TBK eats at the best restaurants in Bahrain 2020

 
                                                           Dome, Juffair

Consistently good restaurants in Bahrain

As my regular readers will know I worked in the hospitality industry for most of my life and I know how hard it is to give excellent service and food all the time across all your locations.

Looking back on my 11 years in Bahrain there are 4 restaurants that have achieved that gold status. I am excluding the 5-star hotels from this list as most people cannot afford them.

The first on my list is the one I have eaten at most in my last few years- DOME.

                                  Neil enjoying the sun and catching up on the news

I used the Riffa Palms branch most as its closest to my old home in Awali, but I have also used the one in Juffair near American alley. At both branches the staff are always friendly, the prices reasonable, the food excellent and the drinks great. You can sit outside in the sun – which allowed them to stay open as the COV 19 crisis worsened and indoor dining was banned. 

They have a range of breakfasts including my favourite eggs Hollandaise, and scrambled egg on toast, plus a fruit salad with yogurt, and oats and yogurt. 

If it’s lunch or dinner I usually have steak or fish and chips. If I am with friends they have sharing dishes ( I last had a starter of cheese, prawns and chicken ) . They also have fish ( salmon), chicken, and pasta with sauces ( spaghetti bolognaise). 

        Their huge portion of fish and chips with Tartare sauce and healthy salad

For drinks they do great Coffee, hot chocolate ( with marshmallows) and the best Lemon Mint in Bahrain! I usually wash it all down with a bottle of sparkling water ( San Pellegrino).

As I write this I am just realizing why I put on so much weight in Bahrain! The waitress ( Jenny) in Riffa knows my weakness is their desserts and I rarely leave without Carrot cake or my favourite Banana Cream pie! 

Special thanks to everyone at the Riffa Dome for looking after me so well over the last few years and for all the discount!

The Frying Scotsman- Adilya

                Roast Chicken dinner from the Frying Scotsman- 5.5 bd

Many long term Awali residents never go outside Awali- especially not for fish and chips- but this place is worth the extra distance and one of a kind in Bahrain! It is a traditional Scottish Fish and Chip shop run by a French lady with purple hair! I first discovered it in Ramadan 2020 and raved about it in my e book on my Staycation. ( Travels in Bahrain- Ramadan Vacation 2020) 

Then when I returned to live in Juffair and Adilya after I was thrown out of Awali it was just too tempting not to visit again twice a week! The lady remembered me ( always a good sign when you are eating alone) and introduced me to her new Roast Chicken dinner. She was disappointed to see her staff had fried the chicken and on my next visit asked what I thought. Again, to me this is a sign of a great business that the people running the business are there all the time, seeing what's going on and actively asking for feedback from the customers. I told her it was a bit dry and she said she would get them to Roast it in the oven. When I returned a week later she told me they had just roasted some chicken and asked if I would like to try some. The difference was incredible and it tasted so juicy. The half roast chicken came with Roast potatoes, carrots and Brussel sprouts with amazingly creamy mashed potatoes, proper gravy and cranberry sauce- was like a Roast Christmas dinner minus the Turkey! I have not had chicken that good since my Mum died some 22 years ago! I was so happy I messaged her on Facebook and she thanked me for the feedback and explained they would be doing more Roasts post COV 19. 

For a while they were unable to do indoor dining due to COV 19 and when they tried to put a table outside the ministry told them to put it away ( in spite of all the Shawarma restaurants next door having tables outside, and blocking the main road as people pull up to get their shawarmas delivered to their cars. How someone does not get run over in that bit of road I will never know. The good news is that the indoor dining is now open again and there is food delivery or take away. 

The Frying Scotsman imports its high quality produce from the UK ( they even sourced special wrapping paper from the UK until the Ministry made them use polystyrene containers and plastic cutlery. So now everything comes wrapped in plastic from a piece of lemon, sachets of salt and pepper, small tubs of vinegar and tartare sauce and then the main meal- your fish supper ( cod, haddock etc.)

They have all the other dishes you would expect from a Traditional Scottish fish and chip shop like Steak pies, Haggis, Scottish breakfast etc., For the Sassenachs there are Bacon butties, Breaded Scampi and chicken curry. They even have kids meals with juice and lollypop and Guinness pie. . 

They have a Facebook page , Instagram and a website. There are some amazing pictures and they sell beer as well ( ironically there were several bottles of Corona in the fridge behind the bar!) . Everything is freshly cooked to order in front of you so be prepared to wait a little.

So pay them a visit on line or in person, you will not be disappointed

The Frying Scotsman

Just in case you think I have a fish fetish my third choice is a Steak restaurant ( the real love of my life but bad for my health) Tony Roma

                           Soaking up the sun at Tony Roma, Juffair

                           (Tee shirt from Dino, Sunglasses from Gucci!) 

Once again it has multiple branches in Bahrain and I have been to the one at Zayed Town several times ( they did a great Birthday lunch for Uno, Patrick and I many years ago) and most recently, with my move to Juffair, the one at Al Najma Club .

The staff are always friendly ( Pinoy, Nepali and Bahraini) and the food is amazing, EVERY Time. There is always a lot to see at Juffair as its on a busy row of restaurants and shops with people jogging, cycling, running and walking on the path that goes in front of the restaurant around to Coral bay ( about 3 km each way- a regular exercise spot of mine for those of you who think I just eat and write blogs!) 

    My lunch- Fillet Mignon with peppercorn sauce, fresh coleslaw and sweetcorn 

The other good thing about the Al Najma branch which will appeal to Bahrainis and Saudis is you can park right outside the restaurant so no walking is involved. I should also point out for all those in Bahrain that you do not even have to leave home to eat from all three of these wonderful restaurants- you can just give Talabat a call ( or however you contact them- I have no idea having never had a food delivery in 11 years here!). The only annoying thing about Al Najma is the lazy people who just pull up and hoot their horns until someone serves them in their car. Just get out and walk- and keep the place peaceful for the other diners- thank you!

         My lovely clean Mazda ( 2 bd) outside Tony Roma in Juffair

For me, as a single person, eating out is all about the social experience of dressing up, selecting the eating environment you want ( romantic, business) ; selecting the Cuisine you want ( steak, Italian, Scottish fish and chips) and then selecting your preferred venue ( by the football club, by the American naval base, next to Lilou etc.) and then watching the world go by! If you were just hungry you would microwave something at home! Being stuck in a hotel suite for a month ( sounds amazing but , trust me , its not I crave social interaction- even if its only Ella at Dome asking how I am or the lady at the Frying Scotsman asking how my chicken was and how my leg is, or the Nepali waitress at Tony Roma asking me to check my steak is to my liking.

That's what good customer service is, that's why I love these three restaurants and I hope you will give them all a try

Enough blogging, time to get walking and work all those calories off!

             Neil taking his daily hours walk at Bussatein seafront

Here's hoping one day I will get a Visa and be able to blog about my favourite restaurants in Palawan, or be reunited with my pots and pans and be able to share my latest Pinoy recipes with you

Until then stay safe and take care