Something special for Ramadan. Plus bites from bijou Bahrain.
Dining updates. And private messaging is now enabled on Substack, so feel free to DM for restaurant tips!
Hello much-appreciated new and long-time subscriber community :) If you’ve recently joined me here on this liberating platform - my current obsession - please scroll to the last section for past newsletters, guides and reviews.
I planned to send out this March newsletter (free to read) earlier this week, until my #ThreeChefsDinner and urgent work stuff hijacked my time. And then we had a rain forecast in the UAE, so I decided to hold off until today, when, as many of you are huddled up at home, you might have more of an appetite to read!
Firstly, the ever-evolving Substack has launched a new snazzy functionality. Private messaging. Paid subscribers can now DM me directly for any restaurant tips or foodie queries (in addition to email).
With Ramadan kicking off next week…
Ramadan Kareem to those observing :) Rest assured, I won’t be recommending any iftars, which simply encourage food wastage. If you want to experience Ramadan out and about, then opt for a Suhoor with its compact à la carte menu. Instead, a couple of timely updates:
On the back of my hugely enjoyable six-month alcohol abstinence journey last year (disclosure: I do cheat every now and again for quality tipples), MMI approached me to knock up a four-part series of alcohol-free cocktails, which we are launching this month over Ramadan. Four drinks across four weeks. My pre-requisite: zero sugar syrup. All will be revealed on the 18th (March) on both Instagram accounts - MMI’s and mine. In the meantime, here’s a promo code for MMI home delivery with a four-hour chilled delivery service. Get 25% discount across all stock on your first online purchase with: MMIFOODIVA25. Cheers :)
If you’re after unusual Ramadan gifts that steer away from conventional dates, these Palestinian foodie hampers from Dubai-based Cypher are my go-to. Their main business is a coffee roastery, but as a tea drinker, I can’t really comment on the beans. However, I swear by their sumac and za’atar, a constant in my pantry. The olive oil harvested by hand from Palestinian farms also gives my Cypriot and Greek liquid gold a run for its money ;)
I’ve been travelling…
I am lucky and grateful to receive invitations every so often for press and industry trips. Mostly I decline, partly because I can’t spare the time - but also because a country’s local dining scene is typically obliterated from itineraries. A missed opportunity. Our neighbour, bijou Bahrain was an exception. Our host, the energetic Italian Susy Massetti is a chef, restaurateur and organic farmer who has made Bahrain her home for the last 15 years. Over a a four-day trip, she showed us a slice of Bahrain that I have never seen before, despite a few visits over the years including with Mr S who used to live there (before we met).
As soon as I cast my eye on the itinerary, I spot the highlight. A brunch feast at Susy’s farm that goes by the name of Roots & Shoots, available for private hire. An oak dining table laden with home-cooked fare by Susy and her two sous chefs. And Taittinger Rosé Champagne. Not everything can be local ;)
Spread over land the size of three football pitches, a few minutes drive from Manama city centre, the farm practises 100 per cent no-till organic, regenerative farming - supplying expats, royal families and restaurants. Vegetables, fruits and eggs aside, Susy’s free-range chickens and goats are much in demand.
She roasted a chicken marinated the night before with Worcestershire sauce and garden herbs. The skin so beautifully crisped, I found myself peeling it off and devouring on its own. Well after demolishing a couple of succulent legs. Hands-down, one of the most delicious roast chickens I’ve eaten in ages. What else was on our table? Shakshouka with runny egg. Chargrilled squash. Heirloom tomatoes of every variety under the (Bahrain) sun. Oven-roasted grapes served with feta. Pickled chillies. Home-made focaccia, sourdough and breakfast pastries from her café. Flank steak, cooked perfectly medium-rare. A cheese board. Smoked salmon, cream cheese and caviar. One of those grazing-style meals, where I wanted the afternoon to extend into evening. But end it did, so we could squeeze in more dining escapades:
Susy operates several establishments in Bahrain including three we visited: L’Orto - a classic Italian restaurant in Adliya, Bahrain’s bohemian neighbourhood where you can easily stroll from one restaurant to another, with many serving booze. Order the chargrilled whole fish of the day (black sea bass in our case) and the lemon tart. Atop sits the speakeasy type bar-lounge, Blu, where a Cuban pianist will serenade you. For a casual breakfast - bright and airy N’Ovo café in Hamala for stuffed pastries, the maqdous eggplant filling in particular.
Naseef is a local institution for traditional dishes like Bahrain tikka lamb marinated in garlic and black limes. Wrap the meat in warm tannour flatbread with leeks, onions, lashings of lemon - and you have the Bahrain version of Peking duck with pancakes ;) Fried safi fish with its potent mackerel-like flavour. Three outposts at Sa’ada seafront, Bab Al Bahrain souk, and Seef Mall.
Fusions by Bahraini chef Tala Bashmi with its string of awards, is a tasting menu concept bringing local and broader Khaleeji flavours to the fore with refined, contemporary cooking. Where possible, Tala tries to source native, revolutionary ingredients, like palm pollen. An 11-dish tasting menu for BD66. One indicator of a strong tasting menu is the skill and creativity of a non-alcoholic pairing - and at BD20, Fusions is exceptional, including an addictive home-made lumee (black lime) soda. The rooftop bar with views of the city is well worthy of an aperitif. All in the old-school, kitsch Gulf Hotel. Tala gifts diners a curated Bahrain guide of 32 go-to spots in the form of a bookmark and QR code, which you can see here.
Bahrain Fort is well worth a visit for a history lesson, as is its charming waterfront café - Green Bar.
This teeny island hosts a mammoth farmers’ market every Saturday that would make Dubai peeps jealous. Sprawled across the grounds of the Ministry of Agriculture in Budaiya. Whilst visitors are unlikely to stock up on fruit and veg - condiments and traditional handicrafts for souvenirs are also on sale.
If you happen to visit before the 20th March, Bahrain Food Festival in the new Emaar-owned Marassi development boasts a myriad of mom and pop food stalls.
Our home away from home? The art-laden boutique hotel and gorgeously renovated all-suite The Merchant House, smack bang in the old town, Bab Al Bahrain. Turns out some of the artwork is by Abbas Almosawi, the uncle of a friend whose painting adorns my living room wall. There’s even a Picasso. Not on my living room wall though. The hotel runs a cute café, Cinnamon in the Souq. Don’t miss the warm, flakey parathas.
Any more Bahraini gems to share?
I’ve been eating…
I continue to visit, as much as possible, Palestinian-owned restaurants. Bait Maryam is always high on my list for all day breakfast. For a change, I opted for a casual mid-week dinner with a friend new to this Dubai stalwart. Two stand-out dishes: fried chicken liver with tangy pomegranate sauce - and hindbeh (dandelion greens) with its bitterness offset by crispy onions.
I picked Chez Wam on St Regis Palm’s rooftop for our post anti-Valentine’s dinner. The terrace is now open for dinner (as well as weekend lunch). Chef Hadrien Villedieu’s fried Camembert, whipped tarama with avocado cream, and the lamb ribs are must-orders.
Sundowner season is in full swing, mandating a visit to Folly’s rooftop followed by dinner. What should you order? Chef Bojan Cirjanic’s starters of Atlantic crab, or pigeon coated in puffed grains - followed by venison saddle.
With a friend keen to visit Bordo Mavi, we returned for an early Sunday dinner, and to a packed restaurant. I ordered different dishes this time that I would highly recommend trying - local red mullet steamed in butter; seabass pomodoro (with tomato sauce and melted kashkaval cheese); and giant clams with garlic, butter and herbs.
I am a breakfast for lunch kind of girl - all thanks to time-restricted eating, something I’ve been dabbling in for years, well before it became a ‘thing’. I just don’t have an appetite in the morning - but I do crave savoury egg-based dishes for weekend lunching. Common Grounds, the latest outpost on Kite Beach, and Home Bakery at D3 tick these boxes with two completely different runny scrambled egg dishes - pictured here below. In fact two visits to Common Grounds over the last month. Both restaurants can be combined with beach strolls or Careem canal biking. Perhaps not today though 🌧️☔️
My go-to delivery for Peking duck with ample pancakes is from Han Cuisine. Must be pre-ordered via phone or Whatsapp 24 hours in advance. Crispy skin and tender meat.
Thanks to this week’s sold-out #ThreeChefsDinner for 100 guests at Mythos City Walk, which you can see in this reel here - a Greek meze feast from host chef Ilias Kokoroskos, Yiannis Katsikas of Kyma, and Tim Newton of Opa.
You may have missed…
My welcome launch newsletter. A special edition newsletter in support of all things Palestinian. Past newsletters: November; December; January; February. And my most recent, an opinion piece on MENA 50 Best Restaurant Awards.
My 2024 guide to Dubai’s top restaurants. A record 45 homegrown concepts. Paid subscribers also receive this as a PDF.
I update My Little Pink Lifestyle Book with new finds every month.
My most recent restaurant review.
A private one-hour Zoom call with me to pick my brains. More info here for F&B industry enquiries - and here for foodie/ diner queries.
Looking for a gift for a foodie friend? Perhaps consider an annual subscription to this newsletter and the added perks. You’ll have my forever love.
A bientôt,
FooDiva. x
Having local 'riyash' lamb chops is essential - Tren Tren do a great version.
It was great watching your stories during the Bahrain trip. Great to see Susy, Tala and the Merchant again. I noted down a few places for our next trip. Cheers for sharing.