RIYADH, 15 January — The coffee shop style seems to be a global trend. People no longer want to sit down for hours eating big meals. They are looking for a choice of healthy foods such as salads, light snacks or exciting appetizers, which are often eaten as a main dish — and good desserts of course.
If the women of Riyadh now have several choices as far as coffee shops are concerned, there was a time when Al Manahil in the Diplomatic Quarter opened the city’s first coffee shop for women and children. Since its opening in 1990, the Al Manahil Coffee Shop has served breakfast, snacks, lunch, high tea and dinner; it has recently been completely renovated.
The restaurant welcomes young customers around a central counter, which runs through the restaurant.
Huge television screens in the wall broadcast popular shows. The dominant color scheme, a blend of lime green and beige creates a soothing and relaxing atmosphere, the perfect place to have a nice chat with friends and also enjoy some good food.
Although ‘warm goat cheese’ is no longer something new, it is still one of my favorite dishes. It can be ordered as an appetizer or as a light main course.
Originally, the dish comes from France where the goat cheese was a “crottin de chavignol”, one of the world’s tastiest goat cheeses thanks to its firm, bone-white interior and nutty flavor. The warm cheese is served on a piece of toasted bread on a green salad.
Since this cheese is not often found outside France, restaurants use other kinds of goat cheeses. Incidentally, Al Manahil’s Coffee Shop has good olives so I suggest you try their mixed green salad with warm goat cheese (SR22) with olives. Cheese and olives have a natural affinity — perhaps because olive trees, sheep and goats all flourish in a similar climate.
If you are not a cheese aficionado, you might like a heart of palm salad. The buds of certain palm trees, especially the tender parts are eaten raw, thinly sliced. The taste is similar to artichoke.
During my last visit, I tasted mini b’stilla or pastillas as they are also known. Possibly Persian-inspired and brought to Morocco via Andalusia in Spain, this dish consists of a highly flavored mixture of pigeon, chicken or even fish mixed with creamy lemon flavored eggs and almonds, sparked with cinnamon and saffron, sweetened with pounded sugar and encased in a puff pastry.
For a main course, I ordered chicken vol au vent with tarragon sauce (SR24). This hors d’oeuvre which can also be eaten as a main dish was an idea of the famous French chef, Careme, who decided to replace a shortcrust pastry case with puff pastry: “It flew away in the wind (s’envola au vent) on coming out of the oven.” Thus the name.
Quiche, a popular item on most coffee shop menus, is also available. Quiche is basically an open tart filled with a mixture of beaten eggs, fresh cream, and cheese or mushrooms, seafood, onions or various other ingredients.
Al Manahil’s Coffee Shop features a vegetable quiche (SR28) with a mixed salad.
You might like to order a spinach crepe served with garden vegetables. Crepes happen to be a one culinary specialty of my native Brittany. Although pancakes are popular in other countries, including Germany, Austria and the United States, the Breton pancake is truly unique because of its innumerable garnishes.
In the traditional Breton creperie or pancake shop, the menu will feature both the crepe and the ‘galette’, a buckwheat crepe considered a savory and filled with eggs, cheese, mushrooms or grilled sardines and such. Though buckwheat crepes are traditionally never eaten with a sweet filling, ordinary crepes can be ordered with a sweet or a savory filling. Sweet crepes can be filled with sugar, honey, jam, chocolate sauce, chestnut cream, ice cream and any kind of fruit and nuts.
For more exotic fare, you can order rolled vegetable spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce (SR20) or smoked salmon with fresh herbed labneh (SR48).
The sandwich section includes one of the best sandwiches of all times, the great club sandwich (SR26), a multi layered masterpiece served with French fries. Other choices feature Mozzarella, tomato and eggplant sandwich with basil dressing (SR19), pan bread with Tuna, eggs, tomato, bell pepper, lettuce and lemon dressing (SR21).
Pasta dishes are also available. I liked cheese tortellini with basil sauce (SR30). This thinly rolled dough, filled with a stuffing, folded, and shaped into rings, exists in different sizes and shapes and is mentioned in a 13th-century recipe book.
Lasagna, which has been described as a “survivor of the culinary glory of ancient times” joins the list along with penne arabiata (SR22) and spaghetti alla bolognese.
The dessert section offers two of the best sweets in Riyadh, — sticky toffee pudding with caramel sauce (SR19) and a warm chocolate pudding with chocolate sauce. Tiramisu is also there since Italian food is popular in the Kingdom. The name literally means: “Pick me up” — perhaps referring to the large number of calories in it!
Al Manahil Coffee Shop is open every day except Friday from 9 am to 10 pm and until 11 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Tel: 488 1069 or 482 9755.
