Al Qalzam Fish Restaurant

O ne evening we drove out of the city a short distance to have dinner at a popular fish restaurant called Al Qalzam.   Adnan’s whole family was invited to come, which in itself was unusual because mostly they all gather at one of the homes instead of a public restaurant.  But Adnan’s mom wanted to treat everyone to this fabulous fish dinner, so we piled into the car and off we went.

 

Restaurants here in Saudi Arabia usually have two distinct entrances and seating areas - one for families only and the other for single men only.  Even fast food places like Burger King are set up this way.  Usually there are clear signs directing customers to the proper entrance.

Many restaurants also provide additional privacy for families, such as individual dining rooms, screens, alcoves, or curtains.  The reason for this of course is because there is to be no mixing socially of the sexes, hence the separate entrances and seating areas.

Al Qalzam is not your typical Saudi restaurant, by any means. In fact, I had never seen one like it in my life.
It occupies several acres of land. As we drove in through the grand arched entrance, there was an outdoor family entertainment area, including a ferris wheel and various kiddie rides. This amusement area was surrounded on either side by neat rows of secluded individual dining ramadas and dining tents.

There was not one big building with tables where various groups of diners could eat like your typical restaurant.  Instead there were narrow roadways throughout and the whole place reminded me of a large trailer park, except instead of trailers, there were the ramadas and tents.

There must have been more than 100 units in all.  Individual dining areas stood neatly row after row, each one secluded from the others’ view, each one extremely private and each having its own parking space/s.  The restaurant's kitchen was off at the far end lining the perimeter of the property and it was huge, consisting of several large buildings.  Our group had a reservation for Tent #10. We drove down one roadway to the end, turned left, and #10 was just ahead.

 
 

We parked along the narrow roadway next to our rented tents. Most of the family had already arrived.
As I entered the opening, I saw that there was a large private outdoor patio area surrounded by tall hedges, but since the weather was warm, we didn’t make use of it.  There were benches and a large rolled up carpet here on the patio. I’m sure during the cooler months, it would just be lovely sitting out under the stars.

Our area actually consisted of two enormous air conditioned tents, complete with plush red carpeting with blue and gold squiggles on it.  The comfortable floor cushions were in the same color scheme in a bold wavy patterned design. all the way around the perimeter inside the tents, plus a satellite TV.  There were also 2 large tables with short legs for dining.  The inside lining of the tent was fashioned from a heavy bold Bedouin striped fabric in red, black, white, and gray.  Electric lanterns hung down from the ceiling of the tent, and florescent lighting hidden in the top walls of the tents provided additional indirect lighting.  In between the two tents was a large clean private restroom, with a toilet and a sink.

I’m guessing that each tent could comfortably seat about 25 people.  We all took up occupancy first in the tent to the right where we relaxed on the floor cushions, drank Arabic coffee (gahwa), and snacked, waiting until the rest of the family arrived.  Several of us decided to play cards down on the thick cushy carpet.
Once everyone else arrived, the pre-ordered feast was promptly delivered to our tent by a small battalion of waiters.  The meal consisted of at least 8 foil covered platters which were placed onto the low tables.

We all plopped down on the clean and comfortable carpeting, taking our places around the tables to enjoy the feast.  The meal consisted of at least three different kinds of fish, prepared different ways. There was fantastic grilled parrot fish, meaty baked grouper in a tomato sauce, and another yummy fish that was deep fried.   All told, there must have been at least eleven or twelve large whole fish served to our group.  Plus two kinds of rice, salad, hummus, pita bread, and a variety of sauces. There was plenty of food for everyone, so much so that we were all able to take home leftovers too.

After we finished the meal, we gathered up our belongings and adjourned to the other tent for after dinner tea and dessert of fresh fruits and baklava, while restaurant employees discreetly cleaned out the first tent we had occupied.  Some of us played more cards, others talked and a few of the full-bellied family members were content to just watch TV.

I was told that on weekend nights, the Al Qalzam Fisherie is packed with families and reservations are a must.  We went there on a weeknight, and although it wasn't packed to the gills, there was still a fair amount of patrons there.   This restaurant certainly does a booming business.  Wish I owned the place…