khobar's restos (a wanna-be-critic's guide)

I’ve got a new fave resto in khobar, thanks to my dear friend Cesar (of ATTC) who tipped it off. As soon as he discovered the spot, he texted me right away. Puntahan ko raw and he’ll wait for my review. Kasi alam nya I’m one who doesn’t run out of things to say when critiquing anything specially a dining spot.

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Well, my dear friend, fret no more coz I’ll give your discovery a two-thumbs up. May kasama pang YUM! Hahaha! But instead of a full review of the resto (na hinihintay din ni Jonas at mr and mrs Lichauco), I’m doing something better – the long overdue ranking of restos in Khobar!

I’m sure you haven’t forgotten a promise I made a year ago when i ranked the dining spots in Jubail (Title: tayo’y kumain sa jubail. Label: reviews). Sabi ko noon, Khobar will be next. So here it is.

Using the same criteria (5=max, 1=min), let me rank the dining spots I’ve had the pleasure (or nightmare) of dining in around Khobar area.

Soul Kitchen. 28^th St. It tops my list not because it’s the latest but simply because it gets high marks on my 4 criteria (food, place, price and service). Maganda yong place which is obviously designed for the middle to upper class clientele. Halos puro kabayan din ang staff who will make you feel comfortable. But whatever presumption the chic decor has given you, you’ll be delighted to find out that their offerings are reasonably priced (at least in most of the menu). And when the food arrives, be ready for a feast not only for your visceral pleasures but for your senses as well. It does live up to its name! Go Japanese and they’ll have the best Maki in town lalo na yong Crunchy Maki nila. The Japanese Salad with generous sprinkling of salmon caviar (Ikura, as researched by miss jones) was heavenly. Or go Italian with their yummy Cannelloni de Mare. Use their fresh sea food bar at magpaluto ka ng masarap na grilled fish in lemon and butter sauce. But of course, hindi naman sila perfect coz they have a few misses as well. Like their Fried Rice which is not that good compared to Mughal and their Mussels Provencal na medyo bland (daanin sa condiments?). And the biggest frustration was their Fettuccini a la Buranella na hindi ko masyadong type (maybe because it’s a different version and not like my all-time fave Alfredo). But heck, if only for their Rib Eye Steak, I’d forgive them for whatever shortcomings they have. It’s the best steak I’ve had so far, definitely worth the price kahit medyo mahal sya compared to other steak houses. Ang saraappp!

Food: 4.5

Place: 4.5

Price: 4.5

Service : 4.5

Total: 18

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Mughal. Somewhere in the 24^th/25^th St in Khobar. It was my top fave long before Soul Kitchen arrived. Tucked deep in the residential district of Khobar, we discovered this spot 2 or 3 years back when Hermie (a former office mate) and I was looking for a quiet place to have a quiet dinner. Kakaikot namin, we found this gem. Because it’s primarily an Oriental resto that carries Pakistani/Arabic menu, chic Arabic ang decor nong place na maliit lang but it offers a lot of elbow room. There’s a clean wash room and a surprisingly neat army of waiters na wala kahit isang Pinoy pero maayos naman magsilbi at mag-asikaso. Plus the very welcoming Manager who makes you feel like you’re long lost friends everytime he sees you. Wala ring ibang Pinoy na nakita akong kumain doon in my many dinners in that place. Siguro nga dahil masyadong tago yong place. Sayang coz they should discover that it offers some great Oriental food. The Adiks (lalo na si Raoul) love their Fried Rice. Busog to the max kami lagi pag dito kami kumakain coz we enjoy almost everything like their Pancit, Butterfly Prawns, Camaron Rebusado and my fave Grilled Fish in lemon/butter sauce that comes straight from their fresh sea food bar. Hindi lang sila maa-asahan sa Steak, understandably coz it’s out of their specialty. Pero kung mga regular Pinoy food din lang, mahihiya ang ilang authentic Pinoy resto sa sarap ng pagkain nila. What’s good also is come bayaran time. Anytime na may isasama akong bago doon, they’d always go ‘huh? dami nating inorder yon lang ang bill?’

Food: 4.5

Place: 4

Price: 5

Service : 4

Total: 17.5

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Flamingo. Beside Sacco, Dhahran/Khobar Hiway. Also discovered this one with Hermie. And when it comes to Steak, ito ang favourite ko noon. Nasubukan ko yatang lahat ng steak nila from T-Bone to Rib-Eye, Tenderloin, Sirloin and Prime Rib. One thing I particularly like was their potato wedges na favourite kong side dish in any steak platter. Crunchy and yummy, nobody can beat their version of the wedges. Favorite ko rin ang Seafood Fettuccini nila. Pati ang Calamari nila na ang sarap-sarap ng dip. Maganda rin ang dining area nila for singles coz it’s on the upper level at yong family section ang nasa baba. Which is the opposite of many restos that always put us bachelors on the ground level. Medyo maghihintay ka lang ng food lalo na pag maraming customer during weekend dahil 2 or 3 lang ang waiters nila serving the singles section. Although most of the time, mga kabayan naman ang nagsi-serve. And their Manager na kabayan din is also very accommodating lalo na nong naging regular customer na ako (along with other adiks) coz we were given a VIP card which entitles us to 10% discount. Not that it’s necessary dahil reasonable din naman ang presyo nila. But hey, it helps a lot lalo na pag isang batalyon kaming nagdi-dinner, malaking bagay din pag medyo malaki na ang bill!

Food: 4

Place: 4

Price: 4.5

Service : 4

Total: 16.5

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Applebees. Corniche area. The biggest point i’d give to this place is for the glass panelling in the dining area that overlooks the busy streets of Corniche. It’s one thing I like in a resto. Ayaw ko yong tipong walang window coz it’s suffocating. Dito, pwede kang magbilang ng mga Mustang, Hummer at Porsche na harurutan ng harurutan habang inaantay mo yong food. Maluwag din ang sectioned dining area nila that gives you the feeling of being secluded even if it’s one big open area. As for the food, their burgers are huge at wag mong sabihing burger lang dahil talo mo pa ang kumain ng isang bandehadong kanin. Their steak of course is good but after experiencing Soul Kitchen, hindi ko na pwedeng sabihing Yum! What I like though is their Salmon in Cedar Plank kaso bakit sa Khobar wala yong plank? Sa Jubail lang meron? And I like their cocktail offerings kaya forget iced tea muna pag nandito ako.

Food: 4

Place: 4

Price: 3.5

Service : 4

Total: 15.5
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Chilis. Corniche Area. Eto yong suffocating na dining area na sinasabi ko. With no windows that offers an extended view, feeling ko cramped tuloy yong space. Aside from the fact that it’s always been crowded everytime I’m in there. Obviously it’s a favourite of the young and well-off diners. But not for me (coz i’m neither young nor well-off! Hahaha). Feeling ko kasi dinadaan lang sa laki ng serving ang pagkain. But there were times when my steak was as uninteresting as the noisy crowd. Mukhang Brazilian beef ang gamit nila kaya medyo hindi kasing-lambot as compared to Angus beef. Mabagal pa ang service (again, maybe because of the many customers) and the price does not justify the whole macabre of what is supposedly a pleasurable dining experience. Pupunta lang ako dito kung ang mga kasama ko eh gustong magpaka-hip and cool. But if I really want an enjoyable dinner, it’s off to someplace else.

Food: 3.5

Place: 3

Price: 3.5

Service : 4

Total: 14
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TGI Fridays. Corniche. Ang isa pang ayaw ko sa isang resto, yong nagkaka-bungguan na kayo ng siko ng katabi mo. Elbow room is important for me. Ayaw ko nong halos magkapalit na kami ng mukha ng kasama kong kumakain. In this place, they seem to have maximized the floor space to put in as much as seats as possible. Kaya hindi na ako bumalik dito. Di bale na rin na hindi ako matawag na hip and cool. Besides, the grilled salmon I ordered was one of the worst I’ve had. It wasn’t only the taste but also the texture. Salmon ba yong sinerve sa akin o papel?! Ang mahal pa ng price nila huh! But then I’m open to invites kung may gustong manglibre para lang maiba ang impression ko sa Fridays. Any takers? Hehehe!

Food: 3

Place: 3

Price: 3.5

Service : 4

Total: 13.5
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Marina. Corniche Area. Just a few minutes away from the Meridien Hotel, Marina is perched along the sea-side of the corniche area. With its floor-to-ceiling glass panelling, it offers a dramatic view of the sea. Mas maganda kung medyo sunset ka magdi-dinner dito so you can enjoy the view which, of course, is gone during night time. But the superlatives is just about to end there. Disappointed ako sa pagkain at sa service. I ordered a grilled salmon from their fresh sea food bar pero ang dumating sa akin, sinabawang salmon? At yong fruit platter na dessert namin, mantakin mong malansa yong watermelon! Suspetsa ko, ginamit sa isda yong kutsilyong pinang-hiwa ng pakwan without even bothering to wash it. When I complained, the waiter just smiled at us and mumbled some palusot. Didn’t even bother to offer some replacement. Hindi na rin ako bumalik dito. Sayang gusto ko pa naman yong lugar.

Food: 2.5

Place: 4.5

Price: 3

Service : 3

Total: 13

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Sanbok. Tamimi Supermarket, Corniche. Nalipat na pala ito sa isang building along Corniche area. Nasa taas pa ito nong Tamimi Supermarket when I had dinner here with Hermie. And it was one of those ugly experiences. Narinig ko na dati na ito raw ang isa sa pinaka-pricey place in Khobar. Ok lang kung mahal lang ang presyo but to be treated awfully by a waiter na kabayan pa mandin, ibang usapan na yon. Sabihan ba naman si Hermie ng ‘mahal ang tubig dito Sir’ when he asked for a bottled water. Sa inis ni Hermie, he ordered the most expensive entry off the menu – lobster (399SR per order). Since then, hindi na ulit ako tumapak sa lugar na ito. Nothing special anyway coz the place is a drab with it’s boring decor and average food na hindi worth ng presyo nila.

Food: 3

Place: 3

Price: 3

Service : 2

Total: 11
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China Town. Dhahran/Khobar Hi-way. This is another example of a resto claiming to be Chinese pero wala kang makitang Chinese about the whole thing. The pancit, camaron, calamari and other seafood were so fake. Pano naman Bangla pala ang cook na nagkunwaring marunong ng Chinese food. At mukhang puro Bangla or Lankan ang waiters na hindi man lang yata nag-suklay o nagsipilyo pag-gising. Muntik pa nga akong mag-walk out dahil tingin ko parang marumi yong lugar. Which I confirmed nong mag-CR ako. Muntik ko nang ilabas lahat ng kinain ko coz it was one disgusting mess. This was about two years ago, sana nag-improve na sila. For now, they’ll occupy the lowest spot in this ranking.

Food: 2

Place: 1

Price: 3

Service : 2

Total: 8
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There you go. 9 spots lang ito and as usual, I did not include fast foods and the more common thai restos within the vicinity of Ramaniyah. Marami pa akong gustong i-explore along Pepsi Road and a couple of new places along Corniche. But for now, that’s how these dining areas stack up as far as I’m concerned. Hope you’ll find it usable lalo at mahilig din kayong mag-dine out tulad ko.