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THERE’S a sparkling flavour to the culinary choices at Le Méridien’s Baharat Restaurant in City Centre Bahrain as new Executive Chef Ilango Muthiah puts his magical touch to the Friday brunch experience.
The popular dining destination was buzzing for the introduction of the new ‘fizz fare’ on offer and the chilled, swinging accompanying music was just what the doctor ordered after a late dash to the destination.
The Szecowka family had earlier been dodging a downpour at the St Christopher’s School festive fair. I’d made a wrong turn on the way out of Saar and ended up trying to crawl my way along Budaiya Highway instead of taking the highway and then came across a pack of SUV drivers from across the causeway attempting to make six lanes out of three at the Citibank junction, causing mayhem within metres of the mall entrance.
Stressed and with less than two hours left on the brunch clock I expected the food to be dry and the buffet selection sparse but fortunately the fare was fabulous and we soon had a fizz back in our step.
Chef Ilango, an Australian/Singapore resident, comes with a wealth of international experience having worked for some of the world’s top hotels in the US, Vietnam, Brunei and India, to name just a few of the countries on his impressive CV. As Complex Executive Chef, he is in charge of both The Westin and Le Méridien.
He knows exactly what he wants to achieve at Baharat in the highly-competitive Bahrain brunch scene, saying: “We aim to position ‘fizz fare’ as the eminent brunch with gastronomic classics and modern interpretations made of the freshest high-quality ingredients, complimented by superior service and soul-pleasing live music.
“We draw inspiration from Le Méridien’s Parisian culinary heritage, and with the support of my French Executive Sous Chef Cyril Jeannot and the rest of my international team, we have come up with novel global gourmet ideas and we will continue to innovate to have an element of surprise.
“We also like to encourage our guests to connect with our chefs at the live cooking stations to discover unexpected combinations and receive recommendations directly from our experts.”
There’s a really cool set of starters to have the palate prepared for the feast ahead.
The asparagus with shaved parmesan really hit the spot as did the stuffed baby eggplant salad.
The signage around the dishes was helpful and informative. The sushi station particularly impressed as did the tuna, salmon and hammour selection and the marinated mackerel and my firm favourite, the smoked trout. This is my top fish dish back in the UK, although I prefer it hot and straight from a tandoori oven – my suggestion to the chef; well, he did ask!
But the best bit, in my opinion, when it comes to a hearty brunch, particularly when it’s my weekly ‘cheat day’ from the vigorous routine of a diet and exercise regime, is the meat.
The rib-eye steak was cooked to perfection as was the strip loin although my outstanding flavour of the day prize went to superb leg of lamb which melted in the mouth and tasted like a dream with the accompanying mint sauce.
The fridge fancies are always worth leaving a little space for and the sago pudding with mango agar agar in shooter glasses was sensational as was the coconut brownie.
Full marks and full stomachs, good company and magical music performed by the delightful Two Blue. The contemporary jazz and blues duo feature Adel Fairooz on acoustic guitar and music programming along with Ahmed AlQasim, on vocals and bass guitar and these musicians are worth the price alone.
They perform various jazz and blues classics made famous by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles and B.B. King, along with modern hits from artists such as Michael Buble, Diana Krall, Norah Jones and many more.
The duet is also known for its jazzy twists of classic songs from non-jazz artists like The Beatles, Lionel Richie, Sting and even Bob Marley, in addition to the instrumental pieces that usually feature the improvisational skills of both members.
Excellent, but try and get there earlier than us so as not to miss a minute of their performance. The restaurant opens at 12.30pm.
The fizzy brunch costs BD30 net and the soft brunch is BD20 net. For reservations, call 17171144.
