Spasso

Being located in Mahouz, one of the most strategic locations in Bahrain, might be one of the few positive things about Spasso. It is one of the few cafes/restaurants in that area and it could use that to become one of the top places in Manama. But unfortunately, it's not.

Footfall on Nasser Pharmacy and the other places in that complex is high. But the dull atmosphere in Spasso drives me and many people i know away. It's quiet, which makes it good for meetings or for having serious conversations. But not to socialize. Some people go there to work, study or read but in my opinion it's not suitable for any of that. I prefer the restaurant on top of it, Sushi 101, which is one of the best Japanese places in Bahrain. I find it hard to believe that it's owned by the same person, operated by the same staff and shares the same entrance with Spasso!

There was a time when the food in Spasso tasted good. That was back when the Canadian Aron was the chef. I went several times after he left for coffee and the coffee and juices were quite ok. But my big shock was when i went few weeks ago for dinner. The food was just awful.  The menu was long and it took us a while to decide what to order and we ended up making the wrong decision. We went for the first chicken sandwich listed on the menu among others. It turned out to be deep fried with some kind of tomato sauce inside (which was not mentioned). It was so bad that we removed the bread and the sauce and ate it as a fillet. Our other order was Fajita pizza which tasted nothing like fajita. It was more like a pizza with some Indian toppings. Maybe we made the wrong decisions, but even the bread and spreads that they served before we ordered were not good. 

The lemonade was the only thing i enjoyed that evening. My friend ordered Mixed Berry Juice and it was too thick that she had to add a lot of ice to be able to drink it. It was fresh though. 

To be fair i once ordered penne pasta with white sauce and chicken for take away and it was good. But i paid more than BD5 for it which is too expensive for a casual place like that. 

I really wish that they rebrand and come up with a whole new concept, change the chef and decoration and put more effort to create a fun atmosphere. They can do it easily because Sushi 101 is a great place to be while Spasso is a waste of space. I think that it's about time to start making a move as two new malls will start operating in that area soon with many cafes and restaurants. Competition is on it's way.