RESTAURANT REVIEW: TENIDORAmotivational tool we often use in our family for the children to behave well, get good grades, pray on time, and read the Holy Qur'an is that the one who excels in all four areas for a whole week wins the right to choose the family's outing for that weekend. I, of course hold the power to veto choices like Chuck E Cheese for example, that are unbearably noisy and crowded on the weekends. Otherwise, we must respect the winner's decision. This weekend we were at the mercy of our fourth grade daughter who would choose our restaurant. She said that there was a great place that her friends went to and they said that the food was delicious, and we just had to go there. You would be amazed at how much her nine-year-old friends know with regard to the latest fashion, brand names, hairstyles, popular actresses and the best restaurants in Jeddah. We held our breath as our nine-year-old announced: “We are going to Tenidor!” Honestly, since I could barely pronounce the restaurant's name, I was a little worried. After talking to some people, we got directions to Tenidor. It is located between Sari Street and Batarjee Street, right beside Souk Al Shate' and Papaya Restaurant and Café. Tenidor is a local business and has been open for a year now. It is a cozy place with wooden chairs and tables, large windows, a coffee bar and is decorated simply with green plants. Even young kids will feel at home here because at the corner of the restaurant, there is a small play area. They can ride on a rocking horse, play with building blocks and puzzles, or read from the generous selection of children's books. The toddler in our family enjoyed it so much that our fourth grader gave me that confident, “I told you so; you should listen to me more often” look. Tenidor is a restaurant that introduces a unique idea. It attempts to offer its customers five different cuisines – American, Mexican, Italian, Indian and Chinese – plus a special selection of seafood. In theory, that is pretty impressive and I appreciate their ingenuity. But as we tasted the different foods, I realized that it was not very practical to implement, nor to maintain a high quality of food from so many different countries. We had an international lunch. From Mexico, we selected the Beef Fajita which was priced at SR48. You make your own wrap using a dip, beef strips mixed with onions and green peppers, and soft, corn tortillas. The problem was that it was missing one of the tastiest components of Mexican cuisine: guacamole, made from avocados. Most Mexican restaurants serve a number of delicious spreads: guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo sauce. At Tenidor, the fajita was only accompanied with sour cream and the beef was hard and dry. On the brighter side, our Mexican appetizer, Havana Nachos, was excellent. In addition, the Indian food was not very authentic. Indian cooking is so rich, so aromatic, and so full of spices, that you can smell the dish before it is even placed on the table and you can almost taste it before putting a spoonful in your mouth. But that was not the case here. The Chicken Tikka we ordered was bland, plain, void of any juices and did not resemble Indian food. Indian dishes range in price from SR35-40. In our opinion, the most successful cuisine at Tenidor is the Italian cuisine. We ordered two dishes from the Italian section and they were both very good. The spaghetti in tomato sauce was made with perfectly cooked al dente pasta and a tomato sauce that had all the pleasant Italian flavors: garlic, oregano, parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese on top. An interesting, yet tasty twist, on the ordinary pizza was the pizza with four cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, and gorgonzola). The pizza crust was not too thin nor too thick. Italian foods on the menu range between SR 45-52. What I definitely approved of was their coffee. The espresso was just right: simple, strong, and slightly bitter. After chatting with the manager, we learned that Tenidor is open in the mornings and they have a separate breakfast menu with omelets, pancakes, waffles, and crepes. And the word “tenidor” means fork in Spanish and Portugese. Other good points at Tenidor are the friendly staff, free re-fill for your drinks, cleanliness and quick service. At Tenidor you can spend quality time with your older, more mature kids and still give the younger ones a chance to play and read in a safe place right in front of your eyes. Our advice to potential customers is to stick to the Italian cuisine. If you try any of the Chinese, American, or seafood orders please write to us and give us your input! Our advice to Tenidor is that it may be better if they focused only on two or three cuisines instead of the five or six on offer. There are way too many items on the menu to choose from. A jack of all trades is a master of none.
