With a landmark location and an impeccable fine dining pedigree, IDAM has always stood apart from anything else in the Doha dining scene. But 10 years after it opened, can we still call IDAM Doha’s fine dining leader? The answer is…yes and a qualified maybe. But more of that later. IDAM’s History A decade ago, when IDAM opened in all its white gloved Alain Ducasse elegance, its menu was a blend of near east/Orient and Eurocentric west. Billing itself as Qatari/French fusion, the famed harees with gold foil was a regular item on the menu. Then the empire expanded – Jiwan and its millions of pearls glittered at the National…
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7 Spots to Enjoy Iftar in Doha that Aren’t a Buffet
Let’s face it, hotel and restaurant iftar buffets are fun for the first few days of Ramadan in Doha, but the novelty soon wears off. But these five places are offering something outside of the Ramadan iftar buffet bubble and definitely worth your consideration this month. From a new fine dining spot causing a buzz; a surf and turf option and two places to enjoy a fabulous Indian feast. I’ve dined at all the Doha restaurants mentioned below over the past couple of months (some more than once!) and all highly recommended. 1. Ramadan menu at The M Doha This is approachable fine dining and a good opportunity to try…
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Your February 2021 Doha Dining Hit List – Best Places to Eat and Drink this Month
February is here and it feels like Winter never really happened? Your February Doha Dining Hit List is here and I feel we all need to make the most of the few cooler days we have left! And honestly, it feels a little like deja vu as we see our COVID-19 case numbers rising. So with this list comes some words of caution – wear your mask. Practice social distancing. Be sensible! Here are my recommendations for where to eat and drink in Doha this February: 1. The Cellar It’s been a long 10 months but The Cellar at the newly rebranded Hyatt Regency Oryx is back open and serving…
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Your October Hit List – Where to Eat and Drink in Doha This Month
We are at the pointy end of the year and for foodies this is great news. The weather starts to change oh so slightly, events start rolling into the city and this is the time when new menus, new restaurants and more start to open. So here is your October Hit List – where to eat and drink in Doha this month… 1. Pizza Box Another pizza place…yes. But this one is a little different. It offers New York style pizza – the pie is larger, the dough thinner and the toppings a bit more eclectic. You can buy by the slice or the whole pie. Toppings include traditional pepperoni,…
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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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Nine Date Night Dinner Destinations in Doha
I actually don’t like the term “date night”. It kind of makes me cringe a little on the inside. But call it what you want, it’s a catch-all phrase for spending some time with your significant other. With work, werk, Netflix obligations, life and everything in between, AZ and I struggle to find time to just sit and catch up. So, we designate a time every couple of weeks to go out for dinner or drinks – sometimes we go somewhere new, but more often than not it’s one of our regular haunts. Sometimes they are fancy, mostly they are comfortable and easy to get to. So here is a…
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Dine Around Doha – Around the City in Three Awesome Meals
I am a woman with many opinions. Just ask me. I have an opinion about everything from the US presidential elections (I’m not even American) to the state of Posh and Becks marriage (boredom). I get asked often what my favorite restaurant in Doha is (and my favorite cheese but thats another post). My answer is always the same…it depends. It depends on my mood. It depends on the company. It depends on my outfit. It depends on budget. So here is my (current) front runners for a day of perfect dining in Doha for all budgets. This list is based purely on my likes, dislikes and general state of…
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Dining in the Dark – Preview of W Doha’s Sensory Journey
They say that dimming the lights can heighten your other senses like taste and smell. As a woman of a certain age (cough), I find it also hides a multitude of sins. When the team from W Doha invited me to try their own version of dining in the dark, I was very quick to confirm. Excellent food, mood lighting…what’s not to love. While it wasn’t conducted in complete darkness (rather the stunning Extreme Wow Suite), the experience was still unique. The seven course menu, presented by their executive chef Kim and developed for the evening, took us on a journey of the hotel’s culinary strengths. Each course a different couple was blind…
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Fine Dining Doha Style
I know I sound like a broken record/tired old expat when I say that Doha’s dining scene has really skyrocketed since I arrived eight years ago. But it has. When I arrived we had a handful of five star hotels and few independent dining options for those who like something more challenging that a drive-thru burger. That said, there has always been excellent Arabic and South Asian choices at all price points. In recent years, we have seen Alain Ducasse’s Idam open as well as a branch of Guy Savoy’s empire open (then close). We have also seen other dining options like French bistro La Varenne and its sister steak restaurant The Anvil Rooms open their doors…
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Turning Japanese – A Review of Nobu in Doha
Many years ago, in what seems like another lifetime in a galaxy far, far away, I was a newspaper editor. This was pre-Instagram and pre-Snapchat (yes Virginia, there wasn’t always a Whatsapp). Actually it was 2008 and I remember putting on the front page a story that the famous Nobu restaurant would open in Doha within the next 12 months. Well, as is the way with anything you really want, we were made to wait. And wait. And wait… Finally, in a blaze of glory, Nobu has opened its doors in Doha and I have to say, it was worth the very long wait. Almost as long as it took…
