The place and ambience

‘Elegant and modern with a nautical twist’

La Mer seafood restaurant overlooks the Bahrain coastline and with floor to ceiling windows diners enjoy a stunning view of the Arabian Gulf. The décor is elegant and modern. Comfortable seating and subtle lighting creates a relaxed mood. You are put further at ease by the truly outstanding service. The waiters are permanently on hand to ensure that your dining experience is an out and out success. As soon as we settled at our table the waiter introduced himself, provided refreshing hand towels, and then proffered knowledgeable guidance as to what delights the restaurant had to offer.

The food

‘Top notch fine dining’

La Mer offers a fine dining experience of the very highest order. I was stunned at the quality of the dishes which were superbly complemented by the wonderful service which gave a great tempo to the evening. No agonizing wait for service here. Before we could deliberate the menu we were pleasantly surprised with an amazing amuse-bouche. What a start to the evening! Two delectable, culinary works of art. The first, a fluffy and light carrot mousse, the second, a wafer with tangy anchovy and fresh tomatoes. Just the thing to whet your appetite. We immediately realized that we were about to have a great dining experience.

As soon as we finished our amuse-bouche we eagerly studied the menu. We selected the Saint-jacques en croute de pistache (scallops with pistachio crust, citrus mousse and splinters of peppercorn caramel), the homad aux legumes croquants, copeaux de foie gras (lobster with crispy vegetables, shaved duck foie gras, vinaigrette with argan oil and radish mousse) and the parillada de poisons au bouillon safrane (salmon, red mullet and hamour in a rich saffron broth). What starters! The broth was delightful. Light and refreshing with succulent pieces of salmon, red mullet and hamour each cooked to perfection with crispy skins and melt in your mouth fish with a hint of saffron. The scallops were well seasoned and well cooked, wonderfully complemented by the pistachio crust with a slight sweet taste from an accompanying raspberry puree. Could there be anything better than this? Actually, yes! The lobster was out of this world. Faultlessly cooked lobster with the slight heat of the radish mouse complemented perfectly with crispy shaved vegetables and smooth and silky foie gras. Definitely a must have for foodies.

Within moments of the waiter clearing our starters the main courses arrived. We ordered the filets de sole meuniere, poelee de champignons sauvages (sole fillet meuniere style, sautéed wild mushrooms with parsley and garlic cream) and risotto cremeux de homard aux asperges et ail en chemise (lobster risotto with asparagus and roast garlic) with side dishes of mashed potato and grilled seasonal vegetables. More veritable culinary delights! Each dish had been prepared to perfection, they looked good, not too hot, not too cold, just right and the taste, magnificent. The risotto was everything you would want in a risotto. Perfect consistency, well seasoned and fabulous taste, the lobster (again) was top notch. The sole, just as good, light and flavoursome. Indeed it is very difficult to say which dish was the best! If you like sole or lobster then you’ll love these dishes. Every mouthful was a delight.

For dessert we ordered parfait glace au praline, rhubarb et madeleines (praline parfait with rhubarb and small cakes) and a date tart with almond milk ice cream and honey. Again, another treat. The praline was light and smooth but my favourite was the sticky date tart, a wonderful end to a wonderful meal.

Value:

“Tremendous value for fine dining”

The fine dining at La Mer is equal to, if not better than, anywhere else in Bahrain. Three courses of delectable cuisine will cost about BD30 per person including water, fruit juice and a 15% service charge. This is tremendous value for quality dishes and service of the very highest order.

Lasting impressions

Top notch fine dining which is superbly complemented by fabulous service. Once you have visited you will definitely go back. A must visit for anyone who loves fine dining.