Two years ago, Al Areen Palace Hotel & Spa launched an Asian restaurant that offered diners a tranquil resort-like setting to savour flavourful fare from the Far East.
Since then, the hot and spicy Keizo restaurant, situated in the villa-styled hotel in Sakhir, has been attracting customers craving classic and current Japanese, Thai and Chinese cuisine.
Its menu may have changed, but the dishes have never tasted better thanks to new head chef, Allan Austria.
The 31-year-old Filipino has been specialising particularly in Japanese and Thai food for the past 12 years, cooking up a storm in kitchens at high-end restaurants and hotels across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
His artistic presentations and daring food combinations have gained him a reputation for being bold and innovative, which is what keeps customers coming back for more. He said: “When people dine at Keizo, I want them to experience an evening they will never forget. They can go by the menu or I could offer them dishes that they had never tasted before. It’s all about what the customer wants.
“But to truly make the meal memorable, our team of friendly waiters makes sure guests are taken care of at all times. I have a great team of professionals working with me to ensure that everything runs smoothly, whether it’s in the kitchen or up front greeting our guests.”
Hearing that his sushi platters and spicy curries were right up my alley, I decided to put his contemporary creations to the taste test. Since Sam and I got married in Thailand a year ago, what better place to celebrate our anniversary than at Keizo.
At first glance, the restaurant looks like a castle surrounded by a moat with a drawbridge inviting guests to step into another world. It is mysterious and beautiful.
The interior boasts a sleek oriental décor with fabric draped from the ceiling and there are neat little touches such as a tiny wooden fish to hold your chopsticks and flower buds popping out from the walls. There is also a private banquet room and a shaded outdoor terrace for diners to snatch views of wildlife from the nature park nearby. At one point, I swear I spotted an ostrich.
This cosy venue can comfortably seat around 75 diners. After being escorted to our table, the server was on constant alert, tending to our every whim. The chef promised us a fantastic feast and he did not disappoint. He started us off with an amazing appetiser. At first sight, we were skeptical about trying it as the dish consisted of chilled water melon cubes, topped with tuna, mayo and fish eggs.
But the coolness of the watermelon combined with the tanginess of the tuna was like a summer fiesta in my mouth. After devouring the cubes of goodness, the chef brought out a seafood sushi platter featuring two salmon and tuna nigiri, a lobster maki and a tempura maki. The chef explained that what makes the maki special is the sauce.
His in-house spicy mayo was to die for, especially when eaten with the avocado, shrimp and cucumber rice roll. There was a fiery kick with every bite. The lobster was juicy as the sushi already had teriyaki sauce added within.
The chef was on a roll and the plate was devoured in minutes. Next up was a Thai green chicken curry, a saucy-flavoured dish which I can never resist. It took me back to our wedding feasts in Thailand.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, two bowls of home-made vanilla and strawberry ice cream appeared to cool our palates after all the spiciness with added chocolate for a sugary rush.
Keizo is a Japanese name for boys, meaning ‘man of blessing’. We felt truly blessed after dining there.
