Behnaz Sanjana went on a flavour joyride during a quick pitstop for lunch at Silk’s Restaurant at the Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain.
Just as my fork tapped it, there was an audible ‘crack’ in the thin veil of caramelisation on the roundel of goat’s cheese in my Torched Goat Cheese appetiser. And boy, did that sweet sound make my mouth salivate while seated at Silks at the Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain! Feeding my hungry insides finally made me take notice of the restaurant’s chic ambience. From the skylight-roofed fringe of the restaurant, where we sat, I could appreciate the gold accents on the walls that led the eye to the sophisticated, soft gold chandelier hugging a column, and verdant lawns on the other side.
Ever multitasking, my mind was simultaneously taking note of how the shredded green apple gave the dish well-balanced acidity, doing a great job cutting through the density of the cheese, along with the lettuce, asparagus, fennel and walnuts.
The Home cured Salmon was a pretty sight to behold. A delicate creation with wafer-thin slices of blush pink fish flushed with a deeper hue at the edges, served with rolled cucumber, pickled beets, orange segments, dill and tiny dollops of lemon sauce piped around the plate – none of that overpowering ‘fishiness’ that dampens my appetite.
It being a busy day, we dove into mains without further ado; Chef Domenico Cicchetti’s magnum opus, Wagyu Beef Cheeks. I would be lying if I said I’ve tasted anything like it before. The meat yielded to a mere nudge of my knife and melted like butter on the tongue. The mashed potato with parmesan, parsley and truffle oil, as well as the apple compote and black truffle jus that the meat sat on played stellar supporting roles to the star on the plate.
My vegetarian colleague wasn’t paying much attention to me raving over my lunch, because she was busy chomping down Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant. Garlic-marinated grilled eggplant and zucchini boats ferryied dices of spiced pumpkin, chickpeas and Sicilian caponata moistened with thick yogurt straight into her mouth. She was kind enough to spare me a bite (or three). The generous garnish of flaked almonds gave a complementary crunch.
When Chocolate Cremeux arrived at the table, I thought, well, there’s going to be some chocolate cream within some chocolate sponge. Well, wrong! Velvety cremeaux layered between dark chocolate sponge gave a definite kick of orange to the taste buds. One could see the fluff of tiny air pockets incorporated into its texture. Toasted hazelnut halves and salted caramel ‘ice’ gave the dish added intrigue. Best part, it wasn’t as sweet as such a decadent dessert can get, and I thank Chef Domenico for it. Those who like it slightly more saccharine would thank him for the meringue cigars that rode along with the centrepiece.
I remember feeling wistful at the sound of aircraft taking off in the vicinity just as I approached the Mövenpick’s lobby earlier that afternoon; little did I know that Silk’s Restaurant would take me on a whirlwind culinary journey sitting right here in Bahrain.
