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My son little Stan’s into football and karate but he’s also always beating me at crazy golf whenever we go on holiday.
We don’t get much chance for other sporting activities, but his runs-outs for the Dilly dazzlers in the Charles Russell League have concluded for this season and since moving up to join an older age group at the Arsenal Soccer School Bahrain’s Saturday match day sessions, we’ve got some free time on our hands.
It seemed like an ideal opportunity to drop into the Royal Golf Club to try out the nine-hole Wee Monty, have a session on the driving range and take advantage of the recently launched ‘kids eat free’ promotion.
I’ve never boasted to be a good golfer, I’m keen but pretty useless and when your 10-year-old son starts hitting the ball further than you it’s time to pack up the clubs and head for lunch.
I’m normally a creature of habit and after my monthly assault on the course I settle into the nearest café for one of the club’s legendary breakfast butties.
However, I’ve been missing out because there’s a gem of an Italian called Prego! in the main building boasting a proper pizza oven and a menu to match, if not beat, some of the more established quality restaurants on the island.
Fabulous paintings of everything Italian adorn the walls of this bright and breezy establishment such as the Roman ruins, a cool scooter, a celebrating Italia soccer fan and even the leaning tower, one of the most remarkable architectural structures from medieval Europe, located in the Italian town of Pisa … but there was only one pizza on little Stan’s mind, and that was in the form of a Margherita.
The best pizzas, in our opinion, are thinly crusted and as soon as you bite into them the mozzarella cheese and tomato topping obligingly slides down on to your chin as you devour it.
His magnificent five-inch dish did not disappoint.
A soft drink comes as part of the package as does an ice-cream dessert. I remind you – it’s FREE during the promotion period – but normally the kids meal costs BD4.500.
The good lady wife Kathryn went for a larger chef’s special pizza and our daughter Immy chose one with pepperoni.
I preferred to check out the menu which featured oven-baked pasta specialities such as the Lasagna alla Bolognese at BD4.500, Risotto al Funghi at BD4.900, lamb loin at BD6.500 in a dish called Agnello alla Puttanesca, before choosing the fabulous fish-of-the-day, everyone’s favourite hammour, served with a superb potato gnocchi, pesto, peas and broccoli.
The best BD6.500 you’ll ever spend on the island.
It was recommended by the club’s executive chef Theo Botha, a likable South African with a genius touch in the kitchen who leads a team of 21 chefs, serving the various outlets and banqueting demands.
Prego! is growing in popularity not only as a family dining destination, but also as a function facility as it’s sunny veranda has gated access to a fabulous pool area.
But the success of any eatery is the quality of its food and that’s where Chef Theo trumps the opposition. “Italian food is all about simplicity, good wholesome food and excellent value for money,” he said.
“It may sound clichéd but it’s ‘just like mamma used to cook’ and in the Middle East in particular the diners like to eat what they know.”
And Chef Theo has a good idea what works having joined the Royal Golf Club 18-months ago after a stint in Egypt and culinary experience gained in a celebrity-favoured haunt in the English countryside, at a county club in the US state of Florida which boasted four golf courses and as executive chef at the Kempinski in Tanzania.
He started his career at the celebrated Chat Claire School of Food & Wine in South Africa before joining the kitchen team at the Hilton in Durban.
The well-travelled culinary wizard is enjoying the challenge of building up the RGC’s growing reputation as a eating out destination for the general public, not only club members.
He has fallen under Bahrain’s spell and will be joined in the kingdom by his German-based sweetheart, Emilia, 25, in the New Year shortly after the birth of their first child.
I bet it won’t be long before they too are taking advantage of the ‘kids eat free’ promotions!
* Head down to the Royal Golf Club on any Saturday lunch time and take advantage of the Kids Eat Free promotion in Prego! and Links. For every adult main course ordered in Prego!, a child under the age of 12 can enjoy a kids’ meal, consisting of a small pizza or pasta, ice cream and a soft drink, absolutely free. The Kids Eat Free promotion is available between 11am and 3pm on Saturdays only.
