Food Blog: Seafood Feast at Bait Al Bahr, Shangri-la Oman
It is such a blessing that Oman is situated perfectly in the Persian Gulf where you probably already knew this country is blessed with the wide varieties of seafood choices. Since we have already arrived at this magical seafood land of Oman, we might as well just pamper ourselves with some of the freshest seafood. Also to use this opportunity to expand our palate on the local fishes that are hard to be found anywhere in the world.
In the last article, we tried out one of the most famous and premium restaurant at Shangri-la, Oman and we were totally in awe because of the exquisite dishes and amazing dining experience. Due to that and also the amazing review online, we decided to give it another try on the barbecue restaurant within the hotel for an amazing seafood feast. Turns out, it's one of the best grilling restaurants that we ever been throughout the days we spent in Oman.
For many years, fishing has been a vital boost to the economy in Oman. Soon, this fishing culture not only became a lifestyle for the locals but has slowly evolved and adopted by the hospitality industry. Major hotels and restaurants in Oman share the same goal to serve the best seafood. At the meantime, this restaurant that we've been definitely sharing the same goal too. Bait al Bahr is literally translated to House of the sea. This name clearly tells you that they do not take seafood as a joke and focus on their seafood and strive to serve the best of seafood. What impressed me the most is that this restaurant insisted on sourcing it's freshest seafood from local fishermen with fresh catch daily by supporting the local community.
In order for us to get a table, we had to make an early reservation. Even though we did, we only managed to get a table after sunset. However, that doesn't bother us too much and we decided to go to an open-air bar located directly on top of the restaurant for a drink before dinner.
This is one of my favorite bar of all time. The drinks are on-point and very reasonable. But, the reasons why I love it so much is definitely because of the ambiance. The open-air setting with the Arabic decorations together with the scenic view of the beach is stunningly beautiful. Have you ever fancy sit on a bench where you feel like you're like a princess? Well, this place definitely gives me one of a kind like a bar atmosphere where it's more relaxed, classy and a chance to really enjoy your drinks with your companion.
Shortly after the drinks, we head down to the restaurant and was greeted by the fresh catch that spread widely on the iced counter. Instantly, my appetite soars and the following are the results of me over ordering due to my hunger.
What I really like about ice counter is the chance to choose and pick our own seafood. I always believe that the best food is when you know the source of your seafood and also you get to see how they prepare it. I am an extremely picky eater on seafood, especially on fish. I can not stand any fishy stench on a fish at all. So, in order for me to eat it, it has to be as fresh as possible without any fishiness.
Since we are not very familiar with the local fishes served here in Oman, we had one of the waiters the recommend us on the fishes that suit our taste. We decided on a medium sized 'Sherry fish and also a Koffer fish' for our main.
You can judge me all you want, but I'll never change my love for oysters. Although they are not the largest nor the plumpest, but it's definitely fresh and packed with flavorful. It's like a pouch that is filled with rainbow, giving me the happiest moment with every bite into the juicy piece of an oyster.
After a long time of contemplation, I can finally declare that I have absolutely no self-control in ordering food on the menu. It's not because that I am not interested in the food on the menu, but I have an over-interest with everything. So, I did it again. Having scallops again the next day after having one on the other day.
Since we had baked scallops the other day, so we opted for a pan-seared Hokkaido Scallops instead. The scallops were served in a massive bowl of ice bowl with an amazing plating and we almost too shocked to have it on the table. At first, we thought that we were served with the wrong food as we couldn't recognize ordering any scallops on ice. However, turns out that it's correct but it's just served on ice for decorations and also to preserve the taste of the seared scallops.
The scallops were seared to perfection as it's soft and tender. It's accompanied by a mildly spiced mango salsa with baby beetroot that hit us with a hint of spiciness and also a tang on our tongue.
I am pretty sure you have the moment when you wanted something sinful after a drink or two at a bar. Well, this hit me really hard after the drink at the bar. It's perfect when I found that there's something interesting that is perfect to ease my cravings. This gorgeous looking piece of seafood is actually a soft-shell crab that deep fried to a crisp with a macadamia crusted batter.
I mean, there's nothing better than this when both of my favorite seafood and nuts are cooked together into a dish. To balance out the dish, it is served with a papaya relish that is cooked slowly with a sweet soy base until it's reduced into a gooey sauce.
As for our main, we had our fish grilled and served with our desired sides of two. For the sherry fish, we had it grilled pure with a glaze of saffron aioli with a side of boursin mashed potato as the starch to fill us up. The meat of the fish tender but flaky and oily at the same time, though it is not as fatty as a salmon. It is fresh with a very delicate flavor with a milky aftertaste. The saffron aioli gives the fish a little additional garlic flavor that goes so well the fresh and juicy fish.
On the other hand, our Koffer fish was grilled with the similar way but it's served with a lemon butter sauce on the side with mixed steamed vegetables. To be honest, both of the fish shares a very similar taste. However, the meat on Koffer fish has a firmer texture and it's a little dryer than the other one we had. I wasn't sure if it's because of the previous fish I had that leave a milky taste on my tongue or it actually has the same milky aftertaste too.
As a verdict, all the dishes are served top-notch and especially the fish and scallops are to die for. If I had the chance to dine in again, that will definitely not be a doubt at all. Although it's not a cheap meal but it's definitely affordable for its quality, service and also for the taste of it!
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Those scallop photos are GORGEOUS!!!
Yes, they are! I spent most of my time taking photos than eating them :D
I love seafood. I am always surprised when someone says they do not like seafood. And scallops are just like small pieces of art!
I guess it's because of the fishiness, I used to not liking seafood too. But, I tried and tried many times until I find them palatable and it actually taste awesome :D
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The scallops look absolutely delish and the fishes look so plump!!! A literal seafood feast and best of all, it's by the sea! An awesome travel post from you again, @explorernations :)
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