Most Fridays see me languish in my PJs until noon watching shows on the Crime Channel. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But every so often I can be convinced to leave my self imposed exile to try a new experience. The Four Seasons Doha is an invite I always accept so this saw me drag on a dress, put some lipstick on and hit “record” on the showbox (Deadly Wives Marathon). The concept is simple – a family style brunch in their Italian restaurant. Meant for sharing and meant to showcase something for everyone. There are two sureties in my life – one is that I will always choose…
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Australia on a Plate – Crowne Plaza’s Culinary Journey Down Under
I have a particularly over articulated life. I write and communicate for living. So it always comes as a shock when I am lost for words. It has happened twice recently. Once when I tried to verbalize just how awful Fifty Shades of Grey the movie was. The second time was last week, when someone asked me what “Contemporary Australian Cuisine” was. Australia has one of those truly unique culinary scenes which draws on a myriad of influences – European, our Asian neighbors, influences from the Middle East and beyond thanks to immigration and of course our traditional Aboriginal owners. To borrow a phrase, it’s “eclectic”. For the next few weeks,…
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A Good Manchego is Hard to Find – Review of Chef’s Choice Menu at El Faro
While I am very much a woman of my own mind, sometimes I get overwhelmed and paralysed by indecision. Especially where a buffet is concerned or a menu where everything sounds amazing. I also hate “Menu Envy”…you know when you finally order something then your man/friend/random nearby diner orders something far more interesting. It’s like FOMO….the foodie edition. This is why the rise of tasting menus are so good for someone like me. The newest tasting menu on the block is being offered by El Faro at the Marsa Malasz Kempinski which I believe is one of the best new restaurants in Doha – innovative and interesting food, great service and a…
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Bull Market – Review of Toro Toro
My friend Rachel B and I (aka Les Rachelles) have a new game we play….”Things That Cost Less Than/Same As Our Meal at Toro Toro”. Believe me, it’s a robust list: A flight to Dubai on Qatar Airways A flight to Dubai on FlyDubai plus a night in a four star hotel These Jimmy Choos A night in a Grand Deluxe Room at the Marsa Malasz Kempinski where the restaurant in located in Dinner for one (set tasting menu with matching wines) at Noma in Denmark which has been voted the best restaurant in the world. Now I have been sitting on this review for some time. My fellow bloggers and media have gushed about…
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Up in My Grill – How Much is Too Much for a Sandwich?
I have been known to pay a pretty penny for some good food. And usually, I’m happy to do so (with the exception of a certain South American fusion restaurant in Doha who charged me five bucks for three small bread rolls recently – review coming). But when this story popped up on my Twitter feed today, I did a double take. Peter Gilmore is perhaps the best chef in Australia and his Snow egg has passed into culinary legend. But AUD$22 for a grilled cheese sandwich? Well, that’s another matter. $22 in other terms is QR57 or USD$15 or 10 quid in UK terms. According to Gourmet Traveller it has five Australian cheeses:…
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The Missing Link – Review of BBaba Sausage Sizzle
In Australia you would be hard pressed not to come face-to-face with a sizzling sausage. At any given time, BBQs and grills are being fired up in car parks, sports grounds and even at high end events and links of sausages being prodded and poked all in the name of fundraising. Yes, we Aussies love a sizzling sausage. Sausage sizzles are a fundraising and community event. Consisting of a gathering where a barbequed sausage is served on a slice of white bread or on a bread roll, and may be accompanied by tomato sauce, mustard, and sometimes barbecued onions. All ingredients are usually purchased as cheaply (or donated) as possible, so…
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Stringing Me Along – When String Cheese Goes Gourmet
String cheese as it is known to most of us, is a fairly new revelation to me. Most Australians my age (cough) are unfamilar with the commercial string cheese we see in supermarkets now. When I was a kid, we did have Kraft cheese sticks, which were a different texture entirely. They were processed cheddar cheese, extruded into plastic and sealed with tiny metal rings. In hindsight, those metal rings were a choking hazard. Speaking of hazard, after four hours in the lunch box, these sticks had also turned nuclear, or mushy. Moving to the Middle East I discovered the commercial American string cheese, as well as the local variety…
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Southern Comfort – A Cheese Driven Trip to NSW Southern Highlands
My father taught me to drive in our old brown 1984 Commodore which was without the benefit of power steering. I remember once taking a corner rather sharply while on a practice drive with Dad. He still claims to see the look of horror on a fellow driver’s face as I tried to control the brown rank on the Great Western Highway. My father claims my driving has actually regressed since living overseas, yet he sometimes has no choice. While home recently I took my father on a day trip to Robertson on the South Coast of NSW. Well Dad actually wanted to visit nearby Bowral, but I heard the…
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Going Bananas – A Staycation at Banana Island by Anantara
When I first arrived in Doha more than eight years ago, Banana Island was a well worn stop on the show boat route for jet skiers and partiers. But a lot can happen in eight years (leaving my 30s is one of those things) and now the island has been redeveloped into an exquisite resort – Banana Island by Anantara The island is a a 25 minute luxury ferry ride away (QR200 with QR100 credit for dining or free if you are an in house guest) from the Doha port. With a check in area and valet parking, the feeling of taking a trip starts here. Once on the island, you…
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Tapas Bravos – Restaurant Review of Aceite at the Melia Doha
There are few things that can make the world better again than fried cheese and copious amounts of sangria. Which is why when the invite came to try this new restaurant, I literally ran towards it screaming. Spanish food is literally surging in Doha right now. With the excellent El Faro at the Marsa Malasz and now this gem, Aceite at the new Melia Doha. On a Thursday night in July, it was busy with big groups of work people enjoying the tapas and a drink as well as couple and of course two hungry Australian sheilas. Plied with a very hypnotic sangria tapas style starters of cheese and chicken croquettas along with…
