Some people know the way to my heart is cheese (and flowers but that’s another post), so one event I do look forward to each year is the Swiss Week at the Grand Hyatt Doha. I had a chance to check out the selection at the launch last night. But to be frank, we didn’t make it past the luxurious cheese selection. It runs from 2-7 May from 6:30pm until midnight and includes Swiss music and dishes including fondue, raclette and rösti prepared by Chef Sebastian Wirsching from Park Hyatt Zurich. I promise I will go this week to try the other dishes (including a fantastic array of seafood and a hot…
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Tapa the World – Brunch Without the Big Buffet
I used to be a prolific bruncher. Fridays would always consist of a jug of margaritas and a lush buffet. Brunch in the Middle East is an art and I was an old master. But something changed, maybe a desire to get healthier or a realization that I would end up spending Friday nights napping. Maybe I just got old. Last week the Oryx Rotana asked me to come our of my Brunch Exile to try their new “Tap Brunch” at their popular Cellar restaurant. I was glad I came our of retirement. This hotel is actually my “local” and to my great detriment I always forget about it and literally drive…
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Red Handed at Red Lobster
This again can be filed under “never say never”. I hadn’t given much thought to Red Lobster when it opened more than a year ago in Doha. Maybe I thought it wasn’t something for me (not being a fan of chain restaurants), maybe I was put off by the traffic logged location. But I am an adventurous lady and when I was invited with a group of other food bloggers to try the menu I broke my rule of “No Lobsters During the Week”. A US-based chain brought out here by Americana restaurants, the company has been going for 45 years and have 700 locations worldwide. This Doha location opened in 2012…
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Peru-sing the Menu
I had a brief flirtation with South America back in the 1990s (you can do the math) but haven’t visited again since. It’s always been on my list but time, location and cost have always intervened. I can now confirm it’s well and truly back on my list for 2015. Recently in Doha, our dining scene has seen South American food have a bit of a moment with no less than five restaurants opening across the city. The newest, Camanito at the newly opened Zubarah Hotel serves up some tasty fare in sleek and glam surroundings. Last week I was invited by the Peruvian Ambassador and the hotel to sample the menu…
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Looking for Truffle
I’ve put on the record previously my love of simple food, but there is one luxurious ingredient that always gets me going – the truffle. The earthiness really appeals to my savory palate. I love to do the food version of “high/low” in fashion (mixing high end with high street) and especially love them on fries and pasta. The white truffle comes from the Piedmont region in and can fetch more than $USD4500 a kilo at market. that’s no small change If you are in The Four Season Doha is hosting a white truffle dinner this week (23 October), with a selection of truffle -friendly dishes paired with wine (or without). They…
- 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…
