Craving for a hearty pork meal and you are in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?
Sorry! In KSA, not a single restaurant offers pork-based cuisine. It's a fact and it's a big No! No!
Being the capital of Islam, stuff with pig by-products like pork spam, ham, siopao and more has no place in this Middle-eastern country. Like alcohol (the beverage), it is forbidden or haram in this side of the world. Travel to any place in KSA and not even a single living pig is in sight. The only pig I saw was Piglet, the character from Winnie the Pooh in some children's park painted on wall designs. How cute! However, driving to an adjacent Gulf island is usually an answer to those who miss the savory taste and tender meat of pork. That island is Bahrain, a haven to Pinoy pork cuisine (and some fine alcoholic beverages, too). Read on, pork hunters...
Sorry! In KSA, not a single restaurant offers pork-based cuisine. It's a fact and it's a big No! No!
Being the capital of Islam, stuff with pig by-products like pork spam, ham, siopao and more has no place in this Middle-eastern country. Like alcohol (the beverage), it is forbidden or haram in this side of the world. Travel to any place in KSA and not even a single living pig is in sight. The only pig I saw was Piglet, the character from Winnie the Pooh in some children's park painted on wall designs. How cute! However, driving to an adjacent Gulf island is usually an answer to those who miss the savory taste and tender meat of pork. That island is Bahrain, a haven to Pinoy pork cuisine (and some fine alcoholic beverages, too). Read on, pork hunters...
The Kingdom of Bahrain, with its capital Manama, is a tiny island in the gulf and it's a Muslim country with a mix of Arabs plus a multitude of Western and South and Central Asian expats. Linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia is the King Fahad Causeway. If you're traveling by car, you can cross a series of bridges and causeways by just bringing your electronic-based passport, iqama or Residential ID/National ID (just to be sure) and a fully paid exit-reentry visa via online (data will appear on the passport). These are all your ticket to cross the bridge successfully. If you are planning to fly to Bahrain, use the Flight Booking Tool beside of this blog.
Dinuguan in the island
Crossing the Kingdom of Bahrain on a weekend is like going to Cloud 9 to many Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who miss the taste of dinuguan, liempo, pork barbecue, sizzling pork sisig, pork chop, pork siopao and more. Yum! Meanwhile, porkhunting expats from other countries miss their bacon and other pork-based cuisine, too. The pork are not produced in Bahrain however but are imported from European countries. There was news in 2016 that a certain Bahraini lawmaker tried to ban the import and sale of pork in his country but the government rejected his proposal. In turned out that Shura members, the highest parliament, argued that the ban would have been a violation of the human rights of the non-Muslims who lived in the kingdom.
In Gudaibiya, Bahrain, many Filipino restaurants like Bahay Kubo has its famous lechon belly dish. At BD 10, it's good enough for five to six people. With my travel companions, The Blue Thobe, we got a hearty eating session of it for lunch before we went for a relaxing dip at a nearby magnificent terrace hotel and resort by the beach called Art Rotana Amwaj Islands where an acquaintance and his family were staying. For the record, the lechon belly was only for the four of us. It's a deep fried pork belly that's golden in color and evenly chopped and served on a wooden cutting board, now it's the the trend in culinary presentation. Adding to its tasty flavor is the stuffed lemon grass, onions, and a special seasoning made by the resto using secret ingredients. When served on the table, these culinary stuff is indeed an instagrammable delight. Bahay Kubo resto closes at 10 p.m. but one can call the resto and order a take-away/take-out meal. (continued below)
Where to Stay?
Find Hotels/Hostels in Bahrain if you plan to travel there soon:
Find Hotels/Hostels in Bahrain if you plan to travel there soon:
Bahay Kubo Location Map
Your gastro-Pinoy-pork-adventure doesn't stop right there though. There's another resto called Hot Pot located also at Qudaibiya, Manama, Bahrain. It's just a few meters away from Bahay Kubo. Good thing, this diner closes at 3 am so if you got stuck at the Saudi-Bahrain causeway border for a long time due to traffic, there's still chance you can have your cravings satisfied even early in the morning. Parking is only the problem as most corners are full of parked cars owned by building tenants just beside the diner.(continued below)
Hot Pot Resto Location Map
Late night dinner for The Blue Thobe travelers at Hot Pot Resto
Hot Pot Resto Location Map
Lastly, If you're staying over in a friend's house or in a hostel with ovens for in-house cooking and you want to continue pampering your pork cravings the next day, you can purchase pork meat in an approved market like Al Jazeera Supermarket that sells them in kilos. You can have adobo as breakfast, menudo lunch and the rest of the meat could be grilled for a night mini-bbq party. There are more Pinoy restos in Bahrain that offers an array of pork cuisine in their menu. Hopefully, in my next travel in the future, I can visit them too and have a taste of something different from the ones we ate at those two popular restos.
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