Where We Are Going Today: Tayba Gourmet

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Updated 28 June 2024
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Where We Are Going Today: Tayba Gourmet

Experience the authentic flavors of Egypt in Riyadh’s new hotspot, Tayba Gourmet. 

In 2014, renowned chef Mansour Sanad decided to open his restaurant and market in the UAE. Today he is known for his signature dishes and admiration for quality meats. 

Tayba Gourmet initially launched their first branches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. After gaining popularity, a new branch was opened in Riyadh. 

Their menu boasts a large number of authentic Egyptian dishes such as refreshing appetizers, hearty main courses, and mouth-watering desserts. 

Their popular dishes are the trotters soup, mombar, Alexandrian liver, hamam mashi, stuffed pigeons and mulukhiya with a side of rice and chicken.

Trotters soup is made from goat or lamb legs, creating a rich, medicinal bone broth, served with lemon. 

Mombar is a sausage made from sheep casing stuffed with rice and meat. It is prepared in Middle Eastern and North African countries such as  Egypt, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. 

The restaurant is known for its mulukhiya, a delicious and flavorful Egyptian stew. This dish has a special presentation: the server pours the stew for the customer from the pot to the bowl from a far angle. The soup has a thick consistency and a vibrant green color with savory flavors from the broth. 

Tayba Gourmet also offers a unique Egyptian pastry called feteer meshaltet,  known for its buttery flavor and flaky exterior. Meshaltalt is made up of layers of dough with ghee in between each layer, served savory or sweet. 

The store also has a market offering a wide range of high-quality and unique food products imported from Egypt, including fresh-cut meats, cheese, spices and more. 


 


Where We Are Going Today: Taste and Tales by Chef Shagufa

AN photo by Sadiya A. Nadeem
Updated 29 December 2025
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Where We Are Going Today: Taste and Tales by Chef Shagufa

  • We shared three platters among the six of us, and needless to say, the portions were generous and the flavors satisfying

Relatively new on the block, Taste and Tales by Chef Shagufa, located in Jeddah’s Al-Rehab district, has been making quite a buzz on social media.

So, on a cool Friday morning at 7:00 a.m., five of my cousins and I decided to visit the restaurant to experience its much-talked-about traditional South Asian breakfast for ourselves.

We ordered the restaurant’s hyped breakfast thali (platter), which included sooji halwa (semolina pudding), kheer (rice pudding), chickpea curry, potato curry, pickles, pooris (fried, fluffy bread), and paranthas (layered flatbread), all served in beautiful copper serveware.

We shared three platters among the six of us, and needless to say, the portions were generous and the flavors satisfying. 

Personally, I enjoyed everything on the platter except the semolina pudding, which I found a little bland for my taste.

For drinks, five of us ordered milk tea, which was fairly good. One of my cousins opted for their famed Pakola lassi and couldn’t stop raving about it. Since she didn’t let any of us sample it, we’ve decided it’s something to try on our next visit.

Our total bill came to SR150 ($40), slightly higher than what nearby restaurants charge for similar breakfast platters. However, the taste, presentation, and overall ambience more than make up for the difference.

Not many South Asian restaurants in Jeddah offer decent dine-in breakfast seating for families, but Taste and Tales stands out. With its simple interiors and modest seating, the space is clean, comfortable, and welcoming. It’s definitely a place I’d visit again with my female friends, cousins, and family.