The Chinese Taste In Riyadh

Craving for the Chinese cuisine in Riyadh? Well, Indians in Riyadh should think once again before heading towards the next Chinese Restaurant signal. While the largest city, of Saudi Arabia boasts many food outlets for experiments with your palate, Indians find it difficult to locate a good Chinese Restaurant here.

The first Chinese Restaurant that we tried in Riyadh was the Riyadh Chinese Restaurant at Sulaimaniya Thalatheen. The well furnished ambience and friendly staff gave us the impression that our search for Chinese food at Riyadh has been fulfilled. However as we’d opened the menu itself, we could find the difference between the Chinese Restaurants in India and Riyadh.

Vegetarians find it really hard to locate a suitable dish from the limited cuisines. The interesting fact is that you can find the listings of ‘Shrimp Vegetarian Chopsuey’, ‘Beef Vegetarian Chopsuey’, and ‘Chicken Vegetarian Chopsuey’ etc. under the listing of Vegetarian Dishes. We also had a taste of Saudi Champagne and beer here. Riyadh is the only place where you get a chance to taste them in the form of apple juice.

The exquisite ambience in Riyadh Chinese Restaurant is remarkable. We enjoyed the open ambience in total contrast to the closed family sections in other Riyadh restaurants. There was another Kerala family sitting at the next table and they were arguing with the waiter to get a smoker out of the restaurant. Interestingly smoking is publicly allowed in Saudi Arabia. We waited for our food eavesdropping into their arguments.

Then the food arrived! Fried wontons, Corn soup, Fried Rice, Vegetable Chopsuey, Vegetable noodles and Chicken in hot sauce. While little Shreya enjoyed experimenting the food with knife and fork, we kept on asking for extra supply of sauces all through the meal. As we came out of the restaurant, we found ourselves loaded with parcels of leftover food. Now it is our turn to modify the food or to throw it away.

Well, we are not disheartened. There are few other Chinese restaurants that our friends have suggested for us. Our search continues...