Kiwi In Saudi: Dining in Riyadh

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Nespresso shop Centria Mall

Nespresso Shop Centria Mall.

I love the wall of color in the Nespresso shop in Centria Mall.

Our stocks at home had run a little short so after a breakfast with friends at Laduree, which is just down the walkway a little, I stopped in to pick up some coffee supplies.

Sometimes I make my choice based on the color of the box, which is exactly what I did today. The young bloke in the store offered to make me a cup so I could test it before purchasing, but we ladies had a salon appointment (as you do), so time was short. Hubster will be happy though. He loves his Nespresso.

#nespresso #coffee #CentriaMall #colorful #riyadh #saudiarabia #ksa #shopping #DiningInRiyadh

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Thursday, August 13, 2015

Salad drowning in balsamic. Saudi is not renowned as a salad eating nation, so ordering one can always be a bit hit and miss.
#deathtosalad #mygreensarebuggered #salad #DiningInRiyadh #saudiarabia #ksa #riyadh #eatingout #dining #restaurant #expatlife #livinginSaudiArabia

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I received a comment on this Instagram entry that asked me not to generalize on the state of salads in Saudi and that I probably had my salad in the wrong place. The commentor ended by saying he eats salad and so do the rest of his countrymen. I will agree with him on one point - having my salad in the wrong place.

The thing is I like salad, and have made and eaten variations of salads for a lot of years. Six years ago, when I first started dining out at restaurants, it was quite obvious that salads were a recent introduction to the Saudi dining out scene. They were plain, unimaginative, afterthoughts. A bit of lettuce (often wilted) stuck on the side of a plate sometimes with grated carrot or corn kernels tossed on.

I can understand the salads in Saudi being this way. Salads were not a traditional staple in this country. The bedu diet of the past was mainly wheat, camel or date based. Islamic pilgrimages eventually created trade routes into the country and it is along these that spices and other foods, such as hummus, tabouleh, shwarma, and kabsa were introduced to the country. Coastal people, of course, had access to various varieties of seafood.

Although historical trade and occupancy ups and downs influenced changes in cuisine in accessible coastal areas, the more isolated parts of the country weren't so easily reached, or even impressed. I think this is why Saudi traditional food is still very much a part of Saudi life today when I visit Saudi homes or in rural areas.

The largest and most rapid country wide dietary change happened after the discovery of oil in 1938. Workers and expats from all over the world opened up Saudi gastronomic horizons, most from the Indian continent.

With the western influx it was just a matter of time before fast food joints began popping up everywhere. Historically, fast food joints never sold salad. Salads at McDonalds is a relatively new phenomenon world wide. Today restaurants selling food from almost every country in the world have popped up in the larger cities.

As I said in my Instagram post, Saudi isn't renowned for eating salad. It is renowned for oil, Islam, women who aren't allowed to drive and modern day slavery with the sponsorship system. It is this latter fact that adds to the woes of those who like a good salad when they eat out - most restaurant employees also don't hail from countries considered 'salad creative'. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that most folks who work in Saudi kitchens aren't even trained chefs, much less salad chefs.

It is hardly surprising then, that finding a good salad in a Saudi dining spot, or its accompaniment - a decent salad dressing, is a bit of a mission. And by a decent salad dressing, I don't mean something from out of a bottle that can be bought at the supermarket. Few of those I would class as decent. And they are downright terrible when they are poured all over my salad vegetables drowning out any possibility of me to taste any form of fresh vegetable flavor.

Sure, in the last couple years salads have started to become a more accepted part of the Saudi dining out scene. They still have a way to go before they reach the quality or variety or respect I'd like to see in a salad.

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Saturday, August 8, 2015

Sushi sashimi maki platter at Tokyo restaurant

Sushi sashimi maki platter at Tokyo restaurant on Aruba St for dinner last night. I hadn't been here for a while. Very nice.

#sushi #sashimi #makiroll #DiningInRiyadh #japanese #riyadh #saudiarabia #ksa #expatlife #platter #latergram

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Thursday, August 6, 2015