A modern classic

Twenty years of Formula 1 in Bahrain has made certain things a tradition around the race weekend – chequered flags dotted around the kingdom, social media feeds inundated with celebrity selfies, and of course, a visit to the kingdom by the one and only Wolfgang Puck.

And last weekend, on the sidelines of the 2024 F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, the venerated Austrian-American chef and restauranteur touched down in the kingdom, ready and raring to serve up masterful creations to the guests at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay.

To celebrate the race weekend, which was held under the theme, ‘20 Years of a Modern Classic’, Chef Wolfgang, along with his regional executive chef Brian Becher, added their own modern twists to his classic favourites.

The GulfWeekly team stopped by for a special media lunch at CUT by Wolfgang Puck, and enjoyed some of the master chefs’ culinary masterpieces.

As our host and Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay’s public relations and marketing communications director Tugce Goksel welcomed us, she also told us about the race-inspired Friday Brunch going on downstairs at the Bahrain Bay Kitchen.

Although the gourmet Wagyu beef burgers, nachos, tacos, buffalo chicken wings and array of mini quiches sounded tempting, we were Chef Wolfgang’s guests and he had quite the sensory storm prepared for us.

Starting with a delicate and delectable ceviche served within a spoon, the team at CUT served a sumptuous spread – before telling us these were just the appetisers!

From a hearty and healthy crispy quinoa salad and bite-sized tuna pastrami to a silky hamour ceviche and a flavourful chicken liver parfait, paired with blueberry jam, every dish was carefully prepared and served with a variety of fresh bread options.

The salad in particular matched cherry tomatoes with a delightful citrusy vinaigrette dressing and Cantal Cheese, and mixed with the protein-packed quinoa, making for a starter scrumptious to the last bite.

For our main course, since we were in one of the kingdom’s best steakhouses, it only made sense for us to try the different steak options on the menu.

While I went for the Australian Wagyu ribeye steak, served with horseradish sauce, my dining companions went for the USDA Prime 28-day-aged filet mignon and ribeye steak served with béarnaise and peppercorn sauce, respectively.

Perfectly cooked to our individual desired temperatures, every bite of the beef was luscious, and paired with the sauces, quickly took us to the blissful land of meat comas.

On the side, we went for creamed spinach, French fries and the Maris Piper potato puree. Of these, the creamed spinach served with a fried organic egg was the clear table favourite and a perfect match for the exquisite cuts of meats with which they were served.

As we did our happy food dances and enjoyed every bite, Chef Wolfgang stopped by to catch up and discuss his favourite drivers on the grid, and seemed to be nourished, despite his long flight from Los Angeles, by the buzz of excitement in the air.

Of course, no meal can be complete without satisfying both stomachs – the main one and another dedicated to desserts. And to satisfy our sweet tooth, I chose the praline chocolate bar, while the rest of the party went for the warm apple strudel and the dark chocolate soufflé.

While each was wonderful in their own right, my favourite was easily the chocolate bar, a medley of mascarpone mousse and chocolate cake, served with a wonderful citrusy guava and passion fruit sorbet.

And as we finished up our meal and enjoyed the gorgeous view of Bahrain Bay offered up by the restaurant, we knew that we would be reliving the happy memories of this wonderful meal cooked up by the modern classic of a chef and his exemplary team.

For more details, follow @fsbahrain on Instagram.