It’s been a complicated week and I was feeling a little down in the dumps about life in general last night on my way home from an event. But as I turned off Airport Road onto D Ring road (after abusing a guy in a Toyota Corolla and nearly being sideswiped by a FJ Cruiser), I saw some lights twinkling in the distance. Thinking it was most post-Lasik surgery mirage I ignored it…until I realized this shimmering apparition was in fact real. A food truck. In Matar Qadeem. Not much happens in my neighborhood – a tree in my street blew down in a storm a couple of years ago…
-
-
12 Cheeses of Christmas – Cheddar with Horseradish
I’m on the record about not being a food snob, but I also have a healthy distrust of processed cheese. But my own rules are meant to be broken. On a recent trip to my local supermarket, I convinced myself to try this cheese from the US.Yes it’s processed but the horseradish had my attention. I’m always up for a new experience and I do like horseradish. The horseradish is apparently ground and added into the cheese making process. While it is an aged NY cheddar (they make good cheese in the great state of NY), it didn’t have the bite I was expecting. While I had it on a…
-
Glazed and Confused – Grilled Cheese Cronuts
In 2014, “Frankenfood” or sometimes bizarre mashups of food items are king. Think the Ramen Burger, the Zinger Pie and of course, the grand daddy of them all – the Cronut that devilish cross between a donut and a croissant. And apparently now, the Cronut has reached new culinary and hipster heights heights. I present to you my dear readers, the Grilled Cheese Cronut And apparently they are kind of easy to make so I may have a dare on my hands. *Photo credit http://www.ohbiteit.com
-
Clucking Good – How to Make a Turkey Out of Cheese
So here’s the deal. I asked my friend Alicia what I could bring to her annual “Doha Family” thanksgiving event. She said Nothing. Then I offered to bring cheese. Then the ante started to ratchet up several notches. I googled “thanksgiving + turkey+ cheese” the results were alarming. I’m talking about cheese laid out int he shape of a turkey. then I stumbled upon a cheese ball fashioned into a turkey. “Do it,” said Alicia. So the challenge was on. I don’t think anyone actually believed I could do it. About three hours in on Friday with a raging hangover and runny cheese, hell I thought I couldn’t do it.…
- Accompaniments, American Cheese, beer, Cheese in Cooking, events, Fast Food, Food Trends, Hotels, Promotions, Qatar, Restaurant Review, Restaurants, wine
Getting in the Mood For Dude Food
So it seems, Dude Food is a thing globally. And this phenomenon has arrived in Doha at an unlikely venue. Opal by Gordon Ramsay at St Regis Doha has embraced this food fad and introduced Chilli Dog Tuesdays. Apparently Dude Food is comfort food for those with a bigger appetite. It is not for the faint-hearted. Think burgers, burritos, big meaty things and hot dogs. The trend originated in the United States, with the street food movement of food trucks. It evolved from there, think junk food classics with a gourmet twist. This is what we have at Opal. Opal is the more casual brother, sorry “bro”, to the sedate…
-
Taking a Punt – Football Shaped Cheese Is A Thing Now Apparently
Look, I am a football fan. I have been a lifelong and suffering fan of the Parramatta Eels who haven’t won anything useful in ohhh…three decades. I know the words to this song: And I remember this: I am, a football tragic. I am also a cheese tragic. But never, ever, in my darkest moments, have I thought to combine the two. But someone…has. Football Shaped Cheese Ball There is even a video of how to make it should you feel so inclined. It appears it’s a “thing” in the US Cheesy Football Each to their own I guess!
-
Just in Queso You Need It
I had planned to review a new cheese I procured last week, but it seems that life and lethargy intervened. This morning I had to undergo a draining battery of tests required for my immigration status in this country. When I say I had to, I mean myself and 150 of my closest colleagues. Then I voluntarily drove to a place called the Industrial Area, which is also known as the seventh ring of hell, to pay a visit to my mechanic. The thing is, you don’t so much own a Jaguar, rather you live uneasily with it, like a bad, cheating boyfriend. You know the one, he spends all…
- American Cheese, Blue Cheese, brie, British, Cheddar, Cheese, Cyprus, European Cheese, Feta, Food, France, Goat Cheese, Gouda, Greece, Italy, Ricotta, Sheep Milk, Swiss, Travel, Unusual Cheeses, Washed Rind, White Cheese
Honor Roll – Huff Post Lists Best Cheeses
Every day I say a small prayer to a higher power for not being born lactose intolerant. I mean, it would have been difficult to do this blog in the first place. More importantly, what would I talk about at parties? I get asked a lot what I think the best cheese in the world is. The beauty is, there are thousands. The Huffington Post has a similar view to me, in that there is no such thing as a bad cheese. but they have also compiled a list of the 20 best cheeses (in their humble opinion). I agree with all the listed ones, maybe not the order. Check…
-
I’m Nacho Friend
There comes a time, in every girl’s life, when she must go to places that polite people don’t talk about at dinner parties. In Doha, one of those places is Paloma. The blurb says “where Texas meets Mexico”. It’s more like “Where Drunk People Meet More Drunk People”. Before 8pm, it’s a somewhat decent Tex Mex Restaurant. After then, when the hotpants-wearing Columbian band takes the stage, it becomes something different. I was there to celebrate a friend’s birthday and perversely because I had never been. And because we also had a coupon. The menu stretches the full gamut of tacos, enchiladas and some good looking fajitas. Spotting the opportunity…
-
Passing Muenster
This story about a man who either loved his cheese or saw the dollar signs caught my eye this week and I just knew I had to track Muenster down. Monster Cheese Theft I mean who does that? Anyway, I found Muenster lurking in the dairy cabinet earlier this week and just knew I had to see what the fuss is about. Here’s the thing. Muenster cheese is not as exotic as it sounds. It’s an American cheese, not to be confused with the French variety, Munster. The name Muenster is derived from an English transliteration of Münster, a city in Germany. Muenster is a smooth textured cheese with an…