Lawson Misquitta discovered some of the new offerings in store at Together & Co.

On a weekday afternoon, a colleague and I made our way to the Hilton Garden Inn Bahrain Bay, adjoining The Avenues-Bahrain. We were alerted to the hiring of a new head chef at their casual bistro, Together & Co., and were excited to see what he would prepare for us to try.

As soon as we arrived, we were cordially received by the staff and guided to our table. Once seated it was hard not to be struck with the vast and spacious dining floor which showcased a minimalistic furnishing style, predominantly using wood. The restaurant also boasted one of the best views overlooking Manama’s skyline and Bahrain Bay.

Within a few minutes we were greeted by the new Italian Head Chef Enrico Morselli. He expressed his joy at joining the Hilton Garden Inn team and revealed his plans to revamp certain aspects of the menu. Noting that he wants to introduce more globally-inspired offerings that would include various Asian and Indian dishes, among many others, he added that he’ll also maintain a roster of well-loved items built around his culinary strengths.

We kicked off our meal with a plate of Shrimp and Avocado Salad, here the fresh shrimp was impeccably blanched giving it a firm but moist and tender bite. It was served along with mixed lettuce, cherry tomatoes, thinly-cut cucumber and avocado slices, and accompanied with the most exquisite olive oil and herb dressing. Although the components here were straight forward and simple, a bite combining all the elements together was truly greater than the sum of its parts. I first drizzled but then subsequently splashed every bite with more of the dressing in which the olive oil was certainly high quality, by itself it had a very rich and flavoursome profile and was further enhanced with the added blend of herbs, it absolutely contributed towards elevating each morsel.

The following appetiser was the Chicken Wings in Pineapple BBQ Sauce, a tried-and-true favourite. Having personally exhausted my affinity for most versions of the BBQ flavouring over the years due to the usual exaggerated monotone sweetness or unbalanced tanginess, I wasn’t too excited to dig into this. But I found myself pleasantly surprised at Chef Enrico’s take on this kitchen classic. The pineapple sauce that doused the wings was prepared in-house and had a bold, robust and deliciously savoury taste to it, which was thoroughly intensified with the sweet smoky tang of charred pineapple fresh off the grill. Consider me a believer again! And, of course, I must not forget the other element, the wings themselves were lightly battered giving the right amount of crispiness and the meat inside was soft and delicious.

We were then served the first of our mains, an Asian Coconut Curry with prawns on a bed of steamed jasmine rice. Taking clear inspiration from Thailand, the curry used plenty of aromatics like ginger, garlic and lemongrass, which was a downright treat for the senses. The use of Thai chillies here stoked the heat profile and brought a subtle but clear spiciness, while the incorporation of coconut milk counteracted the spice and brought a welcome balance and creamy texture. So good, so tasty!

The second of our mains was a wonderful plate of Mushroom Risotto, this simple and hearty dish was very well executed using parmesan cheese, truffle oil and a mixture of dried porcini and fresh mushrooms. The porcini mushrooms imbued a deep, nutty and earthy flavour to the preparation making it irresistible.

This was followed with the highlight of our meal which was the Chicken Parmigiana, plated beautifully and delectable to the palate this dish had it all. The chicken breast was perfectly juicy, while the exterior had a crisp coating of fried breadcrumbs, which was then topped off with a rich tomato sauce and covered in melted mozzarella. Coupled with this was a serving of Spaghetti Pomodoro (a tomato-based pasta sauce made from fresh tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh basil). Here again the same high-quality olive oil stood out and played its part superbly in heightening the charm of this wonderful dish.

We rounded off the afternoon with a delicious dessert of Key Lime Pie that was finely plated with slices of lime cut decoratively and garnished with mixed berries. The cream filling managed to strike a good balance between being sweet and tart and the buttery crust served as the perfect vessel holding it all together.

All in all, Chef Enrico did surely impress and kept to his promise of not staying limited to a particular cuisine. We thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes he prepared for us and I, for one, will surely be returning to try more, once the new menu starts taking shape. ✤

GO: CALL 7790 1111 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO MAKE A RESERVATION.