Al Faham Burger

Sometimes it’s nice to get away from all the bells and whistles that franchises across Jeddah offer. Some of the best food you can find in the city is local food, and not just local cuisine, but even local takes on foreign staples like burgers. There are numerous charcoal burger joints across town, recently we tried Al Burger.

However passing by Joha’s Corner recently on Rawdah Street, we noticed its neighbor ‘Al Faham Burger’, Faham basically means charcoal, and not surprisingly that’s how the burgers are cooked here.

The venue is tiny, two small tables, with a counter and small kitchen in view, (standard across town). The price is probably the best we have come across so far, 5 SR for a grilled burger, or 6 SR with cheese.

We went for the cheeseburgers, and they were just as good as expected, thick patties, barbequed taste, and soft buns. bargain.. The venue is on Rawdah Street, Just before the Kubri.

Information

Diner 66

We had been waiting for Diner 66 for a long time, so it was great to hear it had finally opened. Dropping by early afternoon, we were surprised to see how quiet the place was (the waiter later explained this is a soft opening). The venue is on the corner of the Omnia Centre in Jeddahs Rawdah District. A stones throw from the Kubri. (See the information section below for a Map.)

The Location is good, the upcoming Rawdah Street is a prime spot, with plenty of traffic, but would the food meet Jeddah’s high expectations? jeddah food user kaldajani had already reccomended the burgers at Diner 66, so we came with high hopes, and suffice to say, were not let down.

We chose to eat in upstairs in the family section, the layout is done very well, and comes across as an authentic American diner,  walls adorned in memorabilia, and classic American tunes playing throughout. As for seating, you have choices (as in most diners), you could opt for the red leatherette booth seating, or go for some of the free standing tables with their bright condiment coloured mustard and ketchup chairs.

The place is still going through its soft opening, so not everything is available, for instance no milkshakes, and we couldn’t seem to get a Diet Seven Up. Other than that we had the pick of pretty much everything else. The staff were friendly and courteous, and it was neat to see a ‘dumb waiter (elevator)’ available to lift the food upstairs automatically from the kitchen.

To eat we ordered the Rock and Roll Elvis Burger (Swiss Mushroom), and the Smokey Moes Cheese burger, both came with usual tomatoe lettuce and onion dressing, and were served with coleslaw and fried wedges. While the helpings are generous, The burgers were very plain, almost taste-less, it is a shame to see the taste didn’t live up to the high expectations generated by the fancy interior. The chips were standard fried wedges available across town.

The desserts were a letdown, and did not seem to receive the same attention as the main courses, although presentation was excellent, the apple pie was stodgy and could have done with a sauce on the side (e.g custard, or the ice cream that is mentioned on the menu but was not served alongside),  as for the cheesecake this looked nothing like the cheesecake on the menu, and was a wobbly airy type that seemed to have been made from one of those gelatinous mixes.

As for price, the burgers were on par for Fuddruckers of Chillis prices, It was 35 and 40 SR for the burgers, I cant recall which was the more pricey. Desserts were around 15 SR, and Drinks were 5 SR (but with free refills).

As this is the soft opening, we can assume many of the missing items from the menu will be ready once the Grand Opening takes place, and hope to visit again after this time to see if any improvements have also been made. Other interesting sounding items on the menu include a Santa Fe Chicken Guacamole Burger, and R22 Club Sandwich, we may have to be back to try these.