Review - The Foundry Bahrain
Bahrain food blogger @foodiefindss passes her expert eye, (and taste buds) over dinner at The Foundry in Adliya.
The Foundry is a seasonal, and rustic fine dining restaurant located in Adliya’s trendy Block 338 district. The restaurant is committed to sourcing locally grown greens, fresh caught seafood and US and Australian imported beef to create their in-house smoked and cured cuts. The Foundry also serves up unique and zesty cocktails, which perfectly complement their herb and butter steaks.
The interior is designed in an industrial chic style whilst still managing to remain warm and rustic. The service is attentive and friendly and the food is consistently excellent, and the menu is varied, offering beef, fish and vegetarian options.
To start with I tried the popular Jalapeño Poppers, which pair perfectly with their famous Tom Yum cocktail. Deep fried jalapeños are stuffed with mozzarella, and matured cheddar cheese. The jalapeños add a spicy kick, that cuts through the heaviness of the cheese creating a perfectly balanced starter.
As for the cocktail, vodka, lime juice, sugar, lemongrass and chili peppers are mixed to create The Foundry’s alcoholic take on Vietnamese Tom Yum soup. For non-drinkers the raspberry, and lime mocktail is a popular alternative.
Tom Yam Martini
For main course I ordered one of the favourites - Steak Frites. A chargrilled American Angus sirloin is served with herbed butter and French fries. Classic Northern French cooking techniques are used to cook up a pink and juicy steak smothered in the three most famous French ingredients - butter, butter and butter.
Steak Frites
Other favourites include the melt in your mouth Cowboy Steak, a chargrilled US prime rib chop that is great for sharing. Sides to try include the habanero mac and cheese and truffled mash potatoes. As for sauces there is no better complement to a juicy, medium-rare steak than red wine jus.
Seafood lovers will be pleased by the restaurants new seasonal addition, the Yellowfin seared tuna. The dish is served with tomatoes, and black rice and the restaurant has excelled here in fusing healthy with flavoursome.
Yellowfin Tuna
For vegetarians the classic gnocchi with sautéed potato dumplings, mixed mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan shavings is the ultimate comfort food. The sun-dried tomatoes add a sour kick to the dish, which is characteristic of the restaurants ability to fuse simple comfort food with vibrant additions of herb, lime and chili.
For dessert I recommend the classic British sticky toffee pudding, which is given a unique and local twist by the addition of dates and sea salt flakes. Pair the pudding with vanilla ice cream, or the latest addition to the menu, rose ice cream with vegan jelly bites. The rose ice cream is cooling and pacifying and is just in time for Bahrain’s sizzling summers.
If you are looking for premium rustic food served in an elegant, and casual setting I recommend The Foundry for your next dinner. The restaurant also offers a business lunch menu (until 4pm for BD 7.8), and a healthy day menu featuring their salad nicoise. Their day menu also features British cottage pies, and smoked chicken and pesto sandwiches.
Salad Nicoise