Let’s face it – we all love to live large but for as little outlay as possible. With the current “situation” we find ourselves in, we all know that costs are rising in some quarters. As I noted around the same time last year, this comes after a fairly rugged period for many in Qatar where people tightened their belts and bunkered down. Where a couple might go out for dinner one night and then attend a brunch in the same week, it’s now one or the other. Having a family – school fees etc – ups the financial stakes further. Mix in increased fuel charges and the mugging we…
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Something to Crow About – the Best Chinese New Menus in Doha
Chinese New Year is always all color, movement and the best eats. And always SO much better than that January 1 business, which always sees me holed up on the couch watching fireworks rather than actually getting out and about. Chinese New Year menus often contain similar, traditional dishes or a chef’s interpretation of them. the theme is always around celebration, so you will find food with symbolism (good luck, prosperity) and also dishes with lots of color. The most common Chinese New Year foods includes dumplings, fish, spring rolls, and niangao (glutinous rice cakes). You will also find abalone (good fortune) and pomelo because it is thought to bring “continuous prosperity…
- Doha, Food, Food Trends, Happy Hour, Hotels, Promotions, Qatar, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Travel, wine
The Happiest Hours in Doha – UPDATED
*Due to popular demand this post was updated in May 2017. Hic My love of Happy Hours extends back to my university days (sometime in the 1900s) when the Wentworth Bar at Sydney University offered $1 cocktails. They were brown and sticky and frankly lethal, but a great deal. From what I remember. In a city where a good meal can cost upwards of QR500 for two, Happy  Hours are the way to have a great night out and still have some change for the car ride home. I must applaud some of the big ticket hotels in this city for embracing this idea – based on the theory that customers…
- 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…
- Accompaniments, American Cheese, beer, Cheese in Cooking, events, Fast Food, Food Trends, Hotels, Promotions, Qatar, Restaurant Review, Restaurants, wine
Getting in the Mood For Dude Food
So it seems, Dude Food is a thing globally. And this phenomenon has arrived in Doha at an unlikely venue. Opal by Gordon Ramsay at St Regis Doha has embraced this food fad and introduced Chilli Dog Tuesdays. Apparently Dude Food is comfort food for those with a bigger appetite. It is not for the faint-hearted. Think burgers, burritos, big meaty things and hot dogs. The trend originated in the United States, with the street food movement of food trucks. It evolved from there, think junk food classics with a gourmet twist. This is what we have at Opal. Opal is the more casual brother, sorry “bro”, to the sedate…
- 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…
- Accompaniments, Cheese, Cheese in Cooking, Doha, European Cheese, events, Fondue, Food, Food Trends, Hotels, Promotions, Qatar, Swiss, wine
Damned if Fondue – Swiss Food Festival Returns to Doha
Nothing melts my heart (OK that was a cheap pun – even cheaper than the headline for this post) more than a proper Swiss fondue. The Grand Hyatt Doha is bringing back its’ popular Swiss Gastronomic Festival for another year. Running from 8 -16 May from 6:30pm until midnight. Enjoy live folk Swiss music and most importantly fondue, raclette and rösti prepared by Chef Heinz Ruifbach. Call 77982400 for bookings and more information. Melted cheese, potatoes, alcohol and sticks to stab things with. What’s not to love?
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Slice Up Your Life – Milan Style Comes to Doha
I can’t remember a time when pizza hasn’t been a part of my life. I believe my arteries wish there were vast tracts of time when my devotion to this food icon wasn’t so fierce. For those who love their pizza and want to move beyond the (beef) ham and pineapple or “supreme”, for one week only Chef Maurizio from Paper Moon in Milano will be spinning the dough at La Spiga by Papermoon at W Doha Along with some of my social media peeps I was invited to sample the menu and I can attest to the authenticity and cheesy goodness. The calzone is a must try. He’s only here…
