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Whether you are craving a meaty steak or savoury seafood, TGI Friday’s new menu has it all and it promises to be a flavourful affair.
The popular food chain has recently unleashed its Friday’s Flavour Festival featuring new mouth-watering meals including crab, fish, chicken and steak.
Having dined at City Centre Bahrain’s TGI Friday’s on numerous occasions with my parents and husband, Sam, on, yes, you guessed it, a Friday, we thought we had tried it all from tasty burgers and cheesy quesadillas to a variety of main courses.
But when we came across its latest surf and turf fusions, they were too good to resist.
From the moment we stepped into the retro-style diner, which can seat up to 200 patrons on a super busy day, we knew that we were in for a memorable feast.
As we were shown to our booth by a friendly waitress named Lisa, we couldn’t help but notice the big smiles on the faces of diners as they devoured their meals, which is a regular occurrence at this venue.
We even had the Bahrain brand’s charming operation manager, Mustapha Ibrahim, guide us through the new menu which he believes will be an even bigger attraction.
Mustapha, who worked with the franchise in the UK for 18 years before moving to Bahrain in 2009, said: “Why do I think that this new menu will appeal to everyone? Because, there are items on it that are completely new from the mainstream, like the mahi mahi, for instance. It really whets the appetite.
“We have tried the salmon, the trout and the tilapia but the mahi mahi is something new to put on the table. Also, the crab and steak combinations, the fusion of tastes, will do great, I’m sure.”
Sam and I were more than happy to put his optimism to the test but couldn’t decide whether to tuck into the New York strip Florentine, crab-stacked fillet, chicken spinach stack, parmesan crab-crusted fish or an all-American stacked burger, as it all sounded and looked amazing.
Mustapha urged us to sample the fish and suggested that we should taste the chicken and the crab-stacked fillet too. Do we dare to savour all three dishes? The challenge was accepted and we eagerly waited for the kitchen manager, Yahia Al Sayed, and his team of chefs, to whip up the delights.
Sam, who for the past few weeks has been eating his way to a healthier and fitter lifestyle, was thrilled to have been offered these drool-worthy meals on his ‘cheat’ day.
Since he has been eating lots of lettuce and boiled eggs, pan-seared chicken breasts on a bed of creamy spinach with Monterey jack cheese, balsamic red onion, garnished with bruschetta on a bed of cheesy mash was a welcomed change. The BD6.500 plate was delectable.
And the BD7.500 mahi mahi was love at first bite. This dish was piled high with fresh crab meat, parmesan cheese and bruschetta mix with peppers, onions and a too-good-to-pass-up cheesy mash. Top that off with lemon cream sauce and you have heaven on a plate.
Sam’s all-time favourite dish, though, was the explosive BD10.400 fillet, grilled perfectly to his liking, with devilled crab meat, asparagus, grilled balsamic red onions and garnished with frizzled onions on a bed of cheesy mash.
Between mouthfuls of steak, fish and chicken, we attempted the impossible, to wipe off every morsel of food from our plates. However, the food won and we had to eventually tap out. Three into two really doesn’t go.
Nonetheless, we were determined to make room for dessert and at BD2.750 the delicious creamy chocolate peanut butter pie found its way to our table.
The new menu is in line with TGI Friday’s upgraded style and it’s worth visiting its recently-opened branch at Seef Mall Muharraq for a peek.
A decision will be made shortly to revamp its City Centre Bahrain venue. But, wherever you dine, don’t miss out on the new additions to the menu which will be available over the next three months.
Positive reviews will ensure your favourites will remain a choice in the future. For further details, check out Facebook at TGIFMiddleEast, Instagram @TGIFridaysME or YouTube at TGIFridaysMiddleEast
