Tea Club (Breakfast)

The Tea Club on Amwaj is a great place for teas and wraps, but they also offer a brunch on Fridays. 

The price was under 5BD and offered a variety of local items.  The items on the bar included fruit, beans, hummus and noodles.  I thought the selection of food was a bit awkward.  They did offer omelets to order and came they were nice and big.  You can also order beef bacon on the side.  The bacon resembled planks of spam, but it tasted ok.  There were juices and select teas to drink as well.  

Nu Asia

There are a few Nu Asian locations in Bahrain.  I've been to the Budaiya and Juffair locations; Budaiya being the best.  The menu is great and the service at the Budaiya location was great.  They offer a variety of Asian menu items.  Our favorite appetizer is the cheese chopsticks.  The chopsticks are heavy in garlic, beware!  I like any of the curries, my daughter is a huge fan of the Chicken Teriyaki.  

Cheese Chopsticks

Bang Bang Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken

Movenpick Seafood Buffet

The Movenpick has several themed buffet's during the week.  On Monday's you can enjoy seafood night. 

If you've been to a Movenpick evening buffet, you'll find the setup the same.  A lot of salads and small dishes to choose from.  The main dish is a build your own stir-fry.  You'll give you plate to the chef to be grilled and then delivered to your table. With all the Movenpick buffet's, they have a nice selection of desserts too.  I was expecting more fried dishes and my wife was disappointed to find out they didn't have scallops on the line. Overall, it was good, but pretty expensive. 

 

 

Casa Mexicana

There are a few Mexican restaurants in Bahrain; Senor Pacos, Margarita Mexicana and Casa Mexicana to mention some of the popular ones.  My favorite is Casa Mexicana.  Located in Adliya, the restaurant is a popular place for large groups to dine.  They offer a large menu, the tostadas are my favorite.  The complimentary chips are good, but I like to order a side of guacamole to complement them. On my last visit, my wife and I ordered the tostadas, potato quesadilla and Mexican soup.  Everything was delicious. Another favorite is the "Donkey" burrito.  It's a hefty beast that will definitely fill you up.  On most evenings, there is a man that plays old songs on his guitar.  It makes for a great evening. 

Tostadas

Potato Quesadilla 

Frangipani (Asian)

Located at the Seef Mall, Frangipani is a nice restaurant offering a wide selection of Asian entrees. 

We started off with some Makimono for an appetizer.  For our main course, we had the Thai Coconut Chicken Curry and Honey Sesame Shrimp.  Both dishes were very good.  Being a mall restaurant, most of the dining area is spread-out in the middle of the mall.  This made signaling the waiter difficult, so it took a little while to order and then again to collect the check.  Overall, a good meal.  We also used our buy one entree, get one free coupon. 

http://www.bahrainmenus.com/menus/Frangipani.pdf

Makimono

Coconut Chicken Curry

Honey Sesame Shrimp

Dublins (Irish)

I visited Dublins in Juffair for a dining out with the office folks.  The menu offered a variety of Irish dishes as well as steaks. 

I figured I would try something different, so I ordered the shepherds pie.  It came out steaming and bread top was puffed up. 

It was pretty good, though the actual dish was pretty shallow. The mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables were a pretty small portion as well.  As the evening went on, the place started getting busy as the early evening diners turned into the evening clubbers. The service was crawling and the restaurant quickly filled with loud music and smoke. This was my exit.  Overall, the food was ok.  I don't think I would make a special trip back just to eat dinner there. 

Sheperds Pie

 

Curry Country (International)

Curry Country is a nice place to go to get a quick and hearty plate of curry.  The menu offers a wide selection of curries from all over the world.  I typically like a little heat, so I usually get the Diablo Chicken.  It's advertised as a Fiery Mexican lava of chargrilled chicken in a tomato flaming chili sauce, potatoes and orange-the hottest curry they can legally serve.  Well, I don't think it was all that, but it is good. 

I always get a curry and steamed rice.  If you're really hungry, go ahead and order some naan with it.  The South African carrot-pumpkin soup is also very good. 

http://www.currycountry.com/foodmenu.html

Diablo Chicken

 

Arirang (EDO) Restaurant (Korean/Japanese)

I've heard about this place for a while and I finally found it.  Tucked away near Expedition Highway and the Holiday Inn Express, this place offers some great food.  Actually, I got the recommendation from a Korean co-worker.  The menu had a lot to offer, so my wife and I ordered the beef with lettuce wrap, which included a soup and the spicy kimchi tofu.  Included was a selection of kimchi dishes. The food was very, very good and a lot of it. 

 

 

 

 

Dominos PIzza

We had our first Domino's Pizza experience this week. We ordered the Vegi Feast with green peppers, onions, mushrooms and black olives.  The second pizza was the Deluxe Feast with beef pepperoni, italian sausage, green peppers, mushrooms and onions.  Overall, the pizzas were OK.  We also ordered the Stuffed Cheesy Bread Italiano.  The stuffed bread stole the show.  It was very good.  Stuffed with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, green peppers and onions, served with marinara sauce.  I would have been good with just having the stuffed bread.  This was also the first time we had pizza delivered to our house.  So, that made it convenient, especially since we had so much left over.  Domino's is running a special, 2 mediums pizzas and a 2.5 liter of soda for 6.2BD. With the stuffed bread, the total was 8BD.  

 

 

Prego (Italian)

Prego's is located at the Riffa Views Golf Club.  It's a nice pizza restaurant offering different salads and pizzas. 

A friend and I ordered a pizza each and the Caprese Salad. I thought it was pretty good. My friend ordered the BBQ Chicken Pizza. 

My pizza came with a fried egg on top, this was my first time having pizza with egg, and it tasted pretty good.  The prices were a little high, but I guess that can be expected from a restaurant on a golf course where the green fees run $150.00. 

Chilis for Lunch

My wife and I visited the Chilis in Juffair for lunch this weekend.  We are big fans of the beef fajita quesadilla with black beans and rice for 4.4BD. There is a lunch promotion going on, where you can get the bacon ranch quesadilla, fries and a drink for only 2.9BD.  As you can see in the picture, I felt robbed on the quantity.  However, this was a lunch promotion, so maybe the portion size was appropriate.  

Tip: Check out your receipt.  Go online and fill out the survey. Once complete, you'll get to print a coupon for a buy one entree, get one of equal value on your next visit. 

 

Fast Food (Filipino)

The Fast Food Filipino restaurant is located over near DHL. This is a really good place if you're looking for a very good and inexpensive meal. They offer large filipino menu and each item is a very large portion. My wife and I ordered the chicken and corn soup, lumpia, pancit and pork adobo. Needless to say, there was a feast in front of us, with plenty to take-away. The bill was surprisingly low and we were very impressed with the food. Highly recommended. 

Chicken and Corn Soup

 

Lumpia

 

Pancit

 

Chicken Adobo 

 

Block 338 (International)

Located behind the Gulf Hotel and Deju Vu, Block 338 is a popular place for group dining.  They have a very large outside dining area, but I find it more comfortable to dine outside in the winter months. They offer a nice variety of menu items, my favorite being the fish and chips. The meal comes with three different dipping sauces, and the fish are big portions.  My wife enjoys the eggplant aberdeen. You can usually get a very nice deal if you dine before 4pm. They also have a private dining area where you can book for large social events. 

Fish and Chips

Eggplant Aberdeen

Hard Rock Cafe

Located on Expedition Blvd, Hard Rock Cafe provides a nice western menu with all the favorites. The location is a little inconvenient for parking, the first visit I found myself with a parking ticket on the car. I've since learned that they have dedicated parking right in front of the restaurant door for Hard Rock customers. Even so, it's a little tricky coming in from the one-way street. My wife enjoys the Mushroom Burger with onion rings.  My favorite is the pulled lamb.  If you like pulled pork, you'll definitely enjoy the lamb.  You can also use the buy one entree get one free coupon as well. 

Mushroom Swiss Burger

Pulled Lamb BBQ

Vapiano (Italian)

For a different dining experience, you should check out Vapiano's.  I visited the location at the City Center Mall. 

What makes this place different is that you order your food at the register, and then take it to your table. The food is very good, it's just they cut out the waiter.  My wife ordered the ravioli and bruschetta while I opted for the tomato soup and tuna salad.  The portions were very nice sized and the meal tasted great.  

Tomato Soup

Ravioli

Tuna Salad 

Vapiano's at City Center

Bahrain Farmers Market

During the winter months, you'll need to check out the Farmers Market.  This past season, the market was held at the agriculture park at the end of Budaiya Highway.  The market opens early, and the local merchants setup booths offering a wide selection of produce.  They have all sorts of food such as different types of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, dates, berry's, broccoli, and cauliflower to mention a few.  There are also tables setup were vendors are selling food.  I didn't buy any food items, but friends of ours told us that the omelets are delicious.  We typically buy a couple weeks worth of produce for less than 10BD.  I read in the paper that next years market may be near Al'Ali to provide space for more vendors.  

 

 

 

 

 

Monsoons (Asian)

Tucked in the streets of Adliya, Monsoons is a great restaurant offering all types of Asian dishes. 

I've been there twice, and both times were knock-outs.  On my first trip, I had the seared tuna as an appetizer, and the pho as my main course.  It was perfect.  On this occasion, I was accompanied by my wife and daughter. We ordered the satay chicken and once again the seared tuna as an appetizer. Both were delicious.  The main courses were enjoyed by all, including the green curry with steamed rice, chicken Teriyaki.  You'll need to check out the menu, it has a huge selection of meals.  Highly recommended! 

http://www.alghalia.com/bin1/monsoon.html

Satay Chicken

Seared Tuna

Spicy Beef

Chicken Teriyaki 

Green Curry and Steamed Rice