I am an impatient woman. Especially when it comes to food. I don’t do lines. Except…when it comes to dumplings. In Australia I have been known to arrive early to one of Sydney’s many excellent yum cha places. The lines at many are infamous for their length and their ability to humble. Luckily for us Doha dwellers, you can access an excellent yum cha style brunch without the lining up or the jostling for position. Hwang at the Intercontinental Doha The City is one of my favorite brunch spots. It takes a lot for me to return to a place time and time again but this place has it all – great…
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Turning up the Beet – a Review of Doha’s First Vegan Restaurant
When a certain degree of hype surrounds an event, an opening or similar, my natural born cynicism ratchets up a couple of notches. There are some great examples of highly anticipated events just not living up to the forward hype. Notably: The second season of True Detective The iPhone 7 The Whopperito Both of the Sex & the City movies So when bloggers, “influencers”, the media and the general expat population recently lapsed into a rhapsodic trance about the opening of Evergreen Organics, the country’s first vegan restaurant, I was underwhelmed. But…I was also kind of interested. So when my ertswhile collaborator and lighting expert Brooke messaged me yesterday about trying…
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Winner! Winner (Nando’s) Chicken Dinner!
Thanks to everyone for entering our giveaway with everyone’s favorite Nandos Qatar! I have learned that I need to be more creative with my ordering as many of you seem to love the Cataplana which I have never tried. Ava Siomai AND Manorath Palan Email me rachel@rachelmorrispr or send me a DM on Twitter or Instagram to organize collection.
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Much Ado About Nothing – A Review of Romeo & Juliet Restaurant in Doha
Here’s the thing…I’m a simple girl with mostly simple tastes. But I do draw the line in eating in what is essentially a Disneyfied fairy tale themed food theme park on a major aterial road. At Romeo & Juliet the suspension of belief happens before you even enter the restaurant – there is a full blown Cinderella coach in the courtyard. There is something off about a 40-plus woman climbing into a carriage as semi trailers honk from the road. Once inside, the theme – Romeo and Juliet and romance in case you missed this – is even more heavily labored. When I say labored…I mean applied with a shovel.This is…
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Kurrying Favor at Kababs & Kurries
It takes a fair bit of effort to impress me. When an invite to try this restaurant came through a friend, I was underwhelmed after learning it was located in a fairly minor mall in the suburbs. I should learn not to judge on location and appearance because Kababs & Kurries has been a surprise hit for me. I arrived solo on a recent Saturday afternoon, having battled traffic, heat , dust and my usual hysteria that comes from trying to pack two many errands at disparate ends of the city into a six hour period). What greeted me was a technicolor oasis. The interiors are a little on the garish side,…
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Eight Underrated Restaurants in Doha You Should Be Trying NOW
Yes, it’s fair to say that I have been focusing on the big, glam and expensive end of town lately. But a conversation with a fellow foodie recently had me thinking – are there some places in this fair city that deserve a little more praise? I think so! Here is my (arbitrary and non-exhaustive) list of the eight restaurants you should consider putting on your dining rotation right now. Porcini at the Ritz Carlton Doha Sure it’s a little old school and the interior is gloomy, but this was one of the first places I dined at in Doha many moons ago and the food is good, solid Italian…
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There’s Dumpling You Should Know – Hakkasan’s New Menu
In the rest of the world, the change of seasons are marked and obvious. Leaves fall in autumn. Flowers bloom in spring. In Qatar, things are more prosaic. One day: “My, we are having a mild winter! It’s a cool 27 degrees!” A week later: “WTF! It’s 45 degrees! OUCH! The steering wheel!” For foodies, the change of season signals new menus in the restaurants. When chefs go wild with new produce from afar and experiment. When the invite came to try the new Spring menu at Hakkasan Doha I knew the seasons were changing. Consistently one of the top restaurants in the city, this place rarely puts a food wrong and…
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My Favorite Doha Restaurant – Spice Market at the W Doha
At a meeting last week I was waxing lyrical (as I am wont to do even when sober) about the “dining scene” in Doha in 2007 when I first arrived. We had a handful of five star hotels which featured mainly buffets and stuffy linen tablecloth outlets, the outliers like Layali and Shabestan, then the more down with the peeps establishments like Turkey Central. Then, in 2009 it was like someone had finally opened the curtains. Both Grand Hyatt Doha and W Doha opened their doors and literally, the scene was transformed. The W took a while to find its’ feet – the funky design and vibe was a stretch to far for some,…
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Miso Happy – Nobu Doha’s First Anniversary
When the team at Four Seasons Doha incited me back to Nobu Doha to try their first anniversary menu in the company of three of my fellow favorite bloggers my reaction was in four phases: Phase one: Nobu you say? Let me clear my diary for the next month Phase two: Wait…it’s been one year already? Phase three: Who’s coming? Flying Pinay, Boulangerry and The Snapped Fork you say? Phase four: I’m free ALL MONTH Bad sushi puns and jokes aside, there isn’t much I don’t like about this restaurant. Exceptional food and service, the sexiest building in Doha and listen people, it’s NOBU. It took a long time for Doha’s outpost of the Nobu empire to…
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Nine Places in Qatar You Should be Eating at Right Now
As we are on a collision course for the summer months in Qatar, I’m loving a few things right now: The extended “Indian Summer” we are experiencing in Qatar right now – rain and cooler temperatures. Make it last forever please The new crime channel on OSN – Momsters, Beauty Queen Killers and Southern Fried Homicide makes it even harder for me to leave the house Here is a sentence I never thought I never thought I would write – you can now follow me at Snapchat @rachelannmorris. Yes I succumbed and frankly I love it. Of course I am hate-following a bunch of people but I relish the instantaneous nature…