What We Are Eating Today: Baking Bouquet

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Updated 25 October 2021
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What We Are Eating Today: Baking Bouquet

Baking Bouquet is not your typical local bakery. Owners and professional bakers Shatha Engawi and Baraa’ah Mullah wake up every day to create a perfectly balanced and probiotic-rich sourdough.

Engawi began her sourdough business back in 2016 from the comfort of her own home, honing her skills until 2019 when she and Mullah opened their first bakery in Jeddah.

Despite the four-day long process of creating the perfect sourdough, Baking Bouquet offers a variety of goods apart from bread, from regional favorite maamoul and even delicious and gut-friendly waffles.

The time and effort it takes for the two bakers to make the homemade rising agent for every single baked good justifies the price tag on their products. Making sourdough bread is a highly complicated process and requires years of practice.

Believed to have originated from ancient Egypt, in 1500 B.C, the long fermentation process using natural yeasts and friendly bacteria gives the dough its mildly sour taste and distinctive chew.

Engawi and Mulla are striving to create public awareness of the meticulously baked sourdough’s overall health and gut benefits. The cozy ambiance and the aromatic scent of freshly baked dough are guaranteed to give customers a one of a kind experience of an artisanal bakery.

To learn more, find them on Instagram @baking.bouquet.


Where We Are Going Today: Tofareya Restaurant in Jeddah and AlUla

Miro Kebab. (Supplied)
Updated 1 min 27 sec ago
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Where We Are Going Today: Tofareya Restaurant in Jeddah and AlUla

  • The red groats delivered pure comfort; It is a Saudi staple for a reason, with chicken, tomato sauce, a special mix and ghee coming together in a rich, filling bowl

Tofareya is the kind of Saudi comfort-food spot that can satisfy a craving even as takeaway.

I ordered to-go from the Riyadh branch, and while not every dish traveled perfectly, the order had real highlights. The restaurant also has locations in Jeddah and AlUla, which makes it easy to return for the standouts.

The best bite was the Tawferee chicken samosa. The sambousek triangles arrived crisp, with a noticeably crunchy dough that held up well.

Inside, the chicken slices were boosted by a bright lime mixture that gave the filling a fresh, tangy finish.

The kubayba was another favorite. Shaped into neat squares like grape leaves, it was filled with rice and lifted by date syrup, adding a gentle sweetness that felt uniquely Saudi.

A couple of items were less memorable. The hummus and kibbeh were fine, but they tasted basic compared with the stronger dishes.

The mains carried the meal. Beef kabli was deeply satisfying, with spiced rice, meat, potatoes and the orange note that defines kabli, finished with crispy fried onions.

The red groats delivered pure comfort; It is a Saudi staple for a reason, with chicken, tomato sauce, a special mix and ghee coming together in a rich, filling bowl.

The miro kebab is worth ordering, and the limitation here is takeaway, not the kitchen. This Makkah-style kebab comes with tahini, hamar, bread and a steamed egg salad, and it is built around contrast.

Fresh, it should feel layered and dynamic, with warm meat, creamy tahini and bread that still maintains its structural integrity.

In a to-go box, the components soften and merge, so you lose some of the intended texture and definition. Try to eat it immediately after pickup if you can, but ideally, save it for dine-in.

The mulukhiah fattah also needed more intensity. The Hijazi-inspired layering of bread, molokhiya, tomato sauce and chicken worked in concept, but the overall seasoning could have been bolder to bring the dish into focus.