Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Little Stan and I used to enjoy a bit of ‘man time’ together and a hearty football discussion after footy training at a restaurant on Burgerland Roundabout when the Arsenal Soccer School Bahrain was located at Karranah many moons ago.
Nowadays, it’s based close to our home in Janabiya so we normally drive straight home from the Tuesday evening training sessions.
I’ve missed our chats and missed the burgers too … in fact a meat patty hasn’t passed my lips for more than a year during an extended healthy eating and fitness campaign to shed a few excess pounds.
It was time for a treat and how better to rekindle that lip-smacking taste of tantalising torment than a trip to the Royal Golf Club’s Links Lounge and Restaurant at Riffa Views.
Located on the mezzanine floor of the clubhouse, Links is a large, comfortable destination open to all visitors. Its features include a cocktail area, an outdoor terrace and floor-to-ceiling picture windows offering patrons spectacular views across the golf course.
The club’s food and beverage team has recently launched two new themed dining experiences in the award-winning outlet.
On Tuesday evenings diners can take their pick from some mouth-watering and unusual burger options in the popular Gourmet Burgers Night.
Options include a 200g Angus beef burger served with melted brie, beef bacon and cranberry sauce which Executive Chef Paul Ginda reckons makes the ‘perfect combination’.
What a way to break a burger fast is all I can say.
I couldn’t talk from the moment my mouth encased the incredible culinary conception – it was so full of flavour it demanded my full attention. Important football conversations about whether Liverpool’s want-away striker Raheem Sterling should stay or go was set aside as the two Stans sat united and got stuck in to the matter at hand.
Little Stan likes his burgers plain and simple, no sauce or mayonnaise, cheese or lettuce. It’s meat and bun and nothing-else for the boy but it still looked too big for him to devour in one sitting.
However, he ate it with relish (or not, if you know what I mean) although he had no room for the fries.
The good lady wife, Kathryn, was allowed to join us on this occasion providing she didn’t interrupt the important football debate as we celebrated once again Bristol Rovers’ return to the Football League with a chorus of Goodnight Irene, Irene Goodnight. She chose the Links biggest-seller, simply entitled the RGC Beef Burger. It comes with melted cheese, pickles, cherry tomato & red onion chutney, rocket, mustard aioli and steak fries.
She was torn between that and the Mexican Burger which features smoked paprika sour cream, jalapeno, cheddar cheese, guacamole, tomato salsa and lettuce. Other temptations include a Mushroom Burger served with mixed wild mushroom sauce, foie gras butter and wholegrain mustard, a Rib Burger and BBQ Burger. They all come with a selection of chips (shoestring, chunky, sweet potato, curly, crinkle-cut and wedges) and coleslaw on the side.
Priced BD5.500 net it’s only available on Tuesdays from 6pm to 10pm and is well worth the journey.
On Thursday evenings diners are invited to ‘Surf n Turf Night’, a dining concept that is currently enjoying a big revival in Europe. Guests can choose their favourite joint, ranging from rib-eye to sirloin to hanger steak, and then select a delicious seafood dish, such as Mozambique-spiced tiger prawns or deep-fried calamari, to complement the meat. Eating Out will reveal all in the near future.
For table reservations in Links Restaurant, call 17751262.
