Riyadh Food Discoveries

We're always on the lookout for something new in Riyadh, especially when it comes to food. FOOD. Yes, food. Haha! Looking at the gustatory landscape of Riyadh, I observed that there is a lot more left to be desired. There are so many types of cuisine that is waiting to be seen and tasted from other countries. I'm pretty sure that locals and expats alike would be grateful for some Vietnamese cuisine, Hongkong dishes, and maybe some Mediterranean and Greek. However, we can always make do with what we have for now. It's not that easy to open a restaurant in Riyadh anyway.

Here are three food discoveries over the Haj holiday...

HAMBURGINI

Are you ready to line up?

Hailed as the best burger by print magazine Destination Riyadh, Hamburgini has long been a favorite by a lot of locals. A testament to this is the looong line that's always snaking its way from the counter to the outside creating traffic on the street where it's at. They also halt the ordering way before its closing time because of the many burgers they have to create for those who ordered a lot (and we mean A LOT). My brothers have to line up for more than an hour to get their orders. 

The single burger

So what makes these burgers worth the line? First and foremost, it's just SR 9. It's small but it's really worth it. The bun is soft and buttery and the patty is beefy and savory. The tomato and lettuce are fresh and the sauce has a bit of sweet and sour mixed into it. One bun is not enough so yes, order A LOT! And go there early. They are so confident of their burgers that they only have three main items in their menu: Single, Double, and Triple (and by that they just mean the number of patties in your burger and nothing else). You can only add fries and soda. That's it.

Hamburgini

Al Muruj District

Prince Turki Ibn Abdulaziz Al Thani

(in front of Othaim Market)

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

See map here.

T: +966-11-4103330

FB: www.facebook.com/HamburginiSA

Twitter: @HamburginiSA

*****

MR. DAINTY

Cafe Mr. Dainty in Avenue Mall

I am a huge fan of bubble teas in the Philippines. I have no excuse for the amount of bubble teas in various flavors that I consume when I'm in Manila so I am quite disappointed that Riyadh hasn't gotten into the bubble tea craze. I've been waiting for years! (Naks!) Enter Mr. Dainty in AlQasr Mall and Avenue Mall...

Uhmn yup, all mine!

I love their simple Assam bubble tea. It's what I always order. It has a mild sweetness and the tea flavor is not overpowering. The bubbles are chewy too. Try the chocolate flavor too. A large order (SR10 + SR2 for the bubbles) makes me so full I couldn't eat any thing else. Except if it's Mr. Dainty's delicious breads. They have an array of breads that are soft and flavorful. My favorite includes the tuna bun, custard bun, and egg&mushroom bread. The AlQasr branch delivers for a minimum of SR 100.

Mr. Dainty

Second Floor, Avenue Mall (Lulu Hypermarket)

Olaya, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

***

Food court, AlQasr Mall

Suwaidi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Timing: 12:30pm-12:00am

T: +966-11-4574116

*****

BESTBITE DONUTS

AlQasr Mall branch

There are so many donut brands in Riyadh that makes this city probably the sweetest ever. Haha! (Really?! *cough*) Or the most diabetes prone. :P Who doesn't love donuts? I love donuts but not the kind smothered with sugar or syrup. That's why BestBite is a refreshing alternative. It's so refreshing it's not an American brand! It's Chinese!

Less sugar, more flavor!

The bread is what I like in this donut. It's pillowy soft and not at all sweet. It's not covered and glazed with sweet syrup like other brands (*cough* Krispy Kreme *cough*) and not oily. The toppings and fillings give it its distinct taste. I especially like the ones with blueberry and strawberry jam surrounded with whipped cream. Classic flavors include Choco Star, Oreo, Snow White, Black Forest, Almonds, and Pop Corn Flakes. All flavors are SR 6 each. Best Bite also offers hot drinks like espresso, hot chico, tea, cappuccino, and Turkish coffee that goes well with their donut. Not for hot? Then cold drinks like Oreo, Mockha, Corn Flakes, and Mocha Oreo are available too.

BestBite Donuts

Tahlia Street, Sulaimaniah

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

T: +966-11-2937307

***

Food court, AlQasr Mall

Suwaidi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

T: +966-53-4468859

Random Thursday {September 27}

Good morning, beautiful people of Riyadh! How are you feeling today? Well, I'm feeling upbeat this Thursday despite of a tooth extraction done to me last night. Haha. Although I can't eat solid food just yet, I'm happy to say I now have the license to eat ice cream and fro-yos... as much as I want! 

We didn't have Random Thursdays last week because of The Pink Tarha Mornings but it's back today. I'm bringing you scenes from the city and random snacks (as if I needed more photos of food to tease me from not being able to eat them). 

Here's a very good morning photo I took of Tahlia Street. It was taken one random Thursday morning when the ladies and I were having brunch in Buffalo's. I'm reminded once again of how Riyadh has changed for the last couple of years. The traffic nowadays is horrible but you can get some respite from all that craziness when you go out on a bright Thursday morning and drive by Tahlia Street (or any street for that matter).

What's a morning without coffee? When we don't have moolah for store-bought coffee (Starbucks and Dr. Cafe anyone?), we drink 3 in 1 coffee in sachets and one of our favorites is Kopiko Java Coffee. It has the right amount of sweetness. Our ultimate favorite is Nescafe Brown but it's not available here in Riyadh so we settle on what's here. Kopiko is available in leading grocery and supermarkets. 

And what's drinking coffee without some sweets to go with it?

Have you tried Dixie Cream's donuts found in Tahlia Street? While we applaud the addition of another donut store in Riyadh, we're not too impressed with Dixie Cream. There's nothing new with their donuts. But hey, we all want to taste something new every day right? Grab a donut here in case you're in the area.

You know how much we loved macaroons, yes? While our heart was definitely taken by Laduree, we also sample those which are available in the pastry shops here in Riyadh. Like this macaroon from our recently-featured Saadeddin Pastries. The colorful rounds weren't exactly uniform in size but they were good on their own. It has a crisp outer layer and chewy center, a consistency I really like in a macaroon. But the almond scent was a little bit overpowering that my brother was bothered in eating something so fragrant like a flower or a perfume. Haha.

Another sweet treat we couldn't get enough of is Taco Bell's Cinnamon Twists. No, they're not bread sprinkled with cinnamon but crackers (like prawn crackers) with cinnamon powder all over them. They're crunchy and sweet and salty... we're addicted!

And now we go to heavier snacks...

The first pizza chain I've ever eaten in Riyadh is Pizza Company. I got to revisit it again with a friend last week and we enjoyed their personal sized Hawaiian pizza (basically with pineapple and shrimps). The pizza as thick and chewy with gooey cheese to boot. We love the sweetness of the pineapple chunks and the plump shrimps that went with it. Busog!

Ahhh Coke. Who doesn't drink it? (Okay, please do not start a Coke vs. Pepsi war in here.) I personally am a Coke fan. (I was a Pepsi fan when I was in high school... I didn't know what happened.) So I'm glad to find this "sakto" size in Alrajhi Supermarket. And it was so cold too! Perfect thirst quencher  on a scorching hot afternoon. 

And so I end this entry with a night photo...

Taken from one of our favorite coffee hang-outs in Riyadh... Cafe Lenotre in Centria Mall. We like the ambiance on their terrace where we get to see Olaya Road along with glimpses of the Olaya Twin Towers, Faisaliah Tower, and Kingdom Tower. It's fun to catch up with friends in this cafe... only when it's not too crowded. ;)

Remember that tomorrow is Mc Donald's A Day Offline. Can you handle the challenge of not being able to use your gadgets like phone, computers, and television to spend more quality time with your families and friends? Can we? Let's see. ;)

Have a fun, fun weekend everyone! Don't hesitate to share fab finds and your desert city adventures to us! ~ Sundrenched