A Taste of Lebanon
I’ve now been in Saudi’s capital for four months. This is the longest I’ve spent anywhere since starting this blog, which has caused me to think: Maybe this is why the posting frequency has begun to suffer a tad. However, I can’t allow myself to create justifications; so, when this happens, I’ve conditioned myself to express the mantra: No Excuses.
Excuses are useless. They don’t help us. They only waste our mental energy. All I can do is realize that I’m human, and that blogging lulls will happen.
Despite infrequent posting as of late, this blog is still alive and well.
As I’ve shown in previous posts, a fun activity in this city is to explore ethnic eats. One variety on offer is Levantine cuisine, which is ubiquitous to Riyadh.
According to Wikipedia: Levantine cuisine is food native to Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and parts of southern Turkey.
In my four months, I’ve been introduced to a fair amount of this gastronomic pleasure.
The following food photos are from a particular Lebanese restaurant which is my favorite of the handful that I’ve tried here in the past months.
This Chicken Awsal is cooked and served in a clay pot in tomato paste. It tastes as delectable as it looks. It costs 22 Rial or $5.87.
This Sage Kaworma Chicken goes well nestled in a piece of freshly baked, warm pita bread that it’s served with. My guess is that the fries are placed on top for presentation purposes. This minced chicken dish costs 30 Rial or $8.
I prefer sea over land flesh any day of the week. This Fish Clay Pot is tender, succulent, and melts in your mouth. I’m convinced that you can’t go wrong using a clay pot to bake or cook your food. This gastro delight costs 25 Rial or $6.67.
This Mixed Grill consists of beef, chicken and lamb. The meat is soft, tender and cooked to perfection. The fries and garnish add a nice color combination. It costs 28 Rial or $7.47.
This is probably the best Moussaka I’ve ever tasted. This Lebanese vegan version is different from the famous Greek variety. It contains eggplant, chickpeas, tomatoes and pomegranate sauce. This is currently one of my favorite dishes on the planet. It costs 10 Rial or $2.67.
I’m not much of a cow consumer, but after reading the exotic sounding Meat With Pomegranate Treacle Pie title on the menu, I had to try it. The combination is outstanding. Treacle is a dark, sweet, thick liquid. This yummy pie costs 4 Rial or $1.07.
This Collection of Appetizers consists of Metabal (front), Babaganoush (middle left), Russian Salad (back left), Hommus (back middle), Tarator middle right), and Tabouli (center). These dips are the freshest and tastiest I’ve had anywhere. This dish costs 15 Rial or $4.00 and is served with freshly baked, warm pita bread.
These Brick Oven Baked Concoctions are a Lebanese staple and come in many varieties. On the left is a Banana and Honey Pie which is most suited as a dessert. On the right is a tasty Spinach Pie. These cost 4 Rial each or $1.07.
Al-Fakhar Restaurant is located on Khalid Bin Walid Street in the Hamra Charq section of Riyadh. They can be reached at 9920001775.
Have you ever had Middle Eastern Cuisine that looks this good?
My name is Mike, aka Earthdrifter. I managed to travel on and off between work, from the mid-90s till the mid-00s. At the start of 2011, after a five year exploration hiatus, I eliminated a home base and started traveling indefinitely. Now I combine my love for travel, writing, and improving my personal culture. As I enhance my existence, I hope to help you do the same. 
I am an earthdrifterophile! (since you like word creations) I so love your blog due to my fondness for food and travel. I am living vicariously through you. When I get these kids growed up, I am losing home base as well. My oldest is in Spain and headed to Morocco as we speak.( How come she gets to travel?) I think it is such a great gift to give to a young person, to develop a love of travel. Therefore, I am here in NH while she travels the world. Thanks for this blog, Mike and congrats on your decision to travel the world.
CHARLENE: Thanks so much! No one’s claimed to be an earthdrifterophile until now. I’m honored.
What an amazing mom you are for sending your daughter on a trip like that at such a ripe age, and what a fascinating part of the world to send her to. She must be experiencing some serious awe and wonder and having the time of her life right now. I fully agree that you’re giving her a great gift.
I see three sets of hands in the first photo… how many people partook in that feast? it looks like a lot of food! I’d love to try the pies and everything else for that matter…
DARREN: I’ve been to Al-Fakhar about six times now. During the feast from the first photo there were five of us. It’s like Asian cuisine, you eat community style. So, the more the merrier.
I grew up in Riyadh. I am currently in Dallas,TX. I stumbled upon your blog when I googled ‘muttabaq’ (I had a crazy craving at 3 in the morning). I guess the weather is a little better now, I loved the decembers in riyadh. I would highly recommend ‘mandi’ if haven’t tried it yet. Its a rice dish cooked beef/lamb broth. Be sure to try it at a good restaurant. There are a lot of em in Olayya. And please keep posting, love your blog.
IRFAN: Shukran gazilan! Hilarious about your 3 am craving and how you virtually stumbled here. Yes, the weather here is perfect now. I just discovered Chicken Mundi last week but haven’t tried it yet. It’s on my agenda. Told my Iraqi friend about it and he was like: Yes ahi, Mundi is mumtaz.” or something to that extent.
We’re supposed to hit a new Lebanese place this week but after your comment I will insist on the Mundi. It appears to be similar to the Moroccan Tagine but I’ll know more after I try it soon.
I love flavors but haven’t had as much experience with this style of food. I think I would enjoy eating in that part of the world.
STEPHANIE: I didn’t have much experience with it before either. I’m sure that you can’t go wrong with the flavors of Mediterranean fare.
I have to try Moussaka. For some reason I have a feeling that I would like it. Maybe it is related to my love for eggplant dishes from Sicily.
To answer your question: no, I never had a single dish of the ones you presented here, and I am a total ignorant on Middle Easter cuisine, apart from Kebab and Falafel. That’s why I liked this post very much.
Happy you wrote again on the blog.
TUSCAN: Thanks a million! I never really liked eggplant but since trying some South Indian eggplant and the Moussaka here, I’m now a huge fan. I hardly knew anything about Middle Eastern cuisine either but now am becoming more and more schooled on it daily.
“Excuses are useless” – hear, hear. And yet we all have them. Shed the dead weight.
Nice food shots. That sage kaworma looks incredible. Are the fries a Western tourist addition?
GRINGO: Gracias amigo! Shed the dead weight YES! Maybe I’ll apply that as a new mantra. It’s very hard to get a tourist visa for Saudi. They import a ton of foreign workers though. French fries are super popular in Saudi Arabia. Just like in the US, they contribute to the obesity rate. As they are super unhealthy, I try to avoid them.
This all looks amazingly delicious. Though I agree that I almost always go for sea over land, these meat dishes look unbelievable as well!
MARK: Thanks! Yes, the presentation of dishes at this particular restaurant is pretty impressive.
I must admit that I’m stunned by the fries – they look like they came from McD’s?!
PRU: Ha ha. Thanks for making me chuckle. I’m not sure if I want to go as far as to say that they’re obsessed with US culture here, but they sure seem to like it.
Whoa, those dishes are just really beautiful art, the edible part is a bonus! Nice post, Earthdrifter.
AL: Thanks! I find that presentation often enhances taste.
Sounds Arabilicious!
SIMON: Funny. Nice word creation! I never thought of that.