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After a long, tiring week of scribbling away, there’s no better feeling than relaxing and enjoying some top fare at one of the island’s most colourful and trendy establishment, TGI Friday’s.
Although the well-known acronym from which the establishment’s name derives is slightly tempered in these parts by the Middle East’s shuffling of weekends a day earlier than the Western world, it doesn’t make the food any less fantastic.
Taking along my ‘adopted work aunty’ Camille and her two sons Aiden, 12, and Kieran, nine, to the latest branch in Seef Mall Muharraq, we were greeted by extremely friendly and enthusiastic staff who guided us to a lovely booth by the giant glass windows which offer up a panoramic view of Bahrain’s beautiful coastline.
Muhannad Kowaitan, acting marketing manager, gave us a very warm welcome and talked us through the franchise’s new menu which was introduced last month and is already making waves worldwide.
The extensive menu, packed with both familiar family favourites and some spin-off specialities, provided such a dilemma for our young, starving minds that we were already through our first round of drinks by the time we had decided what we wanted!
For appetisers, we firstly plumped for the Beef Bacon Mac & Cheese Bites (BD2.750), which immediately evoked thoughts of home comforts, and the crispy breadcrumb morsels were topped with a cream cheese sauce that provided an excellent counterpoint to the macaroni inside to create a medley of flavour.
This was followed by the Boneless Chicken Wings (BD3.600), crunchy to perfection with a tender centre, complemented by a strong bleu cheese sauce and celery sticks.
Before our main course followed, entertainment arrived in the form of a jovial balloon artist, who twisted his contraptions into various shapes and sizes, such as pirate hats, dogs and even a motorbike.
Such a family-friendly party atmosphere is the bread and butter (no pun intended) of this chain, and it led to Kieran happily wolfing down his kids’ pepperoni pizza slices with tangy marinara sauce, which he couldn’t get enough of and wanted more. This might be a frightening hint to Camille that adult portions aren’t too far around the corner …
Aiden had no such problems ordering from the ‘proper menu’ (as he put it), and decided that the Parmesan Crusted Chicken (BD6) would be his dish of choice. The presentation of the two sautéed chicken breasts with a side of creamy spinach fettuccine pasta was simply outstanding.
However, he also made the critical schoolboy error of ordering a Grasshopper Pie Shake (BD2.750) before his main course arrived, and the concoction of mint, chocolate syrup, Oreo biscuits and vanilla ice cream was demolished before Camille could finish saying ‘Sweetie, don’t drink all that at once otherwise there’ll be no room for your food!’ Therefore, it was left for the rest of us to gleefully finish off after he verbally submitted after a few bites.
I went for the Italian Stackhouse Burger (BD4.750) which was so packed to the brim with goodies such as mozzarella sticks, pepperoni, diced tomatoes, baby arugula and marinara sauce that if it were not for my stubborn refusal to eat humble pie (it’s the northerner in me), I would have reached for the knife and fork despite declaring in the past that eating a burger with cutlery should be declared illegal.
Camille ventured for the Grilled Salmon with Shrimp (BD7.750), served with a side of broccoli and mozzarella salad. And, although you couldn’t pay me enough to try seafood (unless it’s Grandad’s fishfingers which are a traditional necessity every time I pay a visit back home), the chargrilled and succulent cut she received looked dangerously inviting.
Pudding was the last thing on our minds after all the scrumptious main courses, despite some glorious-looking options, but I did have the vast majority of my Banana Cream Pie Shake remaining, which I gladly glugged.
If a fun day out consisting of a great atmosphere, a funky décor and brilliant food wasn’t enough, Aiden can take home my most prized pearl of wisdom when it comes to eating out: don’t down the milkshake before the food arrives!
