There isn’t a Friday brunch quite like the one at Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. Farah Baig savours the hotel’s extravagant brunch spread at the hotel’s picturesque Bahrain Bay Kitchen.
With breathtaking views, top-notch hospitality, phenomenally good food and relaxing entertainment, brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay has become an essential on the Kingdom’s brunch circuit for visitors and residents alike.
Strolling into the restaurant on a Friday afternoon, in the company of good friends, I was positive that this brunch was going to be truly sensational. I mean, those that are familiar with Bahrain’s culinary scene are more than aware that the Four Seasons does nothing by half measures. The rich aroma wafting from the live cooking stations and the sight of their expansive range of desserts, as soon as you make your way to the bottom of the staircase, is enough to whet your appetite.
While the hotel offers indoor and outdoor seating, given the windy day we were experiencing, we opted for a comfortable indoor table facing the bay. Once we had made ourselves comfortable, we scoured the countless stations that were available which included a wok, salad, carvery, seafood, Indian, Tandoori, pizza, and cheese and pastry stations.
With the incredible selection of dishes, it might be hard for most people to know where to start, but for us it was easy – carvery. The chefs pull out all stops when expertly roasting, braising and broiling some of the most premium cuts of meat. We plated up a carnivore’s dream with generous slices of Roasted Lamb Leg, Slow Roasted Beef Brisket, Roasted Rump and Barbecued Short Ribs – all adorned with potatoes, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and spoonfuls of their sensational sauces which are made from scratch in-house.
The meats were cooked to perfection – juicy, tender and bursting with flavour. While each cut was perfect, what we found truly divine was the Barbecued Short Ribs which were melt-in-the-mouth tender and bursting with flavour; you could easily pull them apart with just your fork!
What drew our attention next was their variety of Asian cuisine – freshly steamed dumplings, Baos and a wok station too. What makes their wok station incomparable is the sheer variety of ingredients that you can choose from including a welcome sight for vegetarians with snow peas, broccoli, mushrooms, bok choy, spring onions, bell peppers and more.
We opted for seafood udon noodles with prawns, mussels, calamari and a generous serving of vegetables. The udon is prepared to order by the chefs with your selection of fresh ingredients and a rich, flavourful broth before being served at your table.
Nothing says “luxury” like a magnificent spread of seafood in an opulent location. The seafood station at the Bahrain Bay Kitchen was laden with a bounty of premium seafood. This included poached Omani lobster tails, prawns, crabs, calamari and mussels, aside from sushi and a variety of fresh ceviche.
For those of you that love oysters, you’ll be pleased to know that they have oyster station where they prep and shuck the oysters right in front of you. We were delighted by the freshness of the seafood and thoroughly enjoyed the delectable mussels, ceviche and more.
It might seem unusual to some of you, but we always leave room for cheese at brunch! The Four Seasons Friday brunch was no exception to this rule for their selection of cheese and accompanying bread, nuts, and fresh and dried fruit are unmatched.
Their carefully curated selection of cheeses includes French Reblochon, Swiss Gruyere, Italian Scarmoza, Italian Pecorino, Spanish Monchego, French Roquefort and Camembert among others.
Our elected crème de la crème of the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay Friday Brunch was, without a fragment of a doubt, the dessert section. Nobody does dessert like the pastry team quite like them, the concept behind their desserts is truly unique – a true joy for anyone with a sweet tooth and a sense of appreciation for detail.
Laid out like a pastry shop, the dessert counters are laden with a selection of meticulously crafted pastries aside from four whole cakes (Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Cake and Japanese Cheesecake) that people can slice into as they please.
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What we truly enjoyed was the exploration of tastes, textures and aesthetics with their delicately crafted pastries. For instance, their stunning Lime and Mint Baba is crafted to look just like a lemon with eye-catching shades of yellow and green. When slicing into it you’ll find a new sense of appreciation for the ingredients and effort gone into it - white chocolate formed the outer shell, while a tangy centre brought forth the distinct flavour of lime and mint.
The Mango and Coconut Torta was shaped just like a real coconut. Slicing through it with a knife is quite an experience, cracking through the chocolate shell to reveal a fresh mango centre and delicious creamy filling. The Cherry Pavlova was delightfully crafted with a crisp meringue, delicious cream and fresh cherries.
With what room we had left, we enjoyed dipping a variety of ingredients into the white and milk chocolate fountains, and helped ourselves to a scoop of the award-winning Florencia ice cream. Other items available include Kunafa, Arabic desserts, fresh fruit, and a range of fresh juices and lemonades. Despite the sheer variety of dessert, we found that not one of them compromised on flavour and was a true delight.
We could go on and on about this brunch experience in particular, but if we have to mention one last thing it would be that it is truly family-friendly with its kids’ corner that includes crafts, games and a selection of kid-friendly food to keep the little ones busy.
Needless to say, brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay has to make its way to the top of your list of ‘Things to do in Bahrain’!