I have a confession to make – I’m a huge fan of Dani Garcia, the brains behind the newly minted Lobito De Mar at the Marsa Malaz Kempinski. But when I was told this new Doha venture was to be located on the moribund bayside site that was home to the now dearly departed Pearl Social and prior to that Antica Pesa, I did hesitate. The spot, on the island outside of the main hotel, well, it seemed a gamble. The underrated Pearl Social was excellent couldn’t make a dent and NY style Antica Pesa too was long gone. Both spots had a celebrity name attached as well. But with…
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Is The Pearl Social the Best Restaurant in Doha You Have Never Been To?
Doha’s dining scene can be fickle and driven by fads, as anyone who has seen a line outside the latest specialty coffee house can attest. A few weeks ago I went for my third visit to The Pearl Social at the Kempinksi Marsa Malaz. For a Friday night, the restaurant was at half capacity. The bar (aka the Diver’s Club) upstairs was busy. But the restaurant was not. Occupying the spot that was once home to the overrated, overpriced and over itself Antica Pesa, the Pearl Social completes the trio of restaurants on the hotel’s mini island. This venue has been hit and miss – the location on the water…
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Novikov Doha – Does it Live Up to the Hype?
It’s the restaurant with the Russian name and pan-Asian menu. Beloved of celebrities and the brainchild of a main who is mates with Vladimir Putin, I did want to not like Novikov Doha. But I was also curious – the first “big name” to open alongside Galleries Lafayette in Katara’s faux European boulevard 21 High Street (admit it, you also want to say 21 Jump Street).Also the final restaurant in the much anticipated quartet of openings in Doha over the last six months and the reviews had ranged from rapturous to tepid. This is also a market crowded with pan-Asian and Japanese restaurant, many of them excellent. Did we need…
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Life on the Wedge’s Best Doha Restaurant Dishes of 2018
I made my list…I checked it twice. What a year 2018 was – a slew of new restaurant openings at all price points, some old favorites getting their groove back and even a few falling by the wayside. This year’s top eats in Doha list was tough to compile – there is a lot to love about the dining scene at the moment and I was determined to keep the list as short and sharp as possible. This is a great reflection of the best of my year in dining – splurge worthy experiences as well as well executed food made with genuine passion, regardless of the price point. As…
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La Mar, La Vista 55 and Maya – Doha’s 3 Hottest New Restaurants and Bars Reviewed
It seems like they came all at once – a flurry of new restaurants and bars opening in Doha within days of each other after a long period of stagnation in the food scene. Always willing to put myself in the line of fire, I checked out Peruvian restaurant La Mar, Mexican offering Maya and Cuban joint La Vista 55 – all in the name of research – and there’s a lot to be excited about. Here’s my take on each of them, what to expect and what you should order: La Mar: I’m not going to lie, La Mar and its upstairs bar Manko are among the most exciting…
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Future State: New Qatar Restaurant Openings to Look Forward to in 2018
It was the best of times…it was the…not so best of times. It’s fair to say that in dining terms, 2017 didn’t have the extreme wow factor of previous Doha dining years but we still had a lot to like. But 2018 beckons and it’s time to peruse what it has in store for foodies in Qatar – and the line-up looks solid. Walima: Mondrian Doha was one of the shining lights of 2017 – thanks to some inventive restaurants and attitude to match. Walima is their greatly anticipated Qatari restaurant and if the interiors are anything to go by, this will be a high watermark. Add in the stunning…
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Happy Sashimi? Does Morimoto at Mondrian Doha Live Up to its Celebrity Chef Pedigree?
It’s a brave move to open a hotel like the Mondrian Doha in the kind of environment Qatar is currently experiencing. But the Mondrian is a rare breed of a hotel for Qatar – lavish and design driven, even a little eccentric, it boasts TWO celebrity chef helmed operations and a lot of confidence. The Japanese restaurant Morimoto is one of those restaurants – the latest outpost in the empire of the mercurial Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Well known to foodies for his star turns on the cheesy yet addictive original cooking game show Iron Chef and later Iron Chef America (The Chairman’s hair and quotes deserved their own TV series), his empire stretches from…
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Missing a Beet – Review of the Chef’s Garden Restaurant at Al Shaqab
You know when you are wishing so hard for something to be awesome, or even just pretty good? When you know the ingredients are all there, it just needs that final touch to bring everything together? Well that was me about The Chef’s Garden at the Marwan Club at Al Shaqab. On paper it has it all – interesting location, family friendly grounds and a brilliant concept. That concept, or more like a philosophy is compelling. It sources its ingredients from Qatar’s growing community of organic farms a well as its own vegetable garden and locally raised lamb and chicken. The menu features low fat and gluten free options. See?…
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Six Places in Doha to Go for a Girl’s Night Out
Let me be clear do about this – by “girl’s night out” I don’t mean “ladies night”. In fact, what I really mean is a list of places you can go with your “squad” (although I also hate that term) or tribe (much better). I mean a place to go with drinks (or maybe not), decent food and yes, maybe, some musical stylings (preferably of the retro persuasion). And, of course, this isn’t just limited to after 6pm fun or places with Happy Hours. So…because, sometimes, you just need to be with your tribe, here are my go-to places for a girls night out/afternoon gathering (alert the authorities!). Break out…
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Do Doha’s Restaurants Have a Service Problem?
Thank you to comedian, businessman and all round good guy Hamad Al Amari for raising this issue and inspiring this blog post. At Qatar Social, an event organized by I Love Qatar last month bringing together bloggers, influencers and content creators in July, he made a very pointed quip during a panel discussion about the future of content. He highlighted the discrepancy between many reviews on foodie websites like Zomato Qatar and actual experience when it comes to service at restaurants in Doha. He implored people not to “sugar coat” reviews and when sharing experiences online. His beef was “service in this town” and the reality versus the online perception. As a blogger who…
