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APPETISING starters, delicious grills, multi-cuisine live counters and scrumptious desserts are what Ramadan food dreams are made of.
Stepping into the Gulf Hotel’s Khaimat Al Khaleej Tent, I was greeted by the aroma of fresh food being prepared by men in chef’s hats, a gorgeous spread and a beautiful ambience, all accentuated by live musical performances.
Both the iftar and ghabga offerings are truly a feast for the senses, primarily heightened by the multi-cuisine live counter preparations.
There was so much to choose from – a teppanyaki counter offering hammour, cuttlefish, chicken or beef, all made to order, grilled to perfection and perfectly seasoned; a pasta station dishing out sauces, proteins and veggies; a carvery station with international BBQ, roast beef and salmon and the bakery with freshly-baked bread, manakish and savouries from the oven.
With the smell of hot freshly-prepared grills wafting in the air, I made a beeline to sample one of everything at the counter, and what a spread it was!
I found myself staring at a fabulous selection of meats, such as lamb chops, rosemary steak, tikka lemon, shish tawook and joojeh kebab, which I supplemented with bread, of course, as well as the compulsory hummus, mutabbal and greens.
I knew I had made the right choice with my very first bite – everything on my plate was tender and delicious and the ability of the grill chefs to serve up such a wide variety of meats so consistently at a buffet still blows my mind – a true testament of their skills and the heightened standards that Gulf Hotel always holds itself to.
“Gulf Hotel brings its culture of hospitality through its food, especially during Ramadan,” executive chef Picco Alapatt told GulfWeekly.
“For the ghabga, we have a bit more of a focus on local cuisine, with the addition of the classic Bahraini tikka, as well as nekhi, bajela and foul, which is different from the iftar, but we also offer a variety of cuisines,” he said.
Operations chef Dariusz Szelag added that the menu changed on a daily basis and also depended on whether it was iftar or ghabga.
“We have multi-international cuisine, but we have focused on local Bahraini dishes and a number of international delicacies from Europe, Morocco, India and Iran,” he explained.
Knowing Gulf Hotel’s proficiency in desserts, I saved just enough room to sample a few different options.
Having been tipped off by the food and beverage director Sunuj S Deen about the novel way that the luqaimat (fried dumplings) was being served, I headed to the station and was presented with a long line-up of sauces that could top my bowl of dumplings, including chocolate, caramel, saffron, date syrup, honey, rose and pistachio.
The dumplings were just right - perfectly light and crispy - and quite a treat since I now had a variety of flavours in one bowl – genius!
The ice cream station also called out to me. I have to say that the mango ice cream was certainly the best I’ve ever had. It was rich, creamy and fruity, with tender chunks of mango marbled through and just the right amount of sweetness.
That’s not all though, both buffets also include a vast selection of Arabic sweets, including kunafa, baklava, and umm ali, as well as cakes and other delightful pastries.
The Khaimat Al Khaleej features traditional Arabic entertainment, including live music and performances by a four-piece band.
It will continue until the end of Ramadan; costing BD22 for iftar, and BD20 for ghabga during weekdays and BD22 over the weekend.
For more information and reservations, contact 17713000 or 36551333.
