Padovana
dagnese | Aug 16, 2009 | | 3 Comments
We are all familiar with destination malls, which are about much more than mere shopping. The family piles into the car, drives across town, and spends the evening. In addition to these, Jeddah is also home to some destination mall food courts, the kind of mall where dining is the star attraction.
In my opinion, Jeddah Mall on Tahliya Street is the best mall food court in town. The expansive seating area is a South Seas Fantasy set on an enchanting blue lagoon (see photo below). You can find great local fare at Hejazyat, grilled sandwiches and pizza at Paninos, two crepe stands, two coffee shops, sushi, Moroccan, fresh juice, a Baskin Robbins, even fresh-baked cookies and gourmet chocolates. Amongst this bounty of riches, my personal choice for the Best of Jeddah Mall goes to Padovana.
From outward appearances, Padovana looks like a simple juice stand. But looks are deceiving! Inside the kitchen is Chef Mohammed, who is the brainchild behind the Italian pasta dishes that grace the menu. Having spent years living and cooking in Europe, he actually has the first-hand experience to create the subtle flavors required for authentic Italian cuisine. You know this is the case when you see that Italian contractors working in the area frequently come to Padovana for lunch.
The pasta dishes here are nothing short of superb. For around SR 20, ravioli, tortellini, fettuccine and more are prepared with a variety of chicken, seafood and vegetables and combined with the best Italian sauces this side of the Adriatic Sea. One thing that is particularly welcoming is that Chef Mohammed knows how to make a cream sauce which is light and doesnt make you feel like you just swallowed a brick. The dishes appear to follow the motto displayed on the menu: Eat Healthy + Drink Healthy = Be Healthy. The tortellini is a personal favorite, and like all the pastas, it is imported from Italy.
Padovana also does good grilled sandwiches for SR 10-15 and a pizza baguette (SR 12) which is a good option for the kids. However, whenever I am not in the mood for pasta, I always opt for their Greek salad. The salad comes loaded with tomatoes, green peppers, feta cheese, corn, carrots and whatever other fresh vegetables happen to be in the kitchen on that day. It is topped with an exquisite garnish of dill, which lends a wonderful, distinct flavor to the salad (I have adopted it when I make salads at home now!). At only SR 10, it is definitely one of the healthiest, least expensive lunch deals you can find.
Of course, juice remains an important player in the proceedings. Padovana serves all manner of smoothies and inventive cocktails (SR 10-15) such as the Forever Living, made with papaya, grapes, dates, and chopped nuts. They do a fantastic kiwi juice, a heavily minted lemon mint, and are one of the few places that serve kirkade (hibiscus), which is cold and refreshing.
So next time you are on Tahliya Street, stop by Jeddah Mall for a little taste of Italy!
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This post was submitted by dagnese.
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Intrigued by the review of padovana, i decided to try the place over the weekend for a light dinner hoping that it was a diamond in the rough as the saying goes.
from inside the jeddah mall food court, padovana would initally strike you as juicebar – what with all the colorful fruits prominenlty displayed inside their glass counter. you wouldn’t think that they served italian dishes until you open their menu. “eat helathy + drink healthy = be healthy” was the battlecry of padovana. Their fruit salad section contained amusing names such as “BP regulator” (kiwi, mango, orange, nuts) and “diabetic friendly” (grapefruit, strawberry, nuts).
I would say that Chef Mohammed was the spark that lent this little place the high energy it exuded! he was very accommodating and gracous as he took our order of pizza baguette, greek salad, ravioli ala forno and lemon mint juice. An interesting anecdote: when he came over to serve the food himself, identifying each one proudly by name as if he were introducing his children (quite commendable service for a food court stall), he noted the pack of french fries we were munching on as appetizers. his brow creased and he waved his finger as if to two juveniles and pleaded with a fatherly smile: “please eat the potatoes later – not healthy, too much oil! ah yes! the battlecry i recalled, fascinated!
The verdict? the pizza baguette was sadly lacking, open-faced french bread with melted mozzarella with a smattering of black olives on top. the greek salad seemed to have all the right ingredients, but it misses disappointingly. My friend gave it a rejuvenating squeeze of lemon juice and he stopped complaining. the ravioli was served hot to my liking, but a tad too salty for my taste. It wasn’t a large or small serving, but a measured size (about 7 to 8 pieces). we found the lemon mint juice a bit sour and too sweet for comfort, quite different from what we were accustomed to.
As we asked for the check, chef Mohammed came over to ask us if everything checked out. curiously enough at that moment, i felt as if my best friend had just invited me over to his house for dinner to sample his mother’s cooking and now his mother was asking me how i liked it! always too polite, i just smiled at him – which left the man a little suspicious i think. oh well i thought to myself, if i didn’t have the heart to break the bad news to this sweet man, i’m sure somebody else will. and to chef Mohammed – i do hope he takes it as constructive feedback from his customers to keep improving and perfecting his creations.
I have to say that the food was very mediocre. I had the pizza bagguette, it is just like something you would make at home, nothing extra…it actually didn’t have tomato sauce which was disappointing. My husband had the ravioli, which was OK for food court quality food…but we had expected more when we read the review here. Finally I had the diet druit salad…the fruits were fresh which is always a plus, especially in the heat these days. Aside from the food, the servise was good.
To add to what has been said up, I totally agree about this great restaurant. 2 Days ago was my first time in Jeddah Mall and the food courts are the best among all malls.
I asked for Honey Mooner drink as I love drinks with avocados as was the only one and well it was done to perfection and am sure I will be a very regular customer and try the pastas as recommended.
I had the opportunity to meet and Chat with Chef Mohamed and congratulate him on a job well done.
Yes this is a place to be and the prices are quite fair for an excellent meal.
We also have to be proud as I understand that this brand has been locally developed and stand very well among all International brands.
Well done to Padovana.