Medley of flavours

With the pandemic well and truly behind us and the summer holidays drawing to a close, it’s time for that quintessential Bahrain activity that people love to do on Fridays.

Yes, you guessed it, it’s brunch time and there’s a new contender in the bustling Friday Brunch space.

The newest five-star hotel in the country, Hilton Bahrain has jumped into the fray with sharpened knives and starched aprons, and the massive spread including cuisine from Europe, the Middle East, Far East, India and Mexico they laid out in the inaugural edition of the Urban Brunch that GulfWeekly got to sample at the Origin Kitchen & Culture, puts the Juffair hotel front and centre with the best in the business.

Living the urban life in the heart of the city is a running theme at the Hilton and the hotel’s executive chef Ravneet Manchanda was quick to emphasise that the menu reflects that.

“We have oriental cold mezze, appetisers, salad bar, warm starters, soups, seafood bar, stations for tacos and ceviche, meat carving, selection of cheese and crackers. Some of our signature dishes are Lamb Ouzi with Oriental Rice, Tamarind glazed Short ribs, Salmon gravalax and Lamb Rogan josh,” he added.

Ravneet is big on showcasing Bahraini delicacies and would not dream of a menu without fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

“Moving ahead we are going to have our own smart farm, where we will grow our herbs, lettuce, edible flowers which would be a part of the buffet. We will also be partnering with local farmers to source our vegetables in the coming months,” he said.

The array of dishes was so vast that I and my colleague Jalal Muradi, he of the ‘fashionable man about Manama’ fame, and his son Zaidan chose the divide and conquer approach.

In the spirit of full disclosure, my being a vegetarian kept me firmly in the greener pastures while Jalal and Zaidan tackled the meat medley.

Jalal loved the slow roasted USDA striploin steak and the whole roasted Norwegian salmon.

“The steak was done just right, juicy in the middle, while the salmon just melted in the mouth,” he said.

Zaidan enjoyed the cheesy tacos and tangy salsa, and surprising for a nine-year-old, savoured the Shrimp tempura and the Poached Omani lobster tail saying they had a “distinctive taste”.

I had free run of the salad bar and appetisers, with Caprese Mozzarella, Quinoa Mango and Maple Beetroot being the stand-out performers, while the Oriental cold mezze was also excellent. Chef Ravneet rustled up his signature truffle pizza, which was divine, and the rest of the vegetarian options were good too.

The selection of cheese and crackers was top-notch and the desserts were absolutely stunning and I especially loved the Passion Chilled Cheesecake, Coconut Orange baba and the Caramelised Apple Crème Brûlée.

Zaidan’s favourites were the live-waffle and ice cream stations with the chocolate fountain and the cotton candy station, a close second.

Mahalabiah, Red velvet, and Citrus Meringue made sure Jalal was a happy camper.

While all this amazing food was being eaten, brunchers were entertained by Brazilian Samba dancers in full regalia, a DJ and a music duo belting out pop classics.

The hotel’s food and beverages director Rene Pepper was on hand to inform us a variety of bands will be featured on a weekly basis.

“We want to ensure that our regular ‘Urban Brunchers’ have familiarity but not be repetitive,” he explained.

At BD39 net for adults and a special rate of BD12 for kids aged (6-11) years, the brunch experience is well-priced, considering the size of the spread, great tasting food, free-flowing beverages and top of the line entertainment.