As to Your Jollibee Qs

Hey, you! Look who dropped by!

Read the first part of our Jollibee entry here.

I'm lost. Where is Jollibee in Riyadh located?
Jollibee is located in Batha. (You're not a Filipino if you don't know where Batha in Riyadh is.) It is behind City Food Court (where you get your shawarma fix), in front of Skyfreight (where you usually pay your TFC dues), and above the Al-Rajhi Supermarket. It's in the second floor so you have to go up the escalator but because of long lines, customers will be held back on the first floor. The escalator might collapse if people will wait there too.

I can't go to Batha! Because you know, Batha is well... Batha. Will there be other Jollibee branches in Riyadh?
Yes! But you might have to wait a little longer to see them. Three branches are planned to be put up in Riyadh. One will be in Olaya to be put up later this year and one will be in Suleimania, near the Military Hospital to open middle of this year. The latter will have a drive-thru service. (Sundrenched is one luckier lady because she lives near the future branch. Too near, in fact, that she'll be ones taking our orders once it opens! Lol!)

Still, why in Batha?! Why did they not open a branch in the mall, like the Jollibee branch in Al-Khobar located in Al-Rashid Mall?
So you have more time to line up! Lol. Just kidding but partly true. Mall hours are limited so by the time the mall closes, the branch should also close. They opened a stand-alone branch to cater to more customers at a more flexible time. A stand-alone branch can also offer a drive-thru like their plan for the Suleimania branch. And why not in Batha? Almost all Filipinos go to Batha and Jollibee's target market is of course, Filipinos. Other nationalities get curious and enter but you can't expect them to line up for Chickenjoy when they have their own broasted chicken. The Suleimania area in between the Military Hospital and King Fahd Medical Center houses many Filipinos too (there are many Filipino restos there) so what better location right?

I'm not sure if the lining up is worth it. Is the food exactly the same as the ones in Jollibee Philippines? Do they taste the same?
The truth is NO. They're not the same. Truly you can't expect them to import everything right? After all, Saudi Arabia has stricter policies when it comes to food products. Certain ingredients are banned and everything must be Halal. All imported goods should be certified by the government and as of the moment, not all ingredients used in the Philippines are certified for Halal. Not all products found in the Philippine menu is available but most of the basics are. The Chickenjoy though is almost the same. Billy tells us that he likes the Saudi Arabia Chickenjoy more because the chicken is from Saudi Arabia. And you know the Kingdom when it comes to their chicken. The meat is leaner and higher in quality and they make use of the premium parts. They use the same marinade and coating though so it's still good. The burgers and fries are fine. The spaghetti and palabok have a different color and taste though. Maybe it's just for the soft opening so let's see...

*They don't have peach mango pie but they have halo-halo, which you can't find in the Philippine menu.

Surely the prices are more expensive if some of the ingredients are imported. Are the meals worth gold?
Not exactly. They're more or less the same as the Philippines. A 2-pc Chicken Joy Meal is SR12. This is priced at P131.00 in the Philippines. The Spaghetti Meal is SR8 (P75.00 in the Philippines). The prices are affordable.

Wait, you haven't brought up the most important thing of all: Is there gravy? IS THERE GRAVY?!?!
Okay, hold your breath. There is gravy for the Chickenjoy. There is! Promise! We are so used to the garlic sauce used for the broasted chicken here so the gravy is such a welcome change. The first time we tried the gravy (we were given Chickenjoy by R's husband two days before we visited the branch), it was runny. Like water colored brown but it still tasted like the gravy we were used to... medyo malabnaw pero pwede na. When we had Chickenjoy on our store visit, the gravy is now more consistent with the one we have in the Philippines. Do you have to pay for extra gravy? That we don't know because when we asked nicely, they gave us extra little tubs for free. :)

How long will we be lining up?
Okay, that depends on the days or time you're going. The last time E's mother lined up, it took her 1 1/2 hours. The last time S' brothers went to Jollibee, their experience was: "they came, they saw, they left asap!" The last time S' father lined up, that was the last time he'll probably ever line up for Jollibee. He only lasted 15 minutes in his line. Lol. (What's with men and lining up? Walang EQ. Hindi makapag-antay! Hahaha!) But don't be discouraged! The number of visitors might lessen as the months go by but surely, there will always be lines. And knowing us Filipinos, we cannot not have a taste of Jollibee! Maybe our of sheer curiosity or maybe through your children's pleading, Surely, you will give in to your kids right?

Speaking of the kiddos, is there a Kiddie Land for the kids? What about Kiddie Meals?
You might have seen the signage for a Kiddie Land but they still haven't put it up. It will be installed in the family section on mid-March. Yes, they have kiddie meals with toys that came from the Philippines. What about other merchandise like a Jollibee stuff toy? Well, let's just say it's not easy passing through KSA's custom inspection. That needs a lot more permits and requirements to be met.

I want to dine in. Do they have enough tables and chairs?
The store has a seating capacity of 215 at the ladies and family section while there are 180 seats at the bachelors.

Hmn, I'm not really keen in lining up. Does Jollibee deliver? Will they offer party services?
Nope, Jollibee does not deliver. As of the moment. They're working on it. As for party services? Yes, they're working on it too. Details will be available soon.

I'm sure the muttawas are crawling the place by now. I'm scared to go. The Jollibee in the '90s closed because of those frequent visits by the muttawas.
Well, the muttawa is a staple in every corner of Saudi Arabia. They are always there and they do visit restaurants in Batha a lot. Sometimes, every night. But you can't be bothered by a muttawa unless you are doing something wrong like maybe not wearing your tarha or being with a guy not related to you. What is so wrong in going and eating at Jollibee? Muttawas entering Jollibee for a check is natural. Seeing muttawas all over a place is not a random phenomena. You should get used to it by now. The family section of Jollibee will have more divided eating slots in the future. Dividers are available if you want to use one. As for the last statement, you can't be too sure that the pressure from muttawas closed the branch in Batha before. We heard that it closed because of some franchise disagreement. So don't be afraid of the muttawa in the place. They'll always be in Saudi Arabia. Orayt?

I'm not from Riyadh nor from Al-Khobar nor from Jeddah... HELP! I want Jollibee!!!
Okay, calm down. As of the moment, there are now 7 Jollibee branches in Saudi Arabia. If you can't visit the 1 store in Riyadh or the 1 store in Al-Khobar or the 3 stores in Jeddah, then you can visit the branch in Yanbu and the branch in Taif. You're not from any of the said places? Hmn, too bad. Maybe you can have a weekend trip to these places? :D

Can we see Jollibee too?
Well, that depends on how nice you are. Lol.

If you have more questions about Jollibee in Saudi Arabia, we might have the answers. We can't put everything in this entry so ask away through the comment box here or in FB and through our Formspring account above. We're supposed to scan and upload the menu brochure here but it went missing. Hmnnn. We'll find it later.

Lumanghap sarap na sa Jollibee!!! It's like tasting the Philippines. Lol. :)

Seriously, visit Jollibee! Proudly Pinoy!

Welcome Back, Jollibee!

It's like magnet. It pulls you in without you knowing; that even physical limitation will not stop you from being drawn to it. It sucks you in and the next thing you know, you're there being smothered by a crowd of other "iron" not willing to let go.

Yes, JOLLIBEE is like magnet. It attracts you with an invisible force. No matter how long the lines are, you will still go and you wait your turn for a taste of what you grew up with... the Chickenjoy. Or maybe the Yum Burger. Or the Burger Steak. Or the Jolly Spaghetti. We will not even attempt to explain Jollibee's charm and legacy to Filipinos here because if you are a Filipino, you already know. (For other nationalities, Jollibee is like the Philippines' McDonald's. It's one of the biggest fast-food chains in the Philippines, if not the biggest.)

The girls learned that Jollibee is opening in Riyadh from random friends in Facebook. We were excited for a taste of the familiar Chickenjoy but truth be told, no matter how we were salivating, we are not that hell-bent in going because of the crowd. We imagined the crowd on opening week and we said, "Forget it!" The Filipino community in Riyadh has been waiting for Jollibee for quite a while now after the branch in Batha closed a few years ago. Some troop to Al-Khobar or Jeddah and get their Jabi fix there. Sometimes even bringing the pot bucket of gold chicken for eager family and friends in the Kingdom's capital. We felt deprived and neglected that among all the other areas in Saudi Arabia, Jollibee was nowhere to be found in the capital. Why oh why?

And then we wonder no more. Jollibee is now open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia! The first branch, located in Batha, opened last February 6 and the crowd is, as we guessed, crazy! Crazy in numbers as lines snaked its way to nearby establishments. We shunned the opening day but we can't wait a little longer for the crowd to disperse into the following months so we thought of almost impossible ways to cut in (including conjuring spells like Harry Potter's "Evanesco!" to make the crowd disappear ). We sighed and wished and hoped. Until, an invitation came! (This is one of those times we really felt super proud writing The Pink Tarha!) The Pink Tarha ladies were invited by Joliibee KSA's marketing officer Mr. Billy Junn Tabares to visit the newly-opened branch in Batha, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia! We were overwhelmed with gratitude!

Scratch that, we were not only overwhelmed. We were beyond joy! We were shouting and crying of this new-found luck. Eyecandy was so jubilant that she said she's excited to meet the mascot whose name is Henrietta. We were all like, "Who is Henrietta?!?!?!" Apparently, she was referring to Hetty Spaghetti. LOL! (Please forgive E. She did not grow up in the Philippines.) We are so happy with the invitation that the four Pink Tarha ladies (all of us!) decided to go out together after a long time. (S and E are usually the only ones going out ever since M transferred office but for Jollibee, we are "all for 1, 1 for all!" Lol.) We restrained ourselves from going during the opening day for the fear of stampede but we decided to go on a Wednesday afternoon, after the 3pm prayer. We thought we can escape the crowd because there was no line on the entrance but we were amazed that here were already lines in the counter! There's one counter for the bachelor area and another for the family. They were both jam-packed!

Ooookay, they're not kidding about the lines!

The family section

We were overwhelmed with the hospitality of Billy and his assistant, Cesar. We also got to meet the managers and staff of Jollibee Batha. We skipped the long and many lines in the counter (Sorry kids, but you should blame those who ordered 20 pieces of Spaghetti and 10 buckets of Chicken Joy... they are prolly having a Jabi party, hehe), we ate for free (but we insisted in paying, promise! Er, did we? :P) and we got take-out too! And the most important part of all, we met Jollibee (the mascot)... and took pictures with him too! (Again children, we apologize for tearing Jollibee away from you but you see, we're still kids. Kids at heart. No, really. :) We are so honored to be graced by Jollibee's presence. Okay, you might be thinking we're such lucky ladies. Indeed, we are! :)

Guess what we ate!

Lugi si Jollibee sa'min! :P
(L-R: Sundrenched | Eyecandy | Maryhadalittlehump | Shoegarfreeruby)

The infamous Chickenjoy (and a sign for TPTL)!

More space for dine-in customers

JOLLIBEE!!! Can he dance too?!
(Our friend G's coat served as our signal that we are The PINK Tarha. Lol!)

With our wonderful hosts Billy and Cesar... a huge thank you!!!
(Spot Cesar on this entry whom R unwittingly took a photo of in her visit to Jollibee Jeddah two years ago.)

Anyway, we enjoyed our dining experience in Jollibee and we get to interview Billy. We're not publishing the interview transcript, of course. So the next entry will answer almost all questions you have about Jollibee in Riyadh. (We can't cram it in this entry because it'll get longer than the line in Jollibee... or maybe not.)

The Red Tarha

We know we're not supposed to celebrate because we're in Saudi Arabia but we can't help but wear red to feel the LOVE! (Of course we're not wearing red today.) And so, happy heart's day, everyone! Don't forget to bring the missus to our suggested places. ;)

Eyecandy says S is the popular girl in class. She is the nerd. And R is the teacher. Lol.

On Sundrenched: Heart headband GREENHILLS Necklace NEW LOOK Red dress DOROTHY PERKINS Shoes F&F MODE

On Eyecandy: Glasses NEW LOOK Necklace NEW LOOK Black cardigan NEW LOOK White dress NEW LOOK Chucks CONVERSE Lipstick MAC Ruby Woo

On Shoegarfreeruby: Glitter headband H&M Earrings H&M Necklace MS. SELFRIDGE Cream blazer TOPSHOP Red dress OASIS Shoes IRREGULAR CHOICE Heart purse BLANCO

Happy V-Day from your Red Pink Tarha ladies*!

*Maryhadalittlehump is MIA because she was not available on the day of ze shoot.

Top 5 Sosyal V-Day Date Places in Riyadh

When I suggested this entry, Eyecandy quipped, "Baka magalit na sa'tin ang mga asawa ng readers natin ha!" Lol. From shopping to dining to making lakwatsa... we suggest them all. And sometimes, our readers, mostly ladies, tend to bug and nag their husbands to heed our suggestions. Well, that's just great! Haha! (Women empowerment, woot! :) We didn't know we've become so helpful to fellow ladies out there! Lol. All we're saying is, guys, please indulge your wives and girlfriends once in a while. After all, you love them right? *wink with an extra bat of gorgeous eyelashes*

For this year's Valentine's Day, we suggest sosyal dining places that will melt your wife's heart and make her fall in love with you again. We're addressing this to husband and wife only because you all know by now that gf and bf can't go out together in public. At least when you're husband and wife, the religious police will see this as a normal dining out scenario and will not accuse you of celebrating the red-letter day, even if you are indeed out to celebrate it. So going back to the sosyal part... well, there's no harm in indulging once in a while, right? Right?! Even if it's not Valentine's these places will create a fantastic place to date. Romance is definitely in the air...

For dinner, fancy schmanzy hotel restaurants will probably be in your mind. Truth be told, we had this connotation about hotel restaurants: they're no good. The food is expensive and overrated. Well, some are. That's why, we're suggesting places we've already dined in. The food are relatively okay but what caught our attention in these places are the ambiance and the privacy they deliver. After all, when eating, especially on a date, all the senses must be heightened. Here are some hotel restaurants we've tried:

1. Radisson SAS' Brasseries On Four
Enjoy authentic pan-Arabian and global fusion cuisine at the Brasserie on Four restaurant in Riyadh. Indulge in a casual and light dining experience with the à la carte menu, or choose from the lavish spread of lunch and dinner buffets. Brasserie on Four also hosts the hotel's Super Breakfast Buffet, which includes fresh breads, delicious cuts and homemade pastries.

Shrimps galore!

Dinner starts 7pm in BOF. We enjoyed the seafood buffet and desserts. The shrimps and squid are grilled while you wait. Waiting is not an issue though because there are other dishes right in front of you. We heard Shogun, the Japanese restaurant in Radisson SAS is also a good choice.

2. Sheraton Hotel's La Piazza Gather everyone for the sumptuous buffet and specialties. An exclusive ambiance, mouthwatering cuisine, and personal service create a great dining experience.

La Piazza's chocolate fondant
(Ever since Duo, we've been on the lookout for other chocolate fondant in the city and so far, nothing came at par... well, except Cafe Ceramique's which appealed greatly to our Filipino taste buds.)

The La Piazza is Sheraton's Italian restaurant and they do look like one in a tiny village in Italy offering the authentic experience. There's even private dining areas where you'll have total privacy and yet you'll still feel the earthy, rural Italian village atmosphere. Dinner starts 4pm and goes on until midnight. We love the pizza and the lamb chops.

3. Kingdom Tower's Spazio 77
Plates are served to taste, but also to enjoy every bite! The various savors and wide range of signature Mediterranean dishes made from the best ingredients and always keeping in mind the authenticity of each flavor.

What better way to enjoy dinner than to eat at the 77th floor of Saudi Arabia's tallest building? Delicious food and amazing views, that's what you get from Spazio 77. Perfect for a lovely date! Your journey starts at the amazing elevator, which looks like a planetarium with its "stars", that zips you up to the restaurant floor. Then the meals, which is great. (S ate there on a buffet and she remembers there was a lot of salmon and a pasta that is cooked right in front of you.) You can also opt to go to the Oxygen Room, which is one-of-a-kind in Riyadh. Very interesting!

You might want to consider Al Faisaliah Tower's The Globe too. We haven't eaten there so we can't vouch for it but if you're looking for spectacular city views while eating modern European cuisine then you'll be in a treat at The Globe. You can also visit The Experience, Faisaliah's public observation gallery, after your hefty dinner. Fancy a cigar? Then the Asir Lounge is for you. Now, who wanna be a billionaire so effin' bad?!

After a hefty dinner, you'll probably crave for a fabulous dessert. Enter two in our must-list:

4. Cafe Lenotre

Located in Centria Mall, Cafe Lenotre is a restaurant and a dessert place in one. If you're there for the latter only, then we'd suggest you pick a table outside. The terrace, overlooking the Olaya and King Fahd Road, is lit with romantic candles and made cooler by water sprinklers. Try their Lavazza coffee and apple pie. Also their chocolate fondant and macarons. Oh, phone in a reservation okay. They don't accept walk-ins. They're sosyal that way. Lol.

5. Laduree Cafe

Also in the same mall you'll find a quaint, dainty cafe by French icon Laduree. Again, this is a reservation only cafe (and they're strict about it). You'll enjoy mouthwatering macarons, cakes and pastries... if you can pronounce them in their French names. Lol. Have their flavored coffees and ice cream too.

Laduree's famous macarons *nibble, nibble*

So, did we give you a good list or what? Don't lose the romance this coming red-letter day! Pop-in a delightful surprise to your wife (or okay, husband)! Have a romantic dinner in the city of Riyadh! :)

Sneak Peek at "Lusin"

Tonight, I had the special treat of peeking in a budding new restaurant in town due to open on February 14 (soft opening) called "Lusin".

Most of our readers already know my affection with the Noodle House in Centria Mall...it just so happens that this new restaurant is a brainchild of the same company but this will cater to a more Middle Eastern/European flair serving Armenian food. Now, I am not sure what Armenian food is, but I've been informed that it is similar to Arabic food in a way. I guess I have to wait until the opening to find out and tell you all about it. Otherwise, this is what Wikipedia said about Armenian cuisine.

Meanwhile, here are some photos I was able to take as the crew was kind enough to show me the inside of the restaurant:

The sign on the door reads "Lusin" brightly, and the rest of the exterior of the entrance shows two gate-like doors on both sides and in the middle is a glass wall which allows passers-by to view the big, clay oven situated inside as the cooks go about their business. You'd have to imagine it for now as it escaped my mind to photograph the whole entrance.

The inside: The interior palette is made up of rich browns, beige, dark purple (it may be maroon, but the lighting must have me confused) and dim-lit lamps, almost looking like an arabian sunset. Further on the back is an outdoor section, overlooking the Olaya area. It's still in need of finishing touches.

The table setting. The brass lamps may very well allow diners to have a good look of their food before enjoying it. I hope to have a seat in one of these tables very soon!

So there you have it, in case you want to try out something new come February 14th, Lusin will surely welcome you.

Cheers!

-ec-

The Top 5 Malls in Riyadh

We're introducing a new section in the blog where we list five favorite any thing. Just the Pink Tarha ladies' choices orayt? Feel free to add yours in the comment boxes. :)

For the first entry in this section, we write about something dear to our hearts (lol). Since we're still high from shopping, why not write an entry that involves our favorite past time?

One of Riyadh's allure to women is its being a major shopping destination, especially during the sale season. The mall is the main destination of women who are seeking respite and therapy from all the day's work (or non-work). The mall is the oasis, the first refreshing frontier in the ongoing life of Filipinas in Saudi Arabia. It's wide, air-conditioned, and the displays are endless and dazzling! Filipino men can settle for Batha but we women can hold our fort in Riyadh's huge malls. The Pink Tarha lists down our five go-to malls in the city with their matching pros and cons.

1. Riyadh Gallery
This mall located at the end of the King Fahad Road tops our list. It might be far to a few but we say it's location is just right. Not too near and not too far. The distance is compensated by the King Fahd Road, which is a relatively wide highway with little traffic. But the most important reason is that it's a one-stop complete mall. It houses three of our favorite department stores - three! - Debenhams, Centrepoint, and Citymax. It also has a famous one-stop beauty shop, Sephora. Eyecandy says it also resembles a Manila mall the most (say Trinoma) because of its wide space and nature (albeit faux) landscape in the center. The coffee shops are rightfully (and tastefully) placed in the nooks of this mall garden. The lack of in-house branches of popular restaurants is compensated with a brightly-lit, colorful food court with interesting eating stalls that we like. E likes Indian Garden in the food court which serves a mean Chicken 65 while Mary likes the no-fuss pasta at Pastalita. Overall, Riyadh Gallery is the Pink Tarha's main retreat.

Shop with nature in Riyadh Gallery (photo from here)

Pros
Relaxing ambiance (nature landscape in the middle)
Department stores (Centrepoint, Citymax, Debenhams, Sephora)
Popular brands (New Look, Zara, H&M, New Yorker)
Specialty stores (Konad for nail art and Stokes for funky kitchen tools)
Hyper Panda
Huge parking lot
London cab
Huge amusement center

Cons
Far location (at the end of King Fahd Road)
Death-defying high escalators
No in-house restaurants

2. Granada Center
Surprisingly, even if Granada Center is far from the city center, we are placing it in second because of a somewhat unique reason. Granada Center is probably the most men-friendly mall because most of the brands here carry their line for men. Like Topshop and H&M. So it's a pro for our fathers, husbands, and brothers. Pro for us too because they become more willing to drive us around. We also consider its distance a breather from the grinding, busy city life. It also proves to be an advantage because we still find our sizes here, especially during the sale season. Granada Center is like a walk in the park. It's spacious but not too huge to enjoy a stroll. It also has the must-go-to stores in our list like H&M, River Island, and Debenhams. Also, we don't encounter the muttawas here as much compared to other malls (not that we're hiding from them).

Far but worth it (photo from here)

Pros
Department store (Debenhams)
Popular brands (Topshop, H&M, New Look,)
Brands for men (Topshop, H&M)
In-house restaurants (Steakhouse and a Turkish grill)
Carrefour
Entertainment center
Huge parking lot
London cab
For women only food court area

Cons
Location
Limited variety of stores
Limited eating stalls in the food court

3. Sahara Mall and Hayat Mall
We decided to combine these two together because once you're in one, you can't help but go "ober da bakod" to visit the other. And you can also go to Sahara Plaza, the home of Zara and La Senza's liquidation stores. If not for the ongoing construction on the roads surrounding these malls, we could have placed it in the number 1 spot. But times and places have changed. The traffic in this area is a killer and you'll waste precious minutes in the surrounding intersections, U-turns, and detours. Also, it was a breeze before to cross the road to go from one mall to the other but now that a fence has been installed in between, the walk outside is a strain (unless you enjoy walking like we do... sometimes). Overall though, Sahara and Hayat offer a huge variety of brands and stores combined. What you can't find in one mall, you can find in the other. You can buy everything here from your clothes, groceries, books, cellphones, and appliances. It's a one-stop gigantic shop... which you can reach after having a headache from the road hassles.

Shoppers' [twin] delight (photos from here and here)

Pros
Location (near the city center)
Popular brands (Hayat: New Look, Zara, Lacoste, Al-Sawani, Paris Gallery | Sahara: MNG, H&M, Miss Selfridge)
Lots of food court choices
In-house restaurants (Hayat: Tony Roma's and Applebee's | Sahara: Fuddruckers, Cafe Ceramique)
Supermarkets (Hayat: Dabube Hypermarket | Sahara: Tamimi Market)
Sahara Plaza
Jarir Bookstore and Best Electronic Store
Entertainment centers

Cons
Major traffic in the area
Long detour in between malls
Always full parking lots
No London Cab

4. Kingdom Mall
Though we love this mall for the unique brands it carry, we find the stores very limited. What we love though is the ladies floor where we can step out of our abayas (which curiously, we keep) and relax with other women who love shopping and having coffee. We are also catered by women who know our wants and needs and whom we share the same interests. What goes on in the ladies' floor is our own dirty little secret. Lol. However, the prices are somewhat too high. Salon services cost twice or triple than salons outside. Kingdom Mall has an upper-class clientele and this mall gives off that ambiance. The food court, though, feels otherwise. The available eating joints are scarce and not as varied as other malls. One major point when being in Kingdom Mall is the opportunity to go upstairs and visit the Skybridge where a glass wall is the only thing that separates you from a panoramic view of Riyadh.

Go luxe! (photo from here)

Pros
Location (city center)
Luxury brands (Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Tiffany and Co., Saks Fifth Avenue)
Luxury hotel (Four Seasons) and restaurants (Spazio, Quattro, The Grill)
Ladies' floor
Spacious, wide, brightly-lit areas
London Cab
Skybridge

Cons
Limited variety of brands and stores
Only 1 in-house resto (Planet Hollywood)
Attacks on women outside the mall were 'reported.'

5. Faisaliah Mall
We love Faisaliah Mall but it doesn't offer as much as the other malls. It is the nearest mall to our work and home but we only find ourselves drawn by the food court which has our favorite food (Subway, London Chips, and Samurai). We also love their selection of desserts (Cheesecake Factory, Baskin n' Robbins, a cookie stall, etc.) Their food court and Water Lemon have a nice view of the Olaya Road. It has a nice array of familiar brands like MNG, Zara, and Promod and has the only branch of Juicy Couture in Riyadh. It is also the home of upscale department store, Harvey Nichols. When done shopping, going to the view deck in Faisaliah's globe is a must. For SR25, you get a nice 360 degree view of the city and limitless number of photos using your camera (Kingdom's Skybridge prohibits the use of mainstream cameras; only mobile phone's).

Shop and dine with a view at Faisaliah Mall (photo from here)

Pros
Popular brands (MNG, Zara, Promod, MAC)
High-class brands (Juicy Couture, Coach, Roberto Cavalli)
Department store (Harvey Nichols, Al-Sawani)
Good variety of food court choices
View deck
Ample parking space in the basement

Cons
Busy intersection of Olaya and Thalateen Sts.
Filled parking lots outside
No London Cab

There are still a lot of malls in Riyadh and we cannot count the possibilities of fab finds and experience. These five, however, are our go-to malls but we also visit Panorama Mall (for their amusement center... lol!), Al-Akaria Mall, Al-Nemer Center, Othaim Mall, Khurais Plaza, etc. but not as frequent. If you have raves and rants on the malls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, do let us know in the comment box.

Happy shopping in Riyadh!

Hey, Feb!

First things first: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's almost Valentine's and we're still greeting you a happy new year. Wow, we are sooo late. But better late than never right? And it's still early 2011. (Excuses, lol!)

Second, we are embarrassed to have forgotten our blog's second anniversary. So er, HAPPY 2ND ANNIVERSARY, The Pink Tarha!

Shoegarfreeruby noticed it late in the afternoon of the 24th. We shrieked in horror and didn't have time to make an entry so we just greeted ourselves in Facebook. We promise not to do that again on our third anniv. Speaking of which, there will be no third anniv if we don't churn out more blog entries pronto. We're hoping to stir things around our online home so please watch out for that. Be patient a little bit as we're trying to put our heads together to brainstorm and create chaos. Lol. Our minds were frozen by the winter season and it's just thawing now that summer is arriving (rather early!). The Pink Tarha ladies, all four of us... complete (yes, this should be emphasized), will come together for a huge TPT session (the first time in many months since the girls got busy with some other stuff) next week.

We're thinking of changing some things here and there. The blog's design, though very nice, is getting a bit outdated since you know how we look like by now. The content, which we hope you still find interesting and informative, should be beefed up more. (We are open for suggestions. What do you want to read in The Pink Tarha?) And the blog elements, which we're not so adept with, are getting boring. So a make-over is bound to happen soon.

We definitely have a lot of ideas. All we need is to put them into action! Woot! For now, we're still here, folks! You can still ask us questions and we'll answer as fast as we can. Relax and we'll surprise you one of these days. In the meantime, head on over to our Facebook page and get the latest steals and scoops about Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This weekend is the end of the sale season so hurry! Leave some for us though.

See you later!