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Ramadan is almost upon us and the kingdom’s hotels are preparing to provide fabulous feasts in traditional style when our Muslim friends break their fasts.
These are joyous occasions also enjoyed by expatriates as the community joins together in harmony and business acquaintances network with each other in an informal environment.
It’s also the time of year when the GulfWeekly team is swamped with invites at a similar frequency to Harry Potter receiving his Hogwarts acceptance letter at 4 Privet Drive.
First out of the traps and eager to make its mark was the Elite Resort & Spa Muharraq’s Al Noor Tent, and if first impressions are anything to go by, it’s going to be a memorable and mouth-watering month of fast-breaking.
The Ramadan spirit of togetherness was in full flow … perfectly encapsulated with the bountiful after dark buffet featuring a range of Arabian and international cuisine.
Every year families descent on the seaside hotel’s majestic marquee to enjoy Arabian Nights-themed Iftars and Ghabgas.
The tent, which is located by the pool via a quaint tunnel of fairy lights, can accommodate more than 700 diners, and it sparkles and shines with its crystal chandeliers, lanterns, silk fabrics and comfortable carpeting.
Classical Arabic music serenading the crowd, baskets filled with dates and servers handing out warm cups of coffee further add to the ambience.
Head Chef Redha Eid el Sayed and his culinary team of 30-strong staged a pre-Ramadan buffet last Wednesday, giving guests a taste of the selection of dishes to be presented during the holy month.
It’s clear that a lot of time went into preparing the buffet with freshly-made produce. The large spread contained more than 20 salads by my count, a similar number of main course dishes and innumerable desserts.
Something for everyone appears to be the mantra, most evident in the truly superb salad section. This featured Bahraini, Lebanese and Jordanian-inspired offerings in a medley of mezzes featuring dolma, spinach fatayer (pastry), fatoush and hummus.The lentil soup remains a Ramadan ‘must-have’ too.
The blue cheese salad particularly tickled my fancy, as did the colourful palette of dips and sauces.
The presentation all around was fantastic, with the spread having the most gushing admirers being the bread selection with its baked animals and decorations.
Luckily, I had the sense to just nibble at a few leafy salads in order to keep my stomach spacious for the main courses which included rice dishes, chicken, duck, lamb, grilled vegetables and seafood specials. The meat ghouzi was particularly popular with the diners and the tender lamb too.
Particularly good was the grilled duck breast in cranberry sauce and the staple of Bahraini restaurant cuisine, chicken makhani.
The carnivore in me soon diverted my legs to the grilled section, where I piled plates full of kebabs, shish tawook and tikka slices while others settled for the seafood options.
When it came to pudding, there was the unfortunate problem of too many things to try and not enough space on the plate! Multiple trips it was then, with the first being the assortment of Arabic desserts like awama, kunafa and the selection of tarts and cakes, the second being the various mousses, cheesecakes, brownies and other sweetly succulent delights.
The third and final trip, involving marshmallows and fruit pieces dipped in the expansive chocolate fountain, provided a fitting conclusion to an enjoyable evening with the thought of many more to come. The price of the fare will be pleasing too.
l The Al Noor Tent will feature Iftar and Ghabga, priced at BD9.900++, and the tent is open between Sutoor and Suhoor. Furthermore, during the holy month, the hotel will be offering a 15 per cent special discount for corporate and large groups for both Iftar and Ghabga, plus the same reduction for Credit Max or American Express cards users too.
Call 17313388 for more details or visit www.elitegrouphotels.com
