Understated luxury coupled with culinary excellence were on the menu when Liz O’Reilly visited La Table Krug, at The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain.
With only four outlets worldwide, La Table Krug is a collaboration between superlative chefs and venues and the premium French bubbly brand. So, an invitation to experience its latest menu is always cause for celebration.
We arrived in the early evening and, though the restaurant has only recently reopened after the summer break, I was delighted to see that little has changed. With just 16 seats, the space is intimate, giving the feel of entering the home of European aristocracy. Starched white linens glowed softly under crystal chandeliers while heavy golden-bronze flatware and exquisite Bernardaud Limoges porcelain tableware gave a sense of understated luxury.
Wood-panelled walls, marble flooring and fresh flower displays added to the air of subtle elegance, and Joseph Krug, founder of the famed French beverage house, still looked down sternly from the wall, as if exhorting us to take our culinary experience seriously – we were only too keen to obey.
La Table Krug offers a limited menu of three appetisers, three mains and two desserts alongside a caviar service – various portions of Kaspian Caviar served with sour cream, chives, chopped egg, blinis and potatoes. The caviar was certainly tempting but we were there to check out the menu and quickly placed our orders.
First to arrive at the table was a generous breadbasket featuring fresh sourdough rolls and slices with the earthy taste of cumin accompanied by the most amazing yoghurt butter with dill powder in rosemary oil. The butter was a light and creamy dream, the subtle hint of the aromatic herb drawing me back time and again.
We were treated to two amuse-bouches, each encased in cuplets of crispy phyllo. Tuna tartare was topped with a smooth creamy ring of avocado and caviar for a delightful taste and texture combination. But it was the pairing of light and creamy homemade ricotta with edamame and chopped chives that really excited my palate. The cheese was so airy as to be almost mousse-like, its delicate sweetness perfectly offset by the earthy, crunchy beans.
For her appetiser, my dining companion chose the White Tomato Mousse, a combination of Heirloom tomatoes, produced in partnership with a local farm, and white tomato mousse with zucchini, cucumber, olive tapenade and pickle. The mousse was beautifully delicate, the light, summery scent of the vegetables exciting the taste buds and the almost fluid mousse drawing subtle flavour from the olives and pickle.
I opted for the Scallops Carpaccio – a dish I had spotted on the menu earlier and had been greedily anticipating. The tender flesh of the scallops was lightly briny and slightly sweet, the perfect foil to a topping of saltily popping pearls of trout roe and rich Kaspian caviar. A scattering of peppery baby rocket delightfully offset a yuzu ponzu vinaigrette on a light curd base for a thoroughly satisfying bite.
The 9+ Beef Striploin was the dish my friend had been waiting for. A cut of Westholme Australian Wagyu, fall-off-the-fork tender and fragrantly earthy in flavour served with succulent braised beef cheek in a crunchy rissole accompanied by root vegetables and mashed potato with onion oil topped with crispy fried onions. A deeply luscious truffle gravy, the juices of the meat complementing the richness of the fungi, brought all the elements together in such perfect harmony that our table, momentarily, fell silent.
I was in the mood for oceanic flavours and went for the Black Cod Filet with Kristal caviar, cauliflower and broccolini. The fish was firm and flaky with a rich buttery flavour made all the better by the accompaniment of a white miso and lime foam, poured dramatically at the table by Chef de Cuisine Alexis Knecht. The foam totally elevated the dish both visually and in terms of flavour, imparting a wonderfully satisfying citrus tang that complemented the fish without overpowering.
It was time for sweets and, although replete, we, of course, tried the desserts in the interests of research.
The iced coconut was a theatrical production with a half shell filled with coconut ice cream – very rich and obviously homemade – covering a sweet surprise of multiple chopped fruits including pineapple, passion fruit and mango topped with sweet, slightly chewy tapioca pearls. Served in dry ice, this is definitely one for the Gram, but our photographic colleagues had to hurry as it didn’t last long!
And the Bahraini Lemon was a fluffy, sweet baba topped with citrus gel and compote and a slightly tart yoghurt ice cream which contrasted beautifully with the rich, complex sweet and sour notes of aged balsamic Venturini Baldini – a surprising combination in a marriage of flavours that worked perfectly.
To finish, we tucked into a special little sweet treat from the chef in the shape of fudgy, chewy chocolate rounds and rich, sweet dulce de leche in another of those crispy cups. The perfect end to an exceptional gastronomic adventure.
La Table Krug provided a taste of French cuisine in the heart of Manama. If you haven’t been yet, you’re missing out.
For more information or to make a reservation, please call La Table Krug at The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain on 1758 6499.
@ritzcarltonbahrain