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Businessmen and women can relax, re-energise and entertain in style at the Crowne Plaza Bahrain Hotel which has set aside a special welcoming retreat for those wanting to escape a busy office environment.
The business lunch, launched this month at La Mosaique restaurant between the hours of 12.30pm and 3pm, features an international buffet full of variety.
It is the brainchild of the hotel’s Malaysian Executive Chef Saravanan Gurusamy and general manager Pascal Eggerstedt.
“We are targeting corporate groups and others working in the Diplomatic Area that are looking to enjoy good food in a relaxing atmosphere before they have to head back to work and meetings,” explained sales and marketing co-ordinator Ashir Ghouse, “and it’s proving particularly popular.”
A clever package deal has won over the hearts of the corporate world. Companies that book its Bahrain Conference Centre pay BD13++ for the meeting room which comes inclusive of the lunch and coffee breaks.
“For single corporate individuals that want to come down, the buffet is priced at BD11++,” added Mr Ghouse.
The appetising buffet includes a large salad bar, a live cooking station and a dessert section that was as stunning to look at as it was to sample.
The buffet menu changes regularly and at times is geared towards the guests that will be attending. For example, the salad bar had more Arabic-themed dishes such as hummus as the majority of diners on the day of our visit were mainly Gulf nationals.
My husband, Sam Camille and I, are not first timers at La Mosaique as we had joined their Wednesday evening Steak Nights on numerous occasions. However, we had never tried the lunchtime buffet and upon entering the restaurant we knew we were in for a treat.
The spacious venue quickly filled with representatives of various companies coming out of their meetings and workshops at the conference centre.
We didn’t waste any time placing an order at the live cooking station before filling up our plates with some tasty starters.
Sam opted for a grilled lamb kebab and shish tawook chicken skewer while I decided to go for a healthy serving of grilled hamour.
Sam always skips the salad to make more room for the main course and, while usually I do the same, I simply could not resist the vine leaves, also known as dolma, which were juicy and refreshing. I was also advised to try the bean sprout salad and grabbed a cheese ball smothered in herbs.
Sam started with the cream of chicken soup which he found hearty and a good start to the meal. I picked up some spring rolls and cheese samosas for my appetisers and then filled my plate with an assortment of dishes such as stuffed beef roulade, honey garlic potatoes and noodles. The chicken Mandi looked good and Sam plated up a large portion of it which he told me he loved.
Although I was half tempted to get some of that chicken after Sam’s raving review, I waited for a fresh batch of Irish lamb stew to arrive which I promptly piled on top of jasmine rice.
The highlight of the buffet, in my opinion as I have a huge sweet tooth, was the dessert section.
When I saw the berry pudding I gasped and loudly said ‘Yes’, forgetting that I wasn’t the only person at the dessert station at the time. The guest standing next to me picking from the variety of pastries and cakes, laughed and said: “Wow, you really like pudding!”
I also sampled a ginger berry cake and a mini apple pie. Sam went for a slice of cheesecake, a strawberry puff pastry and what looked like crème caramel.
Overall it was a delightful lunchtime experience and so much more fulfilling (and filling) than sitting in front of a computer.
For details, contact 17531122.
