More and more restaurants across town are turning away bachelors, as they have become family-only. New Jeddah restaurants are even refusing to cater to bachelors from day one.
This can be frustrating if you are unmarried, or simply looking for somewhere to dine with work colleagues. With more fine dining venues going down this route, we may be seeing a reduction in the number of restaurants available for corporate lunches.
Recently we heard the new Voila restaurant in the Tahlia Millennium Center would be opening as family only and that the Rosewood Corniche restaurants would also follow suit. This sparked a debate on food websites, with some calling the move discriminating especially as single women are still able to visit family-only restaurants.
However, many families were in favor of this move as it provides an element of privacy. Others argued that it should not make a difference to families, as family and bachelor areas are always in separate places anyway.
The rationale behind the move may be more financially motivated however. One restaurateur told me they often have to close the men’s section on weekends occasionally, as there is often a greater demand from families. Turning away families while their singles section remains empty made no financial sense to them. However, whatever a venue’s decision, some customers are sure to feel left out.
So, after being turned away by the bouncer at the doors of the recently opened Nosh Lounge (bachelors need not bother – it’s families only), my companion and I set out for an alternative nearby.
It was not long before we were driving down Malek Road that we decided to drop into the local Shezan Restaurant. Shezan has restaurants across Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam and have come to epitomize quality Indian food in Jeddah. Having been here before, we felt it was a safe bet and it had both family and bachelors’ sections.
Through the decorative door we passed into a somewhat busy dining room, sparingly furnished. The room felt more like a hall than a dining room, and while the wooden furniture and neatly decorated tables were far from shabby, the dull khaki color scheme, along with a lack of carpets and soft furnishings gave the place an eat-and-run feel, not to mention the incredible echo that allowed us to hear conversations from across the room.
After sitting down we were quickly given our menus, which we sifted through, already hungry thanks to the delayed start of our dining experience. Almost everything you would expect from a north Indian restaurant is on the menu, including onion bhajis, samosas, curries, biryanis and so forth.
We quickly decided on some daal (mixed lentils - SR21), naan (bread - SR3), and palak paneer (cottage cheese in spinach) for starters, with chicken tikka (SR31), butter chicken (SR41), and a side portion of rice for our main course.
To drink, we tried the mango lassi (SR13), and this arrived soon after our waiter had delivered complimentary poppadoms. Unfortunately, these came without plates, which made for a mess.
The lassi impressed, the frothy mix of creamy yoghurt and mango juice proving incredibly good, and one of the better ones I’ve tried in town.
The food arrived in style, served off a collapsible tray. First off was the palak paneer, along with the daal and naan, and following these was a bright orange dish said to be the butter chicken, rice and a sizzling platter of a deep red (and undoubtedly artificially colored) chicken tikka. Colors aside, the food did smell good and the meal didn’t let us down as we were tucking in. The tikka was soft and tender boneless chicken grilled in mixed spices.
The butter chicken, despite its off-putting colors, was an utterly delicious dish, roasted on charcoal and served in a rich tomato and butter sauce.
The daal was the least impressive as it tasted quite bland, although the paneer was better, the creamy spinach and soft cheese a dish in its own right and a sure hit with vegetarians.
A word of warning, the naan here is addictively good, so be careful. Tempting as it is to fill up on the bread, be sure to leave some room for dessert. Otherwise you will find yourself making the same mistake we did and being forced to skip the third course.
Although the food at Shezan did not disappoint, the only real disappointment of the evening was the noise coming from the table across the room. While not completely Shezan’s fault, the layout of the room did not help matters. I imagine the family section upstairs would have made for a more relaxing environment.
A service charge of 15 percent was added to our bill, and the total amount for two came to SR182. Not cheap, but you pay for quality. Maybe we will order takeout next time, as the food was so good.
Location: Malek Road
Tel: 02 6621086 / 02 6079331
