Saudi Gazette THE only horses that I know of that have something to do with the sea are those tiny little creatures known as ‘seahorses', and the white tipped waves on the water called “white horses” which indicate strong winds and rough weather. However, in Jeddah there is a new spot in town called the “Equestrian Centre” at which – surprise, surprise – there is not a horse in sight. It overlooks the Red Sea and is Jeddah's only downtown marina, which although spacious, is currently home to only two or three cabin cruisers (except during the Boat Show when all the berths are taken up.) So why is it called the “Equestrian Centre”? Perhaps there is a large stable hidden somewhere, home to a fleet of racehorses. The Equestrian Centre is located on the Corniche, just south of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Notwithstanding the horses, and the deserted-looking main entrance, once you find the parade of cafés and restaurants overlooking the marina, it is hard to believe that you are actually in Jeddah. It feels more like Beirut and, if the marina was full of boats, could even be a European Mediterranean spot. We also discovered that there is another drive into the center, which takes you round to the car park beside the Marina, and right outside all these restaurants. What gives this parade of cafés and restaurants the Mediterranean feel is the inviting tables that are set up on the long terrace under a series of huge umbrellas. The olive trees growing out of large pots, and the chequered tablecloths, add to this ‘al fresco' dining atmosphere. There are also no “Singles” or “Family” entrances: there are simply invisible lines demarcating these zones so it feels more international. The Equestrian Centre is not yet fully subscribed with eateries, but the current selection includes Le Notre (the well established French Café chain), Salad Boutique (offering exotic salads), Mezza Maison (offering Lebanese food), Capuccino Grand Café, and Il Porto, an Italian restaurant. There are very few places that really come to life in Jeddah before sunset, so when my husband and I arrived for a late Friday lunch, there were very few people in any of these restaurants. We opted for Il Porto, and as the summer heat had already kicked in, we sat in the cool of the air-conditioned indoor section. Il Porto has a good salad bar (SR50) with shrimps, calamari, muscles, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes and other regular salad-bar items such as lettuce, rocket, cheeses and sweet corn. There were several different salad dressings – Italian, Thousand Island, Vinaigrette among them – as well as about 5 differently flavored Olive oils, and balsamic vinegar. Also included in the salad bar is soup, and on offer was some excellent asparagus soup. The main menu offers a selection of Pastas and thin crust Pizzas, and you can watch your pizza being prepared. You can either take your pick from the menu, or design your own. It is always fun to watch an expert handle pastry, and the Tunisian pizza chef didn't disappoint: he flipped and tossed a ball of dough into a round flat pizza base in no time, spread the toppings on, and then using a long pizza ‘blade' inserted it into the piping hot pizza oven. Fresh fruit juices were surprisingly costly at SR25 in what they described as a ‘large glass' but in comparison to other restaurants, they were actually small glasses which would normally cost more like SR15. Our modest meal of fresh orange (a total of 3 glasses), a bowl of soup and a plate each from the salad bar, one coffee and a pot of tea (beautifully served with its own small iron teapot) came to just under SR300. A few days later, I went back to the Equestrian Centre to try out the Salad Boutique, a place that is distinctly feminine with its pink, white and grey décor, right down to the fresh pink lilies in vases on all the interior tables. When the waiter brought the menu, he also brought an appetizing and healthy selection of cucumber, carrot and crunchy pasta ‘nibbles' along with three different dips. As you would expect, Salad Boutique has an impressive salad menu and you can also invent your own. The menu either comes in a book-style format, or you can have the novelty of viewing it on one of their iPads. The salads range in price from around SR40 to SR70, and they also have a comprehensive breakfast menu. I went for the Pomegranate Eggplant Salad, which included fresh pomegranate, fried eggplant, parsely, corn, chopped mint, dill leaves, spring onion, lollo rosso lettuce, rocca and cherry tomatoes, served with Blue Cheese dressing. When my salad arrived, it look beautiful with the lovely red of the pomegranate and tomatoes, the yellow of the corn and the different greens, all arranged in lines on the plate. However: there was enough there for about three people. This was a generous helping gone too far because two people could quite easily share one. I also find that when a huge helping of food is put in front of me, it has the effect of killing my appetite. I feel daunted by the thought of munching through all those greens and would much rather be given a salad that is designed for one person. When the waiter came to collect our plates, he immediately offered to pack the remainder of the salad for me to take home, so obviously I was not the first to leave more than half of it on the plate. Their selection of fresh juices is excellent and includes some unusual ones, such as avocado. I was tempted to try this, but instead went for an old favorite, Banana & Date – rather rich and absolutely delicious! Capuccino Grand Café is a place I will be visiting soon because several young Saudis have mentioned it to me in conversation. It is obviously a trendy place to go, but from what I gathered, it is best to go in the evenings when the atmosphere is more vibrant. The Equestrian Centre is definitely worth a visit, offers restaurants with high quality and healthy food options, and is sure to develop into a buzzing place once there are more boats (and horses!) there. Several more restaurants, including a Japanese one, will be opening in the upstairs section. It would be nice to see more of the Jeddah cafés and restaurants have some daytime atmosphere with more people using them, but these are few and far between. __
