A taste of fine Asian fare

A hot new restaurant has opened at the Al Areen Palace and Spa, offering diners dishes from the Far East bursting with flavour and just the right amount of spice.

Keizo Al Areen, located in the premier villa-styled hotel in Sakhir, invited VIPs and guests to feast on classic and contemporary Thai, Chinese and Japanese fare on its menu to give a taste of what the creative culinary team can whip up.

Five chefs from different parts of Asia have been handpicked and trained by Head Chef Gunasiri to offer authentic Asian cuisine in a serene environment. Chef Gunasiri, who has been with Al Areen for the past four months, can be found in the kitchen working his magic and sharing his worldly experience with his large team of cooks and servers. He specialises in Spanish, Mediterranean, Italian and Asian cuisine.

Launching a new restaurant is not a first for the Sri Lankan and he believes that the menu and venue will make Keizo Al Areen a popular destination for customers.

He said: “This is a three-concept restaurant where Thai, Chinese and Japanese will be coming out of one kitchen. Our diners will be getting the true taste of Asian cuisine along with a great experience.”

At first glance, the restaurant looks more like a castle surrounded by a moat and a draw bridge inviting guests into the unknown. It is mysterious and beautiful, especially in the evening.

The interior, however, boasts a sleek oriental décor with fabric draped from the ceiling and little touches such as a tiny wooden fish to hold your chop sticks. There is also shaded outdoor seating in the back.

Al Areen Palace & Spa advisor Dr Essa Faqihi, who was present at the event, said: “The new dining venue complements the hotel’s concept in terms of crafting an intimate and exquisite fine dining escape.

“For the past few months we have worked very closely with our chefs to develop items that span from the traditional to more sophisticated yet modern dishes. This, in turn, has resulted in a creative combination of recipes and ingredients providing an unforgettable dining experience.”

It was a memorable evening as guests were treated to an Asian-themed fashion show created by Princess Apple Sinchongco while tucking into the set menu on offer. The models paraded around tables in Princess Apple’s creations adding to the ambiance of the evening.

The friendly serving staff was on constant alert, tending to every diner’s needs. Guests started with a large plate of mixed sushi, which was delicious. As soon as one plate of food was devoured another appeared. The Tom Yum Goong soup was the next to delight along with the prawn tempura.

The seafood salad was good aside from the fish roe which I bit into and tasted a burst of fish oil. A variety of dishes from the main course made its way to the table such as noodles, fried rice, beef, prawns and a green chicken curry.

I am a huge fan of green chicken curry and perhaps even a snob as I am particular about it. I must admit that this curry was not to my liking although others seemed to enjoy it.

For dessert, customers were treated to three bite-sizes of a ginger crème brûlée, green tea cheesecake with green tea ice cream and mango sticky rice with coconut milk. Each dessert was special in its own way.

This is the second restaurant to be unveiled in Al Areen after the recent launch of Saffron-Al Areen Khaleeji Cuisine and is certainly not the last. Another restaurant will be launched in the near future with a more cool and casual feel.

For details, contact 17845162 or visit www.alareenpalace.com