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The Dilmun Club’s Bistro is really buzzing with an outside seated terrace by the pool, recently added to the quaint restaurant’s facilities, and the coming expansion of one of its most popular dining dates to shortly cover six-days-a-week to meet demand.
The upturn in fortunes follows the appointment of Executive Chef Tej Bahadur Tamang who has introduced stunning new choices to the menu since his arrival late last summer after a career developing his culinary craft in award-winning hotel restaurants.
The popular Sunday Dinner-for-Two Bistrosessions are set to be extended and the two Stans (Snr and Jnr - home alone until the good lady wife, Kathryn, returns from family duties back in the UK) were invited to sample examples of the kind of fare that will attract even more members and guests in the coming weeks.
The venue was hosting a promotion with Gulf Brands International last Thursday evening and the Italian-style menu reflected the theme superbly.
Our evening started with a magnificent Minestrone Soup, a Tuscany-style mixed vegetable broth with pasta topped with parmesan & pesto oil. I have never tasted such a powerfully-packed presentation, a meal in itself and I had to agree with one wag close-by who suggested the dish alone could feature as a main course!
I don’t think I’ve ever got so excited penning a dining out review about the soup, but this was truly superb.
A light, refreshing Carpaccio di Manzo starter followed in the form of thinly-sliced beef, served with wild rocket and shaved parmesan, dressed with truffle oil, lemon juice and fresh basil pesto. There was an alternative of Insalanta Capresse for lovers of buffalo mozzarella cheese, but I was happy with my choice.
The main course was not such an easy decision to make. There were a couple of pasta dishes for those with a taste for seafood or preferring a mushroom vegetarian offering but I was caught between the oven-baked Salmon fillet with cherry tomatoes and asparagus or an Italian herb-marinated rib-eye steak, alongside roast potatoes and rich risottorice.
My head (and the thought of Kathryn’s raised voice ringing in my head after an over-indulgent festive break) said ‘salmon’ but my lonely heart said ‘steak’ and as I’m easily led astray on the food front I stepped on the wild side. What am I, a man or a mouse? And, just to prove it, on this (medium) rare occasion I went for the aptly-named Bisteccadi MANzo and settled my guilty conscience with the fact that the dish also featured barbecued vegetables.
It was awesome. And, little Stan followed his father’s footsteps and tucked into the steak too after rushing back from the football pitch happy having beaten his 155 keepy-up record.
Chef Tej, take a bow! Once again the fare could not be faulted. The Nepalese culinary star started a culinary career in his home country and developed his talent in the kitchens of international restaurants in the demanding Gulf region, such as Kuwait and the UAE, before moving to Bahrain.
I shouldn’t be surprised about how hemastered this night of Italian cuisine so well having noted his former position of chef de partie at Sevilo’s highly-acclaimed fine-dining restaurant in Abu-Dhabi. He also has a glowing reputation for producing a variety of other European, Asian and Arabic dishes in his own imitable style, with his team.
No wonder, general manager Stephen Chartres and the Dilly’s executive committee are delighted to have signed him up and watch how the Bistro at the Saar expat club has blossomed in recent months.
Although the cool weather will attract many diners outside on to the new terrace I really like the inside of this beamed building.
The black and white photographs of famous faces on the walls are a clever concept and up to now, although you can clearly recognise all of those featured, only one diner has managed to correctly name 38 of the 40 displayed.
The Whisperer tells me there’s a secret stack hidden away and they occasionally change the pictures to keep diners guessing. I will be back for the food ... and the competition.
For further information or to book a table call 17690926 and for club membership details visit www.dilmun-club.com
