Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
WHEN the new man comes to town and takes over the kitchens of one of the bastions of expat life in the kingdom, it can go either way, bitter or sweet.
Now, there’s no messing with Robert Moore … at six-foot plus you wouldn’t want to. But he’s a giant with a gentle touch and you can tell that from the moment you walk into the extensive kitchens at the British Club Bahrain.
Although he has only been in situ for a few months and will be taking up an executive position later this week at the newly-opened King Hamad University Hospital, he’s obviously made a lasting impression with the 13-strong kitchen team which includes eight chefs and, likewise, them on him.
As he stirred one of the pots on the stove, I spotted a note on one of the walls. It was a simple message of thanks from Robert to his team, praising them for their efforts over the festive period (apparently the club was packed with a full house of 250 diners on New Year’s Eve with only praise and not a single complaint about the fare).
It’s a simple management technique but it always surprises me at the number of executives who fail to grasp the concept that a simple ‘thank you’ to your team can mean more to them than anything-else.
It’s also a great way to bond and gain trust. And trust was well in evidence when I sat down for a business meal in the Ascot Restaurant with the British Club’s executive committee chairman Andrew Savage and was joined at the table … by the executive chef.
He was so confident about the food and the ability of his team, he was happy to sit down and enjoy a meal with us.
“Why shouldn’t I be confident?” he asked. “My sous chef Sudakhar has been here for 25 years. I’m told the food has always been good – my task has been to ensure that the standard remains consistently high and that’s what I hope I have delivered.”
No pressure then … and it’s quite clear that supple changes are in the air. A new menu is a work in progress, full of familiar favourites – steaks, chops, salmon, tuna and slowly-braised shoulder of lamb – and shortly to be printed. He also convinced the executive committee to invest in a poolside kitchen which will open once upgrades and repairs are carried out to the facility.
The weekly BD5 business lunch menu this week featured a selection of four starters, four main courses and four sweets, accompanied by tea or coffee.
Now, it was a particularly hard challenge for me as I was on day four of a new diet I’ve started, recommended to me by a Dutch doctor I met the previous weekend at the Rugby Club. I’m putting it to the test for a month alongside a one-hour daily brisk walking fitness regime which has caused an enormous blister to appear on the heel of my right foot.
I was tempted to let food ease the hurt but without pain there’s no gain, so I opted for the Hawaiian salad starter as my two table companions went for the tempura prawns … grrr.
The Hawaiian salad was very tasty with pieces of chicken, ham and pineapple although I looked enviously on at the two tucking into their prized prawns glowing in a crispy-fried golden batter.
Fortunately, Andrew was concerned about his waist too, not only is his nuptials coming up shortly but he’d just signed up to a ‘fat club’ in which members place BD10 in the kitty and the one who has lost the most weight, after taking into consideration various body mass calculations, picks up the cash prize and must take everyone out on a slap-up meal with the winnings.
As a result he went for the grilled chop with apple sauce as I plumped for the grilled white fish piripiri. An amazing sauce and the Hake was cooked to perfection with its flakes melting in the mouth.
The chef obviously went for the full monty – an impressively-sized grilled sirloin with garlic and herb butter.
All the dishes were served with seasonable vegetables and potatoes, although I chose to go without the spuds for diet reasons and the chef … went for chips … grrr (again).
Our man Moore, 48, who is married to Jean and already settled nicely in Amwaj Islands, was head chef at the Leasowe Castle Hotel in the Wirral, Cheshire, before moving to Bahrain. He comes with a wealth of culinary experience having worked in other establishments in the UK and various overseas locations, including Angola, Algeria, Moscow, Norway and Saudi Arabia.
He leaves the British Club with thanks and best wishes from the executive committee and the membership. He is also extremely knowledgeable about weight issues as amongst his credentials was the position of ‘diet chef’ for the National Health Service in Nottingham which should serve him well in his new job.
My truly sterling efforts obviously shamed him as both he and Andrew declined the offer of a sweet. I went for the fruit salad, just to show off my healthy eating mettle, having looked longingly at the alternatives of baked cheese cake, chocolate gateau and lemon tart.
I think a new slimmer-looking Stan will soon be back to meet the new executive chef and to try some of the more fulsome options on the menu … and, in the meantime, I anxiously await an invitation to the fat club blow-out.
