OPA Doha takes the “more is more” approach to its decoration. It’s almost an assault on the senses – a wall of busts of imperious Greek philosophers (or the younger, hotter cousins of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle perhaps) that dreamy flower trimmed hallway. Let’s not forget the white washed walls, taking you to Mykonos via the Lusail Expressway. But, is there more to OPA Doha than its Instagrammable interiors and plate smashing fun? OPA Doha entered the Qatar market along with a flurry of similar Greek inspired restaurants in 2022. At last count there no less than seven Greek/adjacent restaurants in Doha. The appeal of Greek cuisine is obvious –…
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- Cheese, Cheese in Cooking, Doha, Feta, Greece, life, Love, Restaurant Review, seafod, Spain, Travel, White Cheese
Cheese Icecream? You had Feta Believe It
We spend a lot of our lives doing things because that’s “how they are done”. This applies to our work, our lives and even our relationships. I for one am the chief instigator of this status-quo. Sometimes because it’s just easier. Sometimes because I don’t want to take a risk. Recently I had a chance to return to one of my old haunts Al Dana at Sharq Village and Spa to try their new menu. One of the only restaurants in Doha on the sea, it goes without saying there is a heavy seafood influence. The chef hails from Greece but has lived and worked in Spain and this influence is obvious.…
- Accompaniments, Cheese, Cheese in Cooking, Cooking, Doha, events, Feta, Food, Food Trends, Greece, Hotels, Middle East, Promotions, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Travel
Got Greek?
I realized a couple of things this week. One is how much I LOVE Greek food and miss it done well here in Doha. And the other is that at age 42 I seem to have forgotten to get married. One of those outstanding issues was resolved this week. No, there wasn’t a quickie wedding. Rather, the Sharq Village and Spa is hosting Greek Week. Being Australian kind of makes me half Greek anyway. Melbourne is said to have the largest Greek-speaking population outside of Europe, after Athens and Thessaloniki, Melbourne’s Greek sister city. Even in Sydney’s west where I was brought up, you grow up fluent in Greek swear…
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Never Get Feta Up With This Cheese
Ahhhh Feta. Not only is the sharp yet creamy taste something to savor, you can basically to anything with it – salads, sandwiches, stuff it into things (other food I mean you evil people), drizzle it with oil. Back at Grand Hyatt Muscat for the weekend, I managed to convince them to serve up one of my favorite breakfasts -feta, olive oil and tomato on bread. I’ve written of this before, but the cheese on this occasion was a kind of feta I haven’t come across before. It was firm yet creamy and you can see the ripple marks from the basket it was brined in. There was no comparison…
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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…
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Feta the Devil You Know
Say what you want about the Greeks, they do two things really well – cheese and anarchy. I have always admired the Greeks for their ability to enjoy life, create amazing food and manage to plunge their country into widespread chaos at the flick of a switch. I last visited Greece in the 1990s, when the Drachma was its currency, an older Papandreou was PM and they weren’t beholden to Germany to pay their bills. I haven’t been back since, but I still remember the food – simply cooked, lots of lemon, olive oil and salty cheese – all served with their typical (sometimes dark) sense of humor. When my…