In the 2022 Gold Rush of restaurant openings, it’s easy, for even the most enlightened foodie to lose sight of one, two, or even a handful of new places. For me, one of these was GAIA. So, much so that half way through my recent dinner there, ensconced in its Instagram neutral plush dining room, I had an unsettling feeling that perhaps I was the last to actually visit this place. For on this holiday Monday, by 9pm, the room was heaving. Nearly 300 covers would be done that night – a feat that will have chefs and restaurant managers across Doha quickly do the sums in grudging admiration. I…
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Five Things to Know About the 2019 Qatar International Food Festival
It’s hard to believe the Qatar International Food Festival is now in its’ 10th year – but here we are again. Running from 20 March until 30 March, it promises to be bigger and better than previous years. Before you head out to indulge and enjoy, here’s Life on the Wedge’s essential guide to making the most of the festival and having a delicious time. This year’s festival is at Oxygen Park at Qatar Foundation Another year, another venue change. In terms of space (13,000 square meters) this seems to be the biggest festival yet. Oxygen Park at Education City is a sprawling location. Parking is located underground and you…
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Making the Cut- Sitting Down With Celebrity Chef and Culinary Powerhouse Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Puck is perhaps the original celebrity chef and one of the first to build a global empire. But he remains humble and driven to evolve not just his brand but his food legacy. Puck sat down with Life on the Wedge at his new restaurant CUT at the Mondrian Doha recently for an exclusive, wide-ranging and illuminating interview about his first venture in Qatar, his view on food trends and the recent sexual harassment scandals uncovered in the restaurant trade. With an empire that spans the globe and includes some of the world’s best known restaurants and brands (and catering the yearly Governor’s Ball party at the Oscars), you…
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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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When a Chef and a Food Blogger Face Off – in Conversation with the Mondrian’s Simon Winchester
With its fanciful and space age design and celebrity chef styled restaurants, the Mondrian Doha is already shaking up the food scene in Qatar. These include international brands such as CUT and Morimoto as well as Qatari restaurant Walima, casual Hudson Tavern, and bars Black Orchid and Rise. In addition, the much loved Magnolia Bakery has also found a home in the hotel’s sci fi movie set lobby. You can check my blog Facebook page for my first takes on two of these outlets. This is the first foray into the Middle East by edgy hotel brand SBE – complete with its gold plated elevator, Swarovski crystal chandeliers and I Dream of…
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Hidden Gems – Let’s Taco About Isla Mexican Kitchen
I’m the first to admit I am a bit of a late adopter. Maybe it’s my inner stubborness. Maybe it’s my refusal to join any type of bandwagon. But when I do join the party, it’s like a lightbulb moment. When we entered Isla Mexican Kitchen on The Pearl Qatar, it was as if I was entering a party I was either late to or hadn’t been invited to. It was a mid-week and the place was busy. I thought, “hang onnnnn….how did I not know about this place?”. Clearly I was living under the foodie equivalent of a large rock. And to be fair, I generally have an aversion…
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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,…
- Artisan Cheese, British, British cheese, Celebrity Chefs, Cheddar, Cheese, Cheese in Cooking, European Cheese, Food, Food Trends, French
Cheese Release Me
Listen, I am not talking myself up, but I have always been ahead of the curve on many things. I just can’t think of most of them now…but here is some recent proof of my sage-like abilities. Cheese, it seems, is the next big food trend of 2014. Roquefort doughnuts, Stilton truffles and goat’s cheese ganache: Chocolate and cheese set to be 2014s next big foodie trend It must be true, it’s in The Daily Mail. And on this blog.
