Going foodie after dark

It was getting late in our first day at Amman and our minds started to turn to our tummies. It was time to explore the culinary and go a bit foodie!

Being Ramadan, we knew that eating during the day wasn’t the easiest of options as most restaurants were closed but we also discovered that just after Iftar it was just as difficult to find a place to eat. This is the time when the sun comes down and, just as the evening prayers start, families and loved ones gather together to eat their first meal in what, during May, is a 15 hour long fast which paradoxically means that you will probably have to wait until everybody else eats until you get the chance to eat yourself.

Wandering around Amman, we searched for something that felt local and which satisfied the pseudo-foodies in us. Eventually we stumbled upon Mijana restaurant.

Because of the festivities they had a buffet menu for 20 JOD and despite it being a bit pricey, it was undoubtedly one of the best choices we made while there. 

Because this was a mid-May evening and the temperature outside was pleasant, most people were sitting in the restaurant patio and so did we. The atmosphere suited us tremendously. It was like an outer garden with small fountains, filled with flowers and under beautifully trimmed trees. The lighting was somehow a little dim and we were treated to live music being played by a local artist. 

It was magical!

The smell in the air was a mix of barbecue and spices and soon enough we hit the buffet tables where, with a little help from the patron, we started exploring the menu. As starters there were different types of salads like tabbouleh, variations on hummus and really bitter olives which are definitely not for most but the fun parts were definitely the main dishes. There were beautiful rice dishes like Mansaf, Maqluba and lots of different grilled meats but the winner for the night was Muhammara. It was a kind of mashed red pepper sauce with bread and sliced meat pieces that had our taste buds in blissful heaven! It was both delicate and tasteful and we could not resist asking the waiter what it was. Apparently it is more of a Lebanese dish but it will always be in our memories of Jordan!

I must admit, though, that being at a buffet I intended to return and refill a few times but did not really get the chance. As I got up to have a second go I discovered that the buffet was almost over and only the deserts were left. Somewhat disappointed, I decided to make the best of it and dig into the fresh fruit. Jordanian deserts are extremely sweet and even though I did try them, what really rung my bell was the freshness of the melons and watermelons. It was the perfect complement to the feast we had just had.

Now with bellies fully satisfied, we started paying more attention to the surroundings. 

Though the music was a bit loud and made our conversation a bit difficult, this really was a nice place to be in. What particularly caught my attention was a group of women of different generations at one of the ends of the restaurant. All extremely well dressed, elegantly made up and without the company of any man. This seemed to be a kind of local ladies night out and with shishas by their side, they seemed to be making the most out of it.

And that is exactly how we decided to end our romantic foodie night. We ordered a shisha and calmly puffed away while contemplating just where we were and the things we had yet to come. It was some kind of perfect…