Brunch bonanza

​FOR families like mine, living the Bahrain expat dream, the Friday brunch scene will remain forever engraved on our hearts.
It’s a shame it only happens one day a week … although, surprise, surprise, that’s not the case this week!
For the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay has extended a warm invitation for guests to welcome Eid Al-Adha together with family and friends at a special four-day Eid Brunch Extravaganza at Bahrain Bay Kitchen.
It seemed only fair that I called into one of my favourite dining destinations to share some of the delights in store for the festivities - and the brunches to come now that everyone is returning to the island after their summer holidays.
Executive Chef Hyung Gyu Kim and his team have prepared an extensive gourmet buffet to mark this holiest of occasions, which started yesterday and features a traditional goat carving station as its centrepiece.
Diners can also enjoy a diverse feast of regional and global specialities, including hot and cold mezze items, a sushi station and salad bar, generous buffet set-ups with dedicated live cooking stations, a Moroccan tagine island, homemade pasta station and an Asian section.
Guests with a sweet tooth will also appreciate the rich dessert buffet, which offers a selection of family favourites including specialities from Pastry Chef Imad Boukli, all rounded off with a free-flowing chocolate fountain.
In keeping with the ‘spirit of giving’ associated with Eid, a delicious box of traditional Bahraini sweets is also being presented to each table for guests to take home and enjoy with their families.
I met up once again with director of food and beverage Vincent Chasseignaux and executive sous chef Ravneet Manchanda who introduced me to one of the new stars of the show, sushi chef Dileep, a recent recruit who is a master of the Japanese dish, who was determined to show off his prowess, which I totally encouraged.
Now, as regular readers of the Eating Out page will be well aware, I’m a bit of a sushi snob having been served by world champions in the art, no less.
Sushi Chef Dilep is dynamite, on a par with the very best, and his two creations of note are worth the visit alone … and that is saying something because the Bahrain Bay Kitchen never fails to impress, in fact, I’d go as far as to say, its award-winning brunch somehow gets better every time I visit.
One outstanding offering contained a crispy shredded crab in a delicate rice frame that was truly outstanding, it really gets its claws into your palate, narrowly ahead of a superb slice of salmon settled in a web of cream cheese and mixed vegetables.
For once the good lady wife, Kathryn, agreed with me. Eyes sparkling, she whispered softly in my ear: ‘the very best’. I thought she was talking about me but, no, it was the sushi.
It’s always great to start on a culinary journey on a high note and the journey continued on its path to perfection when we ventured towards the main courses.
I decided to have a little slice of everything and was prepared for the bouquet ahead after a 5km morning run in the sun (the only reason I put on my trainers every day is so that I can tuck into some treats, a small price to pay for guilty pleasures).
I went for a bit of everything, firstly strips of luscious lamb featured in the Arabic favourite ouzi kept hot under a bed of rice, followed by slices of slowly-roasted Australian Wagyu rump and pieces of melt-on-your tongue beef brisket. Perfection on a plate came complimented with a generous helping of asparagus spears, green and gorgeous, still crisp to the bite the way I like it.
I had to venture back for some herb-crusted smoke salmon and a helping of ribs, because Kathryn kept raving about them, served in a smoky sauce of their own, surf and turf at its supreme.
As you would expect, the desserts were just as delightful such as the Chocolate Crunchy Cake and the Almond Financier was totally nuts and well worth investing in!
The Eid Brunch Extravaganza will take place each day at Bahrain Bay Kitchen until Friday between 1pm and 4pm. The event costs BD25 per adult. Children below five eat free, while youngsters between six and 12 will receive 50 per cent savings.
And, coming soon, will be the Back to School Brunch with a carnival atmosphere, photo-booth, face painting, stilt walkers, balloon artists and goodie giveaways – can’t wait to try that!

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