#khobez

Feeling so fresh and so clean straight off the 7am flight to Bahrain this Eid, we headed for breakfast. Chai Cafe is a little place opposite Bahrain Mall (I got that off the website, not going to pretend I've got my Bahrain bearings), which as the name might suggest, has got a massive tea and coffee selection - but it's also great for a quick, fresh, traditional breakfast.

As you can see, the table was a carrom board! Carrom is a traditional Middle Eastern board game, popular with old guys who like to play while smoking shisha and shooting the shit, till the break of dawn! It's kind of a forgotten game these days, though Kamal recently brought it back with a carrom night at The Magazine Shop.

Chai karak called my name in what can only be described as dulcet tones. This is a smooth, milky tea, lightly spiced with cardomom, ginger and cinnamon. It originates from India, but tastes like Christmas to me, and goes down a comforting treat. And look how cute the teapot was!

Avoiding the Balaleet (I'm not man enough for sweet, cold vermicelli noodles in the early morning), we went for Shakshuka, which is eggs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. In this case they were scrambled, and mega-spicy! I might have got a bit snotty.

Then a simple egg dish cooked with tomatoes and cheese, which was basically a little omelette. Kamal's dad always makes a version of this for us when we're staying at their house, and I gotta say, I think his is better than Chai Cafe's!

With these we had fresh, crispy khobez, stuffed with satisfyingly mild and creamy Kraft cheese, hot from the clay oven. Apparently this plastic cheese is the traditional filling around here! Well, at least it's been tradition for the past couple of decades. 

Stomachs lined, we were ready for a week of souk-wandering, music-watching and beer-drinking in Bahrain. There are worse places to start your day than a cute place like Chai Cafe. 

Kamal’s mom’s Turkish barbecued kebab patties have always been infamous among all who have eaten at the Rasools' house. She’s always being told to start her own little business, a kebab shack selling these hot, spicy mommas to the public! I always look forward to eating these when we're in Bahrain.

The recipe was passed on to her from her own mother, and the chain is probably even older, going back through the generations. This is traditional kebab – not the manufactured meat you get in grubby kebab shops in the UK – this is a whole new league.

Combining a smooth mixture of lamb and beef mince with onion, breadcrumbs, and a secret blend of kofte spices, she shapes this into little round patties. The specific recipe is of course top secret classified information - hidden in the highest mountains of Istanbul, so they say. 

The patties are barbecued along with tomatoes and chillis, everything charred to perfection and oozing with delicious fat and flavor. What you do is grab some khobez (flatbread), put your kebab on, add some sumac-sprinkled onion, maybe a little eggy rice, a drizzle of tahini sauce, wrap it up... and BAMMM!!! That is some goddamn good food. 

Here's another post where I'm going to get really excited about meat, and use ridiculous superlatives like SHEMSHAK HAS THE BEST LAMB CHOPS IN THE WORLD I'VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE THEY ARE UNBEATABLE. And guys, I won't be exaggerating. 

From the outside, Shemshak (in the Sanad area of Bahrain) might look like any other nondescript, neon-lit, meat-grilling place on the side of a dusty road, but inside, they're working some magic. Using all locally sourced meat and ingredients, they're able to sell their meals at insanely cheap prices - less than £5 for two servings and two drinks - madness!

And before I get to the meat - just a note about the drinks. Now Shemshak stock this drink, a minty laban, that we've been searching high and low for ever since. But it's nowhere to be found except in Shemshak! 

Laban is a drinkable yogurt that I've developed a sizable addiction to in my time in the Middle East. It's thicker and less salty than an ayran from Turkey, similar in consistency to an Indian lassi, but usually drank unflavoured. I've found that if your stomach feels a bit iffy after one too many tequilas in that Filipino bar the night before, a laban will soothe all your woes and make you feel almost clean again. Shemshak's rare minty variety is the perfect soother to sip on between chewing meat off bones.

Like the tikka at New Abul Grill, the lamb chops at Shemshak are marinated overnight in that same black dried lemon powder that makes lamb taste so goddamn good. It's bitter, sour, smokey and charred all at once. Oh and they're tender. So exquisitely tender. About twice the size of any lamb chops in the UK (I think they are technically mutton chops), and as juicy as you could possibly dream of. No matter how full I thought I was, once I got a whiff in my nostrils, I always found room in my stomach for Shemshak's lamb chops.

They come served with the same accompaniments as tikka - fresh, hot khobez (flatbread) cooked in a clay oven (they kindly let Kamal into the kitchen to take photos), sliced pickles, onions, tomatoes and lemons - as well as bagal, that spring onion-like thing. And, just as with tikka, a great way to eat it is to squeeze lemon juice all over, rip off a bit of meat, and wrap it in bread with your choice of vegetable, which will add some fresh crunch to your bite.