Devils Advocate in Riyadh

Restaurant Review - Makani

2007-04-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

My co-worker and I went out for lunch and he decided to introduce me to a place called Makani. He warned me that he thought the place was good, but nothing fancy. The restaurant is located in the Sulaimania district and they have other locations.

The inside looks like a small fast food joint with plain tables and chairs. However, do not be fooled; the food makes up for the vanilla design. We ordered some naan (Indian bread) as a starter and each ordered a soup. My co-worker ordered the lentil soup, which was a generous portion and which he dearly enjoyed. I ordered a tomatoe soup. The tomatoe soup was lacking salt and a little bland, maybe deliberately to allow you to add your own. After adding salt to my liking, the soup was great.

For the main entree we shared an order of Chicken Tika Masala and Sobzi Paolo (a type of biryani). The sobzi paolo rice was fluffy and fresh with mixed vegetables, while the tika masala looked like grilled chicken pieces marinated in a thick tomatoe sauce. The food was outstanding: the chicken tika masala was rich with taste (and without doubt calories), and the rice was an excellent accompaniment. The food can be heavy on the stomach from the rice and the spices; though surely you won't complain lest your partner take the last portions while you are blabbing away.

Be warned that Makani does not skimp on portions and their prices are similar to those your Grandmother would reminisce about. The soup will run you 5 or 6 SAR, the sobzi paolo rice 12 SAR and the tika masala 16 SAR, and that will feed two to three people. The food was more than enough for the both of us and we are by far not petite.

If you haven't tried Makani, you will not be disappointed. And if my review is as bad as Zagat and my recommendation perfectly wrong, you will only have lost around 30 SAR on a meal for two. Try Makani, don't be cheap (leave should be left for their prices).

Rating: 7.5 out 10 Hilals

Restaurant Review - Zee Noodle

2007-03-25T12:01:00.001-07:00

I had to try Zee Noodle on Uroobah / Takhassasi street when I happened to drive by and see the modern and illuminated round building. The decor and atmosphere appear hip and cool and the menu contains a variety of noodle dishes and main entrees, including sushi.

I have to point out that being from California, I am extremely picky about sushi so I did not order any. I was a sushi chef in California so I will wait until I know the sushi chefs better here and then have them make me speciality items.

Passing on the Sushi, I ordered a Cashew Chicken entree, vegetable rice and the spring roll appetizer to go. The food was ready in about 10 minutes. It took me about 5-7 minutes to get back to Alfaisaliah and up to my apartment so that has to be factored into my review. The spring rolls were oily and soggy. I prefer them crispier. They did have the right taste though. The cashew chicken, also oily I may add, consisted of chicken pieces that were probably deep fried. The menu gave the impression of stir fry chicken like P.F. Changs (I wish) or even pick-up stix (commercialized california style pick-up). As for vegetable rice, its rice, what more can I say, except that it was clumpy.

Overall, I would rate Zee Noodle as fair, meaning out of 10 stars (I prefer hilals) I'd give it 5 hilals. I must say to be fair I will try Zee Noodle again and maybe order a noodle dish, which would make sense since its a noodle house, and also to check the consistency.

Road Closures in Riyadh - March 27th - 28th

2007-03-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

The following roads will be closed on Tuesday March 27th and Wed. March 28th for the upcoming Arab League Summit:

1) King Abdulaziz Street near the Riyadh Air Base (OldAirport Road) till Khurais Road.

2) Al Ma'ather Street from Khurais Road to the ASAL office.

3) Al Ma'ather Street from Ministry of Interior till Intercontinental Hotel.

4) The road from King Khaled Airport to Khurais Road.

5) Area near and close to the vicinity of the Meeting Palace. (I think that is near the Riyadh air base)

6) The area in the vicinity of any 5-star hotels where the Heads ofStates and foreign dignitaries may be billeted.

If your not off from work, you should try to convince your job to close. Otherwise, its going to be hard to get around town. Also, pray the League comes up with a meaningful solution to help the Palestinians.

What to do in Riyadh?????

2007-03-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

I've been in Riyadh for a little over a month. I'm still getting used to the city. I love the fact that everything is open late and I can do anything even if I get off of work late. That is a major plus. However, I am realizing it is very difficult for a single male to live here. It is awkward that the interaction with women is non-existent and that women are hardly seen in public. How does everyone cope with the non-interaction?