Classic diners serve up a ‘blast from the past’ on Jeddah Season’s City Walk

Burger Circus and cake shop Butter will stay throughout Jeddah Season. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 24 June 2022
Follow

Classic diners serve up a ‘blast from the past’ on Jeddah Season’s City Walk

  • In an American diner, Leung said, the menu offers a wide range of choices for breakfast, lunch or dinner. “We just wanted to focus on just two burgers, but in an American diner theme”

JEDDAH: Two classic 1950s-themed diner options from Hong Kong have made their way to Jeddah Season’s grand theme park, City Walk.

With vintage music in the background, staff in “soda jerk” uniforms, and a one-page menu of burgers, fries and shakes, Burger Circus offers visitors a “blast from the past” experience.

Burger Circus and cake shop Butter arrived on May 5 and will stay throughout the two months of the Jeddah Season.

Both outlets belong to Black Sheep, a Chinese company with about 35 restaurants in Hong Kong and one in Shanghai.

Jonathan Leung, operations director of Black Sheep, explained the concept behind both outlets, adding that it is “an honor” to be operating in Jeddah.

HIGHLIGHT

‘Burger Circus is a 1950s American diner. One of the co-founders of Black Sheep, Christopher Mark, grew up in Toronto, Canada, and his family used to own diners, so he spent a lot of time and growing up at a diner,’ said Jonathan Leung, operations director of Black Sheep.

“Burger Circus is a 1950s American diner. One of the co-founders of Black Sheep, Christopher Mark, grew up in Toronto, Canada, and his family used to own diners, so he spent a lot of time and growing up at a diner,” he said.

“So it’s a little bit of nostalgic childhood memories. He has always wanted to open a diner.”

In an American diner, Leung said, the menu offers a wide range of choices for breakfast, lunch or dinner. “We just wanted to focus on just two burgers, but in an American diner theme,” he said.

Burger Circus also offers two side orders, two milkshakes (vanilla and chocolate) and two drinks on its menu.

“We want to bring good food and good stories to Jeddah; we just want to do that,” he said.

“People in Jeddah or in Saudi Arabia are open minded to try new things. There’s room for everything here, we love it here,” he added.

Talking about Butter, Leung said the background story is about a single mother with two children, who works very hard at a diner to make ends meet.

“She’s strong and generous, but she’s also very sassy. That’s Butter,” he said.

“Burger Circus and Butter go hand in hand and go very well together, it sort of came from the same era; diners prefer classic American cake,” he added.

Luke Barry, culinary director for Leylaty Group, worked with Black Sheep in Hong Kong for six years.

“I’ve always loved Black Sheep restaurants. We have a very good relationship, so I thought Jeddah Season is a good opportunity to bring them here,” he said.

“They have 30 to 35 restaurants, niche burger restaurants that are very strong and conceptualized, and Saudi Arabia has a lot of room for what they do. They have amazing restaurants, from casual to premium to Michelin star,” he added.

Barry said that they tried to replicate Hong Kong’s Burger Circus in Jeddah as much as possible.

“We spent 16 hours painting a wall (that is identical to the branch in Hong Kong), the exact posters that you find in Hong Kong, and the uniform is almost exactly the same,” said Barry.

“It was very important to us to use the exact same playlist, to bring Hong Kong’s Burger Circus here,” he added.


Ancient Saudi city of Qurh a historic stop for pilgrim and trade caravans

Updated 29 May 2025
Follow

Ancient Saudi city of Qurh a historic stop for pilgrim and trade caravans

  • Qurh was capital of Wadi Al-Qura, a center for Arab markets
  • Architectural features date back to the early Islamic periods

ALULA: Qurh, an ancient city in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla governorate, served for centuries as a vital hub for pilgrims and traders, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Located about 20 km south of AlUla’s old town, near the village of Mughayra, Qurh is one of the Royal Commission for AlUla’s archaeological sites. AlUla’s other main heritage sites are Dadan, Hegra and the Old Town.

Qurh’s ruins spread across an expansive plain surrounded by medium-height mountains. The ruins include remnants of architectural structures, marketplaces, streets, and palaces, all of which highlight the city’s once-thriving economic and urban life.

Architectural features dating back to the early Islamic periods also suggest that settlement and cultural growth continued after the advent of Islam.

The ruins include remnants of architectural structures, marketplaces, streets, and palaces, all of which highlight the city's once-thriving economic and urban life.  (SPA)

Qurh was the capital of Wadi Al-Qura and a center for Arab markets, as described by the historian Hisham bin Al-Kalbi, who identified it as a commercial and cultural center and a cradle of the arts.

The city was located on the route of the historic Incense Road, a trade artery used to transport precious goods from the southern Arabian Peninsula to the north, passing through Wadi Al-Qura.

The ruins include remnants of architectural structures, marketplaces, streets, and palaces, all of which highlight the city's once-thriving economic and urban life.  (SPA)

According to Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani, the RCA’s vice president for culture, the excavations in Qurh have so far proved “that there was some interaction with China at the beginning of the Islamic period.”

“Evidence exists of interactions and trade extending as far as China,” he said in an interview produced by FT Longitude in partnership with the RCA.

“With China, for example, (there were) merchants who brought porcelain, medicines and silk to Arabia with incense for sure, ivory, while other valuables travelled in the opposite directions.”

AlUla, part of Saudi Arabia’s western province of Madinah, has been home to the ancient Dadanites, Lihyanites, Nabataeans, Sabaeans, Minoans, Egyptian, Romans and Arabs, he said.


Saudi defense minister holds talks with UK security, defense officials

Updated 29 May 2025
Follow

Saudi defense minister holds talks with UK security, defense officials

  • Prince Khalid bin Salman and UK National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell discussed strategic partnership between the two countries

LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held talks with the UK’s National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell in London on Wednesday.

The two sides “reviewed the strong friendship and strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the UK,” the Saudi Press Agency reported. “They also reviewed areas of cooperation and discussed regional and global developments, as well as ongoing efforts to support security and stability.”

The talks followed a meeting on Tuesday between Prince Khalid and British Defense Secretary John Healey during which they discussed strategic defense cooperation.


Saudi Embassy coordinating with Turkiye to find boy who fell into a creek

Updated 28 May 2025
Follow

Saudi Embassy coordinating with Turkiye to find boy who fell into a creek

  • The embassy coordinated with child’s family after he reportedly went missing in a river in Trabzon province
  • Turkish authorities are investigating the incident

ANKARA: The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Turkiye confirmed on Wednesday that it is coordinating with Turkish authorities to search for a Saudi child who reportedly fell into Haldizen Creek in Uzungol region.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the embassy issued a statement clarifying the reports circulating in media outlets and across social media platforms regarding the incident in Trabzon province.

“From the first moments of the incident, the embassy coordinated with the child’s family and contacted the relevant Turkish authorities to investigate the incident,” the statement said.

“The authorities have responded and are gratefully conducting extensive searches in the area and its surrounding to locate the child. We ask God Almighty to crown these efforts with success and to protect everyone from all harm,” it added.


Founding nations sign Global Water Organization charter in Riyadh

Updated 28 May 2025
Follow

Founding nations sign Global Water Organization charter in Riyadh

  • Ceremony was attended by Saudi FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who highlighted the importance of the GWO in tackling water issues worldwide
  • Prince Faisal said that Saudi Arabia would provide financial and logistical support to the GWO for the next five years

RIYADH: The Global Water Organization officially launched operations from its headquarters in Riyadh on Wednesday, with founding member states signing the organization’s charter.

The ceremony was attended by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who highlighted the importance of the GWO in tackling water issues worldwide through a holistic approach, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

“The launch of the Global Water Organization affirms Saudi Arabia’s commitment to strengthening international initiatives and addressing global challenges through partnerships based on cooperation between countries and governments,” Prince Faisal said.

“The Kingdom looks forward to the organization becoming an international platform that drives sustainable solutions and supports developing nations in enhancing their water capabilities,” he said.

Prince Faisal said that Saudi Arabia would provide financial and logistical support to the GWO for the next five years, emphasizing that collective action was essential to achieving shared objectives. Prince Faisal invited all countries and private-sector entities to join the organization.

Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley took part in the ceremony and emphasized that the signing of the Global Water Organization’s charter and the launch of its operations from Riyadh reinforced shared international responsibility to preserve water resources.

Al-Fadley added that the importance of the organization stemmed from water being not just a resource, but a source of economic and social development and stability worldwide.

He described the organization as “not just a platform that brings countries together, but a collective global mind working to develop and integrate the efforts of countries and organizations to address water challenges comprehensively.”

“The Global Water Organization will lead international efforts to address water-related challenges and transform traditional water management approaches. These challenges go beyond water scarcity to ensure its availability at the right time and place and recognize its impact on the economy, public health, food security and supply chains, especially in the face of climate change,” he said.

He emphasized the importance of having an integrated system that covered all stages of the water cycle, adopting innovative economic models based on cost-benefit analysis, introducing new financing mechanisms, reducing reliance on government subsidies, and actively involving the private sector.

The GWO’s charter was signed by representatives from founding countries: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Spain, Senegal, Pakistan, Greece and Mauritania.

The organization aims to strengthen the efforts of countries and organizations to address water challenges.


Saudi FM receives US envoy to Syria in Riyadh

Updated 28 May 2025
Follow

Saudi FM receives US envoy to Syria in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received US envoy to the Syrian Arab Republic Thomas Barrack in Riyadh on Wednesday.

During the meeting, they discussed steps to provide economic, humanitarian and other support to the Syrian people, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji received Ambassador of Italy to the Kingdom Carlo Balducci in Riyadh on Wednesday.

They discussed bilateral relations and other topics of common interest.