A Decadent Binge In Doha

Qatar’s Capital Rustles Up A Culinary Storm. From Armenian Samosa To Baby Hamour Ceviche, Here Are Five Food Experiences That Make The City Delicious

- Ananya Bahl

But butter chicken is on the iftar menu!” announces Hameed, my guide in Doha. His excited declaration, a few days before Ramadan, tells me a lot. Whether the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach is debatable, but it is a fairly handy tip when you’re in Doha. Breaking bread with the locals (men and women) or simply talking about food is the easiest way to befriend them. Born in Palestine and raised in Doha, with a SyrianPalestinian wife who can rustle up a mean Indian meal, Hameed is a good indicator of the city’s cosmopolitanism.

Over the years, fluid trade relations have ensured that Doha houses a large number of expats. The coexistence means that its culinary milieu imbibes a sea of foreign flavours. Here, you will find yourself in a Moroccan eatery as easily as you might dig into a Lebanese cold mezze platter, as the heady concurrence of Turkish, Indian, Armenian, and Japanese cuisine (among others) jostle for your attention across the city. Little wonder that gastronomic outings monopolise the average Doha resident’s social calendar, serving well to make up for the restrictions on alcohol, or a thriving nightlife. Here are five food experiences that exemplify Doha’s mouth-watering culinary landscape.

THE RAMSAY RELISH

It might be hell in his kitchen, but what’s on your plate is nothing short of bliss. Opal By Gordon Ramsay, at the St. Regis Doha, boasts the largest sommelier’s collection in the city, but for me, it is the breezy European bistro-like setting and the gourmet pizza station that seals the ‘Gordon Ramsay experience’.