Weekend eating: a Doha review blog

Sunday 26 October 2014

It's no secret that our favourite thing to do on a Saturday is eat. Large breakfast spreads, roast dinners, three course meals that drag on long into the afternoon so that lunch merges into supper which merges into one last evening snack... But we're OK with that.


This Saturday however, I feel that even Rich and I did ourselves proud. I woke up in the early hours of the morning (9 am) craving pancakes and immediately begun my research to find somewhere to fill the void.

Just a few tweets later, and we were sorted.



As a communications specialist, social media is an important part of my job, so you can imagine how impressed I am when a company goes the extra mile to deliver a top notch social media experience for their customers. It's becoming more and more common - you just have to look to the likes of WholeFoods with their genuine care over customer experience, XBox with their 'Elite Tweet Fleet' and my absolute favourites, Innocent Drinks with their hilarious customer engagement and banter and you can see that companies are starting to take this stuff seriously. And the W Hotel Doha is no exception.

Unfortunately, we got held up on FaceTime to a friend and let the side down somewhat.


Feeling bad, we rushed to our taxi and hot-footed it to the W Cafe where we met Ice, Head Tweeter (official title) for the W Hotel, Doha.


Who also happens to be a bit of a ledge.

Having apologised profusely to Ice and all of the staff for arriving too late to enjoy their impressive pancake efforts, we weren't expecting them to pull it out of the bag for a second time.


But they did. And that of course, is what great customer service is about.

Doha people, get yourselves down to the W Cafe for breakfast (preferably before 11.30am) - brilliant fluffy American pancakes, crepes and the biggest pot of tea you will ever see. And of course, on the way, don't forget to drop a tweet to Ice. He's just moved to Doha from the US of A so make him feel welcome!

Having enjoyed our appetiser, we decided it was time for the real deal, and feeling pretty lazy, we walked approximately 20 steps to the door of our favourite Italian, La Spiga.


We'd heard that they had added a few items to their Express Menu and couldn't wait to sample a few of them.

Tender Beef Carpaccio


Salmon Tartare, an old time favourite


Rich and vibrant Sausage Penne


The most delicate and beautiful Cheese Ravioli with Sage and Truffle


Pretty as a picture Chocolate Pudding


And exquisite Lemon Panna Cotta with Mint


All washed down with the lightest, fruitiest Valpolicella you'll ever drink (or in my case, the only one I've ever drunk...but it was bloody good).


The best bit? For QAR95, this really is the best and cheapest place for lunch in Doha on a Saturday.

We left the W the way we always do, with full stomachs and happy faces.


Before we knew it, the sun had slipped behind the horizon, and it was time for our next meal.

Amazingly, we were both hungry again.

Not content with the uninspiring contents of the kitchen cupboards, and feeling far too lazy to head to the supermarket, we naughtily agreed we would head out for food once again. Now I know what you're thinking - 'you lazy, decadent expats! Nobody ever eats like this in London!!' - and you would be right. But I am taking this opportunity to state publicly that the austerity drive starts right here. Rich and I are quite literally eating into our wedding fund.

Nevertheless, for that night at least, we were going to make the most of it. We hopped across the way to our favourite poolside restaurant, Mykonos at the Old Intercontinental. 


This place has such a chilled out vibe - with live music, beautiful views and casual but attentive service.

We went for our two favourite dishes to share.

Prawn Saganaki in a crispy bread shell


And beautifully layered and moreish Vegetable Moussaka.


After we'd scraped our plates, we rolled down the path to the beach full of contentment.


We'd just experienced all of the elements of a perfect Saturday.



Check, check, check and check.

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