Restaurants & Eating out in Doha

Talking about favourite foods leads me to talk about restaurants.  Our favourite restaurant choices are always Lebanese, Persian, Turkish, Syrian, or some Arabian type where the waitstaff are perennially courteous and prompt, the menus display mouth-watering fare making it difficult to choose just the right dish, and the ambiance - always a pleasure.  The restaurants exude a quiet, oasis-like quality, some richer in style than others, but always interesting decor featuring geometric patterns in wood paneling and floors, stained glass lamps, silk and satin cushions, and Persian rugs scattered with abandon.

A frequent stop was Sarai - a Turkish style restaurant, complete with waiters in traditional costume.  Low lighting, clay floors and dark wood lent an olde worlde charm, together with dishes that were quite out of the ordinary.    

At Tajine, the Moroccan restaurant in Souq Waqif you can enjoy traditional Tajine which refers to both the pot the food is cooked in and the food within. The design of the earthenware pot stops condensate from leaving the pot, retaining all flavour until the tender meat is placed in front of you and the lid of the top removed.  While the service is absolutely hopeless - the food is excellent, and after your meal you can relax on tables outside the restaurant on the cobbled road watching the world go by. 

Another Souq Waqif must is Al Bandar Seafood restaurant.  It sits on the outskirts of the souq with window views looking out onto Al Corniche and the West Bay skyline.  Inside there are enormous fish tanks with beautifully coloured tropical fish lazily swimming about.  And if that's not enough to relax you, there is always the opportunity for a masseuse who will proceed to give you a stress-relieving shoulder, arm and hand massage while you wait for your meal to appear.

Souq Waqif is definitely a favourite haunt - never tired of going there, and always find a delightful restaurant.  Isfahan Restaurant is an absolute must for the tourist and the food is good, too!  It is decked out in mirrored tiles, and an assortment of artifacts that never cease to amaze.  You can eat Iranian style sitting on a cushion on a carpet, or the more conventional table and chairs method.  According to my sources, it took 2 years to complete and cost over a million riyals due to it's glass mozaic which runs from the floor to the ceilings. There's also some amazing artistic designs on the wall. 

We were introduced to Turkey Central by Patsy and John, and would go there again and again.  Simple, down home Turkish food, eating along banks of formica tables.  Noisy, wholesome, and friendly.  An entire meal, including drinks, appetizers and entrees for seven people: $30 - what's not to like? 

And last, but not least - Ric's Kountry Kitchen - a greasy spoon breakfast diner, a home away from home, where we were happy to get our fill of fried eggs, hash browns and grilled tomato.  No luck on the bacon, however.  But the nostalgic atmosphere made us feel right at home - formica tables, Calgary Stampede posters on the walls, together with American State flags and a few Canadian ones too.   Always full, and always ex-pats, mostly North Americans.

Bon Appetit!