So that escalated quickly. The year 2016 I mean. There I was, all fresh faced and excited on January 1 and now, here I am, bedraggled and bereft at the end of December. A lot happened in 2016 on the Qatar foodie scene. Some great,some not so great, and some a little bit of both. While it was a stellar year on the opening front, we have a lot to look forward to in 2017. Even Frommers has listed Doha as a top destination in 2017, citing its diverse dining scene as a reason. Here is my round-up of what I am excited about in 2017 (besides Netflix new schedule): The New Belgian Cafe I have…
-
-
Four Simple Steps for Stylish (and Pocket Friendly) Festive Entertaining
It’s been a long year and frankly I have been caught a little off guard by the speed and ferocity of the approach of the festive season. We’re staying in Doha this year, and on the weekend I had a mild panic about who, what, when, where and how. I managed to find the tree in the back of the wardrobe, dust off the ornaments and tinsel and put the whole thing together with a minimum of curse words. Presents have been ordered online and are being delivered at breakneck speed. After that I needed a lie down and a Netflix Gilmore Girls marathon (but basically that threw up more questions than…
-
My Doha Dining Wish List
Dreams do come true. ABBA is reforming (kinda). QDC now opens on a Friday. And someone built a 24 hour free wine fountain. So I have decided to put it all out there and share my Doha Dining Wish List. Feel free to laugh, cry or even add your own in the comments below. Open Table or similar booking service – my recent trip to the US (blog post in the works) was made all that much better by this website and app. I managed to book excellent tables in the most sought after restaurants in DC and Philadelphia with barely a hitch. Imagine cutting out the middle woman and being able to do…
-
Wok and Roll – A Review of the Shanghai Club
It’s very rare that I would go to a restaurant “cold” – that is with literally no idea what to expect in terms of food or experience. Usually Doha-based foodies would have swarmed a new venue, picked it apart and shared it on social media. Or, the fooderati (I say that with my tongue very firmly planted in my cheek) would have been invited and posted glowing reviews. The Shanghai Club at the Shangri-La Doha opened a few weeks ago with a glitzy party. Then…silence. No reviews. No chatter. Only online ads. With AZ out of town, I rounded up Alicia and we headed to the 43rd Floor to see what the big…
-
Rollin’ In the Deep – A Review of Cactus Senshi
When I hear the phrase “fusion food” my eyebrows arch (as much as they can). Why can’t good food just be food? Why does it have to have a label? So it was with a certain degree of trepidation that I finally entered the brightly lit premises of the much hyped Cactus Senshi in Bin Mahmoud. This restaurant opened a couple of months ago to much fanfare and almost hysterical behavior by some bloggers and the media. I briefly attended their opening night, complete with giant cake and endless selfie opportunities. But left before the food was actually served. Since then I had heard mixed feedback about the food. So, I wanted…
-
That’s Amore – Revisiting Porcini at Ritz Carlton Doha
In a galaxy far, far away, when I first arrived in Doha, believe it or not there were only a handful of five star hotels and dining options were more limited. I used to spend a lot of time at Ritz Carlton Doha. But you know how it is, as new properties opened and Doha’s traffic started to define Carmageddon, I visited less often in recent times. So when I was invited by the hotel to try an old favorite, their Italian restaurant Porcini, it was a bit like catching up with an old friend after so many years and picking up where you left off. That is not to say…
