It was a long, hot Ramadan and while it’s a time I really enjoy, I’m happy to be getting back into the swing of Qatar’s dining scene. I wrote this blog post in April and because of its success, I thought an updated version was due. Call it the “Summer Edition” as all the venues around the city start to unveil new menus, concepts and ideas. Luxury and budget, date night and family style, here is where I think you should be eating at right now: Mainland China I will admit, I was dubious – a Chinese restaurant chain hailing from India in an office block in Doha. But one look inside…
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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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Best of the Brunch – 2016 Edition
In days of old, I used to love brunch. Like thousands of expats in Qatar and the UAE, it was kind of like a sport to me. Four hours of uninterrupted food and drinks in a plush environment surrounded by friends and fellow travellers? Count me in. But my priorities changed – my stamina just wasn’t there anymore and I discovered there were things I would rather do on a Friday (sleep, hang out, watch the crime channel). I’m now an occasional guest star at brunches but had a flurry of invites recently that merited further investigation. To be clear I was invited to each of these venues and did…
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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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Posh Spice – Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor at Melia Doha
At times I can be a very bad food blogger. Recently found myself heavily invested in TV show about a group of wannabe starlets and instafamous chicks who worked in a store owned by a family who were famous for being famous. That’s when I knew I had to end my self imposed exile and leave the house. For reasons of a hibernation nature, I had missed the opening of Indian celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s Signature at the Melia Doha. The Melia, a Spanish brand, has recently entered the Doha market and has some interesting outlets including a very good tapas place. Finally convinced to leave the evil attractions of the…
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Up in My Grill – How Much is Too Much for a Sandwich?
I have been known to pay a pretty penny for some good food. And usually, I’m happy to do so (with the exception of a certain South American fusion restaurant in Doha who charged me five bucks for three small bread rolls recently – review coming). But when this story popped up on my Twitter feed today, I did a double take. Peter Gilmore is perhaps the best chef in Australia and his Snow egg has passed into culinary legend. But AUD$22 for a grilled cheese sandwich? Well, that’s another matter. $22 in other terms is QR57 or USD$15 or 10 quid in UK terms. According to Gourmet Traveller it has five Australian cheeses:…
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Cheese Release Me
Listen, I am not talking myself up, but I have always been ahead of the curve on many things. I just can’t think of most of them now…but here is some recent proof of my sage-like abilities. Cheese, it seems, is the next big food trend of 2014. Roquefort doughnuts, Stilton truffles and goat’s cheese ganache: Chocolate and cheese set to be 2014s next big foodie trend It must be true, it’s in The Daily Mail. And on this blog.