Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The weather is wonderful and it’s that time of year in Bahrain when great minds meet and settle down for a good ol’fashioned barbie.
The only problem is … I’m probably the world’s worst BBQ cook. Ask for a rare steak and I’ll deliver it to your plateas a chunk of graphite and as for chicken, best avoid it at all costs if you want to avoid stomach cramps for the next three days.
There was only one thing for it ... a tripto the Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain for some expert tips from Executive Chef IainJoyce.
If he could conjure up some culinary adviceto ensure my young whipper snapper reporter Kristian Harrison could pull a young maiden at a dinner party, as featured in GulfWeekly recently, I’m sure he could teach this old hack how to master the meat on the heat.
Better still, people are flocking to the destination to enjoy a table-top BBQ (just BD12 net) by the poolside on an evening where most of the hard work is done for you, so that you can just concentrate fully on the camaraderie and good conversation such occasions are best remembered for.
This is a simply sensational concept.
The BBQ arrives on the table with the coals already at the correct temperature and the meat is marvellously marinated inadvance and ready to throw on to the grill.
The ambience is delightful too … it’s likestepping into an oasis of heavenly calm as the sun sets and the light glistens off the water of the swimming pool, as the waiters and waitresses ready themselves to fill your glasses as the breeze sways the palm trees gently.
I’m hoping I’m painting the perfect picture in your minds. Chef Iain comes from Auckland and believes that New Zealanders are a little more refined when it comes to barbequing compared to their noisy neighbours and fellow Antipodeans in Australia.
He passed on some useful tips. To avoid making my steaks more charcoal coloured than the fuel I’m cooking it on, I mustn’t place the meat on the heat as soon as I’ve lit the coals. To avoid any uncooked chicken challenges I should avoid lifting it up and turning it around every few seconds, as the heat escapes. That’s why the middle remains uncooked so often when I try at home in the garden.
Confident and ready for action, this was the time to impress. I had invited our Aussie friends Geoff (my regular BBQ chef recruit) and Tracy to share the experience and they had picked up the good lady wife, Kathryn, on the way to Murrahaq.
Fortunately, as I mentioned earlier, the BBQ arrived on the table ready for action so I only had to control the instinct to lift and look as I cooked my delights.
The individual platters that arrived on each table consisted on lamb chops, frankfurter sausages, shish taouk (bite-size chicken breast pieces that had spent the night luxuriating in a lowfat, Middle Eastern marinade before being skewered) and a slab of beef tenderloin. Salad and condiments came also with a side helping of wonderful potato wedges.
We chatted, raised a few glasses to toasteach other’s good health, and settled down as our BBQ dinner simply sizzled slowly in sensational glory.
All three compatriots may be seasoned BBQ-ers but I never turned once to ask them for advice. No need, Chef Iain had it all covered with his helpful hints earlier. My lamb chops were lush, the chicken grilled thoroughly and timed to perfection and, if I must say, my steak was mouth-wateringly momentous, and I’m not the sort normally to brag.
I love the setting and have earmarked the coming American Festival Jazz Weekend for a rerun when the legendary Professor Cunningham & His Old School Band fly in from New York for a welcome return to the island.
The opening night ‘Let’s Catch Jazz’session takes place poolside on November 2 from 7pm to 11pm (BD18 net). Last year’s event was one of my favourite nights out ever!
See Editor Stan Szecowka’s BBQ interviewwith Executive Chef Iain Joyce by scanning the QR or visit www.gulfweekly.comor our Facebook page.
