Topic
Dining in the Al-Nakheel Tent Restaurant in Jeddah
Instructions
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As we were ushered onto low sofas, I noticed that the tent’s interior was actually cool in spite of the heat outside. The large tent was filled with bright orange and red throw pouffes and pillows, and there was a colorful rug with exotic patterns covering the floor. This exotic environment was softly lit by 5 lanterns which were strategically placed at the centre of the large table. The table also had glassware, fine china, and cutlery placed next to each diner. I actually began to feel as though I had stepped back into history, to a time when such grandeur was normal fare for wealthy Arabian families.
Even though I knew that the restaurant would serve a traditional Saudi breakfast, I was expecting a few concessions to the typical American breakfast like cornflakes and milk. I was pleasantly surprised when the executive chef placed different types of flatbreads on the table and stated that we would be provided with only Saudi staple foods for breakfast. He then explained that he had cooked the flatbread in a traditional saj oven, before waving forward his assistants who placed on the table separate platters with grape leaves with falafel (deep-fried ground chick peas and faca beans with bread stuffing), goat cheese, home-made date jam, and poached and boiled eggs.
Word Count: 1200