Restaurant Review: Vapiano

I firmly believe that for any relationship to work, you have to give each other room. Take my kitchen and I for example. Life long companions though we may be, I insist on some space from it at least once a week so when I go back to that sink full of used vessels, I don’t do it too  grudgingly. That’s why we ended up having dinner at Vapiano in Bahrain City Centre on Saturday.

The Italian cafe and restaurant has a way of beckoning unsuspecting happy shoppers in by offering a tantalizing view of their kitchen as you walk by. The seating is very casual with long high benches and low benches around tables with bottles of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and potted herbs. There is also a small area with deep red couches that is almost always occupied.

I only wish that the oils and herb station was not fixed in the middle of the table, it’s difficult to maneuver around when you want to share dishes.

The casual atmosphere extends not just to the seating but to the ordering as well – it’s self-service.

Upon arrival, diners are given a Vapiano card which, thanks to the magic of technology, records your bill as you order your pasta or pizza or salad at the different stations. Once they’re ready, you’ll have to pick the dishes up and take it to your table yourself.

We ordered a chicken Alfredo pasta and about ten minutes later a chef called out our order. Served in a pristine white bowl, it tasted as good as it looked The sauce didn’t drown the pasta but instead offered a touch of creamy garlic-y goodness as I bit into the homemade penne pasta or small pieces of tender chicken breast or mushroom.

We also ordered a pizza; capriciossa and were given a buzzer so that we could relax until it told us our pizza was ready because it takes a little longer than the pasta to prepare.

There’s nothing as satisfying as seeing a thin crust pizza appear on your table (courtesy of the husband) with cheese so hot it’s almost bubbling. With great haste I finished the pasta that was on my plate and then…cheese – mmmm! Beef ham – so delicious! Mushrooms – yum! Artichoke – why isn’t there more? Red olives – wait a minute, what are you doing here? Normally, the pizza is topped with black olives which compliment the other flavours very well. These olives however, provided nothing but a sharp pickled sting every time I bit into them. I ended up picking them out of the remaining slices and we felt that the pizza was much better for it.

All in all, it was a good meal even if the pizza was not entirely to my taste.

I find that Vapiano is a great stop after a long afternoon or evening of shopping. It’s like an up-scale food court dining experience (with the self-service and the fact that it isn’t too harsh on the pocket) except – the food is usually very delicious and the ambiance is wonderful.

My rating: 4/5

(I’m hoping to learn how to take better pictures of all the platefuls of deliciousness I see…am open to suggestions!)

Restaurant Review: Le Pain Quotidien

The Avenues Mall has finally opened in Bahrain and I now understand why it’s almost a tourist spot in nearby Kuwait. When you walk into the mall, you some how forget that’s where you are instead, your eyes and mind trick you into believing you’re walking down a bustling market lane with shops and interesting eateries every which way you look. The fact that it has a beautiful promenade by the water is a wonderful plus but, this is not a review of the mall, it’s a review of Le Pain Quotidien, or LPQ as it is commonly known to us non-French speaking folk.

A couple of days ago, I ended up having both breakfast and dinner at LPQ and was happy both times.

In the morning, I met up with some friends and we thought we would check out the new Starbucks in the mall. It’s supposed to be one of the best in the world. Not one of us were impressed. So, we backtracked to the rustic looking LPQ we had seen on the way there.

When you walk in, you are greeted by their very courteous staff and while you follow them to your table – either indoors or out – delicious looking bakes and pastries (think scones, muffins, cookies, cakes and tarts) are displayed very elegantly behind clear glass. You also see shelf after shelf of organic honey, jams, preserves and spreads which they sell to customers.

We ordered almond croissants, a raisin roll and bread and hummus to eat. We also ordered cappuccinos, hot chocolate and Moroccan mint tea to drink. The eats and drinks were fresh and tasty but not spectacular. However, the beverages are served in little bowls instead of mugs or cups. Although I was not very impressed in the beginning, I found that there was something strangely warm and comforting in holding a steaming cup of chocolate milk (or coffee or tea) to my lips to take a sip. The only draw back – since it is a wide-mouthed bowl, the drinks became cold very quickly.

Later that night, the husband, daughter and I decided to go to the mall again, and thanks to my marketing of the place, the husband insisted we stop by LPQ for a quick snack (which turned into dinner because they are quite generous with their portions). Their soup of the day was mushroom and their quiche of the day was chicken and leek. We ordered one of each and waited for about fifteen minutes before our order was served.

The soup was everything you could want from a mushroom soup. Thick, glossy, rich and earthy I would go back again and again if only to drink that soup during the winter months ahead. The quiche was also tasty, served with a side of roasted potatoes and a light salad. However, I found the flavour of the leeks was rather overpowering and I did not enjoy the quiche as much as I did the soup. The one thing missing in the menu is choice for vegetarians. Almost all their dishes have eggs or meat in them and so, if you’re a vegetarian, LPQ might not make it to your list of favourites.

It is not the cheapest place in Bahrain serving this cuisine. But, the ambience is rather special and all their ingredients are organic.

If you’re making a trip to the Avenues, stop and give it a try. I doubt you will be disappointed.

My rating: 4/5

Great things really do come in small packages!

When I received my sample of Ambi Pur’s latest product and addition to their already large range of air fresheners, their mini vent clips, I was really excited to see if it would deliver all that it promised it would. Fortunately for me, I was not in the least disappointed!

I ordered the Light Citrus, but you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to types. These convenient air purifiers have a variety of fragrances (Apart from the light citrus, they have New Zealand springs, lavender comfort, sky breeze and Thai dragon fruit) Unlike a lot of other air fresheners, the fragrance of the Ambi Pur’s product is not only very pleasant but light on the nose too.

Light Citrus blowing through the air conditioner vent

For me, one of the best features of these tiny wonders is that they make the air fresh and then continue to keep the air fresh for an extended period of time, unlike a lot of other products in the same category where the effect is felt in one short burst of smell and then just disappears altogether. Also, I’ve found that what makes this different from other air fresheners, is that there are no aerosol type minute particles that float through the confined space of the car and cause me to develop an allergic reaction and have an annoying bout of sneezing.

Sturdy little clips

These air purifiers come with sturdy clips (see image above) at the back of the product and can be attached to any of the air conditioner vents of the car with the greatest ease. Thanks to the same, I could make adjustments to the direction of the vents (up or down) whenever I pleased, without fear of dislodging the purifier and then engaging in a mad hunt for it in the uncomfortably cramped space between the seat and the dashboard.

I love the fact that they also come pre-fitted with a control mechanism (see image below) so you can adjust the level of fragrance that hits you. This nice little feature is a great addition to an already wonderful product because depending on the preference of the people in the car, I can either leave it on or turn it off or have it give out a lesser degree of fragrance without even moving it from its place on the air conditioner vent.

The white control mechanism – currently in on mode

Finally, even though I didn’t think it by simply looking at the size, after using it, I’ve realized that just one will suffice for even a large car and it will easily last for about forty-five days even if the air conditioner in the car is used for about an hour and a half each day. That is saying something because, most other products in the same range last for half that time.

Small though they are, they are worth their cost because one of these little things keeps the car smelling wonderfully clean and in this extremely polluted world, it has me waiting to run back to the car for a breath of pure paradise because there is nothing fresher that could make me happier in my car than my Ambi Pur mini vent clip!

Cost: 3.5/5

Durability (of the device): 5/5

Design: 4/5

Longevity (of fragrance): 5/5

Fragrance (quality and variety): 4.5/5

Overall: 4.5/5

******

This is part of a #FRESHNHAPPY campaign hosted by Indiblogger for Ambi Pur.

Book Review: The Namesake – Jhumpa Lahiri

Jhumpa Lahiri‘s first novel, The Namesake, is a story of many things. It is about a Bengali boy who grows up in America. It is about the struggles of trying to keep your cultural heritage alive while learning the traditions of a whole different race. It is about choices. It is about family. It is about finding your identity. 

Ashima and Ashoke are a Bengali couple who have left all they love behind to make the move to America in the hope of a better life. With impeccable attention to detail, Lahiri narrates all the effort involved in adapting to a world so different from all they have known. Brilliantly, she also manages to map the internal struggles of Gogol Ganguli, Ashima and Ashoke’s first-born who is not Bengali and not quite American either…

As you turn pages of the book, you get more and more involved in the lives of the Ganguli’s and feel their sorrows and joys. You start to identify with their problems and connect with the reasons behind their choices. Lahiri is a wonderful story-teller and in an almost magical way, she gets the reader to fall in love with the characters and root for them.

The Namesake has something in it for everyone and is an absolutely worthy addition to any bookshelf. A true delight to read.