Selma Roth Saudi Gazette Skipping breakfast is so outdated. Dieticians repeatedly tell us it is the most important meal of the day, and whether that is true or not — latest research seems to suggest otherwise — most people happily embrace the advice to make time for a nutritious meal to kick start the day. And why wouldn't you, with all those wonderful joints popping up all over the city that specialize in — or at least provide an ample list of — breakfast dishes oftentimes served throughout the day? For authentic Hejazi fare Al-Qarmoshi is a popular place. “There's nothing like simple foul, tameez, and masoob in the early morning with good friends,” says frequent customer Tawfeeq Ali, referring to the traditional staple of mashed fava beans, usually eaten with thick Afghan ‘tameez' bread, and a sweet dish made up of mashed banana and bread mixed with cream and generously drizzled with honey. Al-Qarmoshi is one of the places that have survived the recent mushrooming of fancy breakfast joints, and not because it caters to a different clientele of mostly low-wage labor. It is popular among both the rich and poor, as well as locals and expats alike. Its secret? The “cheap prices, cleanliness, [and] tasty food with good service,” says Emad Salhab, a regular visitor to the place. The drawback is the lack of a decent seating area and family section, but Saudi fast-food chain Abu Zaid fills this void. Serving the same dishes as Al-Qarmoshi and more, Abu Zaid remains a place mainly Arabs flock to when in need of a sugar rush in the early hours of the day following a long night out. And those who do not mind waiting for a table, Mathaq Zaman is the place to be. Long queues of mostly Saudi families flock to this place on the weekends, where they will be treated with the traditional fare mentioned above in addition to other savory dishes. A much classier place, Amara Café & Restaurant is hailed for by many expatriates as the best place for breakfast: “The freshly baked croissant and the range of egg dishes bring a smile to the face. The coffee is spot-on and the smoothies zing,” says Trina Epsom, who visits Amara regularly. “We love Amara [for its] very relaxing atmosphere, and the waiters are lovely,” seconds Helen Thompson, who says the waiters once even performed an “impromptu magic show” and made gifts for her children. “I think the international options we offer — we have omelets, French toast, waffles, and much more — have contributed to Amara,” comments Ziad Shaar, assistant restaurant manager, who adds the place is even more crowded for breakfast than for lunch. The local business currently has only one branch, located behind the Corniche in Jeddah, but is planning to expand to the rest of the country soon. The growing popularity of going out for breakfast — or brunch — is not an exclusively Saudi one. In fact, Saudi cities appear to be quite late adapting to this trend. Take, for instance, McDonalds, who introduced their Egg McMuffin in the early 1970s in the US and added a full breakfast line to their menu just 5 years later. In the Kingdom, the breakfast menu was introduced only in 2012! But during the last decade, franchisers have stepped up with the breakfast fashion. Fuddruckers offers a “simple American breakfast and good prices,” says Sasha Sawan, explaining the chain's popularity among locals and expatriates. Other international chains, such as DeliFrance, iHop, and even IKEA restaurant are places people like to go to for their first meal of the day. But few brands attract such variety of people and in such large numbers as Paul, a French restaurant and bakery that has conquered the hearts and stomachs of inhabitants in the Kingdom in the last few years. Whether it is the allure of a French bakery, the combination of “Western and Eastern breakfast dishes,” as one customer describes it, or simply the quality of the products it offers, the truth is this place is always filled to the brim. According to Elham Alawi Abu Al-Saud, assistant chef executive at Paul in Jeddah, it is the quality of the food that explains the popularity from the moment the bakery opened its doors in Jeddah 4 years ago. “Forty percent of the ingredients come directly from France,” she relates, adding that the other 60 percent are also high-quality products. However, Al-Saud is unable to explain why most customers, who hail from Europe, America, or Arabic countries, only come for breakfast and not for lunch or dinner, which Paul also offers. In addition to all this, a new type of breakfast joint seems to pop up in the city. It's a kind of place people visit to associate themselves to a certain group. As such, F6or Faris is the spot where you will find the social media junkies that like to indulge in food porn, posting photos of their meal on Instagram and Twitter. In fact, the place was born out of the #f6or_faris hashtag. The Store, on the other hand, is for vintage girls who like to combine their shopping spree with a break of waist-friendly breakfast dishes and smoothies, or, because you only live once, the indulging pecan pie or chocolate cookie.
