If you want to travel without travelling, one of the best ways to do so is through the power of your senses. Be it flicking through travel-inspired Instagram accounts, wearing a scent that smells like your favourite holiday destination, or eating something that takes your tastebuds on an epicurean adventure around the world. Armchair travel, as it’s often called, can be as immersive and stimulating as you want it to be
If you’re based in Bahrain, Mondo at The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence and Spa in Manama, puts Italy on the map, taking you around the country, plate by plate, with modern interiors of wooden floors, exposed brickwork and black-and-white photography of Italy’s iconic cultural sites on the walls.
The concept celebrates what Italian culture and cuisine do best: sharing. Bringing together people across the table. But at the heart of Mondo lies its chefs, an expert team headed by chef Raffaele, that uses its culinary skills to take traditional Italian recipes and modernise them with contemporary twists, innovations and techniques, whilst sourcing and utilising only the very freshest and finest ingredients.
Start your experience as the Italians do, with a little aperitivo - perhaps a Prosecco, a Negroni Sbagliato with Vermouth rosso, or a Hugo cocktail with elderflower, mint and Prosecco.
Then, it’s time for the food. With the menu based around family-style sharing plates, you can nibble on pomodoro bruschetta or crostini funghi to start, followed by panzanella salad, burrata Pugliese and carpaccio di verdure.
If you like delving into street food to really get a taste of a country’s culinary culture, try the frittura del Golfo, which is classic deep-fried squid and prawns with tartar dip, or the fried lobster balls with a spicy marinara sauce.
As we all know, nobody does pasta better than the Italians, so it would be remiss to skip the ‘primi piatti’. Try the linguine vongole with clams, the tortellini di manzo with beef and Parmigiano sauce, or the truffle and ricotta ravioli for something creamy and indulgent. The pizza is on par too (of course), with the ‘Mondo’ taking top billing, with buffalo mozarella, taleggio cheese, wild mushroom and thyme.
For the ‘secondi piatti’, there is brodetto alla vastese (fish and crustacean stew); ossobucco (slow braised veal shank with saffron risotto); veal chop Milanese (breaded and pan-fried with roasted cherry tomatoes and crushed potatoes); and island-style oven-baked seabass, with potatoes, thyme, and heirloom tomatoes.
It would be even more remiss not to end the night on a sweet note, especially when a classic tiramisu is being served. The rich molten chocolate soufflé with Madagascar vanilla gelato is as stunning as it sounds, or try the semifreddo al limone for something lighter - a semi-frozen lemon cake with almond and pistachio crust, summer berries and berry coulis.