Food

When we got orders to Bahrain we knew we'd have some new culinary adventures, but I wasn't quite prepared for the diversity that we've found! Anything and everything you could possibly want seems to be on this small island... smoky Bahrain mixed grills, greasy shawarmas, spicy Thai, indulgent French, flavorful Indian, and on and on. We've only had maybe one bad meal since we've been here and even that was passable! 

For the first few weeks of our stay, our hotel fridge kept a constant temperature of lukewarm, so we've done a lot of exploring of the food scene. We've also taken advantage of an app called Talabat--a food delivery app. And yes, what you've heard is true... everything delivers. And I do mean everything! We are going to be so spoiled when we get back to the states! 

So far our favorites or most memorable have been:

-The lamb place. I couldn't tell you what it's actually called, but this is what our sponsor calls it and he's the one who introduced us. It's an awesome restaurant with a beautiful interior and absolutely phenomenal food. We ordered stuffed grape leaves, a mixed grill, and a lamb byriani (which I didn't snap a picture of). The lamb in our mixed grill was to die for. It was intensely flavorful and tender and just incredible. And the kofta, which is one of my favorite things, was the best I've ever had. 

-the yellow shirt shawarma guys. Our sponsor, Tim, tells us that this isn't THE best shawarma place on the island but it's pretty good. (He says we can't have the best at first or we won't know it's the best...). This is the place with the sexy juice, so that helps it as one of my favorites! 

Breakfast and brunch are apparently a big deal here, which is fine with us. We went to brunch this past weekend and found ourselves at a cute French cafe and had some delicious egg dishes and freshly baked English muffins. 

I had something called shakshuka which is poached eggs in a tomato sauce spiced with harissa (decidedly not French, but ce la vie) and it was wonderful! Spicy but not hot, full of flavor, and that sauce and runny yolk just begged to be sopped up by the English muffin. 

Christopher had Turkish poached eggs (also not French) which were eggs on a bed of labneh (which to my understanding is a type of cheese strained from yogurt) and harissa and some other type of sauce. It was... indulgent and creamy and garlicky and divine! Stella had scrambled eggs and French fries but kept taking bites of my shakshuka, discovering she liked it very much! 

We've also been indulging in our Indian food addiction that was started in England. It was our favorite take away and we never found a place in the states that even compared to our local place in Brampton. So we've been eating our way through quite a few of the Indian restaurants nearby and are thrilled that it lives up to our England memories and palates. I don't eat chicken (yeah, yeah, yeah) so I typically go for vegetarian offers and I've discovered and am obsessed with Indian cheese called paneer. It's delectable! They call it cottage cheese, but it's not those disgusting little curds in a plastic tub. It's cubes of soft, but firm cheese that simmers in the most delectable sauces. My current obsession is paneer makhani which is paneer cooked in a tomato gravy style sauce-- similar to a tikka masala; savory with a hint of sweet. Just... yum! 

And I can't leave out our favorite dessert that we've had so far. A baklava cheesecake from a French pattisserie called Madelines. The first bite of this almost left mespeechless. There's no traditional crust to this cheesecake... it's chopped pistachios mixed with sugar and rose water and nestled on top of that is the lightest, airiest, most incredible cheesecake I've ever had. It was slightly sweet and floral (rose water definitely was in it) and just divine. It was topped with crunchy puff pastry so it hit all the crunchy, creamy textures I'm fond of. It was, in all seriousness, the best cheesecake I've ever had. The same night we also had a saffron cheesecake that, bless its heart, absolutely fell flat after the baklava. Had we only had it I know I'd be waxing poetic, but we didn't. And the baklava one blew it out of the water. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the drinks. Besides copious amounts of water to stay hydrated in this heat, we've discovered some amazing drinks! Juices and smoothies, coffees and teas all with flavors you can only imagine! We're loving trying all the new things we're finding! 

My current favorite juice is from one of the local shawarma stands and it's called the "sexy" juice... it's a mix of watermelon, grape, pomegranate, mango, and who knows what else. But it's SO good and refreshing and just the right amount of sweet. Absolutely divine! Stella is loving all the fresh juice as well! Her current favorites are sweet melon and thus pomegranate and honey slush she had. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a tea drinker. Sure, I'll occasionally drink coffee (for effect) but my heart is made for a strong cuppa and there's no shortage of wonderful tea here in Bahrain. This tiny island seems to be picking up the mantle started by another island in ruining me for crappy American tea bags (for real, I blame England for my inability to tolerate Lipton tea bags anymore). 

I've had karak tea-- a sweet, milky, spicy chai tea. 

Turkish tea-- strong and malty. 

A surprising and refreshing iced orange tea- freshly brewed earl grey poured over freshly squeezed orange juice. (This one wins for best delivery-- I do love interactive food stuffs...lol)

Also on the list (but, alas, no pictures) is a Turkish tea latte flavored with coconut and rose syrup, and an Indian iced tea that's a black currant tea with lime juice and something I can't put my finger on that sweetens it. So, so good. 

Checking out the drink part of menus has been just as fun as the food side. I could definitely get used to all the wonderful things we're tasting and experiencing!