Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
With the kingdom gearing up to host the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, there is no better place to unwind than in a special Formula 1-themed lounge on the island.
Located at the Elite Resort & Spa, the Shift 7 outlet is perched on the 15th floor at the summit of ‘Tower A’, and offers stunning 360-degree views of Bahrain.
And, if the view on the outside isn’t good enough already, there is a plethora of motor racing memorabilia littering the interior, from rare models of famous cars like Ferrari, to engine parts, driver helmets and overalls.
It was the food that piqued my interest the most, though. After a day of scribbling away frantically in the office, sitting down to enjoy some nibbles and refreshment was at the forefront of my agenda.
To begin with, I was served a ‘mocktail’, called ‘The Healthy Mojito’, which is a speciality of the lounge. It packs celery, ginger, lime, parsley and ginger ale into a healthy package that rapidly grew on me and I finished every last drop.
As I waited for my first course, I had a chat with Executive Chef Anthony Gomes about his cooking philosophy and ideas behind Shift 7.
He said: “The food that I do comes from a range of backgrounds. I’m originally from Goa, so I have experience with seafood, but my main influence is Italian cuisine as I went to culinary school there.
“I also spent a lot of time on cruise ships where I honed my skills, so I have an international basis as I visited Mexico, Jamaica, Europe, Australia and worked in a steakhouse where I also learned a lot about French fusion.
“Knowing so many cultures and that different people like different tastes, I wanted to offer a lot of variety in Shift 7. The food we serve here is mainly finger-snacks and appetiser bites as it’s a lounge, but everything is made fresh to ensure the highest quality.”
When the food arrived, I was so excited I barely remembered to snap the photographs you see dotted around this review. After a few quick clicks, I settled down to tuck into the Fried Onion Rings & Mozzarella Sticks (BD3.500¬), which were perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Even better was the sweet chilli sauce dip, which is so easy to make but so easy to get wrong, which thankfully was not the case here.
Next up was the Seafood Favourites (BD3.500). Usually I wouldn’t go anywhere near ocean-dwelling fare even if Captain Birdseye himself was my grandad, but the succulent crumbed crabsticks, breaded shrimps and fried calamari get a thumbs-up from me.
Next up was the restaurant’s magnum opus, the Chicken Quesadillas (BD3.500). I could fill this page just talking about these, but I’ll sum it up in one sentence. These were the BEST quesadillas I’d ever tasted!
The chicken was perfectly tender and had just the right amount of bite to it, the guacamole was creamy and tasty, and the sour cream was whisked so that it had the texture of mousse rather than yoghurt. Superb!
As I let my stomach settle before my creamy and tasty New York Cheesecake (BD3.500) arrived, general manager Puneet Saigal explained why the outlet is the place to be for those without a ticket into the circuit to watch the race on Sunday.
He said: “Shift 7 is a place for all occasions. Sometimes, it’s nice to relax here with the amazing view, which lets you see all of Bahrain unobstructed. We also have all of our rare racing models for people to look at and talk about.
“However, we also want to position it as a lively place where people can unwind and enjoy entertainment. The lounge’s theme is Formula 1, so this translates as energy and action. We’ll be hosting a week-long party with renowned DJ Sonya here and we expect a full house for the race. We hope to host regular events going forward, as a good atmosphere and good food brightens everyone’s mood.”
And after sampling the lounge’s wares, I can only strongly agree!
