ABDOUN
Its star may have faded, but Abdoun is still the ideal spot for a bit of retro chic Cai
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Abdoun Bridge
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Pan-Arab brand Tché Tché (below) opened its first branch in Abdoun افتتح مقهى تشي )تشي (اسفل االمريكي بلمسة عربية فرعه االول في بعبدون
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There was a time when driving round and round Abdoun Circle in Amman was the coolest thing ever. So what if there wasn’t an awful lot to do if you pulled over and got out of the car, except perhaps look in at the Prana nightclub or hang out at the then-hippest branch of McDonald’s? It was the 90s, after all. More than ten years on and Abdoun is still cool, with new attractions including, just down from the Circle, the superilluminated Abdoun Bridge, referred to locally as Jisr AlNogeifeh (Slingshot Bridge) because of its uncanny resemblance to a rubber catapult. The centre of attraction has shifted though, and the BMWs and other smart kids’ cars now cruise down the road in New Abdoun. One of the first draws at this end of town was the restaurant Blue Fig [1] (Al-Ameer Hashem Bin Al-Hussein St, +962 6 592 8800), renowned for its striking post-modernist architecture (it is designed by one of Jordan’s top architects, Khalid Nahhas) as well as for its chic and sophisticated ambience: work by local artists on the walls, fusion and world music on the decks. The place is still hugely popular, with a menu that is sufficiently accomplished and inventive to invite repeat visits. Shame the chairs are so uncomfortable. The trail blazed into New Abdoun by Blue Fig has since become well trodden. Bunzy Buns [2] (off Al-Ameer Hashim
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Bin Hussein St), which opened a few blocks down, staked its claim with plush purple couches and a serve-everything-in-a bun-including-soup food menu – gimmicky to be sure, but it works. American restaurant Bennigan’s [3] (Abdo Shammoot St, +962 6 592 0769), a popular tavern-themed diner back in the US, quickly filled up with Abdounis drinking mocktails and eating burgers. Aping real-world geopolitics, the Canadians
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Hip restaurant Blue Fig was one of the first businesses to open in New Abdoun
مطعم بلو فيغ كان من اوائل المطاعم التي افتتحت في المنطقة الحديثة من عبدون
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