There are very few things I love more than cheese. The list goes something like: ABBA Online shopping My family and friends My handsome man (he made me write that) And then, there is dim sum or more specifically, dumplings In Australia we call it yum cha and interestingly (OK maybe not), yum cha, which means drinking tea, is the older version of dim sum. In some parts of southern China, restaurants start serving these little morsels at 5am which would actually suit me fine, being an early riser. Dim sum/yum cha of whatever you call it, consists of bite-sized portions traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small…
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A Touch of Spice – A Weekend in Zanzibar
I haven’t traveled much lately. I’ve enjoyed staying put. But when my friend GF moved to the exotic climes of Zanzibar, I dusted off the passport and braced myself for an airport run. Less than six hours direct from Doha, this East African island conjures up images of exotic beaches and a slower pace of life. Both are correct. But Stone Town, where I spent most of my brief weekend, has history and a cool vibe to attract even those looking for something more. I have to admit, when I stumbled off the plane at Zanzibar Airport mid downpour and hurtled towards the shack that currently passes for the terminal,…
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The Eight Types of Foodies You Will Find in Qatar
I know I sound like a broken record about this, but the Qatar food scene when I arrived in 2007 was dramatically different to the smorgasbord we have today. A handful of hotels with dining options and a smattering of quality standalone places made up the “scene”. Today we are almost spoiled for choice and it seems a new eatery pops up on my Instagram feed every day. Hand in hand with this growth has been the flourishing foodie scene and all that brings with it… Here’s my guide (by no means exhaustive ahem…) of the eight kinds of foodies you will find in Qatar: The Food Blogger: Yes, yes,…
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Elementary Dining – Elements at Four Seasons Doha
Sometimes you need to work on the basics first before you add all the bells and whistles. Elements replaced a personal favorite of mine – Nusantao. Four Seasons has struggled with this location for as long as I have been dining there. It was previously a nondescript all day dining restaurant before being transformed into Nusantao. Which despite a long and confusing menu, still managed to deliver flavor and the only version of Hainan Chicken I was able to find in Doha. What it lacked, was atmosphere. Elements, as seems to be the trend in Doha now, has an elaborate backstory. It’s name is based on the elements – fire, earth,…
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Best of the Brunch – 2016 Edition
In days of old, I used to love brunch. Like thousands of expats in Qatar and the UAE, it was kind of like a sport to me. Four hours of uninterrupted food and drinks in a plush environment surrounded by friends and fellow travellers? Count me in. But my priorities changed – my stamina just wasn’t there anymore and I discovered there were things I would rather do on a Friday (sleep, hang out, watch the crime channel). I’m now an occasional guest star at brunches but had a flurry of invites recently that merited further investigation. To be clear I was invited to each of these venues and did…
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Milking It – A Guide to Dairy Free Cheeses
It may stun you to know that I have friends who don’t eat cheese. My friend Beth is one of those people. She loves cheese, it just didn’t love her. Beth’s problem is cow’s milk in particular disagreed with her. She told me once she really missed pizza and other goodies because of her cow’s milk cheese intolerance. Standby because I’m about to get sciency and stuff. It is commonly believed that milk proteins, not the sugars, found in milk are the cause for a dairy allergy. Although symptoms associated with lactose intolerance are similar to that of a dairy allergy, the body’s reaction is different. A true food allergy…
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Food Bloggers You Should Be Following
Yes, it’s been a while between drinks, but this is another in my (very) irregular series I’ve unoriginally dubbed “Blogging 101”. Bloggers always get asked what other bloggers they follow/read/admire/jealous of and I’m always a little stumped. Primarily because my memory is rubbish and also because I read across many platforms and interests (cheese, recipes, foreign policy, handbags, the Kardashians). For this not very exhaustive list I am focusing on Qatar, the UAE and some international food bloggers as well as Instagrammers (who I consider bloggers as well…that’s another post entirely). Of course, I’m assuming that you follow my blog, which according to readers (my Dad and my sweetheart)…
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Cheese and Bread – A Gouda Match
It’s been a while since I have blogged about my bread and butter (see what I did there?). But this delicious infographic on the Food Republic website had me squarely back in my comfort zone on a Doha winter’s night. Now I am familiar with many of these but a few have me thinking about traveling further afield including Yemen, Venezuela and Lithuania (drool). So many carbs. So much cheese. So little time.
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My Five Best Eats of 2015
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Apologies for borrowing shamelessly from the classics, but really 2015 saw highs and many lows. It was the year I lost my mother but found love in the unlikeliest of places. I haven’t traveled as widely as I did in previous years, but sometimes we need to stand still to appreciate what we have. I haven’t been the most regular blogger. I found I needed more headspace this year. But enough of the sentimentality. My fellow blogger A to Zataar asked my top three dishes for 2015 and she reminded me that this post was formulating for some weeks. So…
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Future State – A Round-up of New Restaurant Openings in Qatar
The great thing about being a foodie in Doha is that you can always be assured of a new restaurant opening being just around the corner. I often get asked about rumors relating to restaurant openings and other goings on around this growing scene. So, this is a little round up of some places opening very soon or in the near future so you can pencil them into your dining schedule. Warning! When I say pencil, you should just pencil. This is Qatar…remember the airport we waited eight years for (then it leaked)? The most imminent opening is actually tomorrow (Sunday 13 December) – Elements at Four Seasons Doha. Located in…
