Business lunch

THE best way to do business in the Gulf States is to offer a quality product or service at the same time as building and developing relationships.
Mutual trust and understanding soon follows and more than likely, true, long-lasting friendships are formed too.
There’s no better way than sealing the deal over lunch and there’s probably no finer place to conduct that than on the terrace of the Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain’s signature Italian restaurant Primavera, especially in this glorious spring weather.
Time is money and time is of the essence, as they often proclaim in the corporate world, and if you want to impress - without breaking the bank - for an hour before that crucial contract is signed, or handshake on a deal delivered, this is the place.
For an incredible price of only BD9.5++ per person, including soft beverages, Primavera offers a two-course business set lunch designed by two Michelin-starred Chef Oliver Glowig.
Diners can choose either one starter and main course, or one main course with a dessert, and enjoy a relaxing lunch with beautiful views over the landscaped gardens, a glimpse of the sea as well as the poolside of this stunning property in Seef district.
Chef Oliver may have helped work on the menu as part of his successful partnership with the hotel which dates back to 2015, but Chef De Cuisine Alfonso Ferraioli and his team should be applauded for delivering the ultimate of culinary creations from kitchen to plate.
I had arranged an important business briefing with my esteemed GulfWeekly partner Jalal Jaffar, our marketing and sales manager, to discuss team tactics for the upcoming Rotary Club of Manama Six-A-Side charity tournament at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club.
Chef Alfonso explained the lunch options as a well-informed waiter Valerio produced a stunning array of Italian bread with delightful dips and antipasto including olives, tomatoes, pesto and a sensational ricotta cheese and cream mix.
I chose traditional pre-match footballing fare, a pasta starter with tomato sauce, but Jalal went straight in to tackle the main course of a superbly cooked steak medallion on a delightfully fluffy mash.
It was nearly half time when I started tucking into my main course, a lusciously light, freshly pan-fried, locally-caught Sea Bream, with salad.
Jalal was soon smiling when, from the corner of his eye, he spotted Valerio stepping in from the wing to deliver a magnificent crème brulee with a scoop of Pistachio ice cream for good measure.
It didn’t seem fair. It’s like watching your arch-rivals scoring a last minute winner.
But it’s not over until the fat lady sings and, if she happens to be an opera singer, she couldn’t have belted up a better extra-time equaliser than the Tiramisu, a coffee-flavoured Italian dessert embossed with the restaurant’s name, Chef Alfonso insisted I taste-tested on the side.
To continue the football theme, I mentioned the World Cup in my YouTube interview with the Napoli-born fan only to remember at the final whistle that poor old Italy had missed out reaching this summer’s Finals in Russia. Never mind, Chef, you win every time on the cooking front.