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The Gulf Hotel Bahrain Convention Centre celebrated what has become a stalwart of the numerous expat bubbles on the island- Oktoberfest boasting authentic cuisine and the mesmerising melodies of a memorable mainland more than 4,000km away.
There are very few things as inherently German as an Oktoberfest observance with over-the-top culinary offerings and even these were included in the succulent spread – pretzels, bratwurst and sauerbraten, just to name a few.
Globally, Oktoberfest is serious business, and not just economically, with the world’s largest folk festival (or Volksfest, if you want to get German about it) attracting six million people worldwide to 17 or 18 festive days. Most of the crowds gravitate to the Theresienwiese (Teresa’s meadow) in Munich, Germany. It also has an unofficial dress code – dirndls for women and lederhosen for men, and even the hops have to come from pre-approved suppliers. For a little over two weeks, every effort is made to figuratively time-travel back to 1810, the genesis of the festival that started off as a celebration of the union of Crown Prince Ludwig, who later became King Ludwig I, and Princess Teresa.
Bahrain’s first celebration of this year’s folk festival, which kicked off globally on September 21, distils the essence of the festivities into one night, hosted by the Gulf Hotel. Chef Carlo, Chef Sattar, Chef Daniel, Chef Naseem, Chef Marc, Chef Angad, Chef Ebrahim and Chef Samitha cooked up an 11-course buffet plus three cold and 15 hot live stations.
We entered the main ballroom with the dynamic ditties courtesy of the Lasterbacher Musikanten Band in full swing. We quickly found our seats after saying hello to a few familiar faces, dressed in dirndls, comprised of a blouse and light circular-cut dress gathered at the waist that falls below the knee, and lederhosen, knee-length leather breeches.
We strategically situated ourselves close to the buffet, for maximum food coma efficacy and efficiency and the strong smell of the spread wafted over to our eager noses. We started off carefully, with the bread, cheese and salad section. We ran into Chef Daniel on the way, who personally and as a Frenchman, recommended the cheeses.
While I have been trying to shed the freshman 15 I seem to have gained since starting this job, I was once again led astray, dipping into the melting cheese and grabbing one of the delicious smelling pretzels. I did console myself with a healthy yet hearty helping of Schwetzingen Asparagus Salad with Boiled Eggs in an attempt to write off my preliminary and anticipatory gluttony.
With the obligatory salad course out of the way, we headed outside for the main course. Scopic would be an understatement for what awaited us. From lamb chops to a mouth-watering brisket, turkey cordon-bleu, a delicious beef stew christened sauerbraten and numerous varieties of bratwurst, I went into sensory overload mode. To stay true to the German roots, I decided to make my first plate of mains a Bavarian affair. Chef Ivy served up a mean Kartoffelpuffer, a German potato pancake which she topped with egg and cheese. Savoury pancakes always strike me as strange but this one worked well, with the cheese meshing perfectly with the potatoes, all while sticking a tongue out at my long-forgotten diet.
Next on the plate was Spätzli, buttered egg noodles served with beef bacon, caramelized onions and eggs. I decided to have this with a cut of brisket and was almost hitting food coma levels, but managed to squeeze in a couple of delicious saffron chicken tikkas from the Middle-Eastern station, along with a delicious dollop of hummus.
Even though I was well into food coma land, Chef Daniel insisted that we try some of his desserts, and with such a sumptuous selection, how could I refuse?
My favourite was the prinzregententorte, the Bavarian chocolate cake and the cheesecake tarts, which perfectly rounded off a lively, hearty and delightful evening.
I think I will wait till next year for my next Oktoberfest food frenzy, because even though my palate would welcome it, I really don’t want to see my freshman 15 weight gain turn into a fresh 50!
