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CURRY Monday is a legendary affair within the realms of Al Hilal enterprises … so much so that former staff members of GulfWeekly return to the fold and flock to the editorial first floor to join in the feast as employees in sister departments look on enviously.
It was set up as an act of contrition by the Editor who gets remarkably grumpy on press day. His temper has now been put in check for an hour and he can’t bang his desk nowadays as a fish tank has been strategically-placed by his computer so he risks electrocuting himself if he doesn’t ‘count to ten’ first.
His current good humour has much to do with the fare delivered to the team by the popular diner, Rajadhani, located in Gudaibiya. This time the team decided to eat out and test the fare on location.
Unfortunately, our leader Stan was unable to accompany us as he was ‘held up’ (in the august company of His Majesty King Hamad) at a palace engagement. I once took him for a ‘Kerala Lunch’ – priced 800fils – before breaking the news that I was off again on a break to India, as any dedicated and wise deputy would do, and he was well impressed (by the food, not the holiday plans!) so was sure to be upset at missing out on another treat.
Assistant Editor ‘Prawn Ball’ Nawaar may be a size zero, but you will be surprised at the amount she can consume at lunchtime. On the walk to the restaurant, she inquired whether she would be restricted to just the ‘Kerala Lunch’ or whether she could have some more items off the menu too. She was excited when I informed her that it would not be a problem provided the editor signed my expenses form. (He’s OK with Rajadhani but not so keen whenever I suggest the Ritz-Carlton).
Two colleagues accompanied us, namely reporter Kristian and photographer Ryan, a Brit and a Filipino, who claim they cannot tolerate spicy food. So they had their weekly favourite ‘no spicy’ butter chicken and chicken-fried-rice, which is what they always order on ‘Curry Monday’.
Nawaar and I shared a spicy and creamy Thai soup with chicken and prawns for starters – Kristian and Ryan had a taste but decided it was ‘too hot’ for them – so they waited for their main course and, as usual, it was well up to their desired standard. Nawaar asked for a large mixed grill to go with the ‘Kerala Lunch’, of course.
The lunch can only be described as dream cuisine. Apart from the thin or fat rice – baarik or mota – there was a spicy mackerel fish curry, a deep-fried mackerel, sambhar (a curry of lentils and vegetables), a yoghurt curry with white gourd, a spinach stir-fry (well-known as cheera thoran), accompanied by a spicy South Indian soup (Rasam), mixed pickle and papadam – a must-have for Ryan. And then there was the popular payasam – made of vermicelli, sugar, milk and cardamom – to wrap up the meal.
General manager Anas Anarath said: “Our recipe for success is the fresh vegetables and fresh fish that we get from the market every day. Chef Shivdas plans the daily items that go into the ‘Kerala Lunch’ that differ from day-to-day.
“We have regular customers who would soon get fed up if they received the same every day. That is why we serve different fare to satisfy their palates. We also have a strong team of delivery drivers to ensure we reach various parts of the island.”
Apart from the tasty food at Rajadhani, it is, as you can guess, renowned for being kind on the wallet too, so it’s no wonder that so many people are attracted to the restaurant. It also serves breakfast as well as Arabic, Chinese and Continental cuisine and has curtained-off areas for families to dine in without being disturbed.
The restaurant is part of the well-known Century International Group, which is particularly popular among folk from the subcontinent, as well as Bahraini families … and has a growing number of expat European fans too as the legend of Curry Monday grows.
