Cuisines of Arabia: Delicacies From Maqsorah

Since coming to Riyadh, I have been to a Saudi restaurant only three times. Due to the vast availability of Western fast food restaurants here in Riyadh, eating Saudi food is sometimes a hassle. Fast food provides fast service and tastes great. Why waste time in a Saudi restaurant, right? But being in Saudi, it would be an insult if I didn’t eat at a Saudi restaurant. It would be like a foreigner visiting Malaysia and not eating Nasi Lemak, our traditional food.

Al-Maqsorah in Riyadh.

The entrance to the family section of Al-Maqsorah.

The restaurant that I went to is called Al-Maqsorah. Serving local Saudi food, this is one of the places that my family and I go to eat the delicacies of Saudi Arabia. Simply said, Saudi food is delicious. Most food is served with rice which is similar to Malaysia so it was not so awkward eating at the restaurant.

A hallway that contains stalls for families to eat in private.

A stall in Al-Maqsorah with carpeted floor.

Sandstorms: Mission Impossible Got It Right

Since coming to Riyadh in January, my stay here has been quite event-less, nature-wise. The chilling cold is the only thing to note when it came to Riyadh weather in winter. As Riyadh approaches higher temperatures, weird things happen. One day it was cold and the next hot and then cold again. But the most weirdest thing is the sandstorm.

I was playing a game on TV at that time and things were normal. It was the 25th of February. Outside, it was sunny and peaceful. Nothing out of the ordinary. I turn around one second and the next thing I knew, darkness ascended. I’m being hyperbolic, I know but I can’t describe it any other way. I did see some heavy winds outside but for a sandstorm to hit Riyadh? I didn’t expect that.

The outside of my home during the sandstorm...

...and the outside of my home before the sandstorm. Different, right?

I know that Riyadh is not Dubai. The title of my blog post says ‘Mission Impossible Got It Right’ despite MI4 was filmed in Dubai. But Dubai and Riyadh are quite close. By car, you’ll get there in less than half a day. So I assume that the weather will be similar. Look at the images below. Looks kinda like in MI4 during the sandstorm chase, doesn’t it?