Restaurant Review: Royal Thai, Gulf Hotel, Bahrain
- Lifestyles
- Travel & Leisure
- Restaurant Reviews
Author: Kyle Pakka
Released 12 July 2005
A visit to the Royal Thai restaurant at the Gulf Hotel in Bahrain is like a trip to another world, a spicy tropical world. To reach the restaurant, you exit the back side of the hotel, an experience akin to stepping into the transporter from the Star Trek series.
When you step outside, you are faced with an expansive vista composed of several layers. The top layer is the neon-capped rooftops of the Manama skyline. The middle layer is the tiered roof of the Royal Thai, built in the style of a wihaan, the main sanctuary for a temple’s Buddha sculpture. The bottom layer of the view is the lush tropical foliage of the hotel’s gardens, and the turquoise waters of the rock-grotto swimming pool. The setting cuts off the outside world and welcomes you into an exotic tropical seclusion.
The restaurant is set low in the gardens, below the skyline view, further enhancing the tropical getaway atmosphere. Large windows look out into the jade-green grounds, with glimpses of the sapphire waters of the pool peeking between the fronds and branches.
Inside, guests are greeted by a pair of wooden elephants, enticing spicy aromas from the kitchen, and a wâi, the traditional Thai greeting, from the welcoming staff. Also greeting guests is a smiling Buddha, staff in hand. This is a “walking Buddha,” one of the postures that depict different periods in the Buddha’s life, in this case, after his return to Earth from heaven.
The interior of the restaurant showcases the designer’s attention to recreating an authentic Thai experience, from the teak wall panels to the hand-painted murals in the booths reminiscent of the murals in Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, whose famous murals depict scenes from the Ramakian, the Thai version of the Indian Ramayana epic: gods and demons battle it out in stunning Southeast Asian landscapes of mountains and rain forests.
On our way to our table, we noticed that the interior doorways are flecked with squares of gold foil, like the offerings left on temples and Buddhas in Thailand. Colorful parasols and beautiful indoor plants soften and break up the open floor plan, with its central raised wooden platform enclosed by wooden rails. There are also a pair of private dining areas that can be combined into one larger room, the walls of which also feature more of the amazing murals.
The recessed lighting and the soft Oriental music create a tranquil mood, and the soaring teak ceiling helps dispense sound. In a city where most restaurants have a high noise level, the Royal Thai, despite being filled to near capacity, is perhaps the quietest place we’ve visited.
There are fresh flowers on every table, and the places are set with gorgeous big plates, imported from Thailand, with blue, gold and red hand-painted rims. Candles flicker from every table, and lights in the gardens splash golden light over the lush landscape outside. The attentive and gracious wait staff are outfitted in formal Thai dress, the women in colorful silks.
With such attention to detail on the décor, we hoped the same level of care has been lavished on the food, and we were not disappointed. The menu is long, but not distressingly so, and concentrates on seafood. For diners worried about scorching their tongues, every dish can be prepared at one of three heat levels, from mild to spicy. Set menus are also provided, for two, four or six people, taking the stress out of having to choose from so many tempting dishes.
There are ten appetizers on offer, plus five kinds of soup and six salads, including papaya salad and marinated grilled eggplant with prawns.
Main courses run the Southeast Asia spectrum from yellow, green and red curries to stir fries featuring duck, lamb, beef, chicken and seafood. Specialties feature a variety of succulent sea offerings prepared a variety of ways with different herbs and vegetables. The obvious choice is to select your fish and shellfish from the seafood bar and then select the method of preparation from one of ten ways.
The night we dined, the seafood bar, guarded by lion statues and backed by an enormous aquarium, featured king prawns, soft shell crabs, salmon, pomfret, balamandi, Arabi hamam (yellowtail-kingfish), two-banded sea bream and scyllarid lobsters, also known as om al rubyan or the slipper lobster, a close relative of the rock lobster. The gleaming mound of crushed ice also sported tropical fruits such as mangosteens, mangoes, dragon fruit, carambolas, or star fruit, and lychees.
We start out with the mixed appetizers, a big platter groaning with half of the listed dishes. The deep-fried skewered meat balls are herby and juicy, and the spicy fish cakes reminded us of Rot Neung, the famous fish ball restaurant in Chiang Mai. The cakes were slightly spicy and flavorful, and while fish cakes might not be to everybody’s liking, they are a signature dish of the region and affirmed the Royal Thai’s authenticity.
The appetizers were rounded out by tail-on prawn spring rolls and a flaky and light crumb and prawn patty The standout was minced prawns with spicy herbs on lemon grass skewers. The prawns were tender and sweet, with a strong lemon grass bite.
We shared a bowl of the classic tom yam goong, or hot and sour prawn soup, served piping hot and crowded with fat prawns, mushrooms, and onions. This lived up to its spicy billing with a sinus-clearing broth just below the pain threshold but squarely in the pleasure zone.
We eased our pain with cold Singha beer, but we could have chosen red and white wines from France, Australia, Italy, California, South Africa or Chile, plus rosé from France and Portugal or a variety of sparkling wines. In an especially welcome touch, wine by the glass is poured from a special Napa Valley dispenser that locks out oxygen, preserving the wine’s aroma and taste. There are also tropical cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks, including a green mango shake.
Our taste buds suitably awakened, we tucked into our main dishes with gusto. We shared a pineapple red curry with prawns, pad Thai, and stir fried king prawns with chili and Thai herbs. All our dishes, from appetizers through dessert, were works of art in terms of presentation, with elaborately carved vegetables. Hot dishes were served on platters atop elaborate warming trays, and the side dishes of sauces, particularly the chili-garlic sauce, were delightful.
The red curry was a knockout: sweet and hot, creamy, with chunks of pineapple and big tender prawns. My wife ordered it mild, and it was no less flavorful without the bite of chili.
The king prawns came with baby corn, green peppercorns, hard peas, bell pepper, mushrooms, Thai eggplant, water chestnuts, basil, and chili – a feast on one dish. The prawns were huge and plump, and the sauce was peppery and complex. Soon, a slow low burn made beads of sweat pop out beneath my eyes and gave me a case of the chili sniffles. Diners who enjoy spicy food know the pleasurable pain of which I write.
Somehow we managed to sample the pad Thai, what I call a baseline dish. For example, in order to judge how good a Mexican restaurant is, refried beans are the baseline; for Egyptian food, the fuul will tell you how good the rest of the meal will be. Pad Thai is the fuul of Thailand, and this one, overflowing with tofu, prawns, egg, chicken, sprouts, and other vegetables was excellent, not gummy or gluey, but smooth and tasty, and tart from the lemon juice we squeezed on it.
No matter how sated we were, we had to try the coconut ice cream. The rich, luscious ice cream was topped with caramelized shredded pumpkin , and served with slices of dragon fruit, a white fruit with speckled black seeds, similar to kiwi fruit. The fruit was refreshing and sweet, with a melon-like flavor.
We capped the evening with hot, strong espresso served in beautiful little china cups, with the same hand-painted design on the rim as the plates. The gentle buzz of happy diners, and the swishing sound of silk-suited wait staff surrounded us in a cocoon of pleasure. It was hard to leave.
On the way out, we passed the walking Buddha, and we knew just how he must have felt, returning to Earth from heaven.