AL-KARAWAN
From the abandoned civil servant office vibe, to the metal drums full of fuul and ta3amiya, to the plastic jugs of manga, right down to the type of spelling errors in the English translation of the menu, this place and the people working in it could not be more Masry. Wallahi fazi3a 2awi! Feels like home. Continue reading
Posted in Doha, Egyptian, On the Cheap, Winning Streak
June/July/August
All TBRs TBD
Posted in Beirut, Dubai, New York, On the Road Again, Sneak Peek, TBR
adj. so beyond crappy as to be fanstasically crappy
Stay Tuned for one massive review of the following Chocolatiers:
Gregory Renard
Cacao et Chocolat
Chocolat Michel Cluizel
Dalloyau Paris
L’Atelier du Chocolat de Bayonne
Jean-Paul Hevin
Jeff de Bruges
[+ Local Qatari chocolate shop "Chocolateno" NOW REVIEWED here]
Posted in Chocolate, On the Road Again, Paris, TBR
La Maison du Caviar
Royal Palace of Bokhary [NOW REVIEWED here]
Lo Spagetto
al-Karawan [NOW REVIEWED here]
Wahm [NOW REVIEWED here]
Spice Market
Cinque Sensi
¥en Sushi Bar [NOW REVIEWED here]
Posted in All Cuisine, Doha, Drink, TBR
LA VERANDA
FIND IT:
From the moment we walked in, I was skeptical. The cheesy décor brought on an instant vomlet, and the aging American style “salad bar” that greeted us at the entrance was equally off-putting for a place that touted itself as “an original Italian restaurant.”
But in all fairness to my companion, who touted the restaurant as “a great seaside locale” and who practically grew up at the adjoining Sheraton Doha recreation club and thus could share with me its history and some personal anecdotes, the setting did not disappoint. The outdoor area was earthy, homey, with a short grass lawn and occasional inlaid flat stones. From our table, we could see across the bay the elegant and austere Museum of Islamic Art, all lit up, and on our post-dinner walk down the coast, a smattering of skyscrapers-in-progress, each vying for the top spot in the Doha skyline.
You want to know: should I eat there or just go for an evening stroll? Well, you decide. Continue reading
Posted in Doha, Italian, Yani So-So
DESSERT STOMACH THEORY: The saying “there’s always room for dessert” will be vindicated with the ultimate discovery of a tiny, separate ‘dessert stomach,’ as small as the gall bladder, and perhaps located between the ‘meal stomach’ and the pancreas or liver. The dessert stomach, being a separate and self-contained organ, never fills up with savory foods even with highly gluttonous eating during main meals. When one takes the first bite of a dessert, salivary glands send a message to the brain, which then instructs a valve in the esophagus to redirect the digestive path from the meal stomach to the dessert stomach, which is only capable of digesting desserts.
VOMLET: (diminutive form of vomit)
n. a tiny lump of vomit that makes its way into the mouth, is not sufficiently voluminous to puke up or to spit out and must inevitably be swallowed after it sits uncomfortably in the mouth for no more than five seconds;
v. to react out of repulsion or disgust; the act beyond gagging and short of vomiting, usually accompanied by a cupping of the mouth with the hand.
Example: The sudden free fall in the markets induced vomletting on trading floors worldwide last October.
Posted in Critique Geek Glossary of Terms
TBR: (“To Be Reviewed”)
n. any place on the short list of establishments I intend to feature in upcoming posts
adj. appearing on or worthy of the TBR list
v. to place something on the TBR list, mentally or by blog posting
Example: [As a reply to someone who highly recommends a restaurant] “Ooh, good suggestion. I haven’t been there yet, but I’ll TBR that one.”
Posted in Critique Geek Glossary of Terms, TBR
