Sweet/Savory Delights

There are times that you feel a need to be alone. Especially us, ladies. Right? I have a lot of those moments. In Manila, it's easy to find a coffee shop or a bakeshop that I can go to and be alone. No one would wonder why I'm in this kind of solitary confinement moment and I can go on sipping my coffee, biting my pastry, and typing away in my laptop or reading a book. It's kind of hard to find such a nook here, unless you're a bachelor. Most coffee shops in Tahlia cater to them. The family section of a restaurant is most of the time crowded and filled with kids. I have nothing against kids, seriously, but it's hard to focus when there are a bunch of them running around and shrieking and playing, don't you think? 

I found a solution to that problem. The Crepe Cafe in Thalateen Street. 

I don't want to give away this secret because you might flock this place with your friends (and your kids) and I would be forced to look for another "me" nook but you know The Pink Tarha cannot resist sharing good finds! And I'd like to share this space because we, ladies, can use more lady-friendly establishments around here. Do you agree? :P

You might know of The Crepe Cafe in Riyadh Gallery. Their concept is so popular that they had to extend their dining area to the other side of the garden. And they still had a line waiting every time. The ladies and I liked Crepe Cafe there but I think we like the new branch better because it's tucked in a corner, it has wifi, and my friends and I can hear ourselves better. I bet I can even hear myself better when I'm alone and there are fewer people in this coffeeshop.

Bright interiors

French-lovin' cafe

The "me" booth I like, hehe

The bright interiors of the family area is an apt place to dine in. The food is good too. My favorite would have to be the banana caramel crepe just because it's no-fuss and simple. It's sweet, of course, but paired with bananas, this crepe is the right one for me. E tried the philly steak crepe and she liked it too. Their savory crepes are nice and fills the tummy just right. We also tried the salmon omelet and while a little bit bland, it's adequate. Our waffle-loving friend tried the ones with berries and ice cream. She was neutral on the buttery batter used. She likes her waffles fluffy and light but The Crepe Cafe's aren't. Still quite yummy though.

Picture time!

Comfort food

Yummy!

Savory love.

Lots of smoke salmon bits

All the good things in a plate

So here's why The Crepe Cafe is perfect for your "alone" time... it's quiet during non-rush hours. It has free wifi (just ask the waiter for the password). They have a nice selection of coffee. Their very affordable 'breakfast' food comforts. There are a few establishments around it that you can go to and browse products while waiting for your driver (ex. Golden Brown, Candy Bouquet, Chocolate Dream, etc.) So, you know where to go now when you're hit by a "me time" craving. Or if you and your girl friends just wanted to have a mini getaway (from the crazy urban landscape) to yourselves. ;) Of course the mall makes perfect sense too. ;)

The Crepe Cafe

a. Thalateen St., Suleimania, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

b. Riyadh Gallery, along King Fahd Road

www.thecrepecafe.com 

Sundrenched

The Case of Pancakes

This is The Pancake House I've always known:

Orange interiors, warm lighting, comfort food

For our non-Filipino readers, this is Pancake House in Manila. It serves mouthwatering plain and flavored pancakes and waffles. They're also the best in my book for comfort food. I long for their chicken, spaghetti, and taco combo we used to have for lunch in the old work place. When I received bad news in 2009, I remembered sitting in Pancake House, Pasong Tamo and munching on chocolate chip pancakes to tide away the sadness. It is the ultimate comfort food place!

I was overjoyed when I heard Pancake House is opening in Riyadh. The joy proved to be short-lived because it wasn't the Pancake House I was expecting. It was a different Pancake House but since it still serves pancakes, my friends and I decided to give it a try. We might discover another wonderful brunch place!

This is The Pancake House in Riyadh...
(disclaimer: it's NOT related to Pancake House in Manila)

Soft-hued walls, bright natural lighting, comfort food

Just a reminder before I go on: the entrance of the family section is at the back. It's not the door beside the entrance to the bachelor's. That's the door to the kitchen. I know because I made the mistake of opening it and coming face-to-face with the stunned chef and kitchen staff. LOL.

I love the simple and elegant scheme in this restaurant's interiors. Our welcome committee of enticing photos did not help our hunger... just look at that pancakes smeared with chocolate! How could you give us tooth ache just by looking at you?! Haha. We were surprised to find The Pancake House full in the morning. We nearly fought our way to a table that was already reserved to us but someone claimed as hers. Being the nice people that we are, we just gave way. We didn't want to ruin our morning for because of people who didn't know what a reservation is. Anyway, the glass walls that welcomed sun rays in the morning creating this very homey, sunny vibe helped in making us giddy and happy again. The well-lit dining place was perfect for my food photos! 

Natural lighting FTW!

The decorations are not that frivolous. The soft light blue wall and chair cushions contrast nicely with the browns and whites.

On to the food... a good thing is they serve breakfast all day long and they serve their non-breakfast items all day long too! All their dishes are available all day long! So, we got the following:

Stack 'em!

Of course, this is the pancake house so we ordered... pancakes! We expected more from this because well, this is the Pancake House. However, we were disappointed. The stack is fluffy and ample but they actually don't taste like buttermilk pancakes. Did our taste buds go wrong? It tasted more like bread. No amount of butter and maple syrup salvaged this. So we went to the next dish...

LOADED!

I can't finish an omelet by myself. I tend to share but since eating a piece of this omelet, I wanted to snatch this away from my friends and keep it. Yes, talk about being a generous friend. Haha. My friends didn't seem to mind because they were contemplating on ordering another one. The omelet was savory and had a serious amount of steak bits, unlike other omelets we've tried where the eggs took the center stage and back. This omelet is loaded with ingredients bursting the thin layer of fried egg wrapping it.

Mr. Smiley, I need to eat you. Sorrrrry!

How cute is this? If you have this smiling back at you, are you still willing to eat it? Do you have the heart to wolf it down? We did. Unfortunately, it's still food so we cut it up and took hearty bites (sorry smiley!). This waffle is thin, crispy, and light. It's not the usual waffle I know. I kindda thought waffles use the same batter of pancakes but are shaped differently, haha. It's good but I'm not really fond of airy waffles. And please, I want more bacon with this. :)

We wanted to try a non-breakfast food so we ordered their sampler consisting of quesadillas, onion rings, and calamari. 

Crunchy, saucy, lovely.

Our favorites!

We like everything on this plate. The rings are crispy and tasty; the quesadilla was savory.

A wonder-full cup of cappuccino.

Overall, I like the food and setting in The Pancake House. I wish it doesn't get too filled with people though so I can enjoy a quiet morning. (This is my selfish side speaking so please ignore.) I also wish they improve their pancakes after all, it is The Pancake House. (I just have to point out the obvious redundantly, haha!) It's nothing near Pancake House in Manila but it's all right. I think I can live with this version. Besides, I have yet to try a lot of items in the menu.And I want to take more photos. Their natural lighting is beautiful, did I tell you that already? :D

The Pancake House

King Fahd Road

(near NCB and Kingdom Tower)

T: 01-2016816

§undrenched