I know, it’s hot, it’s humid and the dust permeates everything. But for foodies, there is a lot to love about being here in Doha in July. Restaurants and hotels are working overtime to get you to spend your cash and there are even some new concepts popping up. Here’s where I think you should be eating and drinking this month: Walima It’s been a rocky road for this restaurant at the Mondrian Doha, but I’m pleased to say it seems to have hit its mark finally. It always was a bit of a hard sell – a high end restaurant serving Qatari inspired food. But they have found the…
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Three Places to Watch the World Cup in Doha that Also Have Great Food
I’m well and truly on the World Cup bandwagon and I am not ashamed to admit it. Yep, I’m a fair weather football fan. I don’t know my Ronaldo from my Messi, but I have been perfecting my Viking Thunder Clap and I have also discovered an incredible belief that my homeland Australia is perpetually robbed by bad refereeing decisions. Then….there is this. And this. I do love a carnival and that’s what the World Cup is. It’s also a great opportunity to eat some great food in even better company. For me, there are three key ingredients to a good viewing experience: Smoke free – so many venues in…
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Three Places for Iftar This Ramadan in Doha That Are Not in a Hotel
Ramadan got off to a slow start for me thanks to some travel and a brush with a deuteronomy-inspired tummy bug. But now, I’m in full Ramadan-mode. I have to be honest, while I love the lavish Ramadan tents around town (and this year there are some corkers), sometimes you want something a little different for iftar beyond the live cooking stations and Um Ali coma. Eating outside the five star bubble doesn’t mean you compromise on quality, taste and experience. Quite contraire! Here are my top picks for breaking your fast without the five star fanfare: Yugo When I hear “fusion” attached to a restaurant I do balk a…
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Three New Doha Happy Hours You Need to Try
Let’s face it, sometimes you need to blow off steam and unwind after a tough week at (or day!) at the coalface. Lucky for us, hotels and bars in Doha are keen to attract our custom with some new and interesting happy hours designed to please even the the most discerning drinker. Here are three new Doha happy hours that have managed to drag me off the sofa in recent weeks and ones you should be giving a red hot go: Gin and Vodka flight at Elements at Four Seasons Doha They say everything comes in threes, and in this case, three is a lucky number. Element’s discrete bar has…
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Qatar International Food Festival 2018 – Seven Stalls You Need to Visit
It’s March that means not only “March Madness”, but also the Qatar International Food Festival. I headed down there on the opening day to scope out the tastiest stalls and have my hit list for where you should be spending your hard earned cash. A quick couple of thoughts before I head into the “meat and potatoes” of this post. Although this is the biggest year in terms of stalls, I found the variety a little lacking. and uninspired. Maybe this will change as the week progresses, as the energy builds and more offerings pop up, but I felt it needed a little more oomph. I loved the “Farm to…
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Your March Hit List – Where You Should be Eating and Drinking in Doha this Month
March is here and thank God. Wasn’t February the longest short month ever? But March, it holds so much promise. Winter is over, we are well and truly in the midst of the actual year. And restaurants in Doha are finally hitting their straps – serving up new and interesting menus, dishes and even a new opening or two (finally). So here is where I am putting my dining riyal in Doha this month. And let me just say, it’s probably the most interesting line-up (old and new) for a few months: The Melting Pot You had me at cheese. All of the cheese. So much cheese. This is proof…
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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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Coffee Without the Guilt – How to Recycle Your Nespresso Coffee Capsules in Qatar
Like many of you, I love my coffee. One of the first things I fire up in the morning (besides the snooze button) is my Nespresso machine to prime myself for the day ahead. But also like many of you, I’ve been wondering what impact this addiction was having on the environment. Much has been said and written about single use capsules or pods with calls to ban them. while the debate has been raging, Nespresso has been quietly doing its bit to reduce the impact of these convenient caffeine hits. The basis of this is a robust recycling program it has rolled out around the world with 123,000 collection points…
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Six Really Cool Things About Traveling Through Qatar’s Hamad International Airport
I will be honest when Hamad International Airport opened I was a little miffed. The old airport was at the end of my street. I could be off the plane and home in a matter of minutes. But the mammoth new airport, which has already welcomed 120 million passengers has grown on me – it has so much to offer travelers, especially on Qatar Airways, beyond being a means to an end in air travel. Here’s what I love about this airport and what you should be looking for when you fly through here: There’s a bear in there... You can only have so many coffees to pass the time…
