In the last few years, we have done Chinese, Indian, Minang, Western, Thai, so we thought we try Arab this year. Before everybody went overboard, the reason why we tended to go out for a big meal during my birthday was because I share it with my father-in-law - and Dr Mahathir as well if you must know - so, the family was actually celebrating his birthday and I just tag along for the ride. It tended to confuse my boys though as both their father and granddad share the same birthday.
Anita picked up Wadi Hydramawt. Every time we drove by Jalan Ampang, she kept looking at the restaurant and this time, she wanted to give it a try. Booking was straight forward, she asked for a private room upstairs and we turned up just after 8.30. Walking up the stairs proved a nuisance both for my kids and parents. So, be careful if you we planning to venture into the private rooms. We did not pre-order our food though.
Taking time to orderLet me start by commenting on the venue. It was a converted bungalow building, more of a colonial touch, right of Jalan Ampang, to your left if you were driving up from Ampang Park towards Jelatek. The building did look extravagant from the outside, and there were ample parking space for the patrons. It was attended full time apparently, so it was well-lit and safe. You have a choose of eating at the open verandah, or inside the building - our room were upstairs on the first floor. Pretty cosy but was crowded when we arrived. Sitting in the room, with the air-conditioning on cut us away from the buzz happening around.
The menu was straight forward, and we all took orders of rice with either chicken, lamb or fish. And here is a tip should you were there for a visit - order the set rice meals, such as chicken mendy rather than fish. The fish took a good half an hour to be ready, and were the laser to come. All the other rice meal I was sure were pre-cooked. The drinks came fast, so was the salad. Being a Sunday evening, I could appreciate that the restaurant was fully booked, but what did not help was they were clearly short staffed. And the staff on show were a mix of local and Arabs, and the Arab waiters could do with some English classes, as their Malay we non-existent. All that said, the waiter assigned to our table was courteous and did not mess our order at all. His English was another story.
So, what did I sample? Olive and hummus salad for starters, then chicken mendy for mains, with side orders grilled chicken - which looked and tasted pretty much like tandoori - and lamb with brinjal curry. For drinks, I had some freshly - and I really mean fresh - blended mango juice. We also had a variety of salads, and my children and father-in-law had fish for their main meals.
My chicken mendy
Time to tapau!
On the whole, the food was better than expected. I couldn't resist the comparison with Al Rawsha, another Middle Eastern restaurant we frequent. The menu was comparable, and so was the price. I have to say that Al Rawsha's food was a touch better, with greater variety. The service at Al Rawsha was a bit slower though from what I experienced before. Al Rawsha's "castle" near Bulatan Pandan was much bigger however, although during peak hours, parking there could be a pain despite having attendants to help out.
On the whole, if you were craving for some Middle Eastern food, you could do much worst than here. Be prepared to pay a premium as it was not cheap. I might come here again on the odd occasions, and I would recommend you do the same as well from time to time. More information available here in their rather extravagant website.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:26PM 
The ramen for startersSince it was just a quick stop, we had to be quick. They now have a lunch menu which came in handy. My set - salmon teriyaki set - came with ramen, potato salad and a bowl of rice. Not bad for RM26 actually.
And the mains has arrived
But they were soon goneThe outlet is located on the Lower Ground Floor of Great Eastern Mall, next to Delifrance.
Unfounded Fear?
Touted as the next May the 13th, it ended up rather anticlimactic in the end. It was mainly a peaceful march, and to a certain extend, the Police manage to nip the problem at the bud with the lock-down of the capital. There were aggravation of course, but on the whole, emotion were kept in check.
Rather than focusing on the organizers, nor the Opposition's push for change, I want to focus on our boys in Blue, the Police. Forget about their leaders and top brass. Forget about the YouTube videos of them kicking the protectors. Forget about the water cannon, and the gas canisters. On the whole, judging from the first-hand report on twitter and Facebook, they were courteous and were just plainly performing their duties.
At the end of the day, they were only human and given the amount of aggravation they were facing, they may snap. And that applies to the protestors as well. There would be clashes when groups of emotional human beings came together like so. But believe me, the situation could been handled much worst.
Another element that helped was the fact that the group dispersed at 4 pm as agreed by A Samad Said and Agong the other day. This definitely prevented further tension. And the manner of which the protestor left should also be applauded. The Police basically let them go their ways - minus those who were picked up for questioning earlier of course. The photographs of the protestors shaking hands with the Police on their way home warmed my heart. Forget about Kamarudin Mape's on TV3 claiming that they dispersed because they lost their leadership - "hilang punca" was his exact words - it was preplanned.
Why don't we focus on the positives and move forward. The lesson which could be learned here was peaceful demonstration can happen in this country if both the demonstrator and Police were clear of their endgame scenario. There were even glimpse of 1Malaysia at work here with all the races going hand in hand.
The sorry tale here must have been the fighting words of KJ and Ibrahim Ali on the days leading up to 9th July. They sounded as if Ambiga was about to single handedly bring the country down. Maybe they have a thing or two to learn from A Samad Said. And he is not even a Politician.
To the boys in blue who did their job yesterday with responsibility and compassion, I salute you. The plaudits and Datukships would go to your superior we hid behind the mikes and whose only challenge for the day would be how to appear smart in front of the reporters - for which they had failed big time, look at the misinformed IGP's press conference yesterday. The once on the ground were the ones should be applauded. There would be photos. videos and claims of brutality, but to claim that all of you were responsible is just plain irresponsible on our part. You were the ones being provoked and cojoled, and on the whole, you passed the test in flying colours.