RGBB News FROM THE CHAIR At the Summer Ball I noted that the evening felt like the end of term and that the Riyadh social calendar had been over the past few months quite hectic. There had been the British School Ball, the St. George’s Society Ball, the Corona Ball, the Wadi Club Ball, the ICING Ball and finally the RGBB Ball. I commented that we should all raise our glasses to Sir William and Lady Patey for putting up with such a load of Balls! This list of events clearly demonstrates the focal point which the Embassy has become within the British community in Riyadh. The aim of the RGBB is to “Promote UK PLC” and to “Benefit British business in a business & social context,” and indeed through the good offices of the Embassy we are able to fulfil these aims – and on behalf of the membership of the RGBB I would thank all at the Embassy for what they do in support of the community and the promotion of British business. In the year to date Paul Williams, Tim Dearden and their team have supported over 30 Trade Missions to the Kingdom. The volume of Trade Missions is a clear indication of the importance of the Saudi market to UK PLC. Since the last edition of RGBB News the AGM has been held and a new Board elected. RGBB stalwart Chris Maybury stood down and his years of service to the RGBB are greatly appreciated and we all wish him well. In his stead the RGBB is delighted to welcome to the Board Nicola Quick who is now responsible for the development of the Special Interest Groups and on behalf of the RGBB I wish her all success in this role. Owain Raw-Rees Chairman [email protected] Simon Messum Deputy Chairman [email protected] Ian Crawford Events [email protected] In returning to the end of term theme I was privileged in mid-June to attend the Prize Day of the upper school of the British International School and present the prizes. It was clearly evident that there was an enormous sense of pride in the assembled audience of pupils, parents and teachers in what the school does. I extended my congratulations to all of the pupils who received commendations and prizes – levels of attainment, positive attitude, outstanding progress, exemplary behaviour, positive contribution, enthusiasm, effort and commitment were all justly and rightly acknowledged. Not only do these awards serve to reward particular individuals but they set goals to which others may aspire to. This occasion also marked the last such Prize Day that Alan Aitken, the acting Principal, would attend before leaving the Kingdom. Alan and his family’s contribution to the success of the school over the last 20 years is immeasurable and on behalf of the RGBB, and our children, I would thank him for his dedication to the school and the role he has played in the education of many of our children over this period. The British International School in its own way also promotes UK PLC by actually being here in Riyadh and providing both the British and general expatriate community the opportunity to actively engage in British academic excellence. On such occasions as school Prize Days I believe it is traditional that the speaker includes in his speech The RGBB 2009-2010 Board The RGBB Secretary, Jane Brierley can be contacted on tel: 00966 1 488 00 77 ext. 2263 on Saturdays or [email protected] Luke Bowen Ian Hay Magazine & Advertising [email protected] Special Briefings Gary Richardson Nicola Quick Sports [email protected] SIGS & Website [email protected] Marcus Cleverton Treasurer [email protected] Paul Williams Embassy Representative [email protected] 1 RGBB News various wise thoughts to enlighten the audience and in continuance of this tradition I list below a number of such thoughts: • Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them. • If you cannot be kind, at least have the decency to be vague – or to paraphrase my own mother, and heaven forbid that I would admit to taking advice from one of my parents, if you cannot say anything nice about someone perhaps it is best not to say anything at all. • Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you will not have a leg to stand on. • If you lend someone SR20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. • It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others. • When everything’s coming your way, you are in the wrong lane. • Birthdays are good for you – the more you have the longer you live. • You can learn a lot from crayons - some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull, some have weird names and all are different colours, but they all have to live in the same box. Further to the theme of education, on behalf of the Board and the membership of the RGBB, I was delighted to offer congratulations to Jim Scarth, Director Saudi Arabia for the British Council here in Riyadh on his recent appointment in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List to be an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. This acknowledgement of his work in support of the British Council and the in promotion of British Saudi educational relations is well deserved. Finally as we escape for the summer holidays I would like to thank all of the members of the RGBB who support the Board and attend the various events - this support has made the RGBB the envy of much of the rest of the international community here in Riyadh. The British Community and the active engagement of many of its members in the life of the community is something to be proud of – this was especially demonstrated with the recent ICING Ball where over SR325,000 was raised for charitable causes. We are indeed fortunate to be here in Riyadh and working in a vibrant economy. However we should not take our good fortune for granted – as we all know pride comes before a fall. Only recently a delegation of British MP’s visited Riyadh and some of us had the good fortune to meet with them to “Promote UK PLC” - shortly afterwards one of them fell spectacularly from grace embroiled in the current parliamentary expenses scandal. On a more personal note some, if not all, of us know of friends and family who through misfortune and no fault of their own are indeed facing many difficulties as a result of the global recession – including former members of the RGBB - we should all be mindful of our good fortune. Owain Raw-Rees Chairman 2 FROM THE CHAIR RGBB News Notes from the Eastern Chair Geoff Fennah MBE Chairman, British Business Association Eastern Province In March, we said farewell to Terry Evans, Head of BTO and we wish her well in her new UK based assignment. We have also had the opportunity to welcome replacement David Harries OBE and wife Carol and we look forward to providing our usual support to both he and his office. At our April AGM, we welcomed some new committee members - Terri Nicol as our Events Secretary, our new Newsletter Editor duo – Kirsty McMahon and Geraint Isitt – who have offered to put their professional editorial skills to work and generate a regular and interesting quarterly Newsletter and finally, Ewen Baxter as our Membership Secretary. On the business front, EP is continuing to be busy with established projects moving steadily towards completion with a number scheduled to come on line in the 2010–12 timeframe. However, there is evidence that some of the newer projects, in the early stages of development, are showing signs of slowing down – economic problems catching up with us or just a timely opportunity to do some recosting now materials, such as steel, have seen a fall in price.? There also seems to be small signs of recovery in the world economy with the optimists expecting growth to return in 2010 – time will tell! In June, we were pleased to host HMA Sir William Patey as guest speaker at our monthly business dinner. He delivered an interesting “State of the Union” talk providing an update on the strengthening relationship between both Kingdoms. It was good to hear that relations are stronger than ever both politically and with trade. Below: David & Carol Harries greeting guests at the QBP Don’t forget RGBB members are welcome to attend any of our functions if you happen to be in AlKhobar on business. If you need to contact us then feel free to call me directly, send an e-mail to our Secretary (Pamela) at [email protected] or via the website www.bbaep.com Local News Round-Up Several companies now offer regular email up-dates carrying news items from the region. Herewith a selection of items recieved by the RGBB News Editor in the two weeks before publishing. Camel Renamed In case you missed it, the Arab News reported that the June 4 speech at Cairo University by US President Barack Obama was widely watched in the Arab world, including in the desert of Hail province where traffic virtually vanished during the address. Resident’s of one village gathered around a TV screen owned by Awad Khudair Al Shammari to catch Obama’s words. Al Shammari, who owns and breeds camels said in honour of what he considered Obama’s promise to solve the Palestinian issue he would do what any camel enthusiast would do as a gesture of goodwill: he named one of his prize camels “Barack Obama”. Smoking Compensation Sought Menafn.com has reported that a Saudi citizen has filed a lawsuit against two tobacco companies asking for SR37.5m in compensation for the health damages he sufferred from smoking. The victim had throat cancer and has been through major surgery losing part of his vocal chords leaving him unable to talk without a special device. The plaintiff has told the Smoking and Drugs Awareness Association that he hope to build a hospital for treating tobacco addicts free of charge with the money that he hope to win. Earthquake During May many of the local newspapers reported on the earthquake in the Al Ais region north of Madinah which had caused a total of 2289 people to be evacuated. 30 tremors of varying magnitudes measuring between 3 and 5.4 on the Richter scale were registered in one 24 hour period. Both Civil Defence and the Red Crescent have confirmed that there were no deaths or serious injuries. Time Off for Heat Al Watan reported on 16 June that building contractors in Riyadh were giving workers a three hour break in the afternoons when the heat is at its highest. Fahd Al Hammadi, head of the contracting division at the RCCI acknowledged that there were parts of Riyadh where the temperature had reached 50 degress and more. One owner of several contracting companies was also reported to have said that the break would only be given on the understanding that workers would work harder during the mornings and evenings to compensate for the missing hours and ensure projects were not delayed. 5 RGBB News Notes from the BBG in Jeddah Brian Hawley Chairman, British Business Group Jeddah Brian Hawley BBG Chairman writes: It is a pleasure to be back in Saudi Arabia again after a protracted holiday in the UK, which included a family wedding. It’s great to be able to get back to work so I can get some rest! I’m pleased to say that Sandie and I managed to spend a week in London with Cecille El-Beleidi, former Deputy Consul-General to Jeddah, whom many of you will know quite well. She sends her regards to all BBG members and she misses Jeddah! There are noticeable effects from the recession in the UK, at least there were during the time that I was there. It is remarkably easy to get a table in a good restaurant that would normally need to be booked weeks ahead, tourist attractions were not crowded (apart from the commendably free museums in London, which were packed) and even on the Bank Holiday weekend, the roads did not seem particularly crowded. I heard on Sky News today that some pundits are saying the recession is ending. Let’s hope so! I just managed to get back in time to attend the Survivors’ Ball and was very surprised to hear we had lost this year. Well that’s what you get if you include horseshoe-throwing and exclude cricket. But seriously, congratulations to the ABJ on a hard-fought, friendly and enjoyable competition. And watch out next time for the British horse-throwing team in secret one-year intensive training. Many thanks to all who helped out – particularly our Consulate-General for providing the venue. You will all have received an invitation to a networking reception at Kate Rudd, our Consul General’s house. Indeed there are at least three receptions as the BBG has too many members to fit in at the same time. As I write, two of these have already been held and there is one to come. Thanks to those who attended and of course sincere thanks to Kate for her kindness. Finally, I was glad to attend a function recently at Open Skies, the hippotherapy organization which we support from time to time. All is in apple-pie order and Nejma, the horse the BBG purchased for Open Skies, is in good condition and having fun with the children. You may be confident the funds we contributed are being put to good use. Congratulations to Judy and to her dedicated army of volunteers! (pictured left) The following snippets have been extracted from the BBG’s own e-newsletter: In his role as Deputy Chair, Edward Ogilvie writes in his foreword that “...an impressive programme of reforms has been taking place over recent years to improve the business regulatory environment in KSA. In particular, improvements have focused on reducing the time, number and cost of procedures. Over the last two years alone, Saudi Arabia has seen reforms in the procedures for starting a business, registering property, protecting investors and in closing a business. And, at the initiative of King Abdullah, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Agency (SAGIA) launched the ’10 by 10’ project which aims to make Saudi Arabia one of the top 10 countries in the world by 2010. That may seem a somewhat optimistic ambition to us but I thought it interesting to note that the end-of-year performance bonuses of SAGIA’s executive staff depend on achieving or surpassing the agreed targeted rankings, creating a focused sense of urgency, accountability and responsibility. Considering what we have been seeing on TV and reading in the Press regarding the ‘performance’ bonuses given to certain top executives within the banking and financial sectors in the UK and around the world, we can only reflect, - Now why didn’t we think of that?” In his report, John Lockhart, the BBG Events Coordinator also acknowledged a delightful and informative discussion on Oriental rugs led by Safi Kaskas, one of the most informed individuals in the Kingdom on the subject. Dave Wheen, BBG Sports Coordinator writes: First of all I’d like to say thanks to all of the BBG captains and players. Everyone who participated in the 2009 ABJ v BBG Sports Competition gave it 100%, but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough to retain the trophy. Although we only lost by one point, after such a great start in the ten-pin bowling, tennis, darts and golf, it was a bitter pill to swallow as the Team BBG lost their last 3 matches. On a positive note the aims of the competition were met. Everyone seems to have enjoyed the matches, we’ve all met new people on both sides of the lines and the competition was played in good spirits with no major ugliness. Well done to all. 7 RGBB News Special Briefing by Marcus Cleverton As RGBB Members congregated in the Embassy Hall for the 3rd Special Briefing of 2009, the evening was to be a truly British affair, the guest speaker being none other than Sir William Patey, HMA to Saudi Arabia, supported by the sponsors of the event, The Saudi British Bank (SABB). On behalf of SABB, Abdulaziz Alhelaissi, General Manager of Central Province, started proceedings by emphasising the importance of British trade in Saudi Arabia and that SABB were committed to providing an excellent range of Corporate and Personal banking products and services to meet the needs of all customers in the Kingdom. Further, SABB was proud of its employment record, especially the high percentage of Saudi employees and the recruitment of women who were starting to occupy senior positions within the Bank. Sir William then took centre stage and quipped that the RGBB must have a desperate need for speakers and “it’s good to be back here as the guest of a dynamic and growing RGBB. 330 members isn’t it? I’ve heard new members are now living in the streets and I’ve had to widen the doors to get you all in. Seriously though, the size of the RGBB is a good barometer of the health of the business relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is undoubtedly good. What we particularly value is the unstinting support you give to the Embassy and to me. We really are very grateful. The Obama Presidency, specifically his policy towards the Middle East, was the first major subject on Sir William’s review of the political and economic landscape. Starting with a few reflections on Obama’s approach to the global financial crisis, as in Sir William’s view, this is where our problems started and where they will probably end; “as we sit here a new American President, elected on a promise of change, is trying to persuade a reluctant electorate that the $US780 billion stimulus package will succeed in kick starting the economy. It’s a difficult message. Bigger government in the US has always been synonymous with higher taxation and job losses. Since the election in November, the number of Americans citing unemployment as the main economic problem has risen from 10% to 42% and unemployment is now more important than the financial crisis. Americans care more about the collapse of Caterpillar in Peoria, Illinois than they do about Lehmann Brothers.” Corporate ‘Fat Cats’ that have stolen many headlines over the last year did not escape Sir Williams attention; “and there have been some notable own goals such as the three Motown supremos [not to be confused with the Supremes who actually made money in Detroit] taking their Lear jets to a Congressional hearing into corporate culpability. Vikram Pandit [CEO Citigroup] was under the impression that the taxpayers’ cash injection into his ailing company 8 RGBB News was to fund the replacement of his $US50 million Gulfstream. One commentator asked if he was ignorant or apathetic. Neither came the reply, he just doesn’t know and doesn’t care! “We have to wish Obama well as the recovery of the world’s economies depend on his success but the sobering measure is that implementation of the stimulus package will raise the US National Debt to $US11.3 trillion and the budget deficit to 14% of GDP..The US used to be able to talk its way out of recession, or at least grow out of it. To grow out of this will require double digit growth for 75 years! This is a perilous situation.” Proceeding to prospects for global economic recovery, Sir William cited “Clinton’s famous epithet, ‘It’s the economy, stupid’. It always is of course, but never more so than now when we find ourselves in the worst global recession since 1929. The London Summit this summer will be looking for global agreement on means of avoiding a repeat of the consequences of 1929, i.e. the Great Depression. The London Summit must succeed in getting agreement on global regulation and supervision to prevent the current crisis recurring. There may be more difficulty persuading the US and France than the newer members of the G20. Remembering of course George Bernard Shaw’s comment that ‘if economists were laid end to end they would not reach a conclusion”. Reflecting on Saudi Economy, Sir William commented, “In February 2008 the Saudi economy looked strong. There was a budget surplus of £24 billion and barely any debt. The world was enjoying steady economic growth, double-digit in India and China. There were whispers of ‘sub-prime’ problems in the US but no-one really knew what this meant. In the UK householders were still enjoying the seemingly inexorable rise in property values. Well that didn’t last. Northern Rock shocked the UK financial sector to its roots and the collapse of Lehman Brothers served the same purpose in the US. The Chancellor made the right decision on Northern Rock and the Treasury Secretary the wrong decision on Lehman’s. If any one issue signalled the seriousness of the situation to the Saudis it was the failure of the US to support Lehman’s. “If anyone had doubted that the tremors in the banking sector were of less that cataclysmic proportions, these doubts faded with the unprecedented rise in oil prices which changed almost overnight the way that the world would now do business. In March Saudi Arabia’s main concern had been domestic inflation which peaked at 9.5%. 9 RGBB News British Government and Industry in Saudi Arabia. On this subject, Sir William emphasised the strong business ties between Britain and Saudi, “despite the global slowdown and the UK moving into recession our bilateral trading relationship with Saudi Arabia prospered in 2008. Overall our visible exports grew by 21% to £2.3 billion. This compares with an average growth of UK exports of 10% in the MENA region. “By July oil prices which had started their upward climb in June 2007 had reached $US 147 and Saudi Arabia was generating a staggering $US 1 billion a day in oil revenues. Although oil prices fell back as global growth slowed and the financial crisis was recognised to be serious, how serious we have yet to see, Saudi Arabia reaped the whirlwind overspending its budget by £15 billion while still recording a record surplus of £80 billion. “Saudi Arabia managed 6% real GDP growth in 2008.” Sir William’s views on the Banking Sector were of particular interest to the audience. “One great American, Thomas Jefferson, famously said ‘that banks are more dangerous than standing armies and that spending money to be paid by posterity is nothing more than swindling on a large scale’. The banking sector is inherently cautious in Saudi Arabia and is believed to have relatively low exposure to toxic debt. Most banks will have been profitable this year, including SABB, but not all. The global financial crisis has however affected the Saudi Banks. Deposits have been lower than expected and the international banks have kept to their lending ratio of 85%, although it is not clear if the Saudi Banks have. “Interbank lending has been affected as it has in the rest of the world. Not to the same extent but no one believes all the skeletons have come out of the cupboard yet. SAMA has acted to increase liquidity, a lower reserve requirement, and lower interest rates and capped Treasury Bills. This is helping but not eliminating the caution. Confidence has taken a knock. This is most clearly seen in the Tadawul which registered a 50% fall last year. It has nevertheless continued to liberalise opening this year to individual foreign investors through swap agreements. The lack of funding has seen some company casualties so there are continuing concerns. Anyone connected with the Embassy would know the enormous amount of interest expressed by 10 “We have continued to run a successful trade mission programme to the extent that many of our regular visitors are increasing the regularity of their visits. The number of UK professional companies investing in the Kingdom has increased and continues to grow; Norton Rose, Denton Wilde Sapte, Herbert Smith and others have set up this year. RSA has received their Royal Decree and BA has announced its return to the market after our ASA was renegotiated to massively increase flight frequencies between the two countries. We are working with many others wanting to establish themselves here. Senior visitors in 2008 have included the Lord Mayor of London who returned last month and the Minister for Trade, Lord Digby Jones, who came in March 2008. Most significantly the Prime Minister came twice in 2008, for the Energy Ministerial Meeting in July and then in November accompanied by Lord Mandelson, Ed Miliband and probably the most powerful business delegation to cross these shores. Trade Missions and group visits for the first half of the year are approaching record levels. There is at least one a week well into May. Direct flights between Saudi Arabia and the UK will be more than doubling.” The presentation was very well received by the members who then addressed more serious issues in the Q&A session, such as, “could Sir William do anything about the current shortage of tonic water in the Kingdom?” Of course, time has resolved this issue as the flow of this particular beverage has returned to normal levels. My only disappointment of the evening was that this truly British affair was not complemented by clotted cream scones! Special Briefing continued RGBB News Auctions, Rugby, Signatures and Mother’s Day Words by Chris Evans Photos by Nick Watson “6000 Riyals, 6500, 7000, 7500,” can’t let a Scotsman take home a rugby shirt signed by Lawrence Dallaglio and Jason Leonard..”8000 SR…any more bids….SOLD.” The initial thought was what have I done? Or as one friend put it “nutter!” Had I known what was to come the grin would have been wider than the Ambassador’s garden. Fast forward a few days with the shirt hanging in pride of place on the living room wall and suddenly a desperate flurry of messages that I need to call Rob Lickley at BMI urgently. The next few moments will live with me for a long time. “Are you able to fly to the UK tomorrow night and come back next Monday?” “I’m sure I can arrange it.” “Excellent as we’d like you to come to the Calcutta Cup game at Twickenham on Saturday, by the way bring your dinner jacket as we’ll be going to the players dinner afterwards too!” Wow. Let’s face it there isn’t really any other word to use – well, not that can be printed anyway! With so little time for it to settle in the next day flew by and I was soon on a very busy BMI flight to Blighty courtesy of the England rugby team’s official airline. I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 1 and spent the Riyadh weekend catching up with the family before rendezvousing with Rob at Twickenham, via a swift half with Andrew Mead and Graham Deane, and we wandered up to the BMI hospitality suite for 12 lunch before the game. The selection of food was excellent ranging from steak and kidney pies to some very attractive looking deserts. We also had a plan to fulfil, so when fed and watered, we wandered down to the Rugby store and purchased several rugby shirts including one which has now been auctioned at the ICING Summer Charity Fundraiser. We returned to corporate hospitality for what proved another treat, after all it’s not everyday you get to meet one of your rugby heroes. Richard Hill the England and Saracens legend walked in to give a question and answer session and one day I will find the photo taken of myself with England’s greatest ever backrower. It was time to take our seats overlooking the halfway line. I’ve been to Twickenham many times during the course of the rebuilding work but the sight that now greats you when you see the finished article is truly magnificent. Twickenham is finally the great theatre for rugby it was designed to be. I could at this point describe the game, but I rather enjoy being able to attend functions at the British Embassy. Suffice to say Scotland didn’t win (26-12 wasn’t too bad though). At the final whistle the Calcutta Cup was presented and thoughts turned to the other match about to kick-off. Would Ireland finally, after all these years, win a grand slam? Back up to the lounge and the big screens, possibly a couple of light refreshments too, and the final game of the 2009 Six Nations. It proved to be RGBB News an excellent game with the Ireland team finally securing their place in history (and most of the Lions places too!). Just enough time for a quick change into dinner jackets and myself, Rob, Nick Watson and Andrew Mead made our way round to the new Marriott hotel built into the stadium itself. This has now opened permanently and, from the areas we saw, promises to be a top quality hotel for many years to come. At this point a theme started to be developing as we headed straight for the bar! Myself and Andrew had other ideas though, after all we’d fought our way through the Rugby Store to get the shirts for the Icing Ball, the time had come to add the signatures. Pens and shirts at the ready, get set….GO! The list of current and ex-players was amazing. To list who politely put up with the harassment of having to sign the shirts is too long to mention. There were a few shocked looks from the likes of Graham Rowntree and Bill Beaumont when they realized we’d travelled 3,500 miles to be there though. Once again Richard Hill and Jason Leonard gave up their time to chat about rugby and share a couple of drinks and helped secure the vital few moments to get Martin Johnson’s autograph. Then to the dinner. Speeches, excellent food, good wine and the challenge from Andrew that I couldn’t get any of the Scotland team to sign an England shirt! Thankfully this time I won and am grateful to Chris Patterson and the Scotland coach who resigned two days later, Frank Haddon, for signing the small England shirt for my 18-month old nephew. It is now hanging on his bedroom wall just outside Prague. However, Andrew had found one final challenge. He noticed that the England player’s bus had turned up and the players were slowly filtering outside under the guiding hand of Graham Rowntree. What better place to get some more autographs? It didn’t quite turn out that way as the players already on the bus didn’t want to be disturbed, I did manage to get the bus driver’s autograph on the back of a shirt though. Then we spotted our final signature of the night, one that has since proved to be a surprise inclusion in the lions squad, I wonder if Simon Shaw knew he was going to be selected when he took the time to chat before he got on the bus? Our day at Twickenham was slowly drawing to a close. Twelve hours of magnificent hospitality from BMI, new friends made and watching rugby, I’ve had worse! This still left one more day in England before returning to Riyadh. Coincidently it just happened to be Mother’s Day or as it will now be referred to ‘Mother’s Day sponsored by BMI’. I was able to take my parents out for an excellent meal at a Tapas restaurant in Croydon (if you want the details it is well worth the trip, but take a taxi as the wine selection is superb). Thank you to all at BMI who made me feel so welcome from the moment I arrived at Riyadh airport to the moment I arrived back. It was a very special few days and also made me a very popular son. BMI is the official sponsor of the England Rugby Team and has 6 direct flights from Riyadh to London weekly as well as flights to Jeddah and Dammam. 13 RGBB News Revisiting Baghdad My wife and I have been contemplating taking three of our children on a trip to Baghdad for quite some time to see the family and see the changes that have taken place since the American invasion of 2003 but have been waiting for improvements in the security situation. The news in the first quarter of this year have been encouraging and feedback from those who had visited recently was positive enough for us to prepare for the trip during the children’s Easter break. My 13-year old daughter was rather concerned about the journey and nervous of travelling to a place with car bombs and suicide bombers to such an extent that she offered to stay in Riyadh on her own but at the end she came round to the idea. In the event she enjoyed herself so much there that she would like to go again. The first step of most journeys is the acquiring of the visa and I was expecting the process to be a lengthy one. In the event it was very simple as we applied to the Iraqi embassy in Riyadh in the normal way and had the required stamp in each of the five passports within one day. In fact, the staff at the embassy were extremely helpful and efficient. The next step was planning the route as there are no direct flights between Riyadh and Baghdad even though it is only a couple of hours of flying time between the two cities. After considering all available alternatives we decided to fly via Beirut. The journey took two days each way with an overnight stop over in Beirut. Fortunately the first leg of the journey to Beirut with NAS was uneventful albeit later than schedule but the flight from Beirut to Baghdad with a little known company called Flying Carpet was more exciting and extremely tiring. The company operates what should be scheduled flights between Copenhagen and Baghdad via Beirut three times a week. Our flight from Beirut was 3 hours late taking off and the airplane had to return to the airport 10 minutes after being in the air as it developed a technical fault. The usual “it will only take 10 minutes to fix” became an eight hour wait that meant leaving Beirut at 4:00 pm instead of 8:00 am and arriving at Baghdad International Airport at around 6:00 pm. We were all exhausted yet pleased to be at the end of this part of the journey. Although we were tired we were in a much better state than those travelers who had been on that same small aircraft from Copenhagen almost from the night before. Fortunately passport and baggage claim formalities at Baghdad International Airport were relatively brief and quick such that we were outside the terminal building within approximately 30 minutes from landing to be met by a pre-arranged authorised airport taxi. After an exhausting day at Beirut airport it was a relief and quite pleasant to be met by very polite and courteous staff at Baghdad airport. 14 The journey from the airport to our final destination in Baghdad took approximately one hour as we had to go through many security check points. It was a huge shock to see Baghdad so run down compared to the city we saw seven years earlier. The high security walls and police / army checkpoints that are manned by very polite, helpful and relaxed personnel broke up the city in an ugly way and added to the misery of driving along congested roads that have not been maintained due to years of sanctions and wars. However, there are signs of improvements as some roads were being resurfaced, pavements being repaired and garbage being collected off the streets but it will take time to address all that needs to be addressed. Despite all the hardship and difficulties Baghdadis have adapted to the situation and learnt to live very well with daily power cuts, congested roads and frequently interrupted traffic caused by convoys of armoured military vehicles that are either on patrol or on their way to defuse a suspected car or roadside bomb. People are fed up with war and killing and they just want to be left alone to get on with life. As a result of events of the last five years most Iraqis have become suspicious of neighbouring countries and their contribution to the death and destruction that has taken place. Baghdad has many shopping thoroughfares with shops that are well stocked with goods and foods albeit expensive when compared to current average income and with prices during the years of sanctions when the government provided a limited range of items at subsidized prices. In the late afternoons and evenings streets are full with shoppers or people just strolling along, a good indication of a normal city life. by Dr. Faez Tuma RGBB News Images clockwise from left: Standing Guard at a checkpoint, Above: An outdoor Cafe Below: A vendor serving tea by the roadside, Buying Fish from a roadside tank. No visit to Baghdad is complete without eating Masgoof, local river or tank fish that is cleaned, flat opened and placed near a wood fire by stakes to cook slowly and then served on a platter of bread or rice with delicious pickles and greens. Baghdad is also well known for the various types of kebabs (skewered meat or chicken cooked on charcoal) and I recommend the offerings of the Samad Restaurant in the Al-Mansoor district. Although life is difficult Baghdadis are more positive and optimistic about the future than they were nine years earlier when I visited Baghdad during the Saddam era. Most people are hopeful that as the political situation stablises and the various municipalities establish themselves and their respective programs of work and civil projects Baghdad and the rest of Iraq will recover from years of neglect and bad management and governments. We wanted the children to see the countryside outside Baghdad so for $300 we hired a driver and an SUV for three days to visit some others cities. It was a pleasant excursion to about 100 miles south of Baghdad and it was noticeable that these cities were more relaxed than Baghdad. Streets were bustling with people and street traders offering their wares. The roads were good but interrupted by security checkpoints before and after every town or village. The countryside is flat with many rivers and streams zigzagging across it making the area fertile and green but interspaced by patches of yellow desert. As the roads snake through the countryside they are lined on either side by farms, fruit orchards, orange groves and palm trees. This part of Iraq and the area further south are rich with history and monuments of ancient times where early civilization started. In addition to relics of the Babylonian and Sumerian eras there are many shrines of various saints and prophets such as Jonah and Abraham and ancient temples some of which with original Hebrew markings still visible. As places of worship with many millions of visitors every year the shrines and the areas around them were clean, well maintained and well looked after. During our stay the weather was pleasant albeit dry and somewhat dusty as it is expected for the time of year except for the last day when it rained heavily all the way back to the airport for the return leg of the journey. The journey to the airport to fly back to Beirut meant going through very tough check points where the security staff were more thorough and detailed than those at other checkpoints that we had come across during our travel in the previous week. On balance it was a good trip but it was sad to see Baghdad so run down and broken up into small isolated districts. On the other hand there is hope that the place will rise from the ashes again as people get to grip with their own responsibilities and decide for themselves the course that the country will run. As a footnote I asked the children the other day what they remembered most about the trip to Iraq the thirteen year old said the tiring journey from Beirut to Baghdad, the twelve year old said that she remembered the shrines with the golden domes, shopping and seeing the family and the youngest five year old said he remembered seeing the family and the toys he was given. 15 RGBB News 2009 Summer Charity Fundraiser by Andrew Mead A generous SR15,000 donation from the Riyadh Community Theatre kicked-off the events in Riyadh’s best garden late in May when the ICING team pulled off yet another spectacular evening to raise cash for Children in Need. Gail Tisdale and Phil Atkinson are pictured above presenting their cheque to HMA Sir William and Lady Patey. The garden had been beautifully decorated by William and Philipa Kirkpatrick and their team who had created a unique setting for the many guests to part with their hard earned cash in support of ICING’s drive to coordinate charitable efforts in the community. Commercial support for the evening had come from a host of sponsoring companies and organisations including, Al Hokair, Arcom, AXA, BAE, bmi, La Vida Havana, Dirab Golf Course, Electro, Maaden, Neovartis, Riyadh Round Table, SABB, sama, the Al Khozama Hotel, the Riyadh Sheraton Hotel and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Bahrain. The number of volunteers and helpers is of course enormous and without their assistance the event simply wouldn’t happen. Luke Bowen and Simon Messum had been instrumental in coordinating catering and sponsorship, Chris Durbridge and his team provided diversionary play before and after dinner whilst Mike Donavan and Dave Gosney did their usual bit on stage to entertain during the entire evening. Owain, Ian, Marcus, Gary, Steve, Graham & Olaf all assisted on the night with everything from Gate Duty to Bid Spotting. In addition, a number of individuals made personal contributions of both cash and gifts which covered much of the costs for staging the event and provided prizes for the raffle and items for the auction. Rob Wood, Shadi Sanbar, Zaher Al Munajed, Steve Wilson, Simon Marshall, and Simon Ward all contributed in their own way. Graham Deane and Andrew & Angeline Turner were among those who made personal contributions which generated a terrific response from the auction participants as 18 was Sean McPoland, who had attended the Bahrain F1 earlier in the year obtaining Lewis Hamilton’s signature on a souvenir shirt which was sold at auction for SR12,000. Quite how the Swedish Ambassador’s waistcoat came up for sale will remain a mystery to many of us but thanks to Noura Al Haider’s winning bid, it seemed to have been returned to him by the time the night was over! Among those sponsors attending on the night, the British School PTA, represented by Andrea Corbett, made a generous donation from the proceeds of their own party, adding to a similar amount already donated by John and Helen Leifer on behalf of the Sulaimaniyah Hash earlier in the year. In bidding for the Scottish Rugby Shirt and the Pet Rock, the Caledonian Society of Riyadh matched the St. Georges Society donation of SR25,000, slightly exceeding the Al Misehal table who in addition to their sponsorship collectively paid for three separate auction items. The figure was exceeded only by Majid Fustok who confirmed the Fustok family’s continuing support for ICING by making the winning bids on two of the signed sports shirts to add to his collection of sporting memorabilia. This years team of ICEMAIDENS pictured below included Fflur, Helen, Natalie, Kirsty, Alison, Rachel, RGBB News Andrea and Trish who achieved an amazing total of SR 50,250 in raffle ticket sales, which exceeded all previous ICING raffle figures. being incorrectly identified by the auctioneer as Matt White) a first timer at an ICING event, was successful in securing the package for SR5000. Special mention must also be made of Peter Howarth-Lees and Smile Productions. Peter had pledged SR20,000 on the evening as a donation from the LOL Comedy Tour. However, following a successful tour, the amount actually donated came to SR30,000, a truly magnificent contribution. Another post event contribution was made by Dianne Baxter on behalf of the team at Al Romaizan Compound who donated profits from their own bash earlier in the month. The Alkhozama Hotel provided dinner on the evening, which was widely acclaimed as being among the best food in town at any price! Erik Huyer, Simon Coley and the Alkhozama team worked along with Gilbert and the staff from the Embassy to engineer a superb level of service. The first prize in the raffle was won by Dave Shaw, a worthy winner since he had contributed to the event by donating one of the other prizes. Dave, seen centre right, collected his prize voucher from Richard Groves from SABB and Rachel Start from sama. Below, Left to Right; David Letts, Lynne Charnley, Bennie Burger and Margaret Luckman were among the many prize winners. The counting is almost over and when all the pledges are met, we will have collected an additional SR340,000 to distribute to worthy causes this year. We’ll bring you details of where the money goes in the next edition. Olaf Brinkman, obviously intent on treating his wife Philipa, was successful in outbidding many others (including Gary Richardson who attempted to compete by telephone), for the superb package of flights to and accommodation in Palma generously donated by bmi and the Sheraton Hotel. One raffle prize winner, David Letts who had won a series of rounds at Dirab, generously surrendered his prize for auction and Richard Zeverona, (despite 19 RGBB News Saudi Arabia will play part in recovery viewed as a direct stimulus to the global economy. These long-term projects will help maintain an expatriate workforce in Saudi Arabia rather than prompt the kind of exodus we are seeing in some other GCC states. The nation’s defence procurement programme also continues to provide jobs and revenues for many western companies. At least $220bn is likely to be recycled abroad in the form of imports, contracts or labour transfers. According to official data, over the past six years Saudi Arabia has imported more than $335bn worth of goods. We estimate that since 2003, more than $100bn has been officially and unofficially remitted by expatriate workers. As the world’s leaders meet in London to seek ideas and funds in order to prevent a systemic collapse of the global economy, many eyes have turned to Saudi Arabia as an obvious source of cash. The kingdom’s contribution to rescuing the global financial system has been far from negligible. It is investing more than $70bn to bring its oil production capacity to 12.5m barrels a day by the end of this year. More than 40 per cent of the new total capacity will remain unused so that global consumers can tap into it at a later stage. Saudi Arabia’s current control of production capacity makes Tehran and Moscow, to name but two, completely dependent on its adjustments. Saudi Arabia has used its status as the world’s swing producer benignly. Its leaders have understood for decades that their interests are intertwined with the prosperity of the world economy and that excessive prices and the accompanying volatility are counter to the kingdom’s long-term interests. Saudi Arabia has helped maintain moderation within Opec, which has resulted in lower gasoline prices around the world. Lower pricing at petrol pumps is perhaps the most effective way in which the kingdom can aid recovery. Compared to the record highs of last year, lower petrol prices are currently adding an extra $200 of extra per capita income on a monthly basis. Also, by maintaining an oil-price floor at about $40 per barrel, Saudi Arabia is ensuring that the economies of the rest of the Gulf Co-operation Council run roughly balanced budgets and thereby act as engines for the global economy. This year the kingdom announced a sharply expansionary budget to maintain domestic demand. Its $400bn worth of infrastructure projects earmarked for the next five years should also be 20 This article by John Sfakianakis was published in the FT in April 2009 So what will Saudi officials be pushing for at the G20 summit in London? First and foremost, the kingdom will fight against protectionism and unilateralism. Having joined the World Trade Organisation, Saudi officials understand that trade barriers need to be flattened so that the wheels of the world’s economy can keep turning. “We should not have policies of beggar thy neighbour,” as one minister put it to me ahead of the meeting. The kingdom wants better financial regulation and believes that progress in mitigating the excesses of the global financial system cannot be addressed without more oversight. But it does not want control to curb competition. Saudi officials are also likely to support the arguments of Germany and France, who have argued for stronger regulation of hedge funds and derivatives – although they recognise that these instruments cannot be driven out of existence. Many Saudi businesses have been hurt by their exposure to these vehicles and instruments. In contrast, we should view the conservative policies of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency in regulating local financial institutions as a policy to be emulated. The kingdom is also likely to oppose those countries proposing a “green” recovery or a low-carbon agenda. The world cannot afford to choose the colour of its recovery. Finally, in representing the GCC states, Saudi will look to defend the interests of sovereign wealth funds that have played a significant role in maintaining financial stability and confidence so far. Many SWFs from the GCC have invested in financial institutions whose shares have plummeted. The kingdom, whose central bank is now the world’s largest holder of foreign assets, is likely to be keen to maintain access to global markets. John Sfakianakis is chief economist at Saudi Arabia’s SABB Bank. RGBB News Saudi Arabia’s Lessons Learned The economic boom in the gulf countries over the past few years — fueled by the continuous rise of oil prices between 2003 and 2008 — helped put the region on the global economic map. In some ways, the boom became captive to a “mine is bigger than yours” syndrome. Competing states embarked on advertising campaigns and hired in public-relations firms to tout their wares. Developers and rulers alike pushed artificial islands (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait), and in many places real estate became the main economic activity. Officials promoted their cities as financial hubs as a way to diversify away from oil. Hundreds of millions of dollars were poured into national air carriers and airports, which were seen both as a source of national pride and as another way to expand the energy-dependent economies. While oil revenues were flowing, sovereign wealth funds acquired foreign assets with the flair of peacocks. The humility that typified the past was supplanted by conspicuous consumption. Yes, all that infrastructure and new property that was built still exists — but its quality and engineering is, in many cases, dubious. In contrast, Saudi Arabia’s institutional memory of the boom and bust cycle served it well during what was the kingdom’s third great oil boom of the past four decades. After the high prices of the 1970s, Saudi Arabia’s economy went through a longdrawn-out slowdown as oil revenues plummeted for most of the 1980s. After a spike when Iraq invaded Kuwait, prices weakened again in the 1990s, even as Saudi struggled to pay off its (large) chunk of the bill for the first Gulf War. At the height of the Asian financial crisis in 1998, oil prices had fallen to just $12 a barrel. This meant that Saudi Arabia — which sells its precious black gold at a discount, on average — was getting just $7 a barrel. Deficit financing was the only solution, and the government started borrowing at home and abroad. By 1999, Saudi Arabia’s government debt was bigger than its economy. And then came 9/11, which drove the final nails into the coffin of the country’s image. A series of terrorist attacks inside the country added to the sense of chaos. Some predicted the end of the House of Saud. But when oil prices started to rise in 2003, Saudi Arabia was ready. For one thing, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, the country’s central bank, had greatly expanded the number of well-trained national staffers. Second, it had at its helm officials who remembered the bad days of low oil revenues. That meant that when the oil gushers were turned up again, money was saved and not aggressively spent as elsewhere in the region. The nation’s wealth was also placed in very liquid investments, 24 predominantly U.S. government paper assets, rather than real estate. While other regional investment funds were buying into international banks, Saudi Arabia was purchasing U.S. government bonds, or paying down its debt. The country can tap into those liquid assets while its neighbors are struggling to sell their investments in banks, equities and companies — Saudi’s debt now stands at just 13% of the total size of its economy. Third, King Abdullah, though often criticized as being too “frugal,” has stuck to sensible spending. It is this that has saved Saudi Arabia. Even the ambitious economic cities that were announced at the end of 2005 were private-sector initiatives, not state-financed ones. Fourth, the banking sector, thanks to its experience during the 1990s, has taken a conservative approach to lending, and remains highly unleveraged. Importantly, real estate in Saudi Arabia did not experience the same bubble that occurred in the country’s neighbors; as a result consumers and lenders have been protected. Fifth, during the boom years, Saudi Arabia invested more than $70 billion in expanding its oil production capacity to 12.5 million barrels per day, not only to secure its future but also to address global supply imbalances. To be sure, the two stock market slumps in 2006 and 2008 created negative wealth effects. Highnet-worth businessmen have been hit by the current global financial crisis. But there is no doubt that the macroeconomic picture is solid and healthy. Over the next five years Saudi Arabia has outlined a $400 billion spending program. In a decade or thereabouts, Saudi Arabia will become a $1 trillion economy and will be better placed than the rest in the region to capitalize on its knowledge and strengths. During the boom years, some critics said Saudi Arabia should become more like Dubai. Now the rest of the region might want to become a bit more like Saudi Arabia. Editors Note: In his second article for this edition, John Sfakianakis the chief economist of the Saudi British Bank (SABB) has graciously allowed us to reproduce an article originally published in Time magazine during May. RGBB News Annual Prize Giving at BISR On Tuesday 16th June, the British International School staged its Annual Prize Giving, the first since the completion of its splendid new school hall facility. The School was delighted when the RGBB Chair Owain Raw-Rees accepted their invitation to be guest of honour and award the prizes. a ‘parting shot’. Tamara Siyam Lewis, Rachel Keogh and Yazdan Chowdhury, delivered excellent speeches to the large assembly of teachers, parents and students in the hall, reflecting on their years at the school and expressing thanks for all that they had achieved and experienced during that time. Prizes are awarded to students in recognition of academic excellence and achievement in all subject areas. Prizes are also awarded to students who have made a particular contribution to the vibrancy of the school through such activities as sport, business endeavour and fundraising for charity. To this end a number of students received ‘student citizenship awards’. Another part of the proceedings was the reading, by Year 9 student Anna Kulach of some of her poems. Anna is a Polish teenager, who joined the school in 2004. Until then, she could hardly speak any English. Soon after her arrival in Saudi Arabia, she developed a passion for and showed a particular talent for writing poetry. She read, beautifully and emotionally from her first volume of published poems, ‘Just A Person’. The occasion is also the last official event for Year 11 students who have just taken their IGCSE public examinations. Three students were invited to deliver The occasion concluded with a speech from Owain Raw-Rees. He congratulated the prize-winners and those who had spoken. He explained the role of the RGBB and spoke about some recent events and fundraising activities. He then spoke to the student body and delivered some appropriately uplifting and humorous ‘pearls of wisdom’. Having been a great supporter of the school and in particular of the International Award for Young People, Mr RawRees expressed his pleasure that the award scheme was thriving in the school. He took the opportunity to say bon voyage to a group of students who were, that very evening, flying to Cyprus to undertake their Silver Level expedition in The Troodos Mountains. Julian B Cottenden Head of Secondary School 25 RGBB News bmi celebrates 4 years in Saudi Arabia bmi, the only British Airline to fly to all 3 international gateways in Saudi Arabia hosted a dinner at the British Ambassador’s residence in Riyadh to celebrate 4 years of service in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the dinner was not only to celebrate the 4 years, but also to promote the service improvements that bmi have been developing over the past year. Complimentary Chauffeur Drive, Arrival and Departure Lounges at Heathrow, Premium and 30 Minute Check-In at Heathrow are just some of the enhancements that bmi have introduced for its customers. Speaking at the dinner was Peter Spencer, Managing Director of bmi who said “ We all know the terrible time that industry in general is experiencing at the moment, and the airline industry is no different. We do acknowledge however that there is a change in the way people travel and what is expected is better value, and I believe this is precisely what bmi continues to offer its customers”. Spencer also added “We all know that people have a choice when they fly and there is increased competition when chosing to fly to the UK, Europe and North America, but by choosing bmi and London Heathrow’s Terminal 1, there is no better way“ This year bmi celebrates 4 years of service from Riyadh, 3 years from Jeddah and 1 year from Dammam. 26 RGBB News RGBB Sports After a very busy year the RGBB sports team has had a well deserved rest during the busy Spring/ Summer Ball period. With the ball season at an end the summer programme for sports begins in earnest on June 25th with a pair’s golf tournament. This will be followed by a singles tournament at Dirab golf course on July 10th, with other events planned for August and September. (dates and venues TBC) These will all form part of the new RGBB Golf Society that is being run by Robert Barnden. As well as regular golf events during the summer there will be cricket to take part in or spectate at as well, because the RGBB 20/20 cricket league will launch in July. The league will be launched with a 10/10 one day tournament. (Dates TBC) We will also be launching a weekly water volley ball RGBB Golf Society night. The aim of this is to simply have fun during the warm summer evenings, with no competitive side to the activity. However following the success of last years water volley ball tournament we plan to hold another event in early August. Other events planned for the summer include the resumption of the pool teams matches against Seder village (and any other challengers that would like to play us), as well as darts &10 pin bowling. As always please keep your eyes open for details on these and other events in your RGBB emails, or contact Gary Richardson via email on [email protected] If the activity you would like to participate in is not mentioned please contact Gary to see if we can add this to the list of events that we have planned over the next few months. The main winners of the event was the team of Phil Pannell, Evan Weinand and Gary Richardson, with an impressive score of 55. They actually went around the tough championship course at Dirab 1 under par before handicaps were deducted. Second place went to Shiela & Alistar Mcilry with a score of 58. They just beat Monica & Ralph Shiffer into third place on the count back system. The longest drive went to Raymond O’Neil, with the ladies prize unclaimed on this occassion. The nearest the pin prize was won by Monica Shiffer with a great tee shot on the tricky down hill par 3 number 11 hole. On 25th June the first golf event of the RGBB golf society took place at Dirab Golf course. A mixed field containing men and ladies of all abilities competed in this Texas Scramble team event. Texas scramble is a format where all players in a team hit a tee shot, with the best shot selected as the place to play the second shot from, and so forth. The immaculate condition of the course led to some impressive scoring despite the searing heat that was endured by the players. We would like to thank Bouchaib and his team at Dirab for making us feel welcome once more and preparing a course in such great condition, especially with the heat making it difficult to keep the course so green.With more events planned the RGBB golf society will continue to go from strength to strength over the coming months. For details of the next event or to join the society please contact Gary Richardson for more details. Please also keep an eye open for emails with details of other sports events that we have planned over the coming months 27 RGBB News The last edition’s attempt to get more of you telling of your own experiences seems to have stimulated some debate in many quarters. Restaurant Review by Andrew Mead & Luke Bowen Tina Cleverton writes in to tell us that one of her favourites is the Copper Chandni - on the corner of Thalia Street at the Dhabab Street intersection. Although I’ve eaten in the ‘Men-Only’ section downstairs, Tina tells us that the upstairs family section is ‘Bollywood’ themed. “The best part of the menu”, she says “is made up of tandoori style dishes for vegetarians and non vegetarians alike. Generous sized portions can be made as spicy or as mild as you like.” Apparently the food is typical of North Indian cuisine and according to Tina, “The food is just like good home Indian cooking with the staff and service being pleasant and helpful.” On our visit to the singles section, Luke & I enjoyed washing the food down with the yoghurt based drink known as Lassi. Although it is available in a sweet variety blended with sugar, my own preference is for the salty version with a variety of Indian spices. All in all, excellent food, great ambience and great value for money. Good for groups of 4 to 8 people. Simon Messum is another correspondent for this edition who wrote in with a review of Sushi Yoshi on Dhabab Street. “Sushi Yoshi is part of a chain, having 2 branches in KSA; the first in Jeddah and now on Dhabab Street in Riyadh. The décor is pretty bloody awful in the singles section downstairs, but somewhat more muted and to my mind better, upstairs in the family section. Once you have got over the lurid orange decoration and plastic chairs, the menu comes as a welcome distraction. Whether you enjoy the story of the Sushi Yoshi family and their idiosyncrasies is open to debate, but what isn’t is the service and the quality of the food. The Asian staff seem to know their stuff and the service is attentive and best of all, quick as befits a Sushi bar. The food is nicely presented on wooden serving platters and is accompanied by the usual soy, ginger and wasabe. The kids thought that the seaweed salad was a bit grim, but the adults all agreed that it was delicious. The Sushi Yoshi salad, with pieces of salmon, shrimp and tuna was considered much more acceptable by the younger contingent. We followed the salads with some tempura shrimp and vegetables. All were well cooked and the batter was suitably light and non greasy. In fact, it was generally very well done. The sushi, sashimi, salads, maki and tempura were all good and more importantly tasted and looked fresh – always an issue when one is 250 miles from the nearest sea! The children particularly like tuna, so we tend to go heavy on the sashimi in any sushi restaurant and in Sushi Yoshi, they were both very happy with their fish. Overall the whole family enjoyed this restaurant, possibly not for the ambience, but certainly for the food and the genuinely good and attentive service. For once our children turned down the option of a pudding and even the funky flavoured Japanese import kit kat bars – so the food must have met with their approval! It’s not the cheapest meal in Riyadh, but it is nice to eat sushi and sashimi and to my mind it’s worth it. Sushi Yoshi do a take away and a delivery service in neat (and very bright orange) boxes, so perhaps also something to consider as an alternative to the standard fast food lunches.” I’m grateful to Simon as well for reviving another interest and that was to get stuck in to some traditional Saudi Fare. Najd Village is one of those places in Riyadh that you really should take your UK visitors, if only to show them that Saudi cuisine is not a total contradiction in terms! The old fashioned façade of the restaurant is on Takhasussi Street, tucked away between more modern looking buildings and is a 28 RGBB News It’s pretty much men only most of the time but families can apparently be accommodated if booked in advance, tel 464 6530. This is a great place to go with friends and particularly with visitors. The food is fantastic and not the usual kebab and humus that you get everywhere else. The meals are not expensive and it is an experience, rather than just another average meal in an average restaurant. Above: L to R Saleeq and Jareesh little hard to find as the signage is poor. However, once you’ve found it, the old style wooden doors open into a small museum type area which hints at the ambience of the rest of the restaurant. Helen & Chris write in to say “If your taste buds are hankering after the best Chinese food in Riyadh then head no further than the Riyadh Chinese Restaurant (aka Mr. Cho’s) just off Circle Supermarket Street in central Riyadh.” Once inside the dining area is arranged into open air floor seating behind low wall partitions or, for those who prefer it, inside rooms; again with floor seating, cushions etc. The rooms, and indeed the whole restaurant, have mud brick walls in a Nejdi style and are reminiscent of the earlier architecture of the region. Two large Red pillars mark the entrance and this is in fact our favourite Chinese as well, Luke and I have eaten there on several occasions, indeed most recently only a few days ago. You may have to park just around the corner but you’ll be grateful of the short walk back to the car with a full stomach on leaving. The food in Najd village is traditional Saudi fare with none of the usual Lebanese/Syrian food that you will normally eat in Arabic restaurants. There is a set menu if you are not sure what to order, but on the last occasion we visited we were accompanied by a Saudi from Riyadh who took great delight in ordering his favourite dishes for us. Helen goes on to say “The restaurant has a closeknit family feel to it enhanced by intricate carvings on the ceiling, but the highlight is the food. The food was delicious and apparently entirely authentic to the region. My favourites are Saleek, (or Saleeq) a cardamom infused chicken dish and Jareesh, lamb with cracked wheat/oats cooked to porridge; all washed down with Laban. Must have dishes are the hot and sour soup, prawn toast and mini spring rolls. Follow this with kindu chicken and one or two other dishes from the extensive menu and you won’t be disappointed. A recent addition to the menu is Koodu. This consists of a large bowl of broth placed in the middle of the table. A wide selection of fresh ingredients is then supplied to be cooked in the broth at your table. The perfect dish for a larger group.” Generally the service is excellent too, but on this occasion it was a little slow; probably due to the popularity of this restaurant. The waiters don’t speak a lot of English but we all understood each other enough to get by. When Luke and I ate with a couple of friends last week, we started with the soup and after sharing five main dishes and a couple of jugs of Saudi Champagne the bill came to about SR85 per head. The Riyadh Chinese also does deliveries and takeaways if you fancy sampling the delightful food at home, or possibly in the office. tel:465 5451 One more to mention in this write-up is the Bourj Al Hammam on Takhassussi south of the King Faisal Hospital. Considered one of the best Lebanese restaurants in the Kingdom, the name means ‘Tower of Pigeons’ a reference to the house special - roast pigeon stuffed with rice. Booking is essential since it’s a popular venue both for lunch and dinner for expats and locals alike. I had the ‘lunch special’ last week, Siyyadeh, delicately spiced fish served on a bed of rice which was excellent, but leave some room for the magnificent baklava sweets presented on a trolley for you to take what you please. tel: 441 1401 29 RGBB News Hotel Al Khozama’s Chef Gareth shares his recipes with RGBB news readers Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the premier manager of ultra-luxury hotels and resorts throughout the world, has recently appointed Chef de Cuisine, Gareth Carberry at Hotel Al Khozama in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Chef Gareth brings to his new post a passion for good food, a vibrant well organized personality and a rich catering management experience. He started his career in Dublin where he worked for Bang Café and fine dining restaurant Shanahans on the Green. Following more than 3 years experience with Grand Hyatt Dubai as a Sous Chef at the award winning Manhattan Grill and then at the Market Café managing 30 chefs in 4 different kitchens, he was hired by Tiara Palm Jumeira in Dubai to organize the pre opening team and to be in charge of 6 outlets. At Hotel Al Khozama Gareth overlooks 5 restaurants with 18 chefs, and he takes personal interest in talking with guests and having their input for continuous development in the 5 outlets. One of his and his guests’ favorite recipes is “Chicken & Baby Spinach salad”, which he is glad to share with RGBB news readers. Chicken and Baby Spinach Salad with warm dressing of veal bacon and mushrooms Ingredients - Prepares 10 portions 100gr shallot diced or white onion 250gr veal bacon 300gr button mushroom (sliced) 50gr parmesan cheese (grated) 200gr egg (boiled and grated) 100ml balsamic vinegar 60ml Clarified butter 30ml lemon juice (see note below) 5ml Olive oil 10psc Chicken breast with bone 1kg baby spinach leaves Salt and pepper Garnish: Parmesan shavings, crispy veal bacon Method Step 1. Place a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and place the chicken skin side down on the hot pan. Leave for 2 to 3 minutes till the skin has turned a golden brown colour. Turn the chicken breast over and leave again for 2-3 mins. Place in a preheated oven for 12 minutes or till cooked. 30 Step 2. While the chicken breast is cooking, remove and discard all stokes from the baby spinach. Place in a large bowl and add the grated egg, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar. Set aside Step 3 To make the warm dressing heat the clarified butter in a frying pan with the onions and mushrooms. Add the veal bacon and fry for 1 minute. Finally add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Step 4. Pour the warm dressing into the bowl with the spinach mixture and cover the bowl with the pan. This will help to wilt the spinach leaves a little and keep the salad warm. Step 5 Remove the chicken from the oven and leave to rest for 1 minute. Step 6. To plate the dish. Remove the pan from the top of the bowl and mix all the salad ingredients together (the salad will not be really hot but just warm) taste the salad to correct the seasoning. Build the salad on one side of your plate. Cut your chicken breast in large slices at an angle. Arrange the chicken next to the salad like a fan shape. Garnish the salad with parmesan shaving and some crispy veal strips Chef’s tips, Clarified butter is butter that has had the milk solids and water removed. One advantage of clarified butter is that it has a much higher smoke point, so you can cook with it at higher temperatures without it browning and burning. Also, without the milk solids, clarified butter can be kept for much longer without going rancid. It is very easy to make. Melt the butter slowly. Let it sit for a bit to separate. Skim off the foam that rises to the top, and gently pour the butter off the milk solids, which have settled to the bottom. Discard the milk solids and place in a container and use as you please. RGBB News Mark Alexander Christian Bain Steve Beck Alan Bell Salem Bin Abdoon Sean Bryant Bill Burgess Paul Busek Vince Carr Daniel Clare Mike Cox Michael Davis Jan de Haldevang Paul Gamble Richard Gougeon Zied Hanayen Mark Hereford Andy Isherwood Duncan James Riyaz Jivanjee Robin Jones EADS DEFENCE & SECURITY SYSTEMS SPECIALIST FENCING SYSTEMS PARADIGM - GPT OLAYAN FINANCING COMPANY ABB Electrical Industries Co Ltd PARADIGM - GPT BAE SYSTEMS BRITISH MILITARY MISSION ADVANCED ARABIAN SIMULATION CO. OGILVYONE WORLDWIDE EADS DEFENCE & SECURITY SYSTEMS HANMI INTERNATIONAL KSA LTD THALES (Training and Simulation) JADWA INVESTMENT BANK ITHRAA CAPITAL ALLEN & OVERY LLP BMI RIDER LEVETT BUCKNALL THE BRAND UNION EMEA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SABB Welcome to new members Nick Kilner Christopher Knights Tim Liverton Sébastien Long Phil Lynagh Michael Makowy Stephen Martin Steve Nesbitt Paul Outhwaite Phil Pannell Paul Papanicolaou Paul Pappin Alan Parsonage Stella Robinson Ali Shafqat Mark Street BAE SYSTEMS CYRIL SWEETT PLC SABB SABB TAKAFUL OGILVYONE WORLDWIDE RANA INVESTMENT COMPANY BAE SYSTEMS AL BABTAIN LeBLANC Tele. Systems UNITED MOTOR COMPANY PEPSI AL JOMAIH MÖVENPICK HOTEL RIYADH SAUDI OGER EXXONMOBIL SAUDI ARABIA KING FAISAL SPECIALIST HOSPITAL KPMG AL RAJHI FINANCIAL SERVICES HMA gets his K In the Spring edition of the RGBB News we ran an article noting the appointment of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. The order is the sixth most senior in the British honours system although two of the more senior awards have not been in use for some time. The most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick still exists but was last awarded in 1934 and the Most Exalted Star of India has been in disuse since that country’s independence in 1947. Sir William was dubbed during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 27 March. It’s silly-season again It’s the approach of the silly season again, that time of the year when news is so short that journalists are reduced to fabricating entire news stories says the Independent Newspaper. But do you think you could tell the difference between a real story and an invented one? Well, this is your chance to find out. Here are two news stories today, of which only one has appeared in the press. But can you spot the genuine one? Here we go! 1. Dr Otto Zubrik of Split University has invented something which he claims works in the opposite way to Viagra. “Many men think that the most important thing in the world is to increase their manhood, their potency, their sexual powers, whatever you call it, and for them I am sure it is true. But there are other people for whom it is very important at certain times to resist excitement. I am thinking of athletes and other people whose kit leaves little to the 32 imagination. Especially when male actors have to perform in the nude, it can ruin their performance disastrously if they, um, rise to the occasion, as it were. Now I have perfected a small pill which guarantees several hours of non-activity.” He is calling his product Niagra, as it makes everything go down. 2. It was, said Dutch police, the most original excuse they had ever encountered for speeding. When they stopped a Dutch driver doing twice the permitted speed in a 35mph zone, he claimed that he had just washed his car and was trying to get it dry. “Actually,” said the stolid Dutch police, “if you want to dry your car, it is very effective to drive at the legal 35mph as well. Also, it is quite effective just to leave it parked in the open.” Well, have you made your selection? Which one had the ring of truth to you? Very good! It was the Dutch driver. And before you write in and say it sounds untrue, I didn’t actually say it was true. I just said it had appeared in the papers. AND FINALLY
© Copyright 2024