Elevated Royal Elegance - Eats and Treats by Tania Rebello
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Five - star luxury hotels worldwide are service-driven. The staff knows your name, favourite spot at their F&B outlets, favourite room, preferred food and travel plans, which gives you a feeling that you are cared for. Who does not like that? The hospitality at the Four Seasons has always been exceptional.
They love to bring the best to their guests in over-the-top personalised experiences. Thinking upscale and unmatched, they have offered guests the Premium Experience at their dazzling Ramadan tent.
This opulent dining destination features stunning Arabesque-inspired décor, and the tent is further elevated, quite literally, for guests to enjoy full table-waited ghabga service. Greeted in style, we were escorted onto the redcarpeted platform where our cheerful butler awaited our arrival.
The regality of the space, accentuated by the gold and blue décor, exuded the Arabian allure that you would find at a Middle Eastern palace. Adding to the enchanting ambience is a series of live music and performances, courtesy of the lead vocalist and four members of the famous Opera House of Egypt.
The elevated platform provides the best view of the performance. We made ourselves comfortable on the cushioned chairs and feasted our eyes on the opulent table setting.
Shimmering tableware in silver and gold, fit for royalty, was precisely arranged on the pure white tablecloth. A selection of cold and hot mezze was served in silverware as soon as we were seated.
Cold mezze consisted of muhammara, mutabal and hummus. All three cold appetisers tasted fresh. Muhammara had that distinct amber colour with the beautiful flavour of roasted red bell peppers and sweetness from pomegranate molasses.
Mutabal was creamy and had the perfect amount of tahini that combined well with the roasted eggplant.
Hummus was light and refreshing with extra virgin olive oil and chickpea garnish. I relished them with mini khubooz. The hot mezze consisted of a cheese spring roll, spinach fatayer, kibbeh and halloumi cheese roll. The halloumi cheese roll had a savoury coating of breadcrumbs, adding a crunchy texture to the soft cheese. Fatayer had a delightful lemony spinach filling, and the kibbeh was tasty.
During a conversation with the Executive Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel - Leonardo Di Clemente , he explained the concept stating that the idea of the premium experience was conceived after listening to guests’ requests over the years for a more convenient way of dining at the Ramadan tent, as opposed to walking to the extensive buffet several times.
He also stated that the premium experience was designed to bring traditional family favourites to the table, just like at Middle Eastern homes.
A dedicated butler assists during the meal service allowing you to enjoy the food and live entertainment. After that brief chat, the servers placed the main course dishes on the table.
The main course and desserts are served family-style, and the butler serves you as you desire. Each main dish was beautifully garnished and presented.
The lamb ouzi looked very inviting; hence, I decided to start with it. The rice grains were long, glossy and had a saffron essence.
The lamb was juicy and tender. It was a mouthful of happiness. The Oriental mixed grill is one of my favourites at the Four Seasons. The grilled chicken, lamb chops and lamb kebabs were mouthwatering.
The rice in the fish sayadiyah had a warming cumin flavour that paired well with the tender and mildly sweet sea bass.
A generous topping of crispy fried onions added sweetness and smokiness to the dish. Eggplant moussaka was bright red with soft eggplant, potatoes, and chickpeas in a gravy that tasted like a tomato relish.
The well-balanced seasoning toned down the tartness of the tomato. The fassolia bil lahem is ideal for those with a palate for milder flavours.
Lamb is cooked until fork tender in a tomatobased gravy infused with lamb stock and the goodness of white beans.
They have three menus that they rotate over the week. The appetisers and desserts remain the same, with a couple of main dishes changing with each menu.
Other traditional dishes served include oriental seafood rice, chicken machboos, salmon harra and harees to name a few.
Several traditional Ramadan drinks were available. I sipped on a refreshing glass of chilled Vimto lemonade during my meal.
The desserts arrived, each one meticulously arranged on silver serving platters. It was enchanting, and each dessert received a deserving glance of admiration. I was excited to see my favourite saffron rice pudding.
It was luscious and delectable as always, with the lavish garnish of dried fruits and rose petals. A selection of baklava, warbat and qatayef was served too.
A plentiful portion of warm and hearty Umm Ali was the center of attraction. I finished my meal with a hot cup of Moroccan tea.
The beauty of the premium experience is that you are not limited to the dishes placed on your table.
You are free to select food from the extensive buffet, and the butler will serve the chosen dishes to you.
This specialised service is solely for adult guests as it is in the shisha area where children are not permitted.
Bookings must be made at least 24 hours before the intended visit date for a minimum of 4 guests.
The Premium Experience is ideal for entertaining clients/ guests as food and drink are served at the table, making more time for conversations.
The Four Seasons Hotel ensures that you leave feeling satiated and pampered.
Price: BD 55 per person Timings: Every day from 9 pm to 2 am (Ghabga) For Reservations, contact 17115500 or email : diningreservations.bahrain@ fourseasons.com.
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