We asked the people of Bahrain about their go-to blogger when looking for a place to fulfil their cravings. Bahrain this Month caught up with the top 10 food bloggers as voted by the public and here is how it went.
Richard Martinez
@richardmartinez.bh
How do you think Richard Martinez fulfils his craving? With a bowl of ‘Pagkaing Pilipino’, which means Filipino Food!
Since he was a kid, Richard had a natural love for food that drove him onto the path of becoming a food blogger.
Richard started his blogging page (Bahrain Good Vibes) in October 2019 and struggled at the start with low engagement. He then set his vlogging career on hold and focused on his full-time job. In 2022, Richard made a return to his dream of being a vlogger and through joining communities and meeting the right people, his trademark “back-to-back-to-back-to-my-vlog “was born. Since then he has always reminded himself to stay motivated and keep pushing to greater heights.
When asked what the most bizarre food he ever tried was, Richard had one word to say: “BALUT”!
Farah Karim Qasim
@thebahrainblog
Farah’s personal favourite is always machboos and finds absolute bliss in anything rice as it’s her go to comfort food.
The love for food and the fact that she likes connecting with people in an enthusiastic manner and sharing her experiences and inspiring people is what got her into being a food blogger.
At the start of her blogging journey, she resorted to talking about her experiences of visits to restaurants which progressed and escalated to motivating her to start trying out new places and food. The main driving factor for Farah was the urge of connecting people to the exploring of new outlets in different locations.
When it comes to trying bizarre foods, Farah has had quite the experience. “I remember having spaghetti made of chocolate,” she explains. “It sounded and looked bizarre but tasted good. Then I had this very unique experience of eating in the dark, where it was pitch black and I had sensory experience with food.”
Hungry Fifi
@hungry_fifi
Fifi’s favourite food is anything with truffles.
She has always had a natural interest in food and went from cooking to trying new restaurants every now and again. This sparked her excitement and led her to an internship at BBC Food after she had completed her university. She then launched her social media handles (Twitter was first) in 2011 and has never looked back since then. Instagram and Facebook followed and then her presence grew to having her own website www.hungryfifi.com in 2021.
As for bizarre foods, she says: “I don’t think I’ve eaten anything that bizarre! But I do adore anything raw, including meat, eggs and fish. I guess some people might find that bizarre”.
Golden Fork
@lady_with_a_golden_fork
When it comes to picking her favourite food, Golden Fork had a difficult decision to make as she is a fan of some of the most popular dishes in the world, such as sushi, medium-well beef steak, biryani and pizza.
The love for exploring and trying new food is what set Golden Fork on the journey and after four years of posting food pictures on her personal page she discovered the blogger in herself.
She has been a food blogger for three years now and has loved every single part of the journey.
The most bizarre food that she has had is pizza with dates and shark fin soup.
Qadisa
@exploring_bh
Qadisa would have Biryani any day above anything else.
Her desire to always try different cuisines and explore all the flavours of the world got her on this exciting and tasteful journey of being a food blogger, starting back in 2013.
The most bizarre food Qadisa has ever tried is something that we all will question: fried cow brain.
Bilal Kazi
@bilalkazi.bh
Bilal Kazi’s heart lies with Mexican and Indian cuisines, as their rich flavours, diverse ingredients and aromatic spices captivate the taste buds every time.
After completing his Bachelor’s degree in hotel management and discovering an undeniable love for food, he decided to become a food blogger and share his passion for it with others.
Bilal started his journey to being a food blogger in 2013 with the eagerness to share his adventures and celebrate his love for all things culinary.
The most unusual food combination that Bilal has had is cola with fries. Although it is strange, he says that the contrasting flavours and textures create a surprisingly enjoyable experience.
The Food Menu by Zainab Akbar
@thefoodmenu.bh
Her love for authentic food is unmatched; getting to know the roots of a cuisine and embracing the authenticity of a dish is what makes Japanese food Zainab’s favourite. Besides that she also enjoys Lebanese cuisine from time to time for its variety and colour.
Zainab’s undying love for food is what led to her being a food blogger.
Zainab initially began her career with blogs in 2005 on various websites, and with the rise of social media and the demand for images and shorter reviews, she launched her Instagram in 2015.
Although now being adopted into many restaurants’ menus, snails is the most bizarre food item that Zainab has ever tried.
Aysha Sarwani
Foodaholics (foodaholics_bahrain)
Aysha Sarwani loves herself some mixed sauce pasta with extra cheese on it and, of course, chocolate.
Her relentless passion for food and being enthusiastic in exploring new flavours is what got her into the realm of food blogging. She started off sharing her opinions with family and friends and that’s where it escalated to a social media account for thousands to experience.
Aysha began her blogging journey back in 2019 in Oman and stopped due to COVID -19. She then reignited her career at the end of 2020 in Bahrain.
We have all had bizarre experiences with food but Aysha’s was one to remember. She reminsices: “I remember I had some mixed seafood from a highly-regarded restaurant. The taste was okay-ish but on that night I vomited and got sick. It turned out to be a nightmare and it has been two years, and I have never touched seafood again.”
Bahrain Food and lifestyle Reena Saeed (@bahrainsfood_lifestyle)
When it comes to having a favourite food, Reena would pick Chinese any day.
Trying out different outlets and cuisines was a passion which led to her posting dining experiences and after the positive feedback she embarked on her journey as a food and lifestyle blogger.
Reena started her account 2020 and her focus was to always build a genuine audience of people who loved food and enjoyed her content; the idea of taking it slow and progressing at a steady pace didn’t bother her as long as she was doing what she loved most.
In her time as a food blogger Reena has been fortunate to never have come across anything bizarre.
SHAIKA
@shaika011
Shaika would prefer grills and burgers any day as it is one of her favourite foods.
Shaika enjoys exploring different kinds of food and cuisine, and wanted people to be aware of the different cuisines in Bahrain, which drove her into the world of food blogging.
Shaika started her journey into food blogging in February 2011 and has not looked back since then.
Vine Leaves are one of the most bizarre foods she has tried.
