A Taste of Anatolia

Here's a conversation we had at home recently...

Me: Where are we going to eat?

Father: In Anatolia Grill.

Me: Really? Why there?

Father: Because Lebanese food is good.

Me: Uhhhh, Anatolia TURKISH Grill is Turkish.

Father: Same same. Lebanon and Turkey are near each other.

WOW. For the record, those two countries are quite near each other but they're not the same. My father is just being funny... because who doesn't know that Anatolia is Asia Minor or Asian Turkey or the majority of the Republic of Turkey (thank you, Wikipedia, lol)?! And Anatolia Grill is truly, without doubt, a restaurant that serves Turkish food, even though it's not located in Turkey. It's just in Granada Centre. And a branch recently sprouted in Olaya Road. 

Describing Turkish cuisine is quite tricky; it's almost like describing Arabic food in general. It's filled with bread, kebabs, and shawarma (doner), only they're called differently and spelled with letters that are considered special characters in Word. Turkish cuisine is a fusion of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and Balkan cuisines which tells us why it's almost similar with the food here in Saudi Arabia. To know more about it and why people flock the Anatolia Turkish Grill in Granada Centre, we also lined up to eat there.

Anatolia Turkish Grill opened in Granada Mall in March 2010. It aims to provide Turkish food 'with authentic taste in a contemporary, customer-friendly, and luxurious service atmosphere'. It's quite fascinating to discover its red interiors. We were seated in one of their open tables. Not knowing what to order, we asked the waiter to suggest their bestsellers and that's what we got.

Starters

We started with the combo of chic peas, tahina and garlic mashed until each ingredient is unrecognizable. Hummus (SR11), people! I didn't find any difference between the Arabic hummus with this one. They're both yummy. The bread that came with it is the different one. It's airy and thin. 

The brother got curious with the Perde Pilav (SR16). Called the "wedding rice of Turkey", it reminded me of our empanada albeit with rice mixed with chicken and spices. The Filipino waiter warned that we might not like it because it has an unusual taste but it was okay. A little bit bland but just okay. The menu says we have to ask the waiter why it's called the "wedding rice of Turkey" but I forgot to ask. Basing on its appearance, this looked like a cake. (Errr... I'm just guessing, please ask your waiter next time and tell me the answer! ;)

Beyti Kebap (SR37) is just kebab wrapped in thin dough. The meat was very tender and juicy. It went well with the dip that came with it. (You can tell by now that most dishes are filled with tomatoes, which I don't eat in copious amount.)

The Papyon Kebap (SR35) was my choice. It's striploin beef rolled and skewered with thin sticks to keep the mushroom and melted cheese in the middle. It had me at "melted cheese." The meat was a bit chewy but the cheese lent a piquant flavor to it; pausing the increasing suya in my tastebuds.

The Anatolia Special Kofte (SR30) is pieces of meat served with grilled tomatoes and chili pepper. And because we're all tall and huge people in the family, the waiter might have thought we're so fond of meat that he added Ali Nazik Kebap (SR34), a plate of chopped kebabs tossed in what seemed to be tomato sauce and pita bread and more green peppers which they seem to be really fond of, to our order.

I have to admit that by this time, various flavors were already merging and exploding in my mouth and I didn't know which tasted which. I just know that I was enjoying my time munching on all these meats served before me. (I wished I didn't mix up the names with the photos. Just in case, their menu can be found here.)

All in all, the food in Anatolia Turkish Grill is good and affordable. While I must admit that I've tasted a better Turkish fare in another restaurant in the city, dining in Anatolia Turkish Grill is a fun experience. The waiters are friendly and funny and the service is fast. The place is bright and pleasant (when not crowded). There's usually a long line in their branch in Granada especially on weekend nights.

We might go back again... After I've convinced the father that Turkey and Lebanon are not "same same" and that waiting in line must really be endured if he wants good Turkish food. ~ Sundrenched

Anatolia Turkish Grill

- Granada Centre, Exit 5

T: +966-1-2535527

- Abdullah Al-Sayed Towers,

Tahlia Street, Olaya

(Maps can be found here.)

T: +966-1-4626339

E: info@anatoliaturkishgrill.com

W: www.anatoliaturkishgrill.com
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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!

SALE Alerts and more

It's the end of the month, sahod na naman and I'm sure hindi lang coincidence na nagsusulputan ang mga red signs all over.

Well people, this is just to let you all know that MNG has put on the '50% off' signs on their windows since last weekend, as tipped by Sundrenched and Eyecandy who 'saw the signs' in Al-Rashid Mall, Al-Khobar. We have this common knowledge that when Mango starts their sale, everyone else follows. So what's to expect after this? More stores in red of course, until August! Warm-up pa lang 'to.

Oh btw, Debenhams is 50% off too. Just a tip here, Riyadh Gallery just recently opened a huge Debenhams outlet. You may want to check out that first. LOL.

And the best news is for the guys out there. A huge H&M store will open in Granada Mall on August 8 and will be stocking their men's line. Sa wakas, hindi lang kami ang maswerte.

Well, the cycle continues...

Happy weekend everyone!

♥shoegarfreeruby♥

Official Holiday

Just when The Pink Tarha Team thought that they’ve seen the best of the year-end sales, they are badly mistaken!

The most-awaited Debenhams Buy One, Get One sale starts today! Seeing this announcement in the local paper disrupted us all at work big time! Sino ba namang hindi matataranta o makapagtrabaho ng maayos nito? It made us all want to rush to Sahara Mall, Kingdom Centre and Granada Mall where all three branches of Debenhams are located.

Debenhams is a famous British retailer of different designers and lines (Matthew Williamson, Topshop, JohnRocha to name a few). Haay, it’s only 10AM, 6 hours to go before work is over…

Today should be declared an official holiday!

Why do we love Saudi Arabia? You answer.

The Pink Tarha Team will give you updates on this post regarding their best finds from this weekend's sale.

Feet Candy: The Story of a Crocs Convert

During my vacation in the Philippines last December, I would frequent SM San Fernando which is my second favorite place next to our home. Passing by the Crocs store, I would always be amused by the crowd of people inside which convinced me to finally check out their new stuff. Crocs are still selling like pancakes, that's for sure! I am one of those who have resisted Crocs since the hype of them two years ago. I was not willing to pay that much for rubber footwear and thought they won't last me the next five years.

And then I saw these...

Crocs Malindi in cotton candy
PHP 1,850

I knew then that these have to be mine! Without much contemplation (or forgetting my reasons for resisting Crocs in the first place), I decided to buy them. However, they were not available in my size as expected. And so I rested my intention of owning a pair, thinking they were not for me.

We were then at the Manila domestic airport for our Dumaguete flight, browsing through the dutyfree shops to kill time. And there they were, the cotton candy Malindi. It did not help that they had my size and were the last pair! I grabbed them before somebody else did, like a little kid seeing her favorite candy. My sister who was the same size as me wanted the same pair too, and she had to buy hers at Eastwood branch since most stores are out of stock. So much for saving cash for our trip!

I've seen Crocs here in Riyadh and are available in almost any sports store (the stocks I saw in Granada Center recently were on discount). Although their designs are quite limited here, I haven't really scouted for Crocs in Riyadh as much as I wanted.

Here they are handcarried specially to Riyadh...

*'Jibbitz' bought from SM Department store (San Fernando branch). They're not the original Jibbitz from Crocs. Sold for PHP 50 for a pack of six.