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IT’S been a manic week. My teenage daughter Immy returned from the UK on a half-term break and brought along a classmate, Elysia Cuthbert, with her.
As they disembarked from their flight at Bahrain International Airport we were joined by numerous other parents waiting alongside us on the same mission to collect the kids from British boarding schools.
I shall not complain, a banker pal was waiting for three of his children who were arriving on different flights.
The big question we faced was how to entertain two teenagers and thought we would prepare a plan of action surrounding work obligations (to pay for the fees and flights) and, of course, our 10-year-old son who still had to go to school because half-term holidays fall at a different time here.
We decided to set the scene the following evening with a celebratory ‘welcome back’ and ‘welcome to Bahrain’ dinner at the trendiest restaurant I could think of, The Meat Co in Adliya’s dining district.
The cutting edge décor of this exciting restaurant over three floors is inspiring. By day, large expansive windows let in natural light complimenting the contemporary fit-out and feel. By night, oversized chandeliers and a rich autumn colour palette build on the welcoming atmosphere.
I’ve attended a few functions over the years at this venue and watched enviously as groups of the kingdom’s young and trendy night-life devotees make their way up the stairs to the restaurant’s cool open air retreat, chilling to the latest sounds and putting the world to rights.
The cynic in me thinks, you wait 20 years and you’ll be just like me, looking for good food and an early night! It appears the same thing had crossed the minds of many of the parents gathered at the airport 24 hours earlier. We were joined in the main downstairs restaurant by other families, expanded by their collected kids, dining early on Saturday evening. Great minds think alike!
The Meat Co oozes class in an informal manner, is comfortable, spacious and pleasantly lit, not too bright but illuminated enough to read the menu, look at each and see what’s being served up.
And you really do want to savour the look as well as the flavour of this fare. I would suggest, arguably, we were presented with the best three starters we have ever enjoyed in Bahrain.
Little Stan loves a plate of ribs and, I am not joking, his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he was given his plate of flamed-grilled riblets. I’m not sure what animal they came from but I would suggest, whatever it is, it’s probably related to a dinosaur.
They were enormous with meat melting off the bone and an absolute 10 out of 10 on the culinary taste-testing scale.
The good lady wife, Kathryn, went for a risotto with asparagus and mushrooms together with pan-fried Cajun-spiced scallops and hasn’t stopped talking about the dish since.
But mine was even more magical. One of the delights of living in Bahrain is that the locals dish up a remarkable chicken liver in the souq at breakfast time and I’m known for occasionally meeting a contact or two to share this delight. But the Mocambique-style chicken livers pan-fried in a peri-peri sauce with onions, garlic, chilli and peppers served on a slice of toast were simply magnificent. Amazing, congratulations to the chef and what a bargain (and this wasn’t something I ever thought would appear in this review) at just BD2.900.
I was so engrossed with my stomach that I also forget about the girls. Oh yes, they went for the soup and a plate of garlic bread. I need to work on them to be a little more adventurous when it comes to ordering food!
The Meat Co, as the name would suggest, has found fame and fortune by dishing up an impressive array of steak and the dishes chosen were delivered, perfectly cooked as ordered, and enjoyed by all. A clever way of ensuring everyone gets exactly what they want is a neat little flag on a sausage stick. Mine read ‘medium rare’ and medium rare it was.
I had a little ‘can you taste the difference?’ competition with Kathryn. She ordered a Australian Angus Gold rib-eye at BD19 and I went for the Australian Wagyu beef version from cattle which had enjoyed, according to the menu, an extra 100 days of grain feeding and cost an extra BD7.
No difference at all, although Kathryn complained that the little bite I gave her was not enough for a fair comparison. Tough luck, she wasn’t getting any more. You know it’s something special when the steak knife glides through it like melted butter.
The kids were full and only Kathryn and I had room for desserts. My crème brulee queen gave her BD3 dish the thumbs up as the caramelised toffee was perfectly crunchy and my apple crumble and ice cream just hit the spot at BD4.
Altogether a magnificent dining experience and a superb example of why this establishment has such a formidable reputation … even early on a Saturday evening for family sittings.
