Sticking to Steaky

It's time for another food post! So be prepared to be hungry after this post.

For the uninitiated, Riyadh experienced a massive boom in the "steak restaurant" business in the past five years or so. All of a sudden, a string of franchise brands like Applebees, Chilis, TGIF, Tony Roma's and Steak House sprouted all over the city center - all of them brought and highlighted the taste of their steaks. When I was growing up, the competing brands at the time were just Herfy, KFC and McDonald's. Nowadays, a casual (sometimes almost bordering on fine) dining experience has been the trend and a young and budding restaurant has been creating a stir for some time now: Meet STEAKY.

The name is quite tricky for Filipinos with a "hard" English. Take one particular evening for example as one of our fathers (aka drivers) called us prior to picking us up.

Dad/Driver: Saan ko kayo susunduin? (Where will I pick you up?)
Daughter: Sa Steaky po. (At Steaky)
Dad/Driver: Saan? Sticky? (Where? Sticky?)
Daughter (and the rest of us girls LOL-ing): S-T-E-A-K-Y po! Anong "Sticky"?! (Steaky! What STICKY?)

It was a definite laugh trip! Hahaha. But hey, "sticky" jokes aside...Steaky has definitely stuck in our list of favorites. I think I have been there more than ten times before I finally had the time to write this entry. So without further a due, let me tell you why I keep coming back to Steaky.

The PERKS (for me) are three-fold:

---> Cool space. Interiors are welcoming, with high ceilings and interesting decorations. Surroundings are spic and span plus a very fragrant bathroom if I may add (not pictured below though). Also, one MAJOR perk of this place is that they play house music! Probably the first and only dining place I've been to in Riyadh that plays tunes over the entire restaurant (well, the family section at least--the single section has a TV). From the numerous times that I've been here, soundtracks have ranged from new wave to R&B selections. And I noticed that the Saudis/Middle-Eastern people dining in didn't seem to mind. In fact, from time to time, we'd see them bobbing their heads to the music. Now that is COOL. Having the music really makes a difference in terms of ambiance.

This is the single's section. I was able to take photos that time since the place just opened and there wasn't anyone there yet.

Single's dining area.

This mural of a cow's anatomy is entertaining and educational. It's found on the rather narrow entry way going into the family section and before eating, you can contemplate what part of the cow you'd feel like biting out from by looking at this informative artwork.

---> Accommodating without being overbearing. Staff are incredibly nice and approachable without being too over-friendly (if you know what I mean). Mostly kabayans.

Pictured here is one of the chefs, who personally delivered our orders himself. Talk about special.

--> The SALAD BAR is the win-win for me! For the Filipino palate, I think their macaroni salads and tuna salad viands are a sure win. For an additional charge on your choice of main course, you can have unlimited salad and soup for as much as you like. I particularly go for the jalapaneos and rocket leaves (also known as "gir-gir" in arabic) as my personal favorite.

Fresh greens and other salad items. Refilled by the clock.

A plate of salad picks. A bed of macaroni salad, tuna salad, dried raisins, almonds and pineapples. The jalapeneos must be hiding there somewhere.

Well, those are my top reasons. Here are some of the dishes we've tried so far.

Steaky Combo Platter 39SR

I find this unique in the sense that they included fish fingers in it, which I rarely find in other starters.

BBQ Ribs 69SR

This has got to be their bestseller (the restaurant is called "Steaky" after all). No complaints for me in terms of tenderness and portions. I could crave for this on any given day. However, they seem to have a scarce supply of this particular dish. In the numerous times that I've been there, I've encountered three or four nights that BBQ Ribs wasn't available. And given that this dish is one of the most ordered (coz it's less expensive than the other steaks but just as fulfilling) the restaurant should consider getting more in stock. At the rate that these babies are flying off the grill, in the long run, they'd be doing themselves a favor by increasing supply.

They have other steak dishes as well, like: Tenderloin Steak (85SR), Rib Eye Steak (75SR) and one called the "Wagyu Steak" priced at 285SR! Apparently, it's one of the best steak in the world and exclusive only to Steaky. Intriguing and expensive.

Fried Shrimp Butterfly 22SR

A delicious starter. Light and crisp. We've also tried other of their seafood dishes like the Jumbo Grilled Shrimp (60SR) and the Grilled Fish Hamour (45SR). For the Jumbo Grilled Shrimps, be prepared to use your hands. I don't know about you, but for me food becomes more delicious when you eat it with your hands. The shrimp got me licking my fingers at the end. I found the Grilled Fish Hamour to be somewhat bland and blah. I thought it needed more seasoning and flavor. If you don't want to eat with your hands but still want seafood, get the fish. Otherwise, choose the succulent shrimps! :)

Other grilled dishes:

Steaky Chicken Tawouk 39SR

Marinated boneless chicken breast, skewered and grilled. My take is that it's a great deal for 39SR. I could not even finish it off by myself. The meat is juicy and I like the fact that I can ask them to make it spicy for me (upon request).

Lamb Chops 60 SR

These are well-done and nothing special in particular if it weren't for the tasty gravy that goes with it.

And one starter na humabol...

Chili Cheese Fries 25SR

I tried this out from my last visit to Steaky (which was two nights ago) and I sort of regretted it. Why? Well, I'm a fan of Nacho King in the Philippines and my idea of a good-tasting chili is that of Nacho King (or the one served in Chilis). For this particular starter, I found the seasoning of the chili to be too "lasang arabo" or"of Arabic taste", if I may say so. Too bad, but hey, if you like that kind of taste, go ahead and order it. We are after all, in Saudi Arabia right?

To wash all those meat and fries down, they have Iced Tea for 6SR. According to Shoegarfreeruby's assessment, the taste of the fruit flavor in the tea is a bit overpowering. But we'll drink it anyway. We've also already tried their Vanilla and Chocolate Shakes at 16SR each. If you're not watching your weight, go on ahead and down one.


And to top off your meals, here are some of their desserts:

Choco Brownie 22SR

Berry Cheesecake 22SR

The Choco brownie was served freshly-baked and is your usual yummy chocolate desert. So far, no one has topped my chocolate fondant experience so let's just say that the brownie is just plain okay. The cheesecake is apparently imported and comes from the US (if I am not mistaken) and it will not fail strawberry-flavor afficionados. We've also tried their Banana Split (22SR) and you can choose from three flavors of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.

Pardon the inconsistency of the photos. I wasn't with my fancy camera at all times, so some of them were taken using a 3.2 MP camera phone. But having said that I've been to Steaky more than ten times is already evident that I love the place. Oh, but one more thing though, if you have your own ride going there, parking can sometimes be a problem because it's right in front of the main road and beside a left curve, so cars can get congested from time to time. Visiting during off-peak hours like before the last salah would help, since there aren't that much people at that time. They are also open for lunch if that's more suitable for you. I almost forgot to mention that they have a children's playroom as well where kids can sit, play and watch TV so parents can enjoy dinner while the children can go wild in the playroom.

Overall, Steaky caters not only to us twenty-somethings, but it's also a place for the family and even for the single men who can enjoy an LCD TV in the single's section. I'm sure that's a hit during a big football game. Give it a try one of these days why don't you?


Oh and it's STEAKY...not STICKY...ok? :P

Cheers!
-ec-