Thai Chi

Thai and Chinese food in the Bahrain City Centre mall Discuss this article

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For me, a good spot for dinner is all about a relaxed ambience, low lighting, chilled music and a glass of something only on offer at restaurants in Adliya or hotels, which basically doesn’t equate to mall dining – an experience I generally reserve for lunch. But after a Saks Fifth Avenue fashion show at Bahrain City Centre, hunger pangs were biting, so a mall meal it had to be.

After a walk along the stretch of restaurants, we settled on Thai Chi, not only because we were in the mood for Asian, but because the decor is cool, loungey and in tune with after-dark-dining: brown banquettes scattered with bright Chinese-Pop-art cushions, silk-padded walls, fringe curtains and colourful Thai art juxtaposed with monochrome Chinese ink drawings. These reflect the fact that both Thai and Chinese cuisine are offered here – not a fusion of the two, mind, but two distinct dining options. So every course on the menu is divided into ‘Thai’ and ‘Chi’ choices.

We were drawn to the Chi section, and chose lettuce wraps with Peking duck in oyster sauce and steamed vegetable dumplings to share for starters. The latter, served in a mini bamboo steamer with a ginger and soy dipping sauce, were light and tasty, but the wraps disappointed because they consisted of wedges of iceberg lettuce that were too rigid to wrap the duck up in as one does with the Vietnamese equivalent, and the savoury sauce wasn’t nearly as good an accompaniment to the duck as the sweet hoisin sauce that traditionally accompanies duck pancakes.

Admittedly, my disappointment probably had more to do with expectations than anything else. Happily, when it came to mains, there were no disappointments. I went for steamed squid stuffed with minced chicken in a coriander and lychee sauce – a sophisticated dish consisting of four stuffed baby squids in a sauce that was savoury and sweet. My partner went for sweet and sour prawns, which were lightly battered and crispy, offset by fresh, zingy sauce combining peppers, pineapple and lychee once more.

Although not heavy, the main courses were substantial, so we waved away the dessert menu (though we should probably have glanced at it for the sake of readers – apologies). Before the bill came, we were presented with two cups of jasmine tea with a slither of lemon that gave it an interesting fragrance and taste – a fitting end to a meal of classic dishes given a subtle contemporary twist. Maybe mall is not less after all.

The bill (for two)
1x Still water BD1.2
1x Ching Mai Cooler BD2
1x Lemongrass drink BD1.9
1x Vegetable dumplings BD2.2
1x Lettuce wraps BD 2.8
1x Stuffed squid BD4.4
1x Sweet and sour prawns BD5.7
1x Steamed rice 800fils
Total (including service) BD23.1

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