At 7:30pm, we emerged hesitantly from our hotel room in Aljun (Al-Rabad Castle Hotel) into the darkened halls and stairwells looking for supper which was included in our room rate. We were quite early, as most Jordanians don't eat till 9 or 10pm. The same lone Arab gentleman sat in the now completely darkened lobby watching television. Before he could whistle for an English speaking employee, a young man came out of the woodwork to assist us.
He led us through the lobby after turning on a dim light, over to ornately carved tables in the dining room, waving us to sit anywhere while he went to go turn on the lights and music. Such beautiful furniture! It had been completely hidden in the dark dining room. Impressive in such an odd place. We chose a table near the window, and listened to the strong winds wail eerily in the darkness. We expected a downpour from the sounds of the weather, but learned that it doesn't rain here. Weird.
Suddenly the dining room was engulfed in bright lights and speakers playing American canned music, Feelings, (not again!) filled the room...all for our benefit. I was in one of those goofy moods where everything struck me funny. The sudden drama of the lights and music, the spiffed up waiter/cook/desk attendant was too much. I could barely stifle my giggles.
The menu was actually quite impressive. But, you know what they say...if a restaurant is deserted, there's probably good reason...so judging from the surrounding empty tables, we were skeptical of the outcome. The menu had plenty of typos or misspelled words which were humorous. Soon, David was laughing too, pointing out entrees "Tune with a thing" and "Foul Mutammas," Laughing to the point of tears, we had a hard time sobering our giddiness before the waiter/cook came out.
I chose mixed grill (lamb, beef and chicken kabobs). On the plate was a flat warm pita with grilled tomatoes and shredded onions, three shish kabobs of meat decorated beautifully with purply-red sumac, parsley and other Arabian spices sprinkled all over the plate. To the side were some thin french fries, black olives and a salad of thick yogurt and cucumbers. Yummy! My favorite meal in Jordan...
I immediately wished that the five hours I had blown in the hotel room would've been spent in this young man's kitchen learning how to cook from him. That would've been a cool and beneficial experience (I'm still trying to recreate those great meals at home, but not even close).
Outstanding flavor and presentation in such an eerie, empty hotel! I was looking forward to breakfast already, noting their choice of scrambled eggs with different cheeses and herbs on the menu. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to eat breakfast the next morning, and probably missed out on the best Arabian breakfast in Jordan.