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THE full flavour of Italian cuisine is being unveiled at the Fiamma Restaurant as the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa once again stages its cultural and gastrononic festival which continues until Saturday.
Fans of the fare have been enjoying a mouth-watering 10-day journey to Italy with authentic Venetian dishes complemented by a taste of the opera.
A special a la carte menu and beverages from different Italian regions are still being served every evening of the festival from 7pm and 11pm. A special Italian-themed Friday Brunch was staged on Friday and preparations are in hand to host another this weekend from 12.30pm till 4pm.
The unique dining experience is being complemented by Italian Soprano and Tenor singers, Vincenzo Sanzo and Carla Mazzarella who flew in from Italy especially for this festival for the third year running.
They are entertaining guests every evening during the festival and were in fine voice at last week’s launch event in front of VIPs, leading members of the Italian community living in Bahrain and the media.
To add to the festival’s offering Fiamma’s new Italian chef Andrea Barome launched a new menu for the popular restaurant and guests have been treated to a tanstalising taste of things to come.
Stand out dishes included the Zuppetta Picante Di Miscardini, braised baby octopus, the Orate Con Biete, a sensational sea bream with beetroot and sundried tomatoes and the Magagloime Di Filetto Al Porcinit Pepe Rosa, a tenderloin medallion with mushroom sauce and peppercorn. A complementary side dish of risotto, rich and full of flavour, could easily have been a main course.
Chef Andrea, 29, comes from Sicily and started his career as a Commis Chef in a small restaurant in Cantù which specialised in a typical Lombardy cuisine ‘il giardinet’. He also worked in Arezzo in the Tuscan region, in the acclaimed Logge Vasari restaurant gaining more experience working along established chefs on Tuscan-style dishes.
He was soon making waves in his own right, and made a bold career move by joining the kitchen team on the luxury cruise ship, The Silja Symphony, offering guests a classical Italian fine-dining experience.
Chef Andrea holds a Diploma in Culinary Arts and was with La Locanda del Boschetto in Lugano, a city in southern Switzerland, before joining the Sofitel team in Bahrain.
He said: “Cooking and the creation of Italian cuisine has been my main pursuit throughout my life – from my early beginnings in smaller restaurants in Cantù working with local, freshly-grown ingredients to today here in Bahrain.
“I have been passionate about Italian cuisine and the chance of introducing it to other parts of the world. That was my goal during my move to Switzerland, around the Baltic Sea and remains so in Bahrain.
“Italy is very much a family-oriented environment, some could say similar to Bahrain and the GCC countries. In fact, I had my initial introduction to cooking in the home, assisting my grandmother in the kitchen and slowly getting to grips with Mediterranean cuisine.
“This type of Italian fare is still featured heavily in my cooking today as Sicily and Calabria can be considered somewhat of a ‘time capsule’ of Italian cuisine. It’s still very close to its roots and a great way to sample Italian cuisine as it was, say 30 years ago.
“The thing I love about Italian cuisine is the way it connects in so many different ways, with so many different flavours and fresh ingredients and how international it has become in the modern world. Italian cuisine has now spread from Italy to so many places.
“We’d like to create something unique in Fiamma restaurant, building on three years of its successful operation and revamping the menu with new items while still, of course, keeping some of the old favourites.
“No Italian restaurant would be complete without dishes and desserts like our Neccio Toscano – we’re the only Italian Restaurant in Bahrain to offer this!
“The tagliata steaks and, of course, our tiramisu are not to be missed. When I’m creating these signature dishes I’m looking to offer the very best introduction to Italian cuisine to our guests.
“I can promise something that has been prepared with the freshest ingredients and to the highest possible standard.
“From the cuisine, you’ve also got to look at the atmosphere of the restaurant too. A visit to Fiamma should not just be a visit to another Italian restaurant somewhere in the Gulf.
“We want an offer an experience to our guests, from the moment they enter and are greeted by our Italian manager and his team, to sitting down enjoying the cuisine I’m creating. This is what we’re trying to achieve here, an authentic experience of Italy!
“The Bahrainis are an extremely warm and welcoming people and the island itself is a melting pot of different nationalities. I’m looking forward to many years of shared experiences and introducing original Italian cuisine from my Sicilian roots to the kingdom.”
The taste of Neccio is worth the trip to Zallaq alone. This rural recipe was born as a dessert but has also now found a place as a starter. It is like a crepe but made with chestnut flour.
Chef Andrea has revisited the recipe filling it with ricotta and porcini mushrooms served on a parmesan velluté. It’s truly magnifico!
