It’s back by popular demand – your definitive guide to eating and drinking at Hamad International Airport. Since I wrote this post in 2016, the airport has become a global hub, added new shops and welcomed 160 million passengers. It has also opened some new cafes, restaurants and grab and go places to keep hungry passengers fed and watered. We’re eagerly anticipating the opening of the Harrods Team Room at the airport in coming months. So if you are leaving from Doha’s airport, or just transiting through on Qatar Airways, here is your up-to-date guide to staving off the hunger pains and having a happy flight! For something a little…
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Trucking Good – Food Trucks Roll Into Qatar’s Food Scene
It has been a long time coming…but the food truck movement has finally started rolling in Qatar. OK so they may not the the mobile trucks we are used to seeing on the streets of the US, UK and Australia, but they are a step in the right direction. While Burgeri (owned by Katara Hospitality) has been roving the country selling serviceable burgers, hotdogs and fries for a few years, the slow road started back in 2016 when the Ministry for Economy and Commerce indicated it would issue licences for mobile food vendors, giving a boost to the private sector. This came after a successful “Food Truck” section at the…
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Your February Hit List – Where You Should Be Eating and Drinking in Doha Right Now
Don’t be hating on me – it’s been a while I know, and this round up is a little late out of the starting blocks even for me. Bad food blogger that I am. But as you know, I really only recommend places in Qatar and experiences I have personally tried. And this month, well, in Doha it’s been a little slow to move on the dining front (or is it that I have been a little slow to move? Don’t answer that). But we are finally starting to see some traction – new dining offers and new menus popping up in and around the Doha. February, as it turns…
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Revisiting an Old Friend – Has Yum Yum at K108 Hotel Weathered the Test of Time?
Back in the day (ok around five years ago), Yum Yum at K108 Hotel was the hottest dining ticket in town. With a sun-drenches dining room, views for days and a French chef turning out unique and sometimes challenging dishes. But Doha’s dining scene is one that is driven by fashion and fads – the chef left, other places opened and well, people moved on. But this place continued to deliver. I confess I was one of those diners who moved on to other more shiny objects. So I sheepishly returned recently to see how it was holding up. Sadly, the dining room was empty on our weekday lunch run.…
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Five Important Things I learned About Travel in 2017
I’ve been traveling for pleasure solidly for more than 25 years and lost track of the countries and cities I’ve been to (that’s not to brag – really I have a terrible memory). But one of the best things about travel and being…ahem…slightly mature…is that you always learn something new from each adventure. This year, with the illegal blockade of Qatar throwing in a bit of color and movement, was especially instructive and I wanted to share with you some truths I learned in 2017 from cities far and near: The best trips don’t have to be meticulously planned Nearly every trip I have taken this year has been half…
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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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Living on the Wedge: My Top Dishes of 2017
And so here we are…What a year it was! We’ve seen the illegal blockade of Qatar continue to rattle us and have some rebound effects on the country’s dining scene – some ingredients are harder to find (others easier) and we haven’t seen as many new openings as in previous years. I’ve also found that while the market is more competitive (we are spending less and not going out as often) the dynamism of previous years is missing. But my annual list of best dishes must go on! It’s still been a creative and delicious year on the dining front in many ways. The Mondrian Doha was a late and glamorous…
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The Doha Brunch Index – How Far Your Riyal Will Stretch
Brunch in Doha (usually Friday but now increasingly also Saturday) is a deadly serious business, especially in these leaner times. But, with seemingly every restaurant offering some kind of brunch offer, how far will your dining riyal stretch? Being the intrepid food blogger, half baked economist and general busybody that I am, I devised and extremely dubious scientific ranking system for Doha’s burgeoning brunch scene. Behold – the inaugural Doha Brunch Index© This is the result a complicated matrix of reviews, personal experience, overeating and general hysteria levels. It’s not definitive. It’s not exhaustive (but boy was it exhausting), but it should give you a solid snapshot at what’s out there and…
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Your December Hit List – Where to Eat and Drink in Doha this Month
To use a well worn sports analogy – we’re on the home stretch people! December is upon us and 2018 is almost a reality. It’s that time of year – for overindulging and panic buying. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find some time to dine well in and around Doha. Here’s my December Hit List of where I will be eating and drinking this month (be warned – there is a distinct lack of festive fare here. For a full rundown of where, when and how for Christmas and New Year, head over to my friends at Marhaba. Now…to my list: Megu Many, many moons ago, when I was…
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Doha’s Hidden Restaurant Gems – Stockburger Co
So Stockburger Co at the Holiday Inn Doha may not be so much as a hidden gem, rather, it’s a new entrant on the dining scene that deserves little more exposure. To be upfront – this place is essentially a sports bar, showing hundreds of games and different sports daily. There is even a private area to watch “big games” and devour your wings and shout out the screen in seclusion (although, they are yet to embrace my suggestion this would also be a good venue for Netflix). It’s true there is a bar area a very attractive happy hour from 12pm, but this is also a good place for…
