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I’m a creature of habit and every Friday morning I drop my son off for karate training and settle down for my special treat-of-the-week, a cup of Esquires coffee accompanied by a scrambled egg breakfast on healthy brown toast.
By the time I’m finished little Stan is hot, sweaty and ready for collection and I treat him to his favourite Esquires strawberry milkshake (with no whipped cream on top) to cool down on the way home.
This week, as he prepared every day for his black belt examination, I felt he deserved something special so instead of popping to the outlet near St Christopher’s School I took him to the newly-opened Esquires Coffee House next to Princess Sabeeka Park.
If you have not visited the park, this can be just the excuse you need. It is a fabulous addition to Bahrain’s family attractions and is a joy to wander around, especially in the delightful spring time weather conditions we are currently enjoying.
We (I mean the good lady wife, Kathryn) used to make the journey from Saar to the Awali compound every morning when Stan attended the primary school there and I haven’t been back since the last day of the final term about four years ago.
Wow, hasn’t Awali changed since then? It’s had a real makeover and even the street lights look sensational with solar-powered units attached to them.
Esquires is nestled between the clock tower and Awali library on the edge of the park and looks very impressive both inside and out.
It is extremely spacious, airy, well lit and comforting too with its familiar light blue and brown colour scheme.
There was also a few familiar faces behind the counters, including senior manager Mahesh Giri, who I often bump into in Saar and he was often around at the Diraz coffee house before it was targeted by criminals and burned to the ground. (What a shame, and I know I’m not the only regular who misses it greatly).
Mahesh is one of those gentlemen who was born with a welcoming smile on his face and was a great steal from Starbucks!
The Nepalese 38-year-old is married to Janneth and they have a 10-year-old son, Joshua, the same age as my little Stan. He really knows how to make a good coffee and is a real champion of the Esquires cause.
“The people of Bahrain have really got a flavour for our coffee and it’s amazing how many customers have travelled from all over the country to put our new Awali home to the taste test!” he said.
With over 18 million cups of Fairtrade coffee sold at Esquires and counting it was no surprise to find the Awali outlet buzzing with custom on the morning we visited.
The saying goes that ‘great coffee helps build community’ is not far wrong ... but the cakes, croissants, rolls and that superb scrambled egg prove quite an attraction too.
Ahmed Shawqi Nafea, operations manager, tells me he is delighted with the response the new coffee house has generated since it was officially opened recently by Shaikh Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Salman Al Khalifa.
The brand is one of the favourites in Australia and New Zealand and its Bahrain franchise is now under the wing of Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa who has plans to expand to Al Fateh Juffair in Alraya Mall in around two months’ time.
I’ll drink to that!
* Win a free Esquires coffee by answering the quiz question on Page 16
