noodle soup.
According to operations manager Aimee Melody Matito, since opening on July 5 there have been return customers on a daily basis. “The location is ideal as it’s right across from St Christopher’s junior school. As parents wait to pick up their little ones, they can stop in for a spot of tea or bring their children over for a snack after school is out,” she said.
My husband, Sam, and I, were accompanied by 96.5 Radio Bahrain DJ Imran Al Aradi, whom Osian is a big fan of and had a star struck moment when talking to him.
Not only was the food reasonably priced but it also was very filling. Weena enticed Sam, a carnivore through and through, who often refers to salad as leaves he can pick from his garden, into trying the Vietnamese chicken salad at BD3.200. It soon became love at first bite for Sam and Imran as they chomped away on the dish. It was a huge achievement in my books to get Sam eating a salad. Well done, Weena!
For an authentic experience, I opted for the fish ball noodle soup at BD1.600 and it was delicious. The soup was accompanied by a special sauce that added that ‘oomph’ to the entire offering.
Other starters that made their way to the table were the Thai fish cake at BD1.900, which was my favourite, Hong Kong prawn toast at BD2.200, Chinese shrimp dumpling at BD1.800 and Japanese Gyoza chicken at BD1.600. It was a great start to a hearty meal. It was also fun eating the Gyoza with make-shift chopsticks that look like giant tweezers.
Imran then ordered a shrimp sandwich at BD3.600 which we all shared in delight and Sam devoured the Pepsi chicken, marinated in Pepsi, with garlic rice which was part of the ‘Today’s Terrific Taste’ lunch combo. At BD3.800, the combo features a different main course every day with an appetiser or at BD4.400 with a drink.
Aside from tea served either hot or cold, there is even a large list of signature drinks which Imran tried. He loved the Green Passion Fruit and Mango at BD1.400.
Sam had a cold Rooibos organic tea at BD1.400 while I had the cinnamon star at BD1.200 and the Ying Yang Hong Kong coffee and tea with milk at BD1.800.
For desert, we melted into the apple crumble at BD1.800 as well as the chocolate coffee cake at BD1.500. While Sam and Imran fought over the crumble, Weena and I sneakily ate the cake.
As our Vietnamese coffee, hot at BD1.400 or cold at BD1.600, was filtering right before our very eyes, I enjoyed a Hong Kong take on French toast priced at BD1.200. Hong Kong Toast is special because its two pieces of toast lined with condensed milk in the middle. Condensed milk is also added to the Vietnamese coffee which I loved.
Thinking I could not have any more food or drink, Weena packed a wasabi and a tea cupcake (priced at 600fils each) to go. She is as sweet as her cakes and as generous as the portions on her plate.
Weena is now planning to open a catering section in Al Aali area for events. Darcha is open from 7.30am to 9pm every day.
For more information contact Darcha on 17590036, email darchacafe@gmail.com or visit www.darcha.com and on Facebook at Darcha Tea House.
