“Crunchy Square,” in the ever so popular move, has taken something old and made it new, and Motabag truly is the perfect specimen for such a case. At its core, Motabag is simply dough filled with something either savory or sweet. While seemingly very basic, it really allows for so much space to maneuver that one is really only limited by his/her imagination. It is such a good and elemental idea that you could probably find a variation of it in most cultures, so long as you keep an open mind. I immediately think of the Mexican quesadilla or the French crepe, but I am sure that there are many more examples. Motabag, however, is the Saudi version, and that gives it its very own charm and character.

In my personal experience, Motabag was always something that I ate at home with family and friends. I have never actually eaten Motabag at a restaurant, and I have never had homemade Motabag either. It is perfectly possible that I just need to get out more and make better friends, but it does seem like the sort of food one gets at the local place around the corner. Especially when it comes to fried foods like Mutabag, one does not really want to see what goes into making it. We just want to eat, enjoy and feel guilty afterward.

“Crunchy Square” brings two new elements to the table that gives it an edge over other Mutabag establishments. First, their goodies are baked instead of fried, making it healthier than the classical version, while still maintaining the general crunchiness and flavor of the original. Second, is the décor, one — that is more reminiscent of a trendy coffee shop or hip gym than your local food joint.

The ambience and color is an interesting mix of deep banana yellow and brown cappuccino with the occasional white and dark wood thrown in. The walls contain interesting collage artworks that follow the same color scheme and have representations of classical Arab men and women along with abstract figures. I really quite liked the work on the walls, as it did a very good job of matching the general environment of the restaurant by melding classical with modern, while maintaining its Saudi character. Modern Arabic music also plays in the background along with the LCD screen. In general, I really like the manner in which “Crunchy Square” has modernized the Motabag shop in a way that is pleasant, subtle and fun without selling out the “Saudiness” of the Motabag.

I wanted to get a diverse selection of Motabag so that I could get a good idea of what they have to offer. I decided to go for two orders of the savory and two of the sweet. For my entrée, I ordered the Hotdog special and the Crunchy Square, which is their version of the classical meat Motabag, made with meat, parsley, tomatoes and onions. It was very good and reminded me of the many times I ate it as a child with my family. The bites were crunchy, and although you can tell that the baked factor does make it less heavy, there is still a good amount of grease in it. I debated with myself for a while before ordering the Hotdog Special Motabag, as the combination simply seemed sacrilegious for some reason. It was made with cheese and slightly spicy, so all in all, it was not bad. However, I like to have a lot of other toppings on my Hotdogs.

For dessert, I went with the Cheese Honey Way and the Extreme Chocolate. The Cheese Honey Way, made with Baladi Cheese, cardamom, and honey was good but not really for me. The Extreme Chocolate, however, was extremely good. Made with bananas, Nutella, and nuts, it actually would have been very difficult to get wrong.

“Crunchy Square” has done an admirable job in food, décor and service. The waiters were extremely friendly and I did not have to wait long until my food arrived. I do think, however, that since Motabag seems like such a takeaway sort of food, much of the effort put in the décor may not be fully appreciated. Of course, there were not too many tables in the restaurant, so they might have already taken this into account. Also, there is still a certain charm to the true local Saudi Motabag shops around the corner that “Crunchy Square” inherently loses by modernizing the idea. That said, it is the perfect spot for young ones and for visitors who may be trying Motabag for the first time. Everybody will have his or her own favorite Motabag, and I would go back to “Crunchy Square” to find mine.