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quickfox · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:39 pm Post subject: let's eat

Supposing one doesn't want to gorge oneself on American fast-food 'restaurants',what would be the culinary delights in KSA? From a large man with an even larger appetite. cibo matto.

GlobalDawg · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 91

rice and chicken
rice and fish
rice and mutton
rice and rice

Abba · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 97 Location: UK

Bebsi · Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958

Depends on where you are in KSA, of course, but in the larger cities like Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam/Khobar, there are restaurants galore, with cuisines ranging from Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Iranian, Cantonese, Indonesian and Mongolian to French, Italian Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian, Greek and British fish 'n chips, among others. Mind you, if you decide on French or Italian, don't expect wine with your meal!

If, on the other hand, you are in Bishah or Artaweiyah, your choices will be a bit more limited. You will have a choice of the top five chicken-and-rice joints in town. In the mid-sized towns such as Hafr Al Batin you should be OK, with usually a choice of Turkish, Lebanese, maybe Syrian and possibly an Indian place or two, but don't expect luxury decor.

You won't go hungry, certainly.

Van Norden · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 409

There are some OK restaurants but you�ll be eating in an all-male environment* with nothing to complement the meal but pepsi and 7UP. Given these conditions I�d rather scoff a Big Mac and fries in my car than go to a restaurant.

*assuming you're a bachelor

Queen of Sheba · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 397

There are restaurants of all kinds, like in any country. A few hot spots include the Krispy Fried Grasshopper, the Lizard Kebsa Inn, and the Brosted Stray Cat Fillet BBQ.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Saudi cusine ?
Chicken with rice
OR
Rice with Chicken
OR
Chicken with chicken
OR
Rice with rice

caliph · Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 218 Location: Iceland

I always carried a small water bottle of Sid to splash on the coke or orange juice. Of course I ususally sat in the family area where there wasn't too much scrutiny.

The_Prodiigy · Joined: 01 Apr 2006 Posts: 252

Saudi cuisine is wholly uninspired.

Locals chow down on kapsa, BBQ goat and onion slices.
The juices are tasty and cheap.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Bebsi · Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958

VN,

If you think you are going to save some cash by eating a Big Mac and fries in your car, forget it. McD's et al are considered high class by many in KSA, and are not cheap by local eating standards. Chicken and rice...bland enough, I know but actually quite delicious if you mix the salady thingies with therice, and then stir that reddish mandi sauce into it. Also tastes much better in a small roadhouse in the desert than in a big city Wink

Back to cost...a rice 'n chicken meal can be had for as little at SAR 8, whereas in the fast food joints you will typically pay SAR 16-20. And the chicken 'n rice meal is actually much healthier.

I avoid French and Italian as they just don't seem right without wine, but most Asian and Levantine cuisine is actually not suited to wine anyway...with the exception of Lebanese, perhaps. Incidentally, if anyone of you is ever in Bucharest, Romania, there's a wonderful Lebanese in the Marriot which will not break the bank. It's called El Bacha, and is the best eatery in all Bucharest, IMO.

Having said all of the above, I actually enjoy a big, fat, indulgent and unashamedly calory-packed McD's or Kudu from time to time. Laughing

Funnily enough, I hardly ever touch McD's in Romania, but in Saudi I went there about once a week for lunch.