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The desert is no longer dry at Al Areen Palace & Spa and to celebrate the fact its picturesque Keizo restaurant has delivered a dynamic new menu to attract diners to this delightful eating out destination.
For lovers of all things oriental and Asian the selection of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Thai cuisine is impressive and there’s certainly enough choice to tempt both connoisseurs as well as newcomers to this flavoursome fare.
Joel M Decena, sous chef-Keizo Al Areen, is a true master of presentation and the display on the plate of every dish delivered to the table pleasantly matched the aroma and taste too, offering a truly complete sensory sensation.
He put it down to the use of ‘fresh ingredients and homemade sauces’ but I believe he was being a tad modest and this assignment, if anything, proves that Keizo is now performing on a level playing field and is on a determined mission to win over more hearts and minds.
Before taking the good lady wife, Kathryn, along with me to try out the fare, I asked for a few tips from the chef and outlet manager, Sanjeewa Peiris, on what they considered their top dishes were and also, what regular diners were currently raving about. They both highlighted the Spider Maki roll and the Thai green chicken curry.
Now Maki is a new one on me. A little bit of online research revealed Maki is a type of sushi roll that includes toasted seaweed nori rolled around vinegar-flavoured rice and various fillings, including raw seafood and vegetables. The word maki means ‘roll’. There are a variety of types, including uramaki which is complex and requires the attention of a skilled chef. Others such as temaki are very easy to make, and frequently eaten at home and at social gatherings.
The Spider (BD4.800++) is truly sensational and comes under the Marvel Maki title on the new menu. I thought there might be a link here with the names; you know, Spiderman and Marvel movies … but apparently not, although to use a few comic book expressions like ‘POW!’ ‘WHAM!’ ‘BANG!’’ this is one superhero dish featuring prawn tempura chilli bean cream and avocado lettuce, rice paper and tabiko.
Now Thai green chicken curry is a standard by any account yet Chef Joel, 38, an impressive acquisition to the Al Areen team from the Grand Heritage Hotel & Spa in Doha, where he held the position of specialty sushi chef, has somehow made it quite majestic, without resorting to a blow-your-brains-out chili level, but with enough zing to really hit the spot. One word: amazing and only BD3.400++, extremely reasonable for a main course in such a marvellous setting.
Although Kathryn couldn’t resist tucking into my choices (as usual) she did go for Canadian scallops (BD8.500++) too and Kon pao chicken with chili and cashew nut (BD3.300++), an old favourite we once used to tuck into before we were wed which happened to be the top dish at the local Chinese takeaway in the East Yorkshire village of Brough.
As well as flashbacks of comfort food, this dish was a delight too as I made up for the missing Thai Green Chicken Curry gobbled up by Kathryn and decided to join in the sharing game.
My beloved Crème Brulee queen then went for her favourite dessert and wasn’t disappointed by the extra element of ginger (BD2.100++) and my mango sticky rice with coconut milk (BD1.900++) was a fabulous way to conclude this culinary adventure.
We Facebooked a couple of photographs during the evening and immediately a friend responded with delight about the news that water was no longer the only thing flowing at Keizo Al Areen and booked a table for the following evening.
“It was great,” she reported back the following day. “Had Spider Maki, shrimp dim sum, fried rice and the green curry. The service was excellent. They gave us something like a chicken ball as a starter while we were waiting and it was divine.”
I think we might have started something here!
Recent recruit Parikshith Sambasivan, assistant manager – marketing, says the venue has a few more exciting plans up its sleeves to enhance the customer experience (watch this space) … but the additional reintroduced beverages selection and the new menu are certainly a surefire way to curry favour with the dining out crowd.
Call 17845000 to book a table and let me know your thoughts on the Spider Maki too!
