Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The Ramadan spirit is alive and well at Elite Resort & Spa Muharraq’s Al Noor Tent … not to mention bountiful with its large buffet offer featuring a range of Arabian and international cuisine.
Every year food-lovers flock to the seaside hotel’s majestic marque to enjoy Arabian Nights-themed iftars and ghabgas.
The tent, which is located by the pool and can accommodate more than 550 diners, sparkles and shines with its crystal chandeliers, lanterns, silk fabrics and carpeting.
Classical Arabic music serenading the crowd, baskets filled with dates and servers handing out warm cups of coffee further add to the ambience.
Head Chef Anthony Gomes and his culinary team of 30-strong recently staged a pre-Ramadan buffet, giving guests a taste of the selection of scrumptious dishes to be presented during the holy month.
Indian expat Chef Gomes, who comes from Goa, said: “A lot of time is put into preparing for this buffet with fleshly-prepared flavoursome dishes the order of the day. We offer a large spread with more than 20 salads and 30 Arabic desserts and everything is prepared ‘in house’.”
And ‘something for everyone’, appears to be his mantra. “I’m confident, whatever you want, name it and we’ll have it,” boasted Chef Gomes. “It may be a large buffet but we also make sure to pay close attention to food presentation – it’s got to look as good as it tastes and taste as good as it looks. We’ve also a couple of new additions to the fare, such as a selection of sushi and canapés.
“Our main focus is on families. We want them to gather at our tent to break their fast together as they would at home and enjoy fine food in a warm, welcoming atmosphere.”
The salad section is truly superb with Bahraini, Lebanese, Jordanian-inspired offerings in a medley of mezzes featuring dolma, spinach fatayer (pastry), fatoush and hummus. The lentil soup remains a Ramadan ‘must-have’ too.
The new sushi and canapés selection proved a huge hit on the night and I could have quite happily spent the evening with these stunning bites alone.
However, I picked at a few leafy salads and kept my eyes firmly on the main courses which included rice dishes, chicken, duck, lamb, grilled vegetables and seafood specials. The meat ghouzi was particularly popular with the diners and the tender lamb too.
The cheesy gnocchi and chicken alfredo were delicious, no doubt because this type of cuisine is Chef Gomes’s specialty having studied at the Italian Culinary Arts School.
Diners also flocked to the grilled section piling plates full of kebabs and tikka slices while others settled for the seafood paella.
The assortment of Arabic desserts and the selection of tarts and cakes provided a fitting conclusion to an enjoyable evening with many more to come. The price of the fare will be pleasing too.
The Al Noor Tent will feature iftar, priced at BD9.9++, the ghabga is priced at BD12.5++ and suhoor (early morning meal to prepare for the fast) is priced at BD5.5++
