A Month In Food

A Month In Food, October 2015

Being that I have a job that relies on me going out to eat, October was one of my busiest monthes yet! I got to experience some new and awesome things for the first time. Grab a tissue because I promise you, there will be saliva.

French-Qatari Fusion

As a fan of this restaurant (which I’ve only tried for lunch), I was elated when asked to organize a fine dining experience meetup at IDAM by Alain Ducasse to showcase their new autumn dinner menu. There is nothing like this true gem on the 5th floor of the Museum of Islamic Art.

For the first time, I willingly tried snails – SNAILS – and cleared my plate of it. I was never tempted to try snails or escargot but when I realized that was on the menu, I knew it was now or never to try it out. It was absolutely flavorful, sweet and without any bitter aftertaste, just perfection.

As an American, we are easily fooled when it comes to portions. However, we tend to forget that quality is above quantity. True, portions are small but extremely rich in flavor, you will leave stuffed . Start with the amazing breads and cleanse with the fantastic grape mocktails.

IDAM brings fine dining and mutli-ethinic fusion to another level, under one very beautiful roof. Even before the food arrives, you are engulfed in a once in a lifetime experience that is to be had again and again. You leave knowing you’ve experienced everything that is to be experienced from the meticulous details of the decor to the elegance of it all.

Sushi

Now if you know me as well as you should peeps, you know I’m not a fan of sushi. I know, I know, I’m from California, home of the California Roll, it should be in my blood, blah blah blah. That’s not the case! Everyone I know but my little brother appreciates sushi. What’s my excuse? I can’t get past the “raw” factor of sushi. Give me seaweed, give me tofu in miso soup, but never raw fish.

Two foodie meetups allowed me to try some really good sushi. First was at Asia Live of Marriot Doha, where I actually went for seconds on this amazing Dragon Roll. Made with cooked tuna, shrimp and eel, it was absolutely spectacular. Many of us foodies went for seconds and thirds, it was that good. No aftertaste of sorts as I would’ve expected from an eel or mix of flavors. This is Asia Live’s most popular dish for only 50QR!

Another spot with some really creative takes on sushi was Blue of Grand Heritage Hotel. We were given the opportunity during our meetup to try some new and popular sushis, including fried sushi and tempura sushi. Seriously, there was a lot of variety I didn’t even know I could like let alone eat by the mouthfuls. I’ve learned that if the sushi contents are cooked or at least smoked, I’m all over it!

South Indian

There is a lot of misconception when it comes to South Indian cuisine, mainly because it’s already so diverse as it is. Mainly known for being vegetarian, not all foods out of South India is strictly that. However, we got a taste of it all at our foodie meetup hosted by Dakshin in Barwa Village.

I got to have a taste of a few dishes familiar and new but the one new dish that stood out for me was the Murungakkai Soup. A lentils and drumstick soup spiced to perfection. Adding on top some really crispy and addictive chakkaras (think: airy crackers) for some pop, literally! The soup is just so warm and filling, it would be perfect for a San Francisco winter.

And at Dakshin, knowing that not everyone can handle the level of Indian spicy, they really do accomodate the level of spiciness your palette can handle. I recommend checking out their very diverse menu, selecting a few items and going on a South Indian taste journey.

Until next time peeps, stay hungry!