03.03.2017 Lunch
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Eat Buffet Lunch (自助午餐)
Pic1&2: Mattar Paneer
Pic3: Machboos Chicken Rice
Pic4: Shish Tawook
Pic5: Shish Tawook w/Macboos Chicken Rice
Thoughts: The Mattar paneer is a vegetarian north Indian dish consisting of peas and paneer (paneer is a type of cheese common in India but kind of taste like tofu) in a tomato based sauce, spiced with masala. Often served with rice or bread. But it was really oily, and I just picked up the peas and (paneer) "tofu" to try it.
Chicken Machboos (Bahraini Spiced Chicken and Rice) is really very Bahraini, it is the National Dish of Bahrain! Coincidentally, this is the last meal at the hotel; must be a nice ending.
Shish taouk is a traditional marinated chicken shish kebab of Middle Eastern cuisine. It is widely eaten in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Israel. A similar dish in Persian cuisine is the traditional jujeh kabab. I think it should go well with Arab Bread and Hummus!
But today's lunch was suppose to be light for me as I already had 2 breakfast in the morning, one at the hotel and the other at the Gahwat Haji (Souq at Manama city).
Flight is still a long way in the evening!
Rating: 3 / 5
03.03.2017 Breakfast
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Eat Buffet Breakfast (自助早餐)
Pic1&2: Beef Arayes
Pic3: Arab Bread w/Hummus
Pic4: Omelette
Thoughts: my trip to Bharain was not a "Great thing" but all "Things" must end soon as this was indeed my last breakfast. Arayes are pita bread sandwiches stuffed with minced meat (beef/lamb), tomato, onion and different spices. It is middle east food, seems to be a Jordanian cuisine. Very crunchy, dry as well and I tried it with hummus which did not work, then i tried to dip to foul madames, work a little better.
I think the hotel these 2 days is quiet, likely the sports group already left. So, it is really quiet in the hotel. I like it this way. No pre-prepared omelettes as one of the chef will cook based on request.
Nice quick breakfast before the guys from Al Ezzel pick me up for some traditional Bahranian breakfast and a walk at the old market at Manama city.
Rating: 3 / 5
02.03.2017 Breakfast
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Eat Buffet Breakfast (自助早餐)
Pic1: Sauteed Mushroom noodles w/Poached egg, sausage on Foul Madames
Pic2: Pastries
Thoughts: It was raining in the morning, rained for a week until the Saturday I arrived at Bahrain. Since then, the sky was clear for 10 days until the morning rain as if saying good bye. Or as if who ever up there understood my feelings this morning, Haiz!
I have had many last days in countless short assignments, it was not easy to settle down and yet time flies and many a times, I get to be attached to little things around me but then time to say goodbye again! Al Safir hotel was good, food here made me gain some weight. I was allowed daily laundry of 3 pcs, so I send for laundry everyday. Even my coat gets twice dry cleaning already!
Rating: 3 / 5
01.03.2017 Dinner
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Eat Buffet Breakfast (自助早餐)
Pic1: Ferfelle w/Tomato Sauce
Pic2: Fold-Papadum
Pic3: Stuffed Fold-Papadum
Pic4: Oriental Fish+Vege on Saudi Bread
Pic5: Beef Halia on Biryani Rice
Thoughts: All food served today tried before except the Fold-Papadum, I guess it will be repeating from now. Today the servings are less and no juices. Because the past week, the hotel was hosting for a big group of athletes and they are serving more choices due to the bigger crowd! (The waiter and captain told me so).
I made a Sandwich using the Oriental Fish, stuffed with Vege and some sweet sauce on the Saudi Bread! Excellent DIY Sandwich!
The Halia Beef, few repeats the past 2 weeks, perhaps last of it from the Kitchen as tomorrow night is my last day and night here at Bahrain!
Putting in quite some weight in 10 days, the food was very good at this hotel, enjoyed all the different kinds of dishes from Europe, Africa, Fast East, Arab, and Indian. Truly a wonderful food experience.
Rating: 3 / 5
01.03.2017 Breakfast
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Eat Buffet Breakfast (自助早餐)
Pic1: Pastries
Pic2: Boiled Eggs
Pic3&4: Upma
Pic5: Vege w/French Toast
Thoughts: I looking forward to try the pastry this morning but there were only 2 choice, one was the croissant and another one picture below. Here, in the morning, they serve boiled egg every morning, on a pan with white stuff (not sure if it is salt, maybe), maybe it keeps the boiled egg warm that way!
But the Upma was interesting, it is Southern Indian dish as a breakfast porridge. It is cooked as a thick porridge from dry roasted semolina or coarse rice flour. There seem to be many variants of Upma cooking, but the one I had was quite spicy!
Rating: 3 / 5
28.02.2017 Dinner
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Eat Buffet Lunch (自助午餐)
Pic1: Chicken Madrooba Rice
Pic2: Oriental Grilled Chicken
Pic3: Dauphinoise Patato w/Green Beans & Italiano Fish
Pic4: Apple Strudle
Thoughts: The Chef said Chicken Madrooba is a Bharaini dish! A little like Biryani Rice, I think! I only tried some of it to get the taste. Next was the Oriental Grilled Chicken, I think the kitchen tried their best on this one! I think during the 10 odd days eating here, besides the Oriental Noodle, now the Oriental Chicken, LOL!
I think that Daupinoise Patalo is a traditional French dish based on Patato (wiki says it is from the historic Dauphiné region in south-east France) and there are many variants of it. The Dauphinois is made with raw potatoes, thinly sliced, and cream, cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic and other (wiki). And it does looke like it and taste pretty good to me.
The Fish is the past week was so so, but today trying the Italiano Fish, I went back for more!
Rating: 3 / 5
27.02.2017 Breakfast
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Eat Buffet Breakfast (自助早餐)
Pic1: Salami w/mixed Omelet on saudi bread
Pic2: Cheese Spring Rolls w/ Foul Madames
Pic3: Pastries
Thoughts: I make may own sandwich again with the mixed omelet, salami, vegetables, cheese, and hummus on the Saudi bread. After several days of trying out the Saudi bread of Tameez (I think), I have to to prefer Tameez over the white bread so far if a choice is given on the choice of bread to use.
On the second picture (where the red/orange stuff with green onions on it) is something called Foul/Ful Madames, dates back from Ancient Egypt. A dish cooked with Fava Beans (Pea family). It's a staple food in Egypt but has become common cuisine in the Middle-Eastern Arab countries as well as African cultures. I do suppose it could go well as a dipping and so tried it with the Cheese Spring Rolls. It seems that the many days here, Ful Madames is a common serving at the Buffet.
Rating: 3 / 5
26.02.2017 Dinner
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Eat Buffet Dinner (自助晚餐)
Pic1: Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Pic2: Beef Stroganoff
Pic3: Pasta Tomato Sauce w/ Dill Patato
Pic4&5: Bamia Salona
Pic 6: Salad with Saudi Bread
Pic 7: Banana Pudding
Thoughts: All these food I am having at Dinner time is putting in a lot of weight. But who cares! I tried everything on the buffet table today, I mean a little bit of everything.
Started with the beautiful creamy roasted pumpkin soup. Oh! the soup went well with the Beef Stroganoff, it really did. And I forgot I should not eat Beef, oh Hell here I go again and again! LOL! Who cares anyway, you only live once. I suppose! Beef Stroganoff, ha! surprisingly is a Russian dish.
Next, I tried their Pasta w/Tomato Sauce & the Dill Patato, didn't know a simple patato can have such a fancy recipe, great taste which I like. That Bamia Salona (Pic 4&5) was definitely something too funky for me, must be an acquired taste. And the Salad choice I selected was so sour that I took a photograph and left the entire plate together with the Saudi bread on the table.
The finale was the banana pudding, finish them all. Those cakes on Pic 7 behind the banana pudding was just for background photograph, never took any of it. LOL!
Crazy adventure of tasting everything in the Buffet menu today! Crazy Frog.
Rating: 3 / 5
26.02.2017 Breakfast (二月初一吃素)
@ Al Safir Hotel, Bahrain (click to Google Map)
Building 670, Road 2411, Block 324، Juffair, Manama 324
Pic1: 菌菇滑蛋 Egg Bhurji
Pic2: 炒蘑菇 Sauteed mushroom
Thoughts: Interesting to learn that Egg Bhurji is a North and Western India and Pakistani dish origin. In my opinion, it is much more exciting than scrambled egg.The difference lies in its preparation and addition of sauteed chopped onions, chilies and optional spices which are then used together with Tomatoes before adding beaten eggs into the pan giving the dish a tangy flavor. I had it together with the Tameez (Saudi) Bread.
Ended the quick breakfast with some sauteed mushrooms before taking an car trip to another of Al Ezzel's Plant which is the Al Dor Power Plant at Jau, Bahrain.
Rating: 3 / 5
