BY ARLEN GARGAGLIANO
The MeNa experience starts when you enter the majestic Shaza Riyadh Hotel Residences. The white lattice Andalusian-style work that extends from high-ceilinged archways, along with the gracious staff, welcome you as you enter. But that’s just the beginning: MeNa, conveniently located on the ground floor of the hotel, is designed to be transportive in sight, sound, and taste.
The ambience of MeNa is as charming and as hard to resist as its dishes. Shades of blue and grey, wooden lattice work, private translucent gold- gauzy-curtained rooms, and a smiling staff welcome guests to this beguiling restaurant. There’s an elegance paired with calmness in the room, reinforced by the bird songs that play in the background. Located inside the majestic Shaza Hotel in the Al Jazeera neighborhood of Riyadh, MeNa beckons to locals and expats alike; it truly is no coincidence that the name “MeNa” in Arabic means harbor—or port.
The welcome ground-floor entry to the restaurant includes not only a greeting, but a side table of classic Arabic coffee, paired with delicious dates. Once you enter the dining area, you are greeted with an assortment of seating options (which you can also arrange in advance). The center area is cozy and airy, but we opted for the lounge-like and couch-containing private curtained rooms.
Once comfortably seated, we were met with a beautifully-presented welcome treat of feta with sumac, served with lightly-fried flat bread sticks, both served in small cast iron dishes on a piece of black slate. I couldn’t help but notice that each seating area had an easy-to-reach plug so that, if you’re like me and always need to, you can easily recharge your phone.
But phones are not the only thing being recharged at MeNa; the dining experience is stimulating and inspiring—while relaxing. MeNa doesn’t rush you. We perused the menu, which features dishes from Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, and couldn’t help but be dazzled by the choices of both cold and hot appetizers.
“Levant cuisine is for sharing!” announced the maître d’ as he smiles, while watching us pour over the large, elegantly-designed menus, patterned consistently, in white and blue motifs, with the theme of the restaurant.
The list of mocktails is long and enticing—and ranges from Seeds of Ottoman, Fragrance of Shalimar, but we opted for an Arabic Zest cocktail—light, airy and refreshing with its lemon juice, ginger ale, orange blossom and fresh mint ingredients.
We then enjoyed a wonderful colorful trio of cold appetizers: Hummus Shami, beautifully presented chickpea hummus, drizzled lightly with extra-virgin olive oil, Mutabbal, smokey and eggplant rich, and Muhammara, the subtly sweet roasted bell pepper and walnut dip, to start. This beautifully presented set of dips married perfectly with our bread basket. The flavors complemented our other choices: Lebanese Makanak, slightly spiced salty sausages, sweetened with pomegranate molasses, and hearty Levant Chicken Livers, whose flavors balanced well with their own pomegranate molasses sauce.
For dinner, we wanted something grilled, so we chose one of the seven dishes in that category. Aswal, flavorful and charcoal-rich marinated beef chunks served with roasted veggies and fries, is a great whole-family pleaser! Additionally –the Palestinian Chicken Mosakhan Chicken cooked with olive oil, sumac, onion on almost filo-like Arabic bread topped with pine nuts, offered a lovely balance of flavors and textures.
Of course, we did save some room for a sweet finish—which was yet another tough choice. But I couldn’t help but choose one of my favorites, Um Ali, baked puff pastry with mil, coconut, raisins, and paired it with equally enchanting sweet cheese rolls Halawet Al Jobeen. This was fabulous with cool vanilla ice cream and a drop of syrup.
MeNa, which seats 80 diners and includes enclaves for couples and families or individuals, as well as three private rooms for families, can also be an out-of-restaurant experience; they cater their fine dishes as well to events outside of the hotel.
Whether with a family, business associate or even on your own, MeNa promises to be a restaurant that gives you a feeling of satisfaction while on staycation.
MeNa
Shaza Riyadh Hotel Residences
7025 Eastern Ring Road Riyadh 14251, Saudi Arabia
Contact No: 011-834-9000
Open buffet for breakfast, a la carte lunch and dinner.
