• Lobster tail
    Travel

    What is it Like to Dine in Qatar Airway’s Al Safwa First Class Lounge?

    Have you always wondered what it is like to dine in Al Safwa, Qatar Airway’s first class lounge at Hamad International Airport? I took a spin back in 2018 but had been itching to get back inside it’s cavernous and classy space. So when an offer to book the Al Safwa experience for an additional fee popped up when I was booking a flight on Qatar Airways recently, I keyed in my well used credit card. How to Access Al Safwa Lounge? When I say for a fee, I mean QR585. Yep , the price of a very nice meal and drinks in Doha. But, research. Otherwise, access to Al…

  • Brunch,  Restaurant Review

    Brunch Review: ZUMA Doha has Hype and Celebrities but Does it Deliver A Great Brunch?

    Let’s be honest. First impressions were not great – a questionable table and a server with an attitude as chilly as Doha in late February. Our Zuma Baikingu Friday brunch experience was off to a rocky start. We’d already had internal monologue/whatsapp group chat about the QR500 price tag and the “sceney” vibe. But my lack of a Zuma visit was, I confess, a gap in my food writing resume. A generous table move, the injection of Pocket Rocket server called Camilla and a decent Bellini soon had us purring. Let’s be clear – Zuma Doha is a SCENE. So much so that we had a mix of wannabe main character…

  • Greece,  Restaurant Review

    Review: Is there more to OPA Doha than its Instagrammable interiors?

    OPA Doha takes the “more is more” approach to its decoration. It’s almost an assault on the senses – a wall of busts of imperious Greek philosophers (or the younger, hotter cousins of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle perhaps) that dreamy flower trimmed hallway. Let’s not forget the white washed walls, taking you to Mykonos via the Lusail Expressway. But, is there more to OPA Doha than its Instagrammable interiors and plate smashing fun? OPA Doha entered the Qatar market along with a flurry of similar Greek inspired restaurants in 2022. At last count there no less than seven Greek/adjacent restaurants in Doha. The appeal of Greek cuisine is obvious –…

  • Best Restaurants in Qatar,  Restaurant Review

    Review: 10 Years After it Opened, is IDAM Still Doha’s Fine Dining Leader?

    With a landmark location and an impeccable fine dining pedigree, IDAM has always stood apart from anything else in the Doha dining scene. But 10 years after it opened, can we still call IDAM Doha’s fine dining leader? The answer is…yes and a qualified maybe. But more of that later. IDAM’s History A decade ago, when IDAM opened in all its white gloved Alain Ducasse elegance, its menu was a blend of near east/Orient and Eurocentric west. Billing itself as Qatari/French fusion, the famed harees with gold foil was a regular item on the menu. Then the empire expanded – Jiwan and its millions of pearls glittered at the National…

  • A fork holding up strands of fettucine in Carbone Doha
    Restaurant Reviews

    Review: Does Carbone Doha Transcend the Hype?

    Carbone’s NYC mother restaurant opened more than a decade ago and it’s still one of the hardest reservations to score. A living room of sorts for A Listers (Selena, Bad Bunny, Beckham offspring, Obama, Kim pre and post Kanye), social media adjacent celebs. It bills itself as an “elevated red sauce joint” with nostalgic overtones. Carbone Doha’s Back Story The Doha outpost opened in a blaze of glory in 2022, one of the gold rush of international names that saw an opportunity in Qatar. Some have gone by the wayside (peace out Pura La Vida); others have thrived (note Beef Bar on a Friday; Cipriani et al). Carbone Doha, from…

  • Best Restaurants in Qatar

    The Best Restaurant Dishes in Qatar for 2023

    I’ve been compiling the best restaurant dishes in Qatar for more than seven years now. And we have had good years; great years and some pretty average ones. I compile the list throughout the year and in previous years, it had always been a strong field from the start. This year was different – we had some stellar dishes out of the gate, a big rush mid-year, and limping to the finish at the end. I even removed some early contenders. All up it’s been a mixed bag of a year on the creativity and quality front. For 2023 I also changed up my own approach – this year’s winners…

  • Hidden Gems,  Hit List

    Doha Dining Hit List November 2023 – new, hot and just reviewed restaurants and bars

    We’re now officially in the “business end” of the year and there is still so much left to explore on the dining scene. To help you navigate that, here is your essential Doha Hit List November 2023 – new, hot and just reviewed restaurants and bars: Thursday Night Churrasco at Toro Toro The Thursday night offering at Toro Toro is simple – a set menu of starters, unlimited “meat cuts” and desserts. We kick off with a glass of merlot and their “signature” smoked guacamole. When Toro Toro opened in 2011, the smoking trick was new. Different! Unique! Now, it’s done everywhere. That said, the guacamole is fresh and tastes…

  • Hit List

    Doha Hit List October 2023 – New, hot and just reviewed restaurants and bars

    September sped by like Lewis Hamilton on the track. Now we’re in October and headed towards, gulp, Christmas. But I’ve cut through the noise and here is your Doha Hit List October 2023 – new, hot and just reviewed restaurants and bars. Weekend brunch at Liang Liang is a little slice of Hong Kong in Doha. While the a la carte menu at Liang is full of stars, it’s the weekend dim sum brunch that gives a true glimpse of the restaurant’s appeal. Six courses, you lose track of the small plates as they are slid effortlessly on your table. Some in steaming bamboo baskets; others on small plates.  From the…

  • Restaurant Review,  Restaurant Reviews

    New Review: Innovative and Irresistible Indian Food at Masala Library

    I’m usually one to tease my opinion in reviews. I’m not going to play around here. In fact I am deadly serious. We’re talking about butter chicken. Butter chicken is serious business. But if you are in any way a fan of Indian food, even a distant one in the way I am a fan of heavy metal bands, you need to go to Masala Library. Go for the butter chicken – a deconstructed thing of beauty which I will get to later. Stay for the rest of the experience. There’s no shortage of good high end Indian food in this town – Ishka360, Jamavar and Rivaaj among the most…

  • Hit List

    Doha Hit List September 2023 – New, hot and just reviewed restaurants and bars

    Sweet September is here and it’s time to get out and about and see what’s new, hot and just reviewed (by me) restaurants and bars in Doha this month. There’s a lot to catch up on – new places, new menus and some old favorites. The Surry Gastropub I’m here for the emerging gastropub scene in Doha, especially those outside the West Bay/Pearl Vortex. Tucked away inside the Abesq Hotel on C ring, expect amped bar food, fun cocktails and a laid back vibe. And, it’s smoke free (there is a smoking terrace where you will be required to wear a smoking jacket…just jokes). The offering includes bottled and craft…