A disappointing trip to Villa Mama's

 Villa Mamas - Saar

Yesterday we decided to go to Villa Mamas! We gave it a chance although we weren't very creative with our choices.

The place is room feels cozy giving off an impression of a clean cottage house in the European country side, although the first impression I got from reading about it was it revolving around Bahraini tradition.

The service was definitely off and below expectations. There wasn't anyone to greet us and take us to a table when entering the door. The place was packed on a weekend during lunch, however that does not justify it. When seated, and upon ordering, the waitress appeared to look glum and unhappy. There usually are empty plates on the table, and when we were served the food, we happily lifted them so that the servers can place the plates with food however they just LEFT us there holding the plates. We had to actually tell them to take the empty plates. Every time we asked for condiments, it looked as though it was a dreadful task for the waiters as they simply left it at our table and left without looking at us. Through the duration of the meal, we noticed that the head chef or owner, whomever it may be, was taking rounds around tables but ignored us. This is not an issue at all as I don't believe it is necessary but taking into account the service that we had, it only made things seem worse.

The place was beautiful, I liked that it was quite far than the usual 338 area. Our food were good but did not have anything special in them. My jog buddy and I ordered what I believe was some sort of cheese dish called Penne Mountain that had spinach and bechamel cheese while I wasn't adventurous at all and went for the creamy delight chicken. I don't think that the prices were worth it at all, and seems to be a bit exaggerated for the type of food they offer.

We had a side of fries just for the buds and my most exciting for that morning was the lemon juice. It was just amazing.

 
The total bill came to 20 dinars almost equally shared among our meals. You can find their menu at this link. I'm not saying this place sucks but that I haven't found something that I liked however others might find joy in the dishes served. I'll probably not come again as there wasn't anything there that compelled me to stay.

Greatest brownies ever made

I'm a fan of many DIY things, from deodorants, fixing car dents, to baking goodies .. no, I just mean food ..

So one field that I am focusing on is finding the right brownie recipe online, and oh yes I did. I've made them two days in a row and can't be any happier. I would like to attribute thanks to this website: AllRecipes

If you compare this to the website, I only changed the sugar measure, added coffee and removed the peanuts. And yes, added the sauce. The sauce is my mothers secret recipe to everything sweet and deadly, ever since I was a kid. Or at least part of what I think my mom's recipe is. (Hint: I don't imitate her cooking too well ..)

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup white sugar
2. 1/4 cup vegetable oil
3. 2 eggs
4. 2 tsps vanilla extract
5. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6. 1/2 tsp baking powder
7. 1/4 tsp salt
8. 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or bar
9. Coffee option: 2 -3 tbsp coffee, 1 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp hot water, all mixed in a cup
10. Optional: white chocolate chips

Sauce:

• 1 can of condensed milk
• 2-3 tbsp butter
• 3-4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder or bar (up to you)

Directions:
Preheat oven, oil a 4x12 in. baking pan.

Mix everything from 1 - 8 in a bowl. Then you can mix in the coffee if you want to. Later spread it onto the pan, leaving some left in the bowl. Then sprinkle the optional chips and cover it with a thin layer of the brownie mix.

Pop that thang into the oven! at say 350-ish, medium heat. Let's say check on it in 20 minutes.

While waiting, get a sauce pan or anything that you would make sauce in. Low fire, throw in the butter. Once melted, pour the condensed milk. once slightly mixed, throw in the powder. Some of you might experience that the powder does not mix well. That's okay. All you need to do is keep mixing for 10 or more minutes. Change the fire to medium but you'll have to constantly stir it. Once you're satisfied with the thickness, switch off the fire, keep stirring for a bit then dip your finger into that sinful bowl of happiness to steal a taste.

Once the brownie is done, let it cool down then pour the sauce over it, let it cool again. In 20 minutes, you'll have the best time of your life! Cheers!

Here are some pictures for the eyes on your tongue.

The right hint of Thailand - Vegetarian

Thailand Restaurant - Adliya 338

Today we had an amazing lunch. My non-blogging buddy and I have started this exercise regimen to keep up with our eating lifestyle and decided that today we'd reward ourselves.

It was decided to go to Thailand restaurant for lunch, which I've only visited once or twice in the past with barely any memory of taste. Today's selection were vegetarian and did not give into any disappointment. Instead of the tables that were in the common area, we decided to take an intimate room that had around 3 tables. It was very pretty and gave people some privacy. It felt great as I normally prefer to cross my legs and the table option allowed for it with some space below to allow your legs to dangle.

The service was not too bad however there was a moment when we only managed to call someone after maybe 3 bell rings. The food however was delish. My default for Thai food would always be red curry fish with coconut milk however this time we had veggie green coconut milk mildly spicy, which emphasized on the coconut milk. The fried tofu was a good addition and the soup mixed with the garlic rice just right. 

I actually forgot to mention that we started off with spring roll and thai toast appetizers. The spring rolls had clear thin noodles that played around with the texture and the toast were perfect to balance out strong flavors of the main dishes.

The final dish was the pad thai which also exceeded my expectations. When I normally have pad thai, it always feels dry and has this bitter taste however this was contrary to it. It may possibly not be authentic but I guess that all depends on individual preference.

The food was washed away with a glass of rose house wine that is sweet and not too bitter although I would have preferred to have Thai Ice tea with the food.

The food we had was good for three people. Definitely worth another visit.

Address: Villa 7, Osama Bin Zaid Avenue, Manama
Cuisine: Thai
Contact: +973-1771 7040
Website: http://thailandrestaurant.org/

Date of Visit: Saturday, April 11 2015 at 2:30pm

1 Fried Spring Rolls (2.5)

1 Veg Thai Toast (2.5)

2 House wine Rose (3.4)

1 Garlic Rice Small (2.5)

1 Green Veg Curry Small (3.9)

1 Pad Thai Veg Small (3.2)

Service Charge 12%

Tax 5%

Thailand Restaurant received an OFS of 4.1!

Tom Yum at Yum yum

Pad Thai (Yum Yum Tree) - Tubli

Me and my buddy usually jog behind Tubli Mc's and always pass by this restaurant. There are times when cravings just overcome you and you just have to eat. So for this day, we had a little treat after our hard calorie-burning regimen. I ordered myself a tom yum soup while my buddy got herself some curry.

The tom yum was actually delish, with a hint of salt burn to the heart. Although it was salty, I really did enjoy it. It was different from the soups you get at Thai restaurants and probably very far from being authentic. It costed BD 2 for vegetarian I think.

I actually had to wait quite a long time for the food to come. The only thing besides the waiting that annoyed me were the herbs they put in which were sharp. I don't know what they called them but it interrupted my bliss moment every few minutes. Otherwise, it's something good whenever you crave for salty food. I would only go there maybe once a year.

Address: Tubli
Telephone: +(973) 17874300

This restaurant, which name is unconfirmed, gets 3!

Scrumpalicious Persian

Isfahani - Juffair

 

I had amazing Irani food with my granny. This is the first time I go to Isfahani as it never much appealed to me. I'm not an expert in this cuisine or even middle eastern but I can tell you I had the BEST chicken kebab ever! It tasted not too soft and not too hard, and the infusion of flavors which are not really flavors but the actual flavor of chicken kebab. RIP English descriptioning. It's called Chichen Juja Kebab and I opted for Saffron rice. Delish!

My granny is on a mission to find the perfect Aash but she appears to be slightly disappointed. The place is nice, the service is average and meaty food I assume are the best.

Towards the end, eyes over tummy, we ordered fellouda Iranian ice cream and it was interesting. The shavings felt milky and icy altogether and it came with a lemony and cherry flavored syrups which you could pour over.

 

All in all, its a place I would go buy. The prices are worth its value and with the few people going in during the times I coincidently pass by Juffair, it would be a nice place to relax.

We also had complementary soup, we ordered some drinks and mutabel with their delicious bread for starters.
 

Prices:

Mutabel -1.00
Ash - 1.40
Isfahani Juja Kebab - 3.20
Saffron rice
Chellow Kebab - 3.00
White rice
2 Fresh mango juice - 3.00
Soft drink - .40
Felouda Iranian icecream - 1.2

Total - 13.20

All You can eat Thai and Chinese for BD 8

Shada Restaurant Stylish Thai & Chinese Cuisine - Zinj

I visited this restaurant a while ago and did not opt for the buffet. This time in a moment of spontaneity and a push from the waitresses, we decided to go for the buffet. In excitement, we jumped up and went straight to the table. However, it did not exactly meet my expectations. I think the buffet was a mix of Chinese and Thai. It was much more fried and oily and I wasn't able to find anything that had coconut milk.

However, the food was satisfactory, it's great for sea food lovers as the floor is open to prawns, crab and fish. They even had sushi, which I do not eat.

The buffet is available every Monday and Friday for dinner. It comes with one drink of soft drink.

Address: Nasser Plaza, 67D - Alqadisa Avenue, Zenj
Telephone: 17721155

Yummy not so yummy Thai - Salt to my Heart

Muay Thai - Juffair

While trying to decide what restaurant to go to, we stumbled across this little place in one of those turns from the American alley. We were debating on unfounded reasons as to whether we should go in or not but the cheap menu prices immediately convinced us that it might be a good idea.

The food was not exactly satisfying, and the servings too small for people like us. You get what you pay for so in that regards, I refrain from complaining. We ordered a set, an appetizer and a dish thinking it would satisfy us but it was just average. The taste of fast food service definitely lingered on our tongues and some of the dishes were too salty.




The interior was similar to Magic Wok, the little Chinese fast food place in the alley. It had those wobbly tables and unsanitary looking chairs that made you hesitant to sit on.

But it was a good experience. It may have been my first time experiencing such a hardcore fast food vibed Thai restaurant. I think the friend rice was not too bad and the veggie parts are always a delight.

Fried Rice + Fried Wonton + water = 2.8
Fish Cake = 1.9
Chinese Kale spicy = 2.4

Muay Thai gets a rating of 3.1!

One set of Traditional Bahraini please!

Saffron by Jena Bakery, Al Qassriyah, Muharraq

Arabic: Zaafaran

I once read in one of those airplane magazines that there was an old Bahraini house somewhere in Muharraq that was transformed into a restaurant that served traditional Bahraini food while retaining its old structure with glass floors. I first thought that there must have been a mistake or that the magazine is too old because I've never heard of this place from people before. Over the course of time, maybe even a year later I started hearing people speak of a place called Zaafaran. I decided to give this a try and asked people for directions with very little success. My blogging friend's dad however has an idea of where this place was. We followed the signs that led to qassriya market and fortunately took the right turn. We missed the restaurant on the first try but later noticed it on our right side. Parking is terrible on normal days but there are times when you are blessed with tremendous luck and a parking spot right by would open up.

Let's get back to the restaurant. According to my what I was told, Saffron (the official name in English) serves Bahraini traditional food, some papa roti bread I think and a few deserts. They also informed me that they serve Biryani chicken with rice for lunch. Although the selection is quite limited, I believe the lightness, simplicity and environment is what attracts its customers back again.

The interior is clearly refurbished, with decors depicting traditional times. The decor items are much like those in my memory as a child at my grandma's house (they are now replaced with items from Lifestyle). They tried their best to show the flooring by placing a glass floor.

The space is cozy, the tables are not too far spaced and you can have people from two to a small family of six share a table. The glass floors even has as a table on it.

The place doesn't have a menu, so you should already know what you want. It's either one-two-etc set(s) of breakfast, some roti, desserts or whatever drinks you want. They have fresh juices and karak tea. 

We opted for one set of breakfast which costed around BD 6. The set included four small servings of two types of foul (beans), scrambled eggs with tomato and hummus beans. The set comes with a basket of plain bread (khubbuz) and zaatar (oregano) flavored bread. There is also a plate of four small buns which are either filled with cheese/pineapple sort of flavored (or something similar) or falafel. They also give you a small bowl of balaleet with eggs.

The food was delish. Although you could easily whip this up at home from canned products, the eggs especially had a hint of something I can't put my finger on. It was light and flavorful. I believe that a set could satisfy even three people.

Finally, you wash away the food with a shot of saffron - Bottoms up!

All in all, Saffron is a great place to visit to lighten the mood on a weekend morning. It's a place I'd like to walk to as a change of atmosphere. Muharraq is a nice place to go to, and this is a good reason if you don't live there.

Saffron gets an OFS of 4!

Good Affordable Thai food in Budaiya

Lana Thai - Budaiya

So my blogging partner told me about this place she saw at the side of the main Budaiya road called Lana Thai and we thought of giving it a try since we don't normally hang at Budaiya. The road was not too easy to get too, or it could be we just didn't know the main way of getting there. Instead of parking at the paved parking closer to Lana's entrance, we brilliantly (sarcasm) drove over the rocky road towards the front-side of the restaurant.

The inside was quiet and cozy. I can't quite remember when we went here but it must have been a weekend night. You walk across a bar area and into another room with tables and spaces below to dangle your legs.

We ordered very little probably because we were full for something, or just broke. We chose a mixed vegetarian dish, some sort of chicken with soy sauce and flat won ton. My vague description is due to the fact that I'm writing this after a year. I barely remember the names but I definitely remember that the food were not too warm, they were affordable and the taste was worth a second visit.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LANNA.THAI.RESTAURANT2014
Address: Budaiya Highway, Jannusan 504
Telephone: 1759 3940

Lana Thai gets 3.6!

Unwinding after work at the Dome

Dome - Juffair

This fine afternoon, we decided to unwind at the Dome in Juffair, a little before the American base. We've been craving to eat their food since the last time we visited. Again, like Vapiano, we forgot take pictures and were able to catch a half-eaten meal and no carrot cake at all.

The place is very pretty. There's some sort of classic diner music that's played outside right before you enter the front doors, you can actually hear it while just passing by the place on the outside. The interior gives you this fast-comfy feel and their couches are to die for. We usually sit on the top floor because you get to sit by these full length windows and watch the American Alley where you can poke fun at a couple of funny characters. The place overall has dim lighting unless you're sitting upstairs by the open windows, and almost the entire area is brown to give you this classic vintage feel.

The menu will drive you crazy. I'm gonna take a wild unsupported guess and say that the food tastes as good as the pictures. Their selection is great, a lot of choices and a lot of flavors. Definitely a place for breakfast and good coffee. Otherwise they have a great variety of pasta, burgers, desserts, sandwiches ....

*sadly we lost the pictures...*

We decided for today to share a meal, Chicken Piccata. In our hurry, we forgot to take a picture before we began but what we have will give you an idea. The rice is sort of in the middle between risotto and normal rice, without any moistness to it. The chicken was actually not too bad, and had a flavorful mix of spice to it. The portion is not too bad. It's not significant but is enough for one person. It seems like a lot because the plate is the size of your face and most of it is covered with veggy leaves (decorations, I assume).

You take a bite, savor it a bit, a second and then you say ... hmmm not bad. That's how it was.

And the carrot cake ... oh the carrot cake.

Chicken Piccata (yellow rice) 3.9
Baby Cino 0.3
Carrot Cake 2.0

Baby cino is like a mini version of over-sweetened cappuccino, or simply a Milo rip off, as my colleaguepointed out to (the rip off was my addition).

I don't think Dome is too overpriced. They're very reasonable, their venue is crazy comfortable, and the view is not too bad. They get an OFS of 4.14, booyah!

My step-by-step guide to making BokChoy!

Just so we have something close to home, here is a recipe (influence by an online recipe) that I use every time I make Bokchoy. This is for all the Bokchoy fans out there, this is for you ...

I usually make some when I want to have it along with a meal. One head is too little but it depends on the portion you want. Follow me through these wonderfully illustrated pictures of how-to-bokchoy.

So here, I call this one head of (fake) bokchoy. Oh so sorry. Sometimes when I don't have moneys I buy this identity-stealing bokchoy-lookalike veggie, I remember the lady referred to it as Pedchai. You can find the real ones at Rachanee in Adliya, it's a Thai supermarket close to AlJazeera, and sometimes they have them at Lulu, sometimes. Otherwise the substitutes are widely available everywhere.

Make sure you clean it, and separate the whites and greens. I usually cut each in half again, unless you like it really choppy or in wholes.



Also make sure you get a clove or half a clove of garlic, chopped and ready.

What I usually do is place two spoons of oil in the heated pan. Then I fry the garlic pieces for a while just to get them soft but not at all burned. I will later throw in the whites and stir for a while. I'll give it a minute and then mix in the greens.

Once the greens are moistened by the oil, which is another minute or half a minute, I'll put in two tablespoons of oyster sauce (just for measure). I'll mix it real fast and then put it less than quarter a cup of water. 

They should be mixed well then covered and left until the liquid looks like sauce.

And this is the final product. Yum.