It’s true, I’ve been an absentee blogger of late. A nasty virus and its associated hangers on (tonsillitis, bronchitis, kidney infection) knocked me for six and saw me confined to quarters for weeks. My other half (who has also had his own health issues), said he knew I was really unwell when I refused to even touch the feast he had just brought home from Afghan Brothers. It had been a rugged couple of months, so when AZ went to Dubai for a work assignment, we hatched a plan to meet in Oman for a languid weekend. He had his car (a gigantic 4WD) so I flew to Muscat and…
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New Competition – Win a dim sum brunch for two at Hwang (dumplings people!)
I am an impatient woman. Especially when it comes to food. I don’t do lines. Except…when it comes to dumplings. In Australia I have been known to arrive early to one of Sydney’s many excellent yum cha places. The lines at many are infamous for their length and their ability to humble. Luckily for us Doha dwellers, you can access an excellent yum cha style brunch without the lining up or the jostling for position. Hwang at the Intercontinental Doha The City is one of my favorite brunch spots. It takes a lot for me to return to a place time and time again but this place has it all – great…
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Win a QR100 Nandos Voucher With Life on the Wedge
I know! I know! I’ve been keeping a low profile lately. I usually take the northern hemisphere summer off because frankly, it’s hot. Thanks for the messages and I am glad to say, transmission is resumed. And what better way to get back into the swing of things this long, hot August than with a giveaway from my dear friends at Nandos Qatar? I recently teamed up with them for Bow Tie Day and as many of your know, I just love this place for its fresh produce and friendly staff. So…over to the giveaway. I have two QR100 Nandos gift cards for use at any of their stores in Qatar for two…
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The Eight Types of Foodies You Will Find in Qatar
I know I sound like a broken record about this, but the Qatar food scene when I arrived in 2007 was dramatically different to the smorgasbord we have today. A handful of hotels with dining options and a smattering of quality standalone places made up the “scene”. Today we are almost spoiled for choice and it seems a new eatery pops up on my Instagram feed every day. Hand in hand with this growth has been the flourishing foodie scene and all that brings with it… Here’s my guide (by no means exhaustive ahem…) of the eight kinds of foodies you will find in Qatar: The Food Blogger: Yes, yes,…
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Elementary Dining – Elements at Four Seasons Doha
Sometimes you need to work on the basics first before you add all the bells and whistles. Elements replaced a personal favorite of mine – Nusantao. Four Seasons has struggled with this location for as long as I have been dining there. It was previously a nondescript all day dining restaurant before being transformed into Nusantao. Which despite a long and confusing menu, still managed to deliver flavor and the only version of Hainan Chicken I was able to find in Doha. What it lacked, was atmosphere. Elements, as seems to be the trend in Doha now, has an elaborate backstory. It’s name is based on the elements – fire, earth,…
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My Five Best Eats of 2015
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Apologies for borrowing shamelessly from the classics, but really 2015 saw highs and many lows. It was the year I lost my mother but found love in the unlikeliest of places. I haven’t traveled as widely as I did in previous years, but sometimes we need to stand still to appreciate what we have. I haven’t been the most regular blogger. I found I needed more headspace this year. But enough of the sentimentality. My fellow blogger A to Zataar asked my top three dishes for 2015 and she reminded me that this post was formulating for some weeks. So…
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Instant Noodles and Bad Lighting – True Confessions of a Food Blogger
Food blogging isn’t all Instagrammed fabulosity and swanning around. Many of the food bloggers I know here in Qatar and abroad work hard to develop and write engaging content. As do I. But there are some deep, dark secrets, that I don’t even talk about after a few drinks, about my experience with blogging. Sometimes I just can’t be bothered to post. I have an over articulated work and personal life and frankly, I just want to watch TV. I would love to be more disciplined, but at the moment I just can’t. I watch more of the crime channel than the food channel. OK I do watch Masterchef, but frankly…
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So You Want to Start a Food Blog? Five Questions to Ask Before You Start
Despite my recent grumblings, I also quite enjoy talking about food blogging and social media and am heartened by the many new blogs that are popping up in Qatar and the region. One thing I love doing is sharing my experiences and supporting those just starting out. As a food blogger in Qatar, I get asked regularly for advice on how to start out in the blogging world. Thanks to the great people at QPWN I also have the chance to occasionally run workshops on the topic. Here are a few questions I recommend you ask yourself before embarking on the #bloggerlife as I call it. Why am I doing this? So as…
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You Get What You Pay For
What’s the price of a glowing review of a restaurant? In Doha, apparently it’s in the vicinity of Qr1000 or so I discovered recently. This post is going to make me very unpopular in some blogging circles but really, this post has been a long time coming. When I started this blog, I wanted to use my writing skills to talk about my love of cheese. It then blossomed into something different. While I still talk about cheese, I also do restaurant reviews, travel stories and a range of different things. I work in PR (and have been a journalist) so I know that leveraging positive coverage as cheaply as…
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A Good Manchego is Hard to Find – Review of Chef’s Choice Menu at El Faro
While I am very much a woman of my own mind, sometimes I get overwhelmed and paralysed by indecision. Especially where a buffet is concerned or a menu where everything sounds amazing. I also hate “Menu Envy”…you know when you finally order something then your man/friend/random nearby diner orders something far more interesting. It’s like FOMO….the foodie edition. This is why the rise of tasting menus are so good for someone like me. The newest tasting menu on the block is being offered by El Faro at the Marsa Malasz Kempinski which I believe is one of the best new restaurants in Doha – innovative and interesting food, great service and a…