August 2015 143 www.bahrainthismonth.com Having been in Bahrain only three years, I got an intimate glimpse into the island’s social landscape of yesteryear over a cup of coffee in one of the bylanes of Manama Souq. Sitting next to a wall densely covered in old, yellowed pictures, newspaper cuttings and other printed memorabilia of a bygone era, I learned with fascination how this relatively liberal part of the Middle East embraced a variety of cultures and evolved over time; most drastically in the past decade. Not too far away from where I sat, La Taverna restaurant opened in October 1979 in the City Centre Hotel. Italian food was not well known in Bahrain at the time and, being the first Italian restaurant in the Kingdom, it played a major role in introducing the cuisine to the local community. Today, the restaurant has moved to a different venue but it’s managed to preserve that original magic. We went to try out the new version of the eatery, now located at Coral Bay. Andy, the restaurant manager, met us courteously at the entrance and asked if we wanted to sit indoors or on the terrace. The main hall looked charming and warm with its authentic décor, replete with chequered red and white table linen. But the gentle sea breeze was just as inviting and we chose to be outdoors. Mary, our waitress, swiftly produced the menus and helped us choose the starters and drinks. As we sipped on our cocktails, overlooking the waters and twinkling lights of Juffair and Hidd in the distance, we noticed some movement and, after a brief sound check, salsa tunes started playing and a number of people took to the floor, moving along to the flirty music. This was part of La Taverna’s kizomba night and the dancing does get taken quite seriously here. Soon our starters, Funghi De La Taverna, spinach and ricotta filled mushrooms and fried chicken wings arrived. The mushrooms were full of flavour and cooked beautifully and the chicken was too delicious to be eaten with knife and fork. For the main course we let Andy surprise us and he indeed did, with some brilliant preparations. The aromas of my main-course arrived five minutes before the actual dish, which was a beautifully pan-fried sea bass cooked with capers, cherry tomatoes, olives, in lots of olive oil and quite aptly named Filleto Di Cernia Alla Mediterranea. While I drifted away to the sunny shores of the Mediterranean with each mouthful, my partner was busy savouring perhaps the most luxuriously creamy mushroom risotto he’d ever had. By now the music had started to fill the air with more energy, the dancing became zestier, and the sea breeze more seductive. The food continued to indulge our taste buds while the drinks helped with the overall chill. The whole atmosphere felt like a scene plucked from The Rum Diaries or any other such book that chronicles expat life on an island. The restaurant scores big on the food but it’s the whole experience of enjoying it in an inimitable ambience, that makes La Taverna an absolute winner, even today. DINING ALSO THIS MONTH: 146 BIGGER AND BRIGHTER 157 HAPPENINGS NEW ADDRESS FOR AN OLD FRIEND ANKITA MAMGAIN This restaurant brought the joy and wonders of Italian cuisine to Bahrain and has been serving happy dinners since 1979.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==