A Garden Barbecue Kind of Night

A couple of weeks back, a reader asked us where to go for good hotel buffets in the city. That prompted me to think, "have we ever been in a hotel to eat in their buffet?" because if not, I'll be disappointed. We've been eating out for as long as I can remember and not trying a buffet in any hotel in this city is a crime for the supposedly "guide" to Riyadh. 

Well, I have tried a few but I don't think they actually count. I remember my family and I tried the Malaysian buffet of Hilton Garden Inn during the Global Food Festival 2013. It's good but it's not available all-year round. We've also had our suhoor buffet in The Globe in Faisaliah. Obviously, that too is no longer available since it was just for a special event. So where to go for a good buffet in Riyadh?

Don't ask me. I'm not good at buffets. I know I look like I eat a lot but I swear I'm no good at buffets. First, I cannot eat a lot in one seating, even if you give me hours in there, so I cannot comment on the food that much. Second, I cannot pay that much money only to eat that little. It's called waste of money in my vocabulary. And third, I'm judgmental of hotel food. They're mostly bland and so-so. 

But, here's one buffet that surprised me. It's actually good!

Welcome to Garden Barbecue in Hotel Al Khozama in Olaya Road beside Faisaliah Tower. I've been reading a few reviews on this restaurant and they say that the food is delicious and the ambiance is nice. Now that's a good feedback so it really piqued my interest. I invited a friend with me for a post-birthday celebration. (Oh please, she's a girl! Haha!) I reserved three days in advance and like a true blue expensive restaurant, they even texted me a reservation code. 

My friend and I were a bit early because I didn't know where it was located in the hotel. I had an image in my mind that since it's a garden restaurant, it would be in a floor above the first and will be in a terrace. Silly me, I didn't think that it's called a "garden" for a reason. Turns out it's located in the lawn outside the hotel. And yes, on the ground floor.

This is their Ramadan set-up.

Here are the reasons why I like Garden Barbecue... and why this is the buffet I would suggest to anyone who's asking. 

Disclaimer: Because we're in a hotel restaurant, we are semi-formal and acting all posh and chic and conyo therefore we didn't take our selfies and food photos because it's dyahe (embarrassing). Who does that in such an expensive resto?! Nahhh kidding! Hehe. Of course we took photos! But they're a bit dark and grainy because the lighting in our area is dim.

1. The informal yet lively the setting. The restaurant is set up in a manicured lawn with wooden chairs and tables. It's not that warm; there are mists that cool the place. The open air set up prevents diners from smelling like barbecue. It's also surrounded by shrubs decorated with firefly lights for some privacy. 

A warm, nice ambiance

There's a huge screen for sports afficionados. There's no sound though so it's still good for conversations. The only gripe I have is the muddy area near the appetizer line. Other than that, I like the ambiance and place very much. It's one of those pocket spots in the city that doesn't remind you of Riyadh... until you look up and get a good view of the Faisaliah Tower.

Hey, Faisaliah! How are you tonight? :P

2. It's simple; a quality over quantity kind of buffet. The buffet section is divided into three main parts: appetizers, main course, and desserts. That doesn't sound a lot but for me, it's well-curated. And a well-curated buffet is enough. The choices and selections are great and appropriate for what they offer: a barbecue feast.

3. Delicious, freshly-cooked food. I hardly ever use this in my buffet experience so maybe you should believe me. But then again, I haven't been to a lot of buffets so my comparison is a bit limited. But still, I loved their freshly-made khubz with their hummus. I didn't get the right names for the appetizers I really liked but one has shrimps on it, another is a salad with the softest beef strips, and another one has very refreshing watermelon slices with mint. 

The appetizers <3

And the barbecue selections... my oh my! The meat and seafood are lined up on enclosed trays. Beside them are the master grillers. You can choose any thing you want and they will grill them for you. Right on the spot. In which way you like. Sit back and relax for a while until they deliver your order to our table! 

Our grilled meats

The key to enjoying this buffet is to not be takaw-mata. In English, takaw-mata roughly translates to "Wee, that looks delicious, I'll have that! And that too! Oh, and that too! They all look delicious! I'll have every thing!!!" The choices are all enticing so you'd be compelled to choose a lot. There are seafood (salmon, shrimps, octopus, etc.), steaks (sirloin and T-bone), sausages, chicken kebabs, and lamb burgers. My companion and I wanted to try all (because yes, you can select all) but in the end, here are the items that I really, really liked: T-Bone steak (so tender and tasty), lamb burger (juicy), and grilled mussels (so fresh and sweet). I'm so full from all that so I might have ignored the side dishes ergo I can't comment on those.

The desserts are also good. They have the usual sweet mini cakes and bread pudding. I really liked the ice cream that I had to momentarily forget that I was suffering from cough that week. Maybe it is the reason why I still have cough now but it's quite good, especially with the crispy flakes and chocolate syrup I smothered it with. 

4. Great service. The staff are all nice and attentive. And the one who took our orders for our main courses didn't bat an eyelash when we rattled off the meats we want to have them grilled. He could've said "Really?! That's only for the two of you?!" But he didn't! He even said we can order any thing we want! Wooot! Snaps for him. Our waiter also offered us free coffee and tea at the end of our meal. 

Enjoy a night outdoors!

We were so full! But it was a delightful kind of full! I love this garden barbecue concept!

The Garden Barbecue buffet is priced at SR 195 per person exclusive of drinks. Dinner buffet starts from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. This buffet is worth it. Garden Barbecue Restaurant is truly an oasis in the city! ~ Sundrenched

Garden Barbecue Restaurant

Hotel Al Khozama

Olaya Road, Riyadh, KSA

T: +966-11-2732222

F: +966-11-4648576

E: alkhozama@rosewoodhotels.com

FB: www.facebook.com/hotelalkhozama

Twitter: @al_khozama

The Sophisticated Burgers of GBK

Riyadh is fast becoming the burger capital of Saudi Arabia. I swear! There are so many restaurants serving burgers as their main fare in this city that they're sprouting one after the other faster than we can say "Burgerrr!" Or "Fries!" And most of them have been banking on the organic trend. This is not just fast food burger anymore where everything is prepared and done before the stores even open. This is gourmet burger where the once instant sandwich becomes carefully crafted and sophisticated.

Burger and sophistication? That's one pair you don't get to see every day. After all, we've always seen burgers as fast food. So let me introduce you to Gourmet Burger Kitchen, a restaurant that originated in New Zealand serving innovative and exotic burger combinations made by chef Peter Gordon. The Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Riyadh has been open since October 2012. Why are we just discovering this now?!

Welcome to GBK!

Anyway, we finally got to try Gourmet Burger Kitchen two weeks ago. We've always thought that this store located at the end of Tahlia Street (near the meeting point with Dabab Street) is still under construction. Apparently, it's already open. We came at an inconvenient time, just 45 minutes before salah. Too bad, they usher guests out during prayer time. But then again, being used to our social lives revolving around the prayer times, we indulge the harried but apologetic manager (I was tempted to tell him, "Relax ka lang kuyaaa...") and ordered fast even if we were having a hard time choosing from the menu of burger varieties that were new to us.

Sleek, minimalist interiors

Love the glass walls and the sunshine that pours forth.

A friend ordered the fries with chili con carne and cheese which turned out to be the best chili fries we've ever had in Riyadh. I mean, I haven't had many chili fries in this city but this one has a taste that we couldn't get enough of. It has the authentic taste of the spicy stew down pat (I mean as authentic as my tempered Pinoy palate can identify with).

A Pleasant Piatto

Piatto, a restaurant formerly known as Duo, is making waves across the Riyadh cityscape with its reinvented concept of particularly fresh Italian dining. A brighter and better ambiance welcomes you as they zone in on the trademark traits of Italy with fountains, a vespa display and an outdoor dining setting that will somehow make you forget that you are in fact, in Saudi Arabia.

Buongiorno! Welcome to Piatto!

Since its revamp more than a year ago, Piatto has experienced not mild, not fair, but a great amount of success with their customers. This is proven not just in the numbers tabulated by their annual gross sales, but by the continuous flocking of guests to their restaurant even though it is around 30 minutes away from the city center. Customers are also willing to wait to be seated even during evening time just to be able to dine there. (Yes, I've seen it happen before when I went there for my birthday dinner with the family and upon leaving, I saw the waiting room packed!) So what is it with Piatto? :) Read on to find out.

Here's a rundown of what our palates enjoyed that day. Be warned though, may cause excessive salivating (as our pictures always do):

Bruschetta Trio, 48SR

To begin with, expect a close-to-authentic Italian cuisine when headed to Piatto. It's a bit on the other end of the spectrum than that of the Asian palette so, don't be surprised if you don't encounter the usual sweet or spicy flair of Asian food. Featured above is one of their hefty starters and a good choice if you want to taste a lil' bit of everything. The three are topped with Pomodoro (tomato+basil+olive oil aka "tomato" in Italian), Warm Goat Cheese+Chive and Wild Mushroom with Eggplant. I particularly enjoyed the Wild Mushroom and Eggplant Bruschetta because it had the most flavor of them all.

Warm Artichoke Spinach Dip, 44SR

In fairness to this one, they did serve it "warm" as the name implies. I liked how the spinach didn't overpower the rest of the flavors and this one actually lets you distinguish the artichoke for what it is. Sometimes, this particular dish is often mistaken to be made of purely made of cheese because other restaurants capitalize on that aspect of the recipe rather than the artichoke itself. (Oooh, am I starting to speak like a judge on Food Network's Chopped? Hahaha, jk) It was a well-balanced recipe and this, I will definitely order again. 

Greens+Tomatoes with Cesar Salad Dressing

Oi! Sushi

We are always cruising along Tahlia St. that every time an opening soon sign is erected, we see it and get excited. When Oi Lounge's opening soon sign was up, it was the wonderful play of colors that caught our eyes, including the sushi illustrations that went with it. We were on the lookout for its opening. When it finally did, I asked a friend to treat me there for her birthday (demanding pa ako?! haha!).

Modern Japanese restaurant

Oi Lounge brings to Riyadh the concept of having sushi and maki plates in a conveyor belt. The plates parade before you and you just have to snatch what tickles your fancy. The prices ranging from SR24 to SR100 are according to the color of the plate.

Conveyor belt with plates rimmed with color

The interiors of Oi! is very nice. It's clean and elegant yet fun, pretty, and trendy. The mix of violet, green, orange, yellow, and pink reminds us of tea time ala Breakfast at Tiffany's. And if it's not glaring enough, there's a huge tea pot in the floor...

I get it, you are a Japanese restaurant.

Cute color accents on a predominantly white Ichida lounge

Love the wall decals.

The royal purple couch beside the conveyor belt

We took a booth with violet couches near the conveyor belt and ordered away. Here are the food in our table:

Sanni Combination: salmon, tuna, and shrimp in a roll (SR

Shezuan Ramen: egg noodles with spicy broth (SR)

Tendon, a rice bowl with tempura (SR35)

Beef Teriyaki (SR75)

For a Japanese restaurant, Oi! Lounge serves a very different kind of maki. We like that the fishes and shrimps in the maki are fresh and tender but the rice used was too soft, wet and lacking in vinegar. Isn't vinegared rice used in sushis and makis? If this is an original take to the maki, then we wanted the tried and tested ingredients please. The ramen is bland and boring. It is true to its spicy claim though. The tendon was okay: the tempura pieces are hot and crisp. It's the beef teriyaki that took us by surprise. The grade A strip loin used was really juicy and tender and went well with the sweet teriyaki sauce. Even the veggie salad on the side was yummy. If we're ever to come back, this would be the sole reason. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to shell out SR75 for beef teriyaki every time.

I can write a love letter for you.

Oi Lounge is a surprising gem in Tahlia St. Its waiters and chef are friendly and courteous. We'd love to be back but not until we tried other Japanese restaurants in the city. ~ Sundrenched

Oi Lounge
Address: Tahlia St., Riyadh, KSA
(near Centria Mall)
T: +966-1-464-4661
W: www.oilounge.com

THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED. 

The Chichi of Tao

Whatever happened to our food posts?! We did not stop going out and eating (who does?). We just stopped writing.

I'm gonna pick up the pen for us again. Sorry, are you getting tired of my writing? Apologies. The other tarhas are busy with career changes, events, vacation, and personal issues. That is not to say I'm not busy too. I'm just not too busy, I guess. Haha. Okay, so what will I bring you this time? I've had it with cupcakes but there are still cupcake stores opening in the city. I saw Kitsch in Tahlia and a Cupcake Shop in King Abdullah Road. Yes, it's literally called "Cupcake". Gee, I wonder what they will sell. :) Will have to get back to you on those. I'm not still over with desserts, of course. And if there's one thing that caught my fancy and attention in that department over the last few months, it's the peanut butter ice cream of Tao Lounge.

Okay, let me back track a little. Sampaguita Pride and I went out for dinner days before her vacation in the Philippines and we went to this restaurant called Tao in Tahlia. You might not have seen this but it's there. Just look for a massive sculpture of something that look like an arm, a microphone, trophy, or er, well... a phallic symbol. I swear I did not think of the last one first upon seeing that silvery thing in the middle of a boxy building. I didn't even think that was Tao until I saw this thin neon sign with stars that say "tao" in cursive. Ohkay. How are they related? Mind you, I wore my best abaya, like our dinner in L'Entrecote, for this because the place is 'reservations only.'

I felt like a socialite when I stepped inside. The place screams 'sosyal' and I would have reverted to the conyo-tic English if not for P. This is an English teacher in front of me, what was I thinking?! Hihi. If Riyadh have socialites, then they probably visit Tao Lounge and Restaurant. The place is stylish, chic, elegant, and trendy (thus the "chichi" in the title). There were couches perfect for friends gossiping and hobnobbing and smaller tables for couples on dates. Huge curtains separate the spaces. P and I were led to a small, intimate table for two (we were just on a friendly date, lol). There were soft lights around in shades of purple, pink, blue, yellow. I looked at the menu and gawked at the prices. A maki platter was SR62! Seriously? A pasta with no meat is SR67?! On to the foodography:

Have you seen a green and orange bread? :D

The fab trio of dips for the multi-colored bread (olives, herbed butter, tuna)

California Tao Roll, SR62

This is one of my fave makis ever but still, why so expensive?!

Penne tossed in cream and pesto sauce, SR67

Some green cocktail infused with fruit juices

The SPA: pineapple, kiwi, orange, watermelon

Oreo mousse... we like it. :)

Let me summarize the food experience as this: delicious but expensive. And I honestly think I will only go back to the place if I'm not the one paying for it.

Until the peanut butter ice cream came. It gave the meal a delightful perspective. Let me first say that I am not a fan of imported Peanut Butter. I dislike Goody. I dislike peanut butter that are salty. I'm all for the sweet, oily variety we have in the Philippines. Lily's FTW! So anyway, I was hesitant to order the peanut butter ice cream for the fear of wasting my SR30 for it. But you know what, it's one of the best spent SR30 ever. 

The highlight of our meal

This ice cream is sooo peanut buttery! I cannot even explain it nicely so I will explain it without logic. Tao probably took a bottle of peanut butter and placed it inside the freezer. Then they took it out to melt a little, whipped it, and voila! Peanut butter ice cream with the added mmmmm! It is really, really good. It's my favorite kind of peanut butter ice cream and that's saying a lot because they might have used imported salty peanut butter on this one. Yummy!

How chichi!

I got caught in nostalgia with the ice cream I mainly forgot I paid over SR300 for the entire meal for two. (I have no regrets though because I was in good company.)

And Tao's comfort room got me with its honeysuckle paint and mirrors all over. Can you say vanity?! 

Mirrors all over. Self-LOVE! Lol.

Made for the Pink Tarha! :P

I will probably be back in Tao for the ice cream. But then again, I'm not a socialite (in other words, I cannot afford this indulgence) so it's safe to wander to other restaurants for now.

The Night We Ate The SR125 Steak

Shoegarfreeruby and I promised we'll treat ourselves when our June payday comes. We had the grand (bonggang-bongga!) plan of eating in a restaurant that originated in Paris where others have to line up for hours. Surely, like us, you'd be dying to eat in Le Relais de L’Enrecote. Say wut?! I have to admit I can't pronounce that. I tried a few times until I had to ask the waiter already. Lol. What I can pronounce, and happily too, is the star of this resto's menu. Actually, the ONLY thing in their menu --- steak-frites. Come again? Steak and fries.

Le Relais de L’Enrecote is known for their steak and fries and that alone. You'd be surprised they're quite famous for it too so dining in here is such an experience we'd be willing to line up for it if needed. Thankfully, all we needed to do is call for a reservation.

The facade is posh and elegant. Blink and you might miss the cursive sign.

R and I spent a few minutes waiting outside the restaurant along Tahlia, just a few steps away from Chili's, because the prayer was still on-going when we arrived (excited kasi!). We thought we had to fight our way in and we were ready just in case people are already blocking our path. Lol. It wasn't necessary because the only table occupied was one. It became two when we took our seats. Good thing we picked the after maghreb prayer schedule because the place is jampacked after 8:00pm.

Branches of L'Entrecote worldwide have the same look and ambiance.

We thought we had to act all formal and sosyal (in fairness, I even wore my best abaya for this!) but the bistro is so simple yet elegant it’s nearly a sin to act pa-sosyal pa. Of course, there's no need to peruse a menu as there's none. We were immediately asked how we wanted our steak done. “Oh medium-well monsieur! Merci!” (Testing lang. :P)

They served us a simple salad first. It was so basic it only had lettuce and pieces of walnuts on it drizzled with their signature dressing. 

The starters.

The only thing I can remember about it is that it was too salty. The mustard dressing was a little bit bitter too. I'm not big on green stuff so I munched them lazily. There was bread too but I hardly glanced at it; just took a photo. 

Bland bread.

I was excited to begin my steak! Good thing, we didn't have to wait long for it. I wasn't really looking for anything fancy but I was still surprised when they placed an ordinary-looking plate in front of me filled with thin fries and a few cuts of meat. R and I were glancing at each other and asking, "this is it?!"

This is it!

I ignored the fries first and went straight to my steak. I sliced a piece and pierced it with my fork (I think I'm holding my breath while doing this). I put the piece of meat in my mouth... there were no fireworks, I tell you. There was no shout of pure ecstasy (I'm still talking about food). There was no "Eureka!" moment. I only managed to chew and chew, quietly savoring the succulent meat; its mild flavor swirling in my tongue spreading a unique flavor ingrained in my taste buds forever but can't describe with words now. 

Perfect combination.

It wasn't anything spectacular... It was amazing in its simplicity. The meat was tender and the sauce was mild and not overpowering. Although I wasn’t really impressed with the sauce. I initially thought it was good of epic proportions because it was a heavily-guarded secret! (O diba?!) Is it because I’m not French and not used to this kind of steak sauce? I dunno. The golden fries, which I ignored for a few minutes, came to focus when I popped a string in my mouth. The crispiness felt wonderful and right. I began eating the meat with a couple of fries and the combo was perfect!

Of course, I was already thinking the fries, even if it resembles a hill on my plate, and the slivers of meat, were not worthy of their SR125 price tag. (I completely forgot about the disappointing salad by now. Did I mention that here?! Really?) Alas, we were not yet finished. There was a second serving of fries and steak. I was already full when I wiped out my first serving but I kept on eating because the steak-frites is really good and not at all cloying!

A menu is only available for the desserts. Because we're delirious and can't quite think for ourselves after the main meal, we asked the waiter to choose for us among their highly-recommended desserts. A tower of meringue and ice cream were put in front of us and it was a wonderful sight. 

How sinful is this?! Vacherin, SR38

The Le Vacherin de Relais interweaves different textures from crisp, coarse, smooth, silky, soft in the layers but the taste is just one – sweet. I’m not exactly raving about this dessert.

Of course this meal is best enjoyed with wine the Le Relais de L’Enrecote in France is known for but should we even dare bring this up? Soooo…

Are we recommending you try Le Relaise despite of its hefty price tag and loner dish? Of course! You only live once right? And it's not every day you get to eat the steak-frites the world is lining up for. This can earn you bragging rights too... only if you know how to properly pronounce the name though. :)

Le Relais de L’Enrecote

Almas Plaza, Thalia Street

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

T: 01-4615058

§undrenched

Topped with Sugar Sprinkles

If our array of cupcake reviews didn't satisfy your lust for the heavenly dessert, then perhaps another one will.

We present you one of the most popular cupcake havens in Riyadh... Sugar Sprinkles. 

It's another one of those location we found via the Internet because we don't know the street by heart. I told our driver to just go straight in Takhassusi Road and just go straight. I don't have an estimate on how far it is from the Aiziza Panda in the intersection of Takhassusi and Mecca Roads where we're coming from. Just go straight. What kind of a direction was that?! Well, a direction that can lead us to this sweet place apparently. It's rather easy to find if you're always looking at the right side of the road. It was almost near King Abdullah Road (or was it?); the pink signage completely drew us in. Oh, and the long lines. So really, what's with Sugar Sprinkles? 

It's a dainty place to be in. The pink and brown scheme is a winner already. It's a theme that's mostly chosen for weddings and interior design so it's related to cheery, sweet vibes. We love the hints of warm sugar&cinnamon and freshly baked bread in the air inside the small store. We love the various decors too.

A shelf of ceramics

Cute accents

The cupcake display case is a sight to behold. It's not a chore to know what flavor is the cupcake. Just look at them and ingredients will be naming the flavors: cookies and cream, kitkat, red velvet, blue velvet, carrot, strawberry... All yum!

Oh the choices!

Size CUTE!

Their big cupcakes are SR8 each while the smaller ones are SR3. Get the cute, small ones if you're dying to try everything... and because they're really cute. :D

Choc'lit toppings!

How do I say this? Some of the cupcakes hit the mark but others are just off our palate. The red and blue velvet are pure love. We like that they're simple but luscious; the cupcake breaking apart smoothly with a bite. 

The velvets

The others, especially the ones with chocolate as base, are quite predictable: sweet and decadent. 

That's looks like a Hershey's Kisses on top! :P

The carrot cupcake is tasty and nutty. I'm not a fan of too much texture (a grinding in my teeth) in my cupcake but that's just me. The fruit flavored ones are a miss though. I can taste an artificial flavor in there, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Even the color red and yellow looks artificial. Others have a crumbly base. It's a hit or miss thing. Their frosting is good. It compliments the bread.

Aside from the cupcakes, try their English bread and muffins. They look and taste good! Their cakes are wonderfully decorated too. Might order one on the next Pink Tarha occasion. :)

You'll never regret eating them! :D

Sugar Sprinkles

Al Takhassusi Road, Riyadh, KSA

01-2290505

www.sugarsprinkles.com.sa

§undrenched