Al Khozama brunch

Several hotels in Riyadh are famous for their friday brunches and Al Khozama Hotel is one of the top recommended places. Located on Olaya Street next to Al Faisaliah tower, Al Khozama Hotel’s brunch runs every friday from 12 to 3:30pm and costs SR.185 per person including drinks.

Al Khozama brunch is international and the variety of food is impressive. There are 3 food corners in the restaurant which serve Arabic, Asian and Western food. Additionally there is a wide selection of deserts and salads. In total probably Al Khozama brunch offers 100+ different dishes which is a feast to the eyes.

The setting is very family friendly. There is a lady dressed as a clown next to the restaurants who looks after the kids while parents have their food.

We think that the taste of the dishes are usually average but the wide variety of food and deserts makes Al Khozama brunch a highly recommended place in Riyadh.

Reservation is recommended and major credit cards are accepted.

Address: Olaya Street, next to Al Faisaliah Tower

Tel: 01 4654650

Website: http://www.al-khozama.com/

Abd El Wahab

Located on one of the ‘trendiest’ streets of Beirut, Abd El Wahab is one of the top recommended places to enjoy genuine Lebanese cuisine. Abd El Wahab is situated at an Old Ottoman building on El Inglizi street and has a wonderful indoor and outdoor setting. It also has a terrace on its 2nd floor reachable by an elevator.

Lebanese food is probably best enjoyed with a glass of arak. Arak is a high alcohol content drink typically mixed with water and cubes of ice. It’s made of grapes and flavored with anise. It’s basically the same as “ouzo” in Greece, “raki” in Turkey and “pastis” in Marseille. Arak is not only popular in Lebanon but also other neighbor countries such as Syria and Jordan.

At Abd El Wahab as the starter we were served peanuts and fresh sweet peas. Then we had our starters which were fattoush salad, hommous with pine nuts, labneh and soujouk. Each starter tasted great, I especially liked fattoush salad, the vegetables are so fresh and tasty in Lebanon. One doesn’t get the fattoush salad with such a great taste at other countries.

Our main meal was mixed grill. So far I had found kebabs of Lebanese restaurants outside Lebanon to be inferior to Turkish and Syrian kebabs. However at Abd El Wahab the kebabs are also great. Lamb meat used at the kebab tastes great, it doesn’t have much fat and tastes fresh.

Despite great setting and great food, Abd El Wahab is reasonable priced. Expect to pay around $30 per person.

Address: 51, El Inglizi Street, Beirut, Lebanon

Tel: 01 200550 / 200551

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Chez Maguy

Chez Maguy is one of the most famous seafood restaurants in Lebanon. The restaurant is located in a Unesco protected fishermen village whose history dates back to Phoenicians. Batroun village is at the north of Beirut; somewhere half the way between Byblos and Tripoli.

When we first saw Chez Maguy we wondered whether we were at the right place. Is this hut placed over rocks by the sea famous Chez Maguy that Anthony Bourdain visited for its “No Reservations”episode in Lebanon? When it comes to good food the setting may be deceiving and Chez Maguy is definitely one of these places.

The chef and owner of the restaurant is a Lebanese lady called Maguy (or Maggie) who started her restaurant business nearly 15 years ago after death of her husband. She says that she adores seafood and often goes for fishing herself. It’s obvious that seafood at Chez Maguy is very fresh, most of them being in the same day.

The first dish Maguy serves us is raw tuna with ginger mixed with sesame oil and some lemon juice. This Asian inspired dish is so delicious.Then we get our salad, barbequed jumbo prawns and calamary. Prawns are very juicy and tasty. Maggie mentions that they are caught at just couple of meters away from the restaurant. The ingredients of the salad and the calamary are also fresh.

Finally we get our fish. The orange colored fish is fried and served with some fried Lebanese bread. The fish is quite lean, I like in general fatty fishes more.

The prices are quite reasonable at Chez Maguy, around $30 per person should suffice to have such a feast.

Address: Makaad El Mir Batroun, Lebanon

Telephone: 03 439 147

 

Al Masilah

Al Masilah is a “tradesmen” eatery in Bab Al Bahrain souk. It’s located in a narrow passage just next to Gulf Pearl Hotel. Its customers are usually the people working at nearby shops at the souk and some curious tourists. The restaurant has been open for more than 30 years and the restaurant owner is originally from Iran.

Al Masilah serves Bahraini food. One can either seat at outdoor at the wooden tables or indoor at an air-conditioned section.

In-house baked “roti” accompanies dishes at Al Masilah. This type of bread seems very common in Bahrain. At evenings one observes people queuing in front of small bakeries, packing fresh bread under their arms and rushing to their homes.

It’s an experience to watch roti being baked though it must be though for the people baking roti when the weather is hot and humid.

Al Masilah serves food over aliminum trays. The selection is limited but each dish is really delicious. One can choose among dal, fish, chicken or mutton curry. Curry and dal is not as spicy as Indian/Pakistani version. I chose dal (lentil) and chicken curry. It comes with a small dish of fresh vegetables. The chicken curry had a very tasty juice.

At evenings Al Masilah starts serving kebabs. It has kebabs from lamb chops, chicken and minced meat. The order is placed by how many Bahraini Dinars of kebab one would like. I asked for 1 BD of lamb chops. Charcoal grilled kebab is served with leek leaves, some chopped onion and of course roti. It was really delicious.

Al Masilah is highly recommended to try Bahraini food.

Telephone: 17 210647

Address: Bab Al Bahrain souk, next to Gulf Pearl Hotel, Manama, Bahrain

Golestan Restaurant

Golestan is an Iranian restaurant located at the basement of Sheraton Hotel in Bahrain. There are no Michelin starred restaurants in the Middle East but in terms of ambiance and the service Golestan Restaurant is as close as it gets to a 1 Michelin star restaurant. Although the taste of the food is also good it would need to improve a little bit more to reach Michelin level.

The entrance to the restaurant is decorated with marbles and silk Iranian carpets. Inside the restaurant the color turquoise is widely used.

The initial offers by the restaurant are fresh vegetables plate and yoghurt mixed with dried mint. As the started I order a mixed plate of 6 starters. I did not note all of them but the ones I remember were crushed olives with pomegranate molasses, steamed spinach with yoghurt and a salad. All starters were good in taste but not breath taking as I would expect from such a place. Selection of vegetables and material could have been better.

I order Bakhtiari kebab as the main course. Bakhtiari kebab has grilled tender lamb pieces, chicken, peppers and onions. It’s served with 3 different types of saffron rice. The rice and the lamb are really excellent.

Prices at Golestan Restaurant are not low. Average dinner without alcoholic drink would cost USD. 40-60 per person.

Telephone: +973 17 533533

Address: Sheraton Hotel Manama Bahrain

Honey Restaurant

Honey is a Thai Restaurant located in Bahrain’s traditional Bab Al Bahrain souk. A Thai restaurant in a souk in Bahrain?? It may sound like a joke but it’s real. Its food is really delicious and it’s cheap. Having been a great fan of Asian food, I discovered this restaurant completely by chance. After initial try, I liked their food so much that I became their regular customer and probably I have been there 8-10 more times since my initial visit. Having eaten Thai food in Thailand and many other countries all over the world, I can easily say that Honey Restaurant is one of the best Thai restaurants I’ve eaten outside Thailand.

Nearly all customers who come to eat at Honey Restaurant are Thais, a factor that also guarantees that food is genuine and really good.

Almost anything at Honey Restaurant is highly recommendable. Their Tom Yam Koong soup is great, one of the best Tom Yam’s I had outside Thailand. They have many dishes with fish and shrimps. Their shrimps are always fresh and not the frozen ones coming from a supermarket.

Address: In Bab Al Bahrain souk, close to Mashtan Hotel, next to Gold Souk Manama Bahrain