Madeleine Cafe in Khobar

Today, I went with my lovely cousins to discover a new cafe in Khobar; Madeleine. It's been open for a while, but I have been away for most of last year, so I just got a chance to try it tonight. 

Initially, we went to only have desert, but after smelling the food and reading the menu we got tempted to eat as well! My favourite thing about the whole shop is their graphics and branding. I just love the quirky black and white sketches used behind the deserts counter, on the door, on their boxes and menus. 

They have two sitting areas. The downstairs one, which was really noisy and the upstairs one. It was quiet and relaxing. Everyone was raving about their deserts. We started with them. They were very sweet and nice a mix of French, American, Italian and Middle Eastern. They have few innovative macaroons. They were nice, but not out of this world. The food was lovely and oddly Italian. Typical Saudi cafes where you get international food. It was a little pricey for what we got. The price of main dishes was almost the same as one desert.   

Their decor is between classic and quirky with a mix of wooden touches. Their chairs were really comfortable and the light pistachio green paint is soothing. It's a great place to chill with friends and family.     

When you first go in

Upstairs 

The menu

A lot of deserts to choose from 

Our Picks

Prawns Risotto and Béchamel Pizza  

Everything Saudi: Intro

Saudi is one of the most mysterious countries EVER. There’s a huge question mark on it. Not only is Saudi unknown to the Western countries, but also it’s anonymous to the Eastern ones as well. It’s like a blank spot on the map. The more I meet new people, the more I discover how unknown my country is. Sometimes I even get asked; “where is that?” I just say do you know where Bahrain or Dubai is? And OF COURSE they do, and I just say it’s by there. It’s so funny how a tiny island like Bahrain is more known than Saudi.

You see that peninsula on the right? That's Saudi.  

No one really know what goes on in Saudi and how people function.  There are a lot of misconceptions about it; some are very offensive and others are hilarious.  I decided to write this blog section Everything Saudi to sum up all what I know. Plus, mom keeps pressuring me to write, so here it is!

Some cool pic from google

Bio:

I was born and raised in Saudi for 17 years by Saudi parents in the most typical Saudi city. After I graduated from high school, I got a scholarship to the United States to continue my further education.  Few years later, I came to the UK, and here I am blogging from London. *mashAllah*

Saudi Issues: Women Driving

Today is the 26th of October, known as the Saudi women driving campaign say. Some women actually took the action and drove today, and some started two years ago like the the first woman who took the driving initiative seriously, Manal Al Shareef. Women driving in Saudi has been one of the most controversial issues recently. If you want to start a fiery conversation, just mention women driving. In my own family this topic is the start of many fights. Some strongly agree with it, and others can't stand the thoughts of it.

First, watch this video by the lady who started it all. Followed by a story of my own struggle. Then read on for the most common pros and cons people discuss.

Isn't it just inspiring? It actually brought tears to my eyes!

We all agree that driving is important because without it we won't be able to go anywhere. Especially in Saudi since we don't have a public transportation system. Local shops that are walking distance are dominated by men, and suitable shops for women are all miles away and are mainly located by a highway, which makes it even more impossible to go there on foot. Not all families have a willing male guardians who want to take them out. By going out, I don't only mean going shopping, but going to work, school, visiting family and other important things.

With more Saudi women working, the need for drivers is increasing! There are many working class families struggling with this issue. Let me tell you quickly about my own struggle with this issue.

After I graduated, I started working in a local university *mashallah*. Even though, the university is local to me, but its about an hour drive. My family has a driver (who gets 2000 SR a month excluding the car, the gas, his housing, car care, and everything else), but he drivers my aunt to her job, which has the same start as my job. So, I had to find another private driver. Finding him was a huge issue, and private drivers in Saudi take total advantage of the women's needs because they know their choices are very limited. So, he charged me 2000 SR (330 GBP) for a month five days a week. My mother also works, and she pays about 1000 SR for her driver. As three working females, we spend a minimum of 5000 SR (825 GBP) and thats without considering other charges for going to other places, gas or car maintenance.

Not to mention the million issues these drivers bring to our lives, and the fear women suffer from the whole driver. What if this driver stops in the middle of the desert and assault the poor woman in the back of the car? He is a stranger after all.

Real Story: 
My mom's coworker's driver got a better offer and he decided to leave her. One morning, after he dropped her to university he texted her saying he is no longer interested in working for her and told her to pick up the keys from the outside guard. When she went outside, she received the keys, but the car was GONE! Who would want to deal with this? If only she could drive herself.

Exception to the general ban of driving: 
There are some establishment within Saudi that allow women to driver, such as Saudi Aramco campus, which started half a century ago. Recently, the King Abdullah University city allowed women to drive as well.

Here are some of the Pros and Cons people discuss when they talk about women driving:

Pros:

• Driving will give women more freedom, and make them less dependant of their male guardian. 
• Having less foreign drivers who charge so much 
• Making the car journey safer instead of being under the mercy of a strange man. 
• A women will be able to get to work and other places without begging all the males of her family to take her to one place (even her own sons). 
• In case of an emrgancy, or the need to go to the hospital, a woman should be prepared to take action. What if her male guardian got injured, and she can't find another driver? 
• It's a human right. The right of mobility. 

Cons:

• Driving will give women more freedom, and make them less dependant of their male guardian. 
• Some Saudi men are not respectful towards women, and some will go out of their way when they see a women driving to harass her intentionally. Especially, teenagers and uneducated, close minded men.   
• Saudi men and men who drive in Saudi -generally- don't follow any rules and they just drive not caring about any one on the road. There are all sorts of violations on the street and women might not be ready for that. 
• The Saudi roads are so messed up and they are not fit for more people to drive.  

Speaking of the Cons, here is a comical song that shows the perspective of some men who are against women driving:

Other Important Issues in Saudi: 

Driving is certainly not the only problem that people should focus on. There are issues of housing, starting a business, medical care, education, women employment and the laws of women travelling outside of Saudi. Like any country, Saudi has room to develop and improve. The good and the bad is present everywhere, and there is not a perfect country out there. Each one has issues that its dealing with.

Feel free to share your struggles/thoughts in the comments bellow and please remember to be respectful and kind to each other. 

Saudi Dining: Fushi

Food is what I enjoy the most in Saudi. I believe that we have a great selection of restaurants all around. After all this is the second most common thing to do in Saudi; going out to eat. The first top thing is shopping of course. One of my favourite restaurants in Khobar is Fushi! I actually miss it when I am travelling. Only problem is it's FAAAAR from where I live (half an hour feels like ages when you are only going out to eat). It's on Khobar Corniche just before the big Jareer bookstore. So, I only go there when I have an errand to run in that area. Although, it's worth the trip!     

 The atmosphere is pretty chilled out. They have a strong brand image focusing on two colors; pink and green. Fushi is focused on Asian food and the interior ties into it with Asian inspired chairs and wall treatments. The space is divided brilliantly with a Japanese style door instead of having just one boring continuos space. That division gives it an interesting visual. Take a look at the space.

The chairs are nice looking, but the ones in the pictures above are not comfortable at all. They fit with the interior, but it's not fitting for the purpose. It's a restaurant where a customer will be mainly sitting, so having uncomfortable sitting is a little off putting.  

NOTE: There are stairs to get to the family dining area, and they don't have an elevator, but they said they could accommodate for wheelchair users downstairs. I would call to reserve in advance though! 

The overall branding of Fushi is smart. Even their table-mats have their logo, which is an illustration of sushi (the main thing they serve). I was waiting for takeouts!  

I loved those Gyozas so much that I had to eat them in the car! I got fried and steamed, and the steamed ones won hands down! 

When I was choosing the sushi I wanted, it was really hard choosing just one, but I had to control myself. I settled for the shrimp kimono, and it was delicious! Looking at the picture now makes my mouth water! 

 Of course there was a main dish too! I wasn't eating alone. I shared everything :) Their lemon chicken is pretty nice, a bit too oily, but nice regardless.

 When I have the food in the restaurant, I usually get this amazing sizzling brownies. Couldn't have it wrapped and to go sadly, but that's a reason to go next time! :)