Copper Chimney (Indian)

One of the best places for Indian food is at the Copper Chimney in Umm Al Hassam.  On this occasion, I went with my favorite dish, Murg Vindalo with Saffron Rice.  I order it HOT.  The Vindalo comes out very tasty, but it carries a little heat.  What I like about ordering it hot, is it's a slow creeper hot, not burn your mouth off kind of heat.  My wife ordered a new dish, the Kadi Gosht (lamb).  It too was delicious.  Together with an order of garlic nan, an ice tea and a diet coke the bill was 12.280BD.  They open at 7pm and I would recommend calling for reservations, I've been turned away a couple times for not having a reservation.  (Tel: 1772-8699) 

Murg Vindalo

  

Saffron Rice and Garlic Nan

 

Kadi Gosht 

Appetizer 

 

Fatburger

I made my way to Fatburger this week to try yet another hamburger joint in Bahrain.  I ordered the double Fatburger with cheese and all the toppings. The burger came with sweet relish; I  prefer dill relish, so I would probably hold on the relish next time. My wife ordered a single and we split an order of Fat Fry's.  The burger was very good and juicy or greasy, (something was dripping all over my tray).    The Fat Fry's were a huge hit—delicious.  Not the healthiest of dinners, but if you like burgers, it was pretty good.  Total bill was 8BD. 

 

 

Ponderosa (Steak)

My wife and I were out in the Seef district looking for a place to use one of our remaining 2013 buy one, get one free coupons. It's been a while since we visited Ponderosa, so we decided to go for a couple steaks.  Once seated, the waitress noticed I had an Entertainer coupon, and quickly informed us that the coupon did not include the salad bar buffet.  The rib-eye steak was 6.5BD, which included the buffet.  To order the buffet by itself, was 5.5BD.  So, we decided not to use the coupon.  I was disappointed on my last trip to Ponderosa in that the steak was very chewy, and I usually order my steak medium rare.  This time, I ordered it medium, and it came out very good.  My wife's only complaint was they didn't offer A-1 Steak sauce, offering only HP Steak Sauce.  Overall, not bad for the price of 16BD for two steak dinners, salad bar and two drinks.  

Ribeye and Baked Potato. 

2014 Entertainer Guide

They're in! I picked up my new 2014 guide at the bookstore at Citi Center.  The cost is 29.5BD and well worth the price.  I've been using my 2013 book all year and have saved hundreds of BD.  They come with buy one get on free coupons for restaurants, salons and hotels.  Also included was a bonus otel discount book offering book one night get one free for locations throughout the Middle East, Asia and Europe. 

 

Coming Soon-Blu Burger Grille

I came across this new addition coming at the shopping center off of Oman Ave next to the Nestle Toll House Cafe. I visited the menu on the website and it looks pretty good.  Is it me, or is Bahrain becoming the burger spot of the Middle East?

The Pizza Company

Well, there seems to be two types of pizza to enjoy, the wood oven pizza and the more commercial, thicker crust oven baked pizza. One of the popular oven baked places in Juffair is the Pizza Company.  The Pizza Company Offers a variety of pizza's, my personal favorite is the Mediterranean Veggie with stuffed cheese crust.  The pizza comes with tomatoes, roasted pepper, black olives and feta cheese.  I used one of the buy one get one free coupons, so I picked up another double cheese pizza for takeout.  Total bill with the coupon was only 4BD. 

Mediterranean Veggie 

Double Cheese 

Pizza Company Juffair

Chili's

It's been a while since we visited Chili's, so I decided to go back and for dinner.  I've been a big fan of the sizzling fajita's, (see review) but the Margarita Grilled Chicken caught my eye on the menu.  The dinner included a marinated grilled chicken breast topped with house-made pico de gallo & crispy tortilla strips, served with rice and beans.  It was very good.  Be sure to check your receipt after your meal.  If you go online a fill out a 3 min survey, they'll give you a code so you'll get a buy one entree get one free on your next trip.  

Margarita Grilled Chicken 

You Make We Bake (Pizza)

Another new pizza place opened up recently on American Alley in Juffair.  I scouted the restaurant last weekend, around noon. There wasn't anyone in the restaurant, so I checked out the menu and decided to come back later in the week.  When I returned, I was surprised to see the place packed with people smoking hooka's.  Since I'm not a fan of smoke and dining, the staff escorted us to the non-smoking section.  The menu includes pizza, pasta, grilled food and shakes.  My friend ordered a chocolate shake and said it was pretty good.  We also ordered brushetta.  The brushetta was a disappointment, it was served on some type of thin cracker, and it was six small pieces--I wouldn't recommend it.  So, the way it works is you go up to either the pizza line or the pasta line.  You get to pick your toppings and the cooks will cook your dinner and bring it out to you.  I went for the pizza.  They offered white or wheat, 8", 12" or 16". As I looked to pick my toppings, none of them really looked appetizing. I opted for the green and black olives, onions and pepperoni. The ladies went for the pasta.  The pasta toppings looked about the same as the pizza toppings, and also lacked a lot of appeal.  They offered a marinara, tomato and white sauce.  The pasta tasted pretty good.  The pizza tasted ok.  For a wood oven pizza, the crust was pretty thick and I don't think it was anything to rave about.  My pizza was 2.145BD and the pasta was 2.450.  The service was very friendly and the food was ok; however, I'm not sure I will return.  

Pepperoni, Olives, Onion 12"

 Brushetta

Pepperoni 8"

Potbelly (Sandwich Shop)

My wife and I stopped by the Potbelly Sandwich Shopt at the Citi Center this week for lunch.  I ordered the smoked turkey sandwich and an order of steak fries.  The sandwich came toasted and was very good.  Also included was a couple of dipping sauces.  I'm not sure they were for my sandwich or the fries, but they tasted ok.  The fries came out a little bleak looking.  I re-read the sign and realized the steak fries were baked.  Though healthier, I thought the fries were bland and boring.  My wife also ordered the broccoli soup, which was very good as well. The restaurant also serves cookies and shakes, which I hear are very good.  

 

Mino's (Pizza)

We visited another pizza restaurant this week.  This trip was to Mino's in Adalyia. I've heard several great reviews about the pizza, so we had some friends join us to check it out.  We went for an early dinner during the week, and were the only ones in the restaurant.  We ordered four wood oven pizza's, the Capriccio, veggie with pepperoni, the maranira, and pepperoni with extra cheese.  The reviews were mixed, 50/50, and it's all about the sauce.  Mino's uses more sauce than most pizza places in Bahrain. I for one loved it, my friend also enjoyed it, while the other two thought it was too much such which made the dough a little soggy.  They also provided a complimentary order of bread and diced tomatoes. Two pizzas, a diet coke and ice tea came to about 12BD.    

The Capriccio

Pepperoni with Extra Cheese

 

The Marinara

Veggie with Pepperoni 

 

 

 

Mino's

 

Farmers Market

The Farmers Market is now open at the Agriculture Center in Budaiya on Saturday mornings. There are more vendors this year but I didn't notice any of the food stands that they had last year.  Although, I didn't venture too deep into the park to find them it there were.  They did however, have several artist painting pictures.  There was a large selection of vegetables, herbs and plants for sale.  I arrived around 0830 and found it best to park along the highway rather than compete for one of the few parking spaces in the parking lot.  The prices are very reasonable; I picked up a kilo of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers (green and purple), a head of cauliflower, a cantaloupe and some herbs for 4.2BD. 

My personal harvest.

IMG_6516

Great American Bagel Bakery

For a great sandwich, I would recommend the Great American Bagel Bakery.  Offering bagels, coffees, breakfast items and small deserts, the GABB provides a quick breakfast, lunch or light dinner.  I ordered the California bagel with smoked turkey and avocado on a 5 grain bagel.  This location is actually inside Fontana Towers in Juffair.