Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
For all the elaborate weekend brunches and exquisite evening options in Bahrain, it’s almost as if the good old-fashioned lunch has been forgotten.
Thankfully, the team at the Sheraton Bahrain Hotel’s Al Safir restaurant is here to remind us with a fantastic mid-day feast of both classic delicacies and more.
The outlet has a supremely relaxed atmosphere, with its polished floor and gentle-on-the eye interior providing a tranquil backdrop. The wide windows provide fine views of the Financial Harbour and Manama.
As always, it’s the food that’s important, and under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Magnus Falk, the team cooked up a storm that is sure to see the patrons rushing to sample the fare.
The native Swede has spent nigh-on 30 years travelling the world and has experience in countries such as the UK, Nigeria and South Africa in his portfolio.
Although the buffet lunch features regular staples such as hummus and an extensive salad selection, other dishes see regular rotation so no two lunches are the same. If the restaurant is expecting more visitors from Saudi Arabia, perhaps for a conference, then it will be tailored more towards Arab tradition, and likewise for Indian or Asian expectations.
As I always do with buffets, I treated it as a four-course meal. Starters, main courses, second main courses, and desserts. Sometimes the latter gets sacrificed for a third dose of main courses, but what was on offer here swayed me to leave a little bit of room … but more on that later.
To begin, I chose an avocado (surprisingly spicy!) salad and vegetable soup, perfect to dip the vast bread selection in. A plethora of salads, fruits and other mezzeh were available.
For the main course, I must have wandered up and down the aisle five times as I just couldn’t decide where to dig into first! Eventually I settled on the beef steak with mashed potatoes. This was fantastic; the meat perfectly tender and juicy, whilst the mash was creamy, just like my mum’s home cooking.
I also tried the lemon chicken, which was tangy and flavoursome, while the lamb chops with vine leaves provided a slightly different take on an old classic, but went perfectly with steamed basmati rice.
And, although I usually overlook the vegetarian options, photographer Honey Sharma tells me that the dhal was simply outstanding. An expansive seafood selection provided plenty of choice for those aquatically-inclined, too.
Also available is a pasta live cooking station, containing a variety of different types of pasta and fillings to have it served as you like.
My promise to save room for desserts luckily came to fruition, and I gorged myself on the melee of sweet delights on offer. The first stop was for the crème brulée, chocolate mousse and banoffee … which were all so tasty I had to be handcuffed to my chair to stop me going back for more!
I was also informed by Honey that the fruit tart, Black Forest gateau and blackberry cake were exquisite too, but alas, I wasn’t handed the key to find out!
I eventually escaped to try a scoop of strawberry ice cream garnished with profiteroles and vanilla cheesecake.
This dining out experience reminded me of the beauty of lunch. A chance to take a short break in the middle of a hectic working day, or as a relaxing social occasion with nice, light weather outside. Thanks to Chef Magnus and his team for their expertise!
The Al Safir lunch buffet is BD10++ and is available every day. For more information and reservations, call 17533533.
