Dreams do come true.
ABBA is reforming (kinda). QDC now opens on a Friday. And someone built a 24 hour free wine fountain.
So I have decided to put it all out there and share my Doha Dining Wish List. Feel free to laugh, cry or even add your own in the comments below.
- Open Table or similar booking service – my recent trip to the US (blog post in the works) was made all that much better by this website and app. I managed to book excellent tables in the most sought after restaurants in DC and Philadelphia with barely a hitch. Imagine cutting out the middle woman and being able to do that here?
- Uber Eats or similar delivery services – I don’t want to put some of the hard working delivery guys out of a job, but a service like this would enable many smaller outlets and venues to be able to deliver their food to a wider audience.
- More non-smoking venues – I went to a bar to meet friends for dinner recently and when I came home my clothes were saturated with smoke. I’m not a wowser, or the fun police. I don’t judge those who smoke, I occasionally indulge in a shisha myself, but some bars are just engulfed in a smoke haze. The Den at the Shangri-La Doha is smoke-free and popular, proving you don’t have to sacrifice profit for comfort.
- More a la carte brunches – the buffet is dead people and I wish restaurants and hotels would recognize this. Diners want a personalized, smaller menu with less options and more quality. The Shangri-La, Hwang at the Intercontinental and Hakkasan as well as W Doha, Nobu, Four Seasons and Ritz Doha have recognised this and are offering a mixture or straight up menu. I’m hoping this trend continues.
- Less wastage – I’ve banged on about this before but the amount of food wasted in this country is mind boggling. We all play a role in this. I’m not just talking about restaurants, even in the home. How many times have you bought a bunch of fresh items only to not eat them in time and have them spoil? Maybe leftovers weren’t eaten? I’m trying to do my bit – buy only what I need, repurposed leftovers creatively etc. But we can all do more. I also don’t think this should stop at food wastage. I ordered from a well known chain restaurant recently and counted 12 different containers being used. Each condiment had its own container. It was overwhelming.
- More Adults Only Brunches – I’m going to get hate mail for this (I get it anyway), but there are many options catering to families, with kids areas, food and entertainment. A couple more adults only brunches would be kind of nice – Nobu and Shangri-la already do this and work well.
- Bring back and expand Restaurant Week – we had a mini version some time back at The Anvil Rooms which was well received. Let’s bring it back, update and expand it. There is an appetite (haaa!!) for these great deals and an excellent marketing opportunity for restaurants and outlets.
- 8. Food Trucks – enough said.
There it is. Short, sharp and focused. Of course, this being me, this is an edited highlights of my longer, more complicated list. What is on your Doha Dining Wishlist?
