Just before Ramadan 2023.... Breakfast only.

We DIY our Umrah trip from Singapore. Instead of going for the norm, hotel breakfast, we decided to scout the area for local food.

We walk leisurely 10-15mins from Pullman Hotel Madinah at 8am to Chef Market. The only hassle here were the busy roads. No pedestrian crossing. So cross with much care.

Upon entering the main entrance, instead of embracing the popular stores on the right, we decided to walk on a sleepy aisle on the left and found 1 shop opened. Overall only about 3 shops were opens for business at 8am, that day.

The man tending to us gave us good service. He personally ensure we are comfy in our dining seats and often checked with us whether we were satisfied with the food.

He only have 2 breakfast items at the moment. One was the fried liver. And the other was the smooth, melt-in-the mouth gelatinous paya broth. We were also given lots of bread. The liver cost about 12 riyal per plate. Two paya per plate cost about, I forgot but it's about similar price...

We brought back some take outs. It was a very satisfying meal.

Second shop was one of the popular ones, many ate for breakfast. We checked out their morning crowd and snoop a bit on their menu. About the same as what we had eaten.

Seeing us not intrigued by their food, later on, one of the staff said - unta? (camel in malay). That caught our attention.

They have camel liver and camel meat. We wanted camel meat. It took them awhile to stir fry them with the same condiments as the breakfast fried liver, - stir fry with red, green bell peppers.

The cost was 34 riyal per serving. It can feed us 1 mom and 2 teens. Breads were all included.

All foods were not spicy. More like mild peppery stir fry. Even the broth/soup was gentle on the stomach. The liver was tender and tasty. The paya as mentioned was gelatiniously melt in your mouth. The camel meat was not as tender but we love it.

Overall I enjoyed my dining experience here. I love the love, friendliness and hospitable approach of the locals. And the prices are affordable. Also they were generous with their breads.

And also this area has many other dining options like kebab, falafel restaurants, freshly baked bread and bakeries and supermarkets. We found 1 riyal freshly baked breads.

The prices in this area were not as expensive as near our hotel: Pullman Hotel (we lived far opposite of bin Dawood. 1 zam2 water =5.50riyal in bin Dawood but opposite side, near our hotel can be 20 riyal and more). So we were happy shopping and eating here.

Thank you for making our stay delicious. May you prosper and succeed beyond your dreams.