Travel: Amman, Jordan

With an apartment perched just above the Dubai Tram construction zone, it is needless to say that we were itching to skip town in search of some zen when Eid holiday rolled around last week. I was looking forward to a few days of quite nights and fresh air in Amman.

Who am I kidding, I was mostly in it for the food! 

Upon arriving (literally) I was showered with my favorite meals, cucumbers and zucchini stuffed with rice and minced meat as well as my all-time favorite meal, Magloubeh. Magloubeh, which translates to ‘upside down’, is a rice dish made with layers of cauliflower, eggplant, potatoes and chicken cooked in a variety of spices in one pot then flipped upside down onto a platter.

Lucky for me, figs were in season and plentiful. I spent several lazy mornings on our balcony enjoying fresh figs, fresh dates and fresh air.

Lunch with a view of charming old Amman and the historic Citadel,  from the cafe at Wild Jordan.

Another beautiful home cooked meal, Sayadeyeh, a fish dish served over a bed of rice garnished with toasted almonds, pine nuts, fried onions and cilantro.

I took care of my sweet tooth at Habibah Sweets, the establishment has been making the country’s best knafeh and baklava since 1948. I stopped in to pick up knafeh and got a little snap happy. You can expect a lot of cheese, filo pastry, syrups, butter and nuts!

You haven’t experienced Jordan until you’ve had an Arabic breakfast at Hashem in downtown Amman. The tiny dive restaurant, which occupies a narrow alley lined with plastic tables and chairs, is a popular destination among tourists and locals. Not only is it the #4 rated restaurant in Amman on TripAdvisor, their falafel has made headlines around the world and the royal family are regular customers. We indulged in fatat hummas, foul medames and my favorite; massively-sized falafel stuffed with caramelized onions and sumac. Enough said.

And finally my last home cooked meal, Kabseh, which my mom force fed me just before heading to the airport. Kabseh is a scrumptious rice dish served with peas, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and chicken.

My taste buds were spoiled to say the least (thanks mom), I could bore you with the details but let’s be honest, a picture is worth a thousand words!