Contrary to popular opinion, I don’t eat out every night. My natural state is at home, on the couch, with AZ arguing over my apparently inexplicable love of reality TV. So truth is, I am, in fact, a bit of a homebody. I love to cook, but sometimes, after a long and complicated day or week in the Vineyard of Truth, I am partial to a takeaway. And with Doha’s natural traffic state as being in No Man’s Land between Carmageddon and Carpocalypse at any given time, any restaurant that can delivery tasty, hot and delicious food to me without me hollering my location, is going to be a winner. Both Kababs&Kurries…
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Six Places You Should Be Eating at in Doha Right Now (Summer Edition)
It was a long, hot Ramadan and while it’s a time I really enjoy, I’m happy to be getting back into the swing of Qatar’s dining scene. I wrote this blog post in April and because of its success, I thought an updated version was due. Call it the “Summer Edition” as all the venues around the city start to unveil new menus, concepts and ideas. Luxury and budget, date night and family style, here is where I think you should be eating at right now: Mainland China I will admit, I was dubious – a Chinese restaurant chain hailing from India in an office block in Doha. But one look inside…
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Up, Up and Away – The Best Places to Eat at Hamad International Airport
There are two things certain. One of that a Kardashian will post a nude shot on Instagram. The other is that at some point in our lives, we will be forced to eat an overpriced, stale sandwich in a dingy airport somewhere in the world. I’m pleased to say, that Hamad International Airport, this trend is being bucked. (The Kardashians however, that’s a lost cause). Honestly, took me some time to warm to this behemoth of an airport. The old airport was just 1km from my home and I could even see the tail fins of the planes from my balcony. After a trip I could be off the plane, in…
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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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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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Breaking the Fast at Eatopia
Let’s be honest, breakfast for me is usually some toast, topped with maybe a slice of cheese or Vegemite scoffed down at 530am as I rush out the door, praying my car will start that morning. This is why I love weekends, when I can indulge in a decent breakfast, cooked by an expert and also catch up on all the gossip. Eatopia, which opened recently in The Gate Mall in Doha, seems to be all things to all people. Offering different cooking stations as well as a cafe, deli, fresh produce counters and a supermarket, they recently launched a new breakfast buffet and invited me along to test it.…
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Cheese Really Did Change the Course of Western Civilization
I don’t want to say I told you so, but this piece on the fabulous Quartz blog has confirmed what I have been banging on about for many, many years. That is…cheese changed the course of civilization. Long story short, the dawn of cheese apparently happened 8500 years ago less than a three hour plane journey from where I am sitting writing this post. In the Fertile Crescent (which stretched from Egypt to what we now know as Iraq and parts of Iran) over production of agriculture had depleted the soil, meaning our Neolithic ancestors turned to raising sheep and goats. Meanwhile, some smart cookie also invented pottery. Throw into the mix…
- brie, British, Cafes, Cheddar, Cheese, Cheese in Cooking, Doha, Food, Food Trends, Middle East, Qatar
Hello, is it Brie You’re Looking For…in Doha
When I tell people about this blog, I usually get asked two questions. Why cheese? That answer is simple – why not? Usually delivered with an exaggerated eyeroll. The second is: where can I get good cheese? In Doha we are spoiled for choice. Recently I did a roundup in my monthly column for BBC Good Food Middle East. Now you have it – a handy cut out and keep guide. Now I can be close to your heart…or wallet…always.
- 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…
- Cheese, Cheese in Cooking, Cooking, Doha, events, Food, Food Trends, Hotels, Italian, Italy, Middle East, Promotions, Qatar, Recipes
A Touch of (Cooking) Class
I consider myself a decent home cook. By this I mean I can joint a chicken, cook pasta to al dente and I also do a line in a good jus. But I can’t temper chocolate and frankly I wouldn’t even make the audition phase on Masterchef without threatening to cut someone. But like most home cooks, I like to expand my repertoire even if it is just in theory. What seems like a lifetime ago when I was a pre-teen, I was sent on some holiday cooking classes run by the local natural gas company (it makes sense if you are Australian). We learned how to make tuna casserole…
