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…
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Just Leave it Brie
*Warning this post contains bad puns about cheese. I am a bit of a conservative when it comes to my cheese. The more unadulterated, the better. The only exception being truffle brie. On a recent supermarket spree, I found two new hybrid cheeses – a truffle Moliterno and a bruschetta brie. For me, the Moliterno was the more successful hybrid. Unlike most truffled cheeses (where the cheese is added at the last minute before sale), the wheels age for about six months before being infused with pure black truffle paste, so that the cheese develops a very particular character and depth. The vein of truffle is part of the cheese, not an…
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Looking for Truffle
I’ve put on the record previously my love of simple food, but there is one luxurious ingredient that always gets me going – the truffle. The earthiness really appeals to my savory palate. I love to do the food version of “high/low” in fashion (mixing high end with high street) and especially love them on fries and pasta. The white truffle comes from the Piedmont region in and can fetch more than $USD4500 a kilo at market. that’s no small change If you are in The Four Season Doha is hosting a white truffle dinner this week (23 October), with a selection of truffle -friendly dishes paired with wine (or without). They…
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Making the World a Cheddar Place
They say that familiarity breeds contempt. This is perhaps why I always forget about cheddar as a legitimate contender in my own pantheon of great cheeses. I mean, it’s one of the first cheeses we come across in our lives. I remember cheddar cheese sandwiches on white bread as a child and learning to smother them in mustard. I also remember Saturday lunches, when after doing the shopping, Mum would fill the dining table with cold meats from the local deli, freshly slices tomatoes and of course, slices of cheddar. We would then make our own sandwiches on fluffy white rolls. I came across this cheddar Jones the Grocer, and…
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Fromage to Eternity
As we slide (or stagger) into the business end of the year, I find myself looking for distractions. So when I got a message via the Twitter that went something along the lines of “We have a new menu Market at W Doha, there are 20 new items. There is lots of cheese”, I declare a “Distraction Action” and head westwards. And the Twitter doesn’t lie. The new menu has cheese. Lots of it. And other amazing things as well. Starting with these balls of deliciousness. Cheddar chilli fritters. Give me cheddar and add some green chilis then deep fry it? Yes please. This is what I like about cheddar,…
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Heavy Breathing – I Just Want (Brin) D’Amor Cheese
Well before this blog came into beng, I would frequent the cheese counter of a food hall within a hotel in Doha called La Cigale. I would spend Friday afternoons, and a good chunk of my earnings from several jobs, there. But as happens, familiarity bred contempt. I went there too often. I started to notice they weren’t taking care of the cheese. The staff weren’t as helpful. And we fell out of love. Actually, if I am pressed, I do say the main reason I stopped going was that the valet parking there is rubbish (white girl problems anyone?). But, in a fit of nostalgia (homesickness and missing people),…
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Who moved my cheese?
My grand plan to launch the blog with the much discussed truffle brie melted faster than a Kraft Single on white bread under the griller. I forked out close to $15 for a hunk of the prized cheese but somehow managed to lose it between the store and my house – it’s somewhere in Doha, stinking up a storm. I would like to hope it went to a good home. Sadly I think it was just thrown away. I had intended to share the brie with a French friend, a triumphant start to the blog. But instead had to confess my crime. And to a French person, losing any brie,…