FACT Qatar December 2012

THE SMART MONTHLY GUIDE TO LIFE IN QATAR

FACT M.E. - QATAR EDITION

FASHION. ART. CULTURE. TECHNOLOGY DECEMBER 2012

VOL 2, ISSUE 8 QR10

! ay a IN W g aw nth! e givin o

We’r ay this m o gift a dd out how t up Fin d what’s an n e ter for grabs .22) (p

BD1

This month...

ASK THE CHEFS Baking recipes from the country’s top pastry chefs (p.32)

The experts let you in on the secrets of the perfect barbecue (p.36)

We get to know the new dishes of Tomasso Faganelli at Carluccio’s

DECEMBER 2012

(p.76)

ISSUE 19

Michelinstarred magic

We speak to the master of French cuisine, Mr Guy Savoy himself, about his new restaurant at The Pearl (p.28)

2

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

THE SMART MONTHLY GUIDE TO LIFE IN QATAR

FACT M.E. - QATAR EDITION

FASHION. ART. CULTURE. TECHNOLOGY DECEMBER 2012

VOL 2, ISSUE 8 QR10

BD1

This month...

ASK THE CHEFS

Baking recipes from the country’s top pastry chefs

INaw! ay a W e giving onth!

(p.32)

The experts let you in on the secrets of the perfect barbecue

We’r y this m gift a da out how toup Find d what’s an enter for grabs

(p.36)

)

(p.22

We get to know the new dishes of Tomasso Faganelli at Carluccio’s

DECEMBER 2012

(p.76)

8 Mathaf’s New Exhibits

The Arab Museum of Modern Art reopens with two great exhibitions

8

NOTEWORTHY

16 2012 Retrospective

We look back over the past year and share our favourite stories

18 Festive Events

Michelinstarred

ISSUE 19

magic

We speak to the master of French cuisine, Mr Guy Savoy himself, about his new restaurant at The Pearl (p.28)

28/11/2012 16:51

FACT Magazine M.E. Qatar Edition December 2012 Volume 2 Issue 8

Published by FACT M.E. Publishing W.L.L. Office 53, Building 872, Road 3618, Block 436, Seef. Bahrain Chairman Mubarak Bin Rashed Al Khalifa Chief Operating Officer Rami Khalil Editor-in-Chief Tony Sidgwick (editor@factlive.com) Editor Katy Gillett (katy@factlive.com) Deputy Editor Zara de Haldevang Fashion Writer Nefeli Christofides Regional Sales Manager Laura Alvarez Designer Rashed Bindaina Distribution & Office Manager Hayley Elaine Photography Contributors George Mathews Rashed Bindaina Creative Designs Distributed in Qatar by Dar Al Sharq ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Tel: +973 1721 6099 E-mail: laura@factlive.com All Rights Reserved. Opinion expressed within does not necessarily represent the opinion of the publisher.

All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy of the information within this publication. However, FACT M.E. Publishing cannot accept legal responsibility for any erroneous content or omissions.

There’s so much going on this month!

We list where’s worth checking out...

28 The Fine Art of French Quisine

28

CULTURE

We meet legendary French chef Guy Savoy to talk about his newest restaurant right here in Doha

32 Tasty Treats

Qatar’s top pastry chefs share their favourite festive baking recipes

36 The Perfect Barbecue

We get top tips from the experts on how to put on the best BBQ

40 Faces of Photography

We speak to Habeeb Mohammed Abu-Futtaim and he shares his latest images

40

ARTS

46 The Hobbit

The prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy is out soon and it’s going to be epic...

52 The Gadget Gift Guide We’ve come up with some great techy gift ideas

TECHNOLOGY

52

56 The Lamborghini!

Ali Driver had his year made when he got to test drive the ‘raging bull’

60 Mitsubishi Lancer Fortis This great economical ride goes for a spin with Ali Driver

64 The Andy Warhol Collection Pepe Jeans celebrates consumerism this season

64

FASHION

66 Winter Wardrobe

Look your best at festive events with our breakdown of what’s on trend

INDEX 73 FACT QATAR DECEMBER

3

Carnegie Mellon.

We created the first Internet search engine.

We helped develop artificial intelligence.

We revolutionized business education.

We led the convergence of information technology and biology.

And that’s just our first 112 years.

Biological Sciences | Business Administration | Computational Biology | Computer Science | Information Systems

www.qatar.cmu.edu 4

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

Andrew Carnegie, Founder

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

5

NOTEWORTHY

FROM THE EDITOR It’s The Final Countdown…

THE festive season is upon us and the end of the world is nigh (apparently).

What a juxtaposition that is.

There’s no denying that the lights are being switched on, the sound of gingerbread snapping can be heard and the smell of cinnamon penetrates the air, but are we really doomed for all eternity? Now there’s a question…

Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, according to the Maya civilisation, Armageddon is supposed to strike on December 21, 2012. For years now, doomsayers the world over have been churning out plenty of theories to support this.

It is certainly a bit too reminiscent of the Y2K bug or numerous pandemic scares. But whether it’s true or not, we’re not wasting any time and we’re out to enjoy ourselves this winter (only because of the prediction of course…).

That’s the thing about being in Qatar though, there’s plenty of opportunity to enjoy yourself! Just check out our festive events calendar (on page 18 to 21) if you don’t believe us. And we’ve had to trim it down to the bare minimum, so keep an eye out online, where we’ll be keeping you up-to-date with more

goings-on throughout the month.

Before you complain that you don’t have enough cash to spare for it all, let me tell you, we anticipated just this...

So, we spoke to some of our friends to offer you the chance to win some great gifts (see page 24 for more). Every day for 25 days throughout December your name will be entered into a draw to win any one of these prizes just for liking, following, sharing and retweeting us on Facebook and/or Twitter. Simples!

If going out isn’t your thing this winter, however, we’ve got some great tips from the experts on how you can enjoy yourself in the kitchen and outdoors. We rounded up some of the country’s best pastry chefs to share their recipes for festive baking (page 32), and spoke to two more chefs for tips on how to have the perfect barbecue (page 36). ‘Tis the season after all!

There’s plenty more to find in this issue, too, from December fashions (page 64-71) and movies (page 46) to happenings all throughout our INDEX section (which, in case you didn’t notice, has expanded – see page 73 onwards!).

In the mean time, happy reading, have fun and see in 2013 (alive and kicking!).

Katy Gillett Editor katy@factlive.com

My favourite story this issue The Fine Art of French Quisine p.28-31 We were star struck when we got to interview and photograph THE Guy Savoy after he opened his new restaurant at The Pearl. I’ve not shut up about the experience and his food since...

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

News from the

FACT Penthouse

We teamed up with a bunch of our friends to find 25 days worth of gifts for you, dear readers, to win throughout December. Never say we don’t love you!

We’re spreading our wings and after a little revamping of our INDEX section you’ll now find listings for Travel and Community. Let us know if you have a story to share! We did our first interview on social media for everyone to see last month with W Doha’s Twitter Master, Laurens Griep. Online is certainly part of the future but it’ll never quite beat an old-fashioned face-to-face.

He was a great interviewee though!

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

7

NOTEWORTHY DECEMBER 1

SAT

-FACT Festive Giveaways Promotion (see p. 24) -Jazz Afternoon Tea @ St Regis Doha (see p.18)

2

SUN

3

MON

4

TUE

5

WED

-Chamber Music Series with Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (see p.18)

6

-Sami Yusuf in concert at Katara (see p. 12) -Chamber Music Series with Qatar Philharmonic THUR Orchestra (see p.18)

7

FRI

8

-Chamber Music Series with Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (see p.18) -Jazz Afternoon Tea @ St Regis Doha (see p.18)

SAT

9

SUN

10

-Doha GOALS conference starts (see p.87)

MON

11 TUE

12 WED

-Chamber Music Series with Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (see p.18) -The Youth Company’s Run The World festival begins (see p.84)

Abou Nassar @ St Regis Doha (see p.12) 13 -Nemr -Chamber Music Series with Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (see p.18) THUR

14 FRI

15

-411 Doha Exclusive with Dj Bliss @ Crystal (see p.18) -Jazz Afternoon Tea @ St Regis Doha (see p.18)

SAT

16 SUN

17 MON

18 TUE

19 WED

20 THUR

21 FRI

22 SAT

-Qatari Week @ Grand Gourmet in Wyndham Grand Regency (see p.18) -Qatari Week @ Grand Gourmet in Wyndham Grand Regency (see p.18) -Qatar’s National Day! (see p.12) -Qatari Week @ Grand Gourmet in Wyndham Grand Regency (see p.18) -Qatari Week @ Grand Gourmet in Wyndham Grand Regency (see p.18) -Qatari Week @ Grand Gourmet in Wyndham Grand Regency (see p.18) -Big Friday Night with LED percussionist Safix @ Crystal (see p.18) -The Youth Company’s Run The World festival ends (see p.84)

23 SUN

24

-Christmas Eve events (see p.19)

MON

25 -Christmas Day events (see p.19) TUE

26 WED

27 THUR

28 FRI

-Christmas feast @ Hyde Park Coffee Shop in Radisson Blu (see p.18)

29 SAT

30 SUN

31

-New Year’s Eve events (see p.20)

MON

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

The Much Awaited Mathaf Opening After a long summer hiatus, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art has reopened its doors to the public with two fantastic new exhibitions that are definitely worth exploring.

A

sophisticated soiree was held for the reopening of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art last month, and international art critics and lovers flew in for the occasion. The museum was alive with a hive of activity after being closed since May. Everyone was interested to see what the team had been working on and anticipating the impact of their latest exhibitions. As we at FACT wandered around the winding hallways of the space to find, at every turn, an intriguing work or statement, we decided it was worth the wait.

Tea with Nefertiti

Tea with Nefertiti is based on the fascinating concept of how an artwork can have many meanings and functions, exploring various narratives and historical contexts. Using Egyptian collections as a case study, the exhibition features works that question the framing of cultures and explores how the artwork is presented and therefore evaluated.

It asks questions such as: Would a piece be less important without the artists’ name attached?

Curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath of Art Reoriented in New York and Munich, Tea with Nefertiti features 80 artworks dating from ca 1800 BC to 2012 and is organised along three themes: The Artist’s Perspective, which looks at the art through the creators’ eyes and examines the process of creation; The Museum’s Perspective, that asks how the meaning of an artwork is changed when viewed in the context of a museum exhibition; and The Public’s Perspective, which considers the role of social constructs such as mass media and collective history.

The entire exhibition is the result of two years of academic research by its curators.

“It is a reflection of a curatorial desire to challenge the mechanisms of visual and literary display through which the artwork is conventionally presented,” they said. “It invites people to become more critical of how they look at exhibitions in general.”

Tea with Nefertiti will run until 31st March 2013

Forever Now: Five Anecdotes from the Permanent Collection

is and Anub J&K, HorusCairo, 2006, in Islamicment print on Photo (pig cm x 112 cm, paper), 75J&K, Courtesy Copyright of the Artists Jewad Selim, Baghdadiat, 1956, Mixed media on hardboard, 98.5 cm x 169 cm

a Fahrelnissés lit Zeid, Réa ew (N Nouvelle ies), Realit on 1954, Oil 0 canvas, 20 cm 9 9. cm x 27 Mode in which th Memnon’e young s he (now in thad e British M us was rem eum) ov ed

by G. Bel Copyrig zoni.

Trusteesht-The British M of the useum

This exhibition – the first in a series - comes from the museum’s desire to promote understanding of its unique permanent collection and the visual history of modernity in the Arab World.

It features 57 works from the museum’s collection of five diverse modern Arab artists: Fahrelnissa Zeid, Jewad Selim, Saliba Al-Doueihy, Salim Al-Dabbagh, and Ahmed Cherkaoui.

Its aim is to examine the artists’ interaction with their environment, history and culture, tracing the work and context of these artists and offering a dialogue between history, fact and interpretation.

The five selected artists are from various backgrounds, cultures and use different artistic techniques but are united in their processes, heritage, geography and aspirations.

Mathaf founder H.E. Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani said, “This is a great opportunity to continue the exploration of modern art from the Arab world that began with the inception of Mathaf.”

Forever Now will run until 1st June 2013.

QUOTE OF

THE MONTH

“DFI were the first believers in the film from the inception, and they stood by us and helped us to move this from being a dream to a reality.”

Film Director Mira Nair,

commenting on the support she received from the Doha Film Institute in making her movie, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, at the DTFF premier of the film last month.

A reflection of a curatorial desire to challenge the mechanisms of visual and literary display through which the artwork is conventionally presented FACT QATAR DECEMBER

9

NOTEWORTHY THE SCOPE

LOVE IT !

Qatar Goes Gangnam!

SO OBVIOUS!

Towering Heights

The Quick Fix

The Qatar Tribune reported last month that the demand for liposuction has increased as the country’s issues with obesity also rise. A senior consultant plastic surgeon, Dr Habib al Basti, told the paper that HMC takes around 10,000 plastic surgery cases a year and that demands for other procedures, such as rhinoplasty, have also gained popularity. FACT is against liposuction as a quick fix for weight loss (unless it is medically necessary!). Healthy eating and exercise are the solutions. We advise under-29s to check out The Youth Company’s Run The World Festival event this month for more tips and tricks.

After two years of delays, Qatari Diar have announced plans to re-start development of the Doha Convention Center and Tower, according to Trade Arabia News. The postponement was due to concerns that the building, which is supposed to include the world’s second-largest tower, would get in the way of air traffic from the new airport. With the airport opening now on hold, the construction will reportedly go ahead. However, bids from contractors are said to still be coming in so we would have to ask you all to watch this space and the sky.

CAN’T BELIEVE IT

You will have to have been living under a rock in the ocean if you haven’t already seen the video for PSY-Gangnam Style.

Naturally, with any global smash hit, spoofs are springing up all over the place. We were very happy to see the Saudi Gangnam Style but even more amused when we found our very own Doha version! Jann Earl Pereira and wife Leah Paulo took to the corniche, Katara, The Pearl and Souq Waqif and created something that certainly made us smile.

Search Oppa Gangnam Style w/ 2toy & Duday on YouTube to see for yourself.

HATE IT! Tony’s Question of the Month:

T

The End is Nigh!

he end of the year, that is.

The end of the world is most definitely not nigh. If you are even slightly worried that the world is actually going to end in December because of some incomplete calendar made several thousand years ago by a civilisation that practiced human sacrifice and sun worship, then you need to put this magazine down, and go find a nice, quiet, dark place to curl up in and mutter away to yourself while rocking back and forth…

And, if by some strange chance, the world does decide to implode, all I can say is that it had better do so AFTER the Gulf release of The Hobbit, because I am not missing that movie, apocalypse or no. And if

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

it’s the same day… well, then while the rest of the world is running around, screaming, dodging meteors and raining lava and trying not to fall into giant cracks between the earth’s tectonic plates, there will be one solitary person, sitting alone in a cinema with a bag of popcorn, watching the new Tolkien movie and praying that it finishes before the walls of the cinema come tumbling down around him…

It would be just bleedin’ typical that the world should end right before some of the best parties of the year. It couldn’t end in January, when all we’re facing is an empty bank account, an oversized belly from overindulgence and guilt-induced resolutions, could it?

I’m sure that after the excesses of the festive season a lot of people would welcome an apocalypse…

However, it’s all a bunch of c**p, so enjoy the month to the fullest.

There’s so much going on that you’ll never get round it all, but I expect all of you to give it a darn good try. And remember: Don’t feel guilty about eating or spending too much – that’s what January’s for!

And just in case you do happen to see a giant meteor hurtling towards earth, and you’re stuck for ideas on how to spend your last minutes, take a look at page 56 – because driving a Lamborghini is something EVERYONE should get to try at least once before departing this life…

THE DOHA MINUTE

“I LOVE 18th December - Qatar National Day - it’s a brilliant expression of passion and pride that can’t be described. You have to experience it.”

We caught up this month with long-time resident and PR and marketing consultant Kaarin Pfeffer.

Originally from Australia, Kaarin is happy to call Qatar her second home, and here we find out why.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN QATAR?

I arrived in Doha in 2009 after four wonderful years in Dubai. We packed up husband, teenager, our Australian mutt and adopted cat, and set off on a new adventure in Qatar.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT LIVING HERE?

MOST

The generosity and spirit of people living in Qatar and my wonderful Qatari friends, they have made me feel so welcome.

I have learned a lot about myself through them. I LOVE 18th December - Qatar National Day - it’s a brilliant expression of passion and pride that can’t be described. You have to experience it.

AND LEAST?

Driving – its like an extreme sport, on the edge and a little scary!

WHAT DO YOU DO TO SWITCH OFF AND RELAX?

Long, long lunches in our beautiful garden. I’m from Melbourne so food and entertaining is part of my DNA – there’s nothing better than firing up the BBQ and hanging out with friends. I love experimenting with new food. I tried pizza cooked on the BBQ last weekend and it worked! For a complete switch off my secret guilty pleasure is an episode of the Kardashians – don’t judge me!

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW.

My husband and I recently purchased a small private resort in Zanzibar. It is 100 metres from one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – just magical! I am about to start a blog on the joy and excitement of running a hotel in Zanzibar.

A friend thinks it would make for good reality TV – “Keeping up with Kaarin”, so stay tuned…

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

11

NOTEWORTHY

Have a Laugh with Nemr Abou Nassar

K

nown as Lebanon’s King of Comedy, stand-up comic Nemr Abou Nassar will be hitting Qatar’s shores this December 13 as St Regis Doha bring him over for an evening of raucous laughter.

Nemr already has credits that include headlining his own shows such as at Casino du Liban, producing/starring in the Beirut Stand Up Comedy Festival and the Middle East’s first live comedy radio show, The Comedy Revolution on Mix FM. He’s performed to packed auditoriums on his Middle East Tour through Jordan, Oman, Dubai and Bahrain, and is the only comedian to perform and sell out shows in some of Lebanon’s exclusive venues.

Suffice it to say, he’s a funny guy!

So don’t miss out as he will be taking to the stage in the St Regis Grand Ballroom at 8pm. The night includes a three-course meal and the show for QR345, or the meal, VIP seating and a meet and greet with the man himself, following his performance, for QR495.

GO: Call 4446 0105

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

Sami Yusuf in Concert

T

he British singersongwriter, composer, producer and all-round musician, Sami Yusuf, is heading to the Katara Amphitheatre on the 6th to put on a fantastically cultural performance for us Doha-ers.

Originally from Azerbaijan, Sami was born in Tehran, Iran and then brought up in London, England. He has played across four continents to packed out venues such as Wembley Arena in London, Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and The Veldrome in South Africa.

Sami is most famous for influencing the revival of Islamic music and combining it with modernity. He tends to personalise his performances,

however, singing in English, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Azeri and Malay, with numerous instruments of classical and ethnic origin.

He is said to be a charitable star, having reached out to those in need through his performances, and has become the first global ambassador of Silatech, a Qatari initiative that promotes entrepreneurial skills. The official concert announcement puts it like this: “Committed to crosscultural appreciation through promotion of universal values and celebration of the human spirit, Sami Yusuf avowed that in his world everybody exists and every culture is included.”

Hear, hear!

GO: Call 4408 1000

Celebrating Qatar’s National Day

O

n the Decembern 18, each year since 2007, Qatar has commemorated the day in 1878 when, under the ruler Shaikh Jassim Mohamed Al Thani, Qatar achieved national unity.

All over the country, and particularly on the Corniche, events including fireworks, historical re-enactments and other cultural programmes, will be held and organised by the State National Day Celebrations Organising Committee (SNDCOC). The day, which is an official non-working day, is considered to be an opportunity for Qatari nationals and expatriates alike to celebrate what it is to live in modern day Qatar.

We suggest you join in the fun where possible but seriously don’t bother driving around too much on that day! Park and walk, because at this time of year, it’s bound to be a beautiful day to be outside.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

13

NOTEWORTHY

The Twitter Master Revealed The faceless wonder behind the W Doha’s online activities reveals himself to FACT in an impromptu Twitter interview that made us smile. Here we feature our encounter with e-insider Laurens Griep, just in case you missed it…

W’s Laurens Griep

Check out our review of the W Doha in the November issue of FACT Qatar for more on this (available on our website, www.fact-magazine.com)

GO: Follow us on Twitter @FACT_Qatar

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

15

NOTEWORTHY

ARTS

The FACT 2012 Retrospective

Katara Amphit’s Opens! heatre

ARTS

It’s been a long time com opened its stunning amp ing, but Qatar’s cultu a spectacu lar show‌ hitheatre, with a star- ral village has finally studded laun ch and atara’s

K

a fantas Amphitheatre is annou tic open enter nce -air the weath tainment venue for live Amphithe the grand opening space for er’s pleasant, provi when not only atre. Since opening, of Katara’s the stars. cultural extravaganzasding a artists andprovided a platform Katara has for aspiring musicians, under Qatar And in fitting but also introd to uced a glamorous fashion, Katar and perfo world-renowned a hoste and d breathtakin ceremony, the larges rmers. As home musicians g and leadinattended by the Royalopening the Midd t open air amph to one of itheat le East, Katar g famil dignit y showcasing with a live aries and a is dedic res in contempor music show by legenVIPS, world and the diverse cultur ated to ary es the dary comp of the Amphithe well as classi oser Vang the perfe atre Qatar Philh cal music courtesy elis, as local artistsct stage for intern provides ationa armo of .� the l nic and Soprano Ange Orchestra, The archit ecture Yurlov Mosc la Gheorghiu famed itself is and the inspired byof the amphitheatre Vangelis is ow State Academic amph the a Greek comp Choir. many itheatres that can ancient Roman worked with still be seen parts of the oser bands in the several progressive who to Alexa in ndria, but world from Rome for writin 1960s, but became rock Islamic art with influe g the score famous winning movi the Gulf. to give the place a nces of to the touch of since work e Chariots of Fire. OscarWith the ed He panor on has numerous amic views projects, coastline, acclai including of to the infam the sound med people, theand seating for up Doha’s sheer splen track recrea to ous 80s Bladerunner, dour of the 5000 sci-fi tes place movie Alexa and more recen movie their glory,these ancient theatr tly, nder, es and the in starring Colin is considered and Angelina all in the Midd the largest Farrell Adding to Jolie.

As with thele East. old Roman dazzling lightthe visual spectacle acoustic techn theatres, ancie was a show iques regarded nt to be the by a man widely ensure that some were employed to Light Artist one stand centre of world’s ing in the above Doha, who painted thegreatest all over thethe stage could be heard amph to the ambie skies not clearly mesmerisin talking very itheatre, even if they’r nt and hosting the g sounds of Vangelis. e If you havenloudly. show And was ’t already Oscar-win ning Britis none other than Katara Amphitheatre, visited the Irons, round h Actor recommend then we stron gly event nicely ing off the star-s Jeremy is now one that you do so soon, tudded of the cultur as Speaking . not just Doha al epicentresthis , but the whole of president about the event, Katara’s region! said, “It is Abdulrahman Al-K GO: For hulaifi an incredible informa of its facilities tion on Katara honour to Cultural Village, and events,

You have to agree‌ it’s been a pretty interesting year! We took a look through our back issues and found some real gems, so we had to share‌

26

log on to

FACT QATA

R JANUARY

The Katara’s g in p e n he T O Amphitheatre Opens! Opening Remember when it was officially inaugurated?

Scene That was waaaay back in January. Since then we’ve

As ho one ofme to largest the amph open air eatres in the ith Middle East, Ka tara is dedicate d to showcas ing the diverse cu ltures of the wo rld.

and all www.katara.net .

ARTS

Scene

seen TEDx and Aida in the round. We profiled the opening of Katara Amphitheatre in January and then interviewed Dr Emad Sultan, Deputy General Manager of cultural affairs at Katara, about the opera in October. His love of opera and Aida shone through and we grabbed some great quotes from him about the arts in Qatar. Now we can’t wait to see what else the team at Katara has in store for us!

ticising RomGran unge search for the most As FACT continues the we were intrigued to , s– talented Qatari designers Ahmad’s latest collection see Dana Riad El-Haj fashion we speak about her Allure and Tops. Here Mickey Mouse. label, inspirations and‌

ions. and emot straight away, from any Arab icthe heart to end.� f you ask perso n, or beginning ves that Aida was speak ing n in the He belie choice because any persoh oper a they the perfect like this, such whic Midd le East,will say Aida ,� says in an opera the opportunity ty they have , ts depu of art know talen all forms Sulta n, thecultu ral g, Dr Ema d to showcase . “There’s actin ger of gene ral mana on one stage , philharmonic Kata ra. l arts, affair s at , created by singing, choir ballet, visua first The opera orchestra, iques, sounds, set Verdi, was Giuseppe at the Khedivial light techn t else do you it Wha rmed on n. perfo desig nt?� In fact, and e in Cairo Opera Hous24, 1871, and want to prese g the work me seein mber after costu anni Dece was

by Giov of set and that Dr conducted It is made up of sculptures Mitoraj, bring Bottesini. and tells the tale of designer Igor inspired to has four acts Emad was to Katara. ess Aida who by princ work ved an a i’s is ensla Nubi Verd director red and follow “The stage ,â€? he says. been captu army. We with I will say the Egyptian fantastic artist falls in love soldier ss of what her as she “Reg ardle it is not going Egyptian is an ambitiousmes. However heied or elaborateient because his called Rada ged to be marr eris, to be sufficand statues are all already arran’s daughter Amb sculptures world. They are to the Kinglf is faced with the around the een I met herse stic. betw who fanta choosing to started when “The idea we were looking decision of love and loyalty her own true a friend and rk, and we thought her people. fore a suitably at his artwowe do an opera that ed It is there to officially ‘why don’t s?’ and it evolv way t is dramatic the iconic Katara has his piece ‌ The resul c! urate of there publi lot inaug from tre to the will see a by amphithead, an avid fan of great. You that are inspired , Dr Ema “Verdi reaches your sculpturesthey don’t say Aida le, opera, says,ntly. It’s very simp s the era – insta battle of heart gh it’s full even thou

“I

so F. Why is fashion important to you? always D. It is what I have wanted to be, a fashion designer – creating beautiful, detailed and rich pieces is what makes me feel accomplished. Sketching and drawing silhouettes

FACT Adores

NOTEWOR THY

Y OTEWORTh

expo (see - QITCOM tech

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- QITCOM tech

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p.16)

expo (see p.16)

- QITCOM tech

s Calvin Harriha !

LIVE in Do

expo (see p.16)

iter, , singer, songwr is set Legendary Scottish DJ Calvin harris producer and gig in Doha in the to perform a live of the infamous latest instalment Parties this Global DJs Beach March!

the Scottish global alvin Harris is rose to fame with hitmaker who debut album, I his gold-sellingboasted two Top which and Created Disco, le in the 80’s’ Ten Singles, ‘Acceptab ‘The Girls’.

Ready for the Weekend, His second album,on the UK Album hit Number OneNumber One single 11 SUN Charts, with one single cementing and one Top Fivestatus.

12 the artist’s a-list worked with a MON He has since producing 13 long list of artists, TUE ping and mixing chart-top likes of 14 singles for the , Dizzee WED Kylie Minogue J. Blige, 15 Rascal, Mary Tinchy THUR the Ting Tings,Rihanna, 16 Strider and FRI no less. played has He 17 of the SAT any alongside care to greats you’d Faithless 18 SUN mention, from Armada and Groove 19 Cox, MON to Tiesto, Carl Afrojack and Rihanna.on 20 TUE He is currently tour a massive world release of 21 WED ahead of the (see p10) album, Rally in Doha - MENA hOG this third studio , which 22 as yet unnamed the THUR (see p10) Rally in Doha - MENA hOG has so far produced l singles 23 successfu hugely FRI (which (see p10) Rally in Doha - MENA hOG ‘Awooga’, ‘Bounce’ Kelis and 24 featured singer Two) SAT debuted at Number 25 and ‘Feel So Close’.

SUN be playing Harris will at the 26 on the beach Doha on MON InterContinentallatest Global March 8, in the This is a gig 27 hotel TUE @ Renaissance DJs Beach Party.don’t want to Symposium - Peter Fisk y definitel p12) (see you 28 WED miss!

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booking Calvin are you about How excited in Qatar?

DJ, and having Harris to play Calvin is an awesome that the world, I know I’m super excited! his music a few times around seen him live how to work the crowd and organizer, DJ as well as theand it goes he really knows Doha. Being a is perfect for a lot of Calvin’s music before I know how played dancefloor, so massive tunes.

I have ly well on the down amazing when he drops one of hisCalvin’s music people will react event for the country as collaboration with his recent which was This is a massive at the moment status is A-list on the track ‘We Found Love’, the charts topped and with Rihanna single of 2011 the biggest-selling time. for weeks at a and r in Europe ces in hugely popula Calvin was how do you think audien America, so him?

I don’t right now, and Qatar will receive Everyone all over the world Calvin is huge be any different here in Qatar. looking to excite think that will it, I’m sure. We are always is at the peak of will be up for and to land Calvin when he and surprise, amazing. his career is simply Harris’s music?

Calvin of where are you How big a fan– his first and second albums no one else had new sound that I love his music fresh a producing records incredible, offering a-list artists. is amazingly talented, at the time. He , Dizzee Rascal and otherfew years have for Kylie Minoguehe has released in the last I’m a massive you could say All of the tracks or bombs; so, been danceflo Harris! the fan of Calvin to most about looking forward you are What – so many happy concert? better are always special The beach eventshappy faces; there is nothing the night away people, so many new s of people rocking having fun, meeting than seeing thousand to warming up hottest music, listening to the personally looking forward people, and I’m with my buddy Paul Mendez. for Calvin Harris

at Virgin are on sale and online at GO: Tickets for ntal Hotel, tore.me. Ticketsare the InterContine virginmegas gents www.tickets. and tickets forAge 21+ ladies are QR150, tickets are QR300.

QR200. VIP information, log on to only. For moreJs.org. www.GlobalD

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10 Qatar feb

FACT QATAR

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FEBRUARY

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TICKETS to

Music LIVE in Doha

We’ve had some fantastic concerts over the year thanks to the Global DJs crew; James Blunt, Calvin Harris, Beardyman, DJ Fresh and Alexandra Stan.

We have to admit‌ Beardyman was our favourite – he’s just so creative!

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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see James Because we Blunt! tickets for the love you guys so much James Blunt , question: concert thiswe’ve arranged to give month. All you have toaway two premium fan-p do is answ What is the er the follow it name of Jame ing s Blunt’s lates Send your t album? chance of answers to editor@fa winning. Good ctlive.com no later than luck!

Sunday 12th February to be in with a

Qatar feb 25/01/20Issue.ind d 11 12 18:35

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Ahmed Gamal

Kickstarting Local Comedy

Issa El Fahoum

Ameer Skyholder

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29

We’re currently on a quest to find all the fabulous Qatar-based fashion designers and last month we were very pleased to find Virginia Commonwealth graduate Dana Riad. Her outfits are stunning – grungey yet classy – and her passion is inspiring. We loved our spread of her work in November’s issue (along with our front cover), which was brought to life by this month’s interviewee, photographer Habeeb Mohammed Abu-Futtaim (see page 40), who took all the photos.

F. What and/or who inspires you in your designs?

D. Inspirations to design that were always something me suddenly shouted at to. to pay all my attention sometimes Unordinary visuals, architecture and interior design gave me the inspiration times to start a concept. Other simple I take something very g it and minimal, transformin piece. I in to an avant-garde myself want to always de-limit ready-towith designing both that wear and haute couturewith a identifies romanticism grungy feel.

FACT QATAR NOVEMBER

BER R OCTO

FACT QATA

The Fashion Almanac

you F. How long have been working in fashion? on D. I have been working my fashion line - DANA graduated RIAD - ever since I ealth from Virginia CommonW2011.

University Qatar in May I graduated with a double Design degree in both Fashion My and Interior Design. just passion towards fashion keeps growing more.

It all started with Mickey was I up Mouse. Growing constantly drawing this character wearing clothes, would dresses and gowns. I with even accessorise him ties. hats, shoes and bow in how Eventually my interest took Mickey Mouse was styled me further into the fashion world.

job?

F. What’s your day at D. I am currently working JCCTV, Al Jazeera Children’s ion Channel, as a stylist/fash designer and I sometimes design also work on interior but my projects for JCCTV, be fashion label will alwaysnow my number one. Every new DR and then I launch a (DANA RIAD) Collection in a and showcase my pieces namely, couple of boutiques, Dados Boutique at the Pearl-Qatar and at S*AUCE Boutique in Dubai.

50

R JANUARY

this residents first its Qatar’s ted with its culture awa evening of hitheatre is inaugura Middle East’s A stunning the Katara’s amp rmance of month, as t – a dramatic perfo public even a, Aida.

It stretches favourite oper

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FASHION

FACT QATA

FACT QATAR

FEBRUARY

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25/01/2012

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for has had many of us LOL-ing* Stand Up Comedy QatarFACT speaks to the man behind can help a while now. This month , about how everyone the chuckles, Bilal Randeree SUCQ get us all ROTFL**.

Alaa Jazmati

Omar Alouba

Stand-up comedy is going places in Qatar thanks to these guys!

Clockwise from left: Ameer Skyholder, Mohana, Ousama Itani, Alaa Jazmati, Hala Bilal and Mohamed Khateeb.

Mohamed Khateeb

A

as Britain or America because n accountant in a past it’s a development process, but life, a reporter by day he’s hopeful for its future; “The and a comedian first and industry is growing at a pretty foremost, Bilal Randeree decent pace and an exciting future aka Halal Bilal is on a mission to get is ahead,â€? he predicts. the comedy scene in Qatar truly live Bilal has performed around the and laughing. world in countries such as England two over Bilal moved to Doha just and South Africa. In Qatar, he and a half years ago from South says, the beauty as well as the down settling of hopes the in Africa challenge of performing is that and integrating himself into the everyone is so mixed – audiences comedy scene, until he found there and performers alike. “Earlier this was no scene. So he set up Stand year we had ten comedians on Up Comedy Qatar (SUCQ), which of ten different nationalities. stage aims to nurture “local home grown Each one comes with a group of grassroots comedy about the type friends and family and then there of issues that we, the people who are at least 20 or 30 nationalities live here, deal with on a daily basis.â€? in the audience‌ I don’t think Since then SUCQ has come a long anywhere else in the world has so way - “Across town from dingy many different people attending on coffee shops and back rooms to a regular basis.â€? such Katara, to the Pearl, to hotels.â€?

At the moment Bilal is looking for Bilal says the group has inspired corporate and individual sponsors many local people to get started in to help SUCQ get to where it wants stand-up. to be – entertaining the world with It has also attracted quite a home grown Qatari humour. “We following, as shows have been selling don’t guarantee that all the jokes out and they’re looking to get bigger are funny to everyone,� he admits and better. As with everything, honestly and with a grin. “But we however, SUCQ needs the funding do guarantee that everyone who to make this happen – to allow the comes out has a good time.� talent of Qatar to be promoted, reach their showcased and encouraged to reach GO: If you would like to help SUCQcomic map just goals and put Qatar on the world’s the world stage. contact Bilal and the team on halalbilal@gmail.com. on Twitter and You can also follow @SUCQatar Bilal says the comedy scene check out SUCQatar on Facebook. may not be at the same stage

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FACT QATAR NOVEMBER

November Events 8th

SUCQ @ Carnegie Mellon University

15th

SUCQ @ Bistro 61

22nd

SUCQ @ Bistro 61

TBC key! If you don’t know lol */** Shame on you for needing a on the floor laughing) by (laugh out loud) and rotfl (rolling to the 21st century. now then you’re an embarrassment Gtg, ttyl!

A comedy workshop for budding comedians For more information visit www.sucq.org

University in Qatar (CMUQ), Date: Nov 8, 2012 Venue: Carnegie Mellon 7:30pm Education City, Qatar Foundation. Time: Performers: is a Team Expat: who came to Qatar from Texas. He Ousama Itani is an improv comedianan improvisational comedy troupe located in founding member of Antique Limax, Austin. origin. He joined SUCQ in 2009 when are unique Issa El-Fahoum is a comedian of Palestinian in an Indian school, his experiences he was only 14 years old. As an Arab but hilarious. him Team Qatar: who lived abroad for a few years, giving Hamad Al-Amari is a Qatari comedian of other cultures, and also learn how to mimic the opportunity to learn intricate details has shared some wicked accents.

Qatari Stand Up comedian, and heDean Mohammed Fahad Kamal is the first Gabriel Iglesias, Edwin SanJuan, like comedians famous with the stage Obeidalla, Aron Kader and Ted Alexandro. comedy in Referee: of SUCQ and unofficial godfather of Our very own Halal Bilal - founder Qatar.

FACT QATAR NOVEMBER

Comic Relief

Our pals at Stand Up Comedy Qatar have gone from strength to strength this year and we love watching the scene grow. They’re constantly looking for sponsors and backers to encourage local talent to reach the world’s stages, so our article in November’s issue about the crew and their plea has pride of place right here.

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Because Jazz Music Talks You all may have heard by now that the St. Regis Doha has opened an incredible new venue – Jazz at Lincoln Center. It won’t be all performances and music however as notable artists will also be dropping by to educate us all on what jazz really is.

W

e at the FACT offices have been awaiting this day with great anticipation. Finally, the prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center brand has arrived in Doha to teach the music scene a thing or two (although the Doha Jazz group would argue that they might have done a thing or two themselves in this regard!).

Alongside the performances, the first of which will come courtesy of world-renowned Afro Cuban jazz artists The Rodriguez Brothers, there will be talks about the genre in a bid to educate and inform the public in Qatar.

We spoke with Louisiana jazz pianist Jonathan Batiste, who at 25 has already made quite a name for himself as a charismatic bandleader, international educator and performer. He will be here throughout October to host the Jazz Music Talks.

How and when did you get into jazz?

I played with my family in our family band when I was just a kid.

We played funk, soul and New Orleans music. I played drums before switching to piano at 11 years old. I studied classical piano but was lured to jazz after attending the Louis Satchmo Armstrong summer jazz camp. By age 14 I was in love with the music.

14

though, that being able to play in the Middle East, especially in such an amazing setting, will definitely be remarkable!

You have also been featured in the HBO series Treme and in Spike Lee’s new movie Red Hook. How is acting different from playing music?

Acting is a lot like playing classical music. A classical music score is akin to a script. Your part is set and can’t really be changed.

Your job is to convincingly deliver your part. In jazz you have much more room for improvisation.

It’s like the script is only partially written and you have to write the rest of it in the moment!

What do you ultimately want to achieve?

I want to fulfil my purpose. I’ve named my band the Stay Human

Band simply because music is about humanity.

If you had to choose one song to be on the soundtrack of your life, what would it be and why?

“It Don’t Mean a Thing” because I love to swing! Either that or “What a Wonderful World”, which is just a very poignant song.

Finally, why should the people of Doha attend Jazz Music Talks?

It will be fun and inspiring! This is a great opportunity for the band to engage with the Doha audience and share the stories behind this music.

GO: Talks take place from 4pm to 5pm. Costs are QR250 including jazz mocktails and snacks. Call 4446 0105 for information.

“How to listen to Jazz” 10 and 13 October Explore various different ways of listening to jazz music. You will be shown what to listen for in a jazz performance and how to determine what is happening between the musicians on the bandstand.

“The Blues in Jazz” 16 and 20 October The Blues is essential to jazz music and without it jazz wouldn’t be the same. This talk will explain why this is so, and why everyone has the blues.

Why is jazz so important to you?

Jazz can heal, inspire and transform a person. It is a profound and highly creative form of communication.

Why is it important to educate people?

Jazz is very deep, but there is also much to offer a casual listener. You can enjoy jazz as pure entertainment, but the music is also a historical reference and can teach us a lot about who we are as human beings. The four core lessons found in jazz music are creativity, tradition, teamwork and individuality. We all can benefit from each of those lessons.

What inspires you in your music?

People, stories; everything in life is an inspiration. In fact, one of the “Jazz Music Talks” (which are really talks plus music) I’ll be leading in my stay is entitled “Muse as Inspiration”, and we’ll talk about some of the famous works of art, not just music, and what inspired the artist to create them.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

You know, this music has so much joy in it and so much capacity to reach people that every time I play is a highlight for me. I will say,

Educating the Audience at Katara

“W

e noticed one of the gaps that exist in the art scene in Doha is the lack of studio space,” says Sa’id Costa, curator of visual arts exhibitions and educational programmes. “A place where not only can Qatari artists come to develop their work, but also studio space where local artists and artists based in Qatar, of any nationality, can interact with international professionals.”

Located in the heart of Katara Valley of Cultures, the Katara Arts Studio is made up of one ‘art lounge’, two workshop areas and three spacious studios where visiting and local artists can take up residencies of varying durations.

“Now Katara has over eight art galleries and we invite international artists, regional, Arab and nonArab,” says Sa’id. “When these people come we run an educational programme. We felt we needed some kind of educational structure where these programmes can be centred.”

Throughout Ramadan, when the studios opened, there was an intense programme offering workshops to all children and focused on the four exhibitions that were going on in the surrounding buildings. The main lessons centred on Islamic calligraphy and spirituality, and attracted many kids, parents and even teenagers. During this time, their education partners from the UK Prince’s Trust, where there is a school of traditional art, were teaching the history of Islamic pattern and how simple patterns are in every single artwork. The team from the Prince’s Trust plans to come to Doha at least three times a year to deliver these educational programmes.

“The idea is to bring artists that come from different scholastic knowledge, arts schools, schools of thought that are different from that which is setting up in Katara so that the Qatari arts scene can FACT QATAR SEPTEMBER

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Saltimbanco - Cirque Du Soleil @ Aspire Zone (see p.22) Saltimbanco - Cirque Du Soleil @ Aspire Zone (see p.22) Saltimbanco - Cirque Du Soleil @ Aspire Zone (see p.22)

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“The GCC is home to about 44 percent of the world desalination capacity.”

It’s official. After 28 years of sending male-only squads to the Olympic Games, Qatar finally has some female representation. And it’s not just one woman heading to london this summer, but four!

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unner Noor Al-Malki, swimmer Nada Arkaji, shooter Bahia Al Hamad and table tennis player Aya Majdi will be the first batch of Qatari women to ever represent their country in the Olympics.

“It reflects the development of sport in Qatar,” says Hassan Al Mohammadi, Head of Media at the Qatar Olympics Committee.

“I think it’s an indication of our achievements in sport, especially for women. Now the number of women athletes in Doha is increasing.”

Bahia, a 19-year-old student, said in one interview: “It’s an accomplishment for every Qatari woman. I hope I can live up to their expectations.” She has won several regional competitions but reportedly missed out actually qualifying for London 2012 by just half a point.

When she found out she was able to go anyway she said it was like a dream come true.

Seventeen-year-old Noor was given a wild card to participate by the International Olympics Committee and is also ecstatic about the competition. She has said she will not only be a representative of her home country but also an ambassador of her religion in London as she will run in a headscarf and with her arms and legs covered, as well as carry on fasting during Ramadan as long as she is deemed fit and healthy to do so.

Nada, also 17, will compete in the 50 metres freestyle and hopes this first step for women at the

Quoted from a united Nations Environmental Programme report,

Olympics will lead to many more Qatari girls getting involved. “It means a lot, especially to other girls,” she told a Doha-based news network. “Because I’m the first Olympic swimmer, maybe that would encourage other girls as well, especially my age – or even younger – to have more opportunities to take up any sport.”

Speaking about Aya, Qatar women’s table tennis team manager Nada Al Amri was quoted as saying: “This is an historic moment for women’s table tennis… She’s the best woman paddler the country has ever produced.”

Hassan says sports are a major part of Qatar’s Vision 2030, alongside education and society. The Qatar Olympics Committee has rolled out numerous initiatives such as the Schools Olympic Programme and various planned summer activities.

“There are many advantages,” Hassan explains. “Always sports are important for our lifestyle as they have a positive effect on our health, society and economy.”

Qatar has also made its new bid for the 2024 Olympics official after receiving the news that they lost out for the 2020 event. “We bid twice and we didn’t qualify to be a candidate but this was a lesson for us,” says Hassan. “We will carry on bidding until we get one. For us it is not if, it is win!”

commenting on the increasing strain on water resources in the region.

GO: The London 2012 Olympics take place from 27 July to 12 August.

7

FACT QATAR July / AugusT

FACT QATAR July / AugusT

C

Cirque Du Soleil Comes to Qatar How many of us have ever dreamt of running away to join the circus? Breathtaking acrobatics, colourful costumes, magic and mystery – and no circus in the world has more of all this than the Cirque Du Soleil, which brings its show to Qatar for the very first time with Saltimbanco…

The soundtrack is one of the first examples of invented langu in Cirque duage Soleil music compositions .

22

FACT QATAR JULY / AUGUST

35

We love all things authentically Qatar and so when we heard about Katara Arts Studios we were seriously impressed.

Workshops, an art lounge and room for visiting artists in residence - this place aims to educate and inform the local arts scene by learning a thing or two from outside and then putting a big Qatari stamp on it.

In September we interviewed the curator to find out more and he said there is plenty more in store.

So, watch this space!

,, The Female Olympians

NOTEWORTHy JULY

The Art Studios

ARTS

The arts scene in Qatar is developing at an astounding pace, and in the face of unfair international criticism that it is imported rather than home grown, a new space in Katara has been established that is determined to change that perception.

FACT QATAR SEPTEMBER

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FACT QATAR OCTOBER

FACT QATAR OCTOBER

SUN

This year has been a whirlwind of new restaurants, hotels and nightspots opening up. It’s certainly given us plenty to write about! There has been Strata at InterContinental The City, Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park, Majlis at Grand Hyatt, and so many more. Our top article pick has to be Jazz at Lincoln Center in St Regis, however. We interviewed the first Jazz Music Talks speaker, Jonathan Batiste - a 25-year-old jazz star and actor!

“Muse as inspiration” 22 and 24 October Many times great artists are inspired by other people. This is not only the case in jazz, but also in other art forms too. This talk explores some of the history behind who inspired what and why.

ARTS

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Venues, venues, venues

The Talks:

irque du Soleil – ‘Circus of the Sun’ – was initially founded in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, in 1984 by two street performers, Guy Laliberte and Daniel Gauthier. What was initially called ‘Les Echassiers’, the double team toured Quebec as a performing troupe and, having encountered a spot of financial hardship, they were given a government grant as part of the 450th anniversary celebrations of Jacques Cartier’s discovery of Canada.

Each show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world with its own storyline and central theme.

Every audience is drawn into the performance through continuous live music and performers, rather than stagehands changing the props.

The Cirque has expanded dramatically through the past few decades, going from one show to 19 in over 271 cities on almost every continent.

The shows employ an approximate 4,000 people from over 40 countries and have already received numerous prizes and distinctions, including a Rose d’Or in 1989, a Bambi Award in 1997, Drama Desk Awards in 1991 and 1998, three Gemini Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards and even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

‘Saltimbanco’ was actually created back in 1992 and was one of the first shows in which the Cirque would narrow its focus to tell a very specific and themed story. Inspired by the way multiculturalism shaped the nature and direction of Cirque du Soleil, Director Franco Dragone wanted the theme to be one of cosmopolitan urbanism. The show features 47 artists, all assembled from 15 countries, and is to date the longest-running show ever to have been produced by the Cirque. Already seen in the Americas, Europe, South Africa and Japan, the Middle East will now be the proud host of yet another stop for this crew.

GO: Saltimbanco will be performed at the Aspire Dome from July 4 to 7. For tickets and more information log onto www.cirquedusoleil.com.

FACT QATAR JULY / AUGUST

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Qatar is one of the latest countries to have female representation at the Olympics, alongside Saudi Arabia and Brunei, but this year we had four women competing for us.

Plus, two of them came away with bronze medals! It was certainly a proud moment for the country. We wrote a piece in Noteworthy, July/ August edition, before they headed off to London.

The Circus Came to Town

It has to have been our favourite event this year… Saltimbanco! We were so happy to be wow-ed by such a world-class performance, here in the heart of Doha.

Impressive acrobatics, hilarious mimes and fantastically colourful costumes… Oh and the strong men… What more do we want?!

We spoke to the head clown in our July/August issue to find out more about the whole crew.

News @ FACT HQ

We’ve had a very busy year ourselves and so we thought we’d share with you all our biggest news bites from the year so far…

New Team Members

Our new Chief Operating Officer, Rami Khalil, took the reins in October and has been cracking the whip ever since! We don’t mind though, as there has been some great lunches.

Editor Katy Gillett came on board at the best time of year… the summer! Sweltering heat and lack of social scene aside, she stuck through it and is now in full editorial swing.

A Brand New Look

Our website launched in October and is looking pretty smart (if we do say so ourselves). You can catch up on all the latest articles or check out our blog to find out all the latest gossip in Qatar.

Moving Penthouse

We also moved offices! We’re now sat in an ivory tower on Banks Street watching over all of you (mwa ha ha). It’s a small team, which includes Bruno, the friendly office schnauzer.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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NOTEWORTHY

Getting Out and About Miscellaneous

December is a busy, busy one!

We round up the best of the events going on this month.

5th, 6th, 7th, 11th and 13th

1st, 8th and 15th

Enjoy the Chamber Music Series Borodin Quartet at Katara Cultural Village Opera House on the 5th, followed by Chamber Music at the Museum of Islamic Arts the next day.

Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony is again at the Katara Opera House on the 7th, and then the Qatar Philharmonic School Concerts presents Hansel and Gretel at Aspire Zone Ladies Club on the 11th, with another showing at the same venue on the 13th.

Visit qatarphilharmonicorchestra.org

At Jazz at Lincoln Center in St Regis, join for jazz afternoon tea and Music Talks from jazz stars Aaron Diehl Quintet with Warren Wolf and Dominick Farinacci Quintet (QR178 with mocktails and snacks).

Call 4446 0105

Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra

28th

Hyde Park Coffee Shop, Radisson Blu

A Christmas feast with a visit from Santa Claus for QR250 with sparkling drinks, QR190 without and QR90 for children under 12.

Call 4428 1428

National Day (18th) Qatari Week at Grand Gourmet

Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel from 16th – 21st From 6.30pm to 10.30pm each night of the week enjoy traditional Qatari dishes for dinner with a special buffet lunch hosted on the 18th.

Call 4434 3203

Sizzling at the Oryx

Steak connoisseurs and red meat lovers can celebrate with a hearty family dinner at Choices, Oryx Rotana, with special Qatari twists.

Call 4402 3333

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

Jazz Afternoon Tea

6th, 14th and 21st W Entertainment

At Crystal Lounge on the 6th check out DJ Juicy M, while on the 14th it will host the 411 Doha Exclusive with DJ Bliss. Then comes the Big Friday Night on the 21st with number one LED percussionist Safix.

Call 4453 5000

Xmas (24th, 25th and 26th) Hilton Doha

Mawasem will be hosting a Christmas brunch with live entertainment and Santa Claus on the 25th for QR222 per person with soft drinks, QR333 with house beverages and QR444 with French bubbly. Or, head over to the restaurant for dinner for the same prices and merry ambience.

La Sahtaine will host a five-course Christmas dinner menu called Reveillon De Noel for QR350 per person inclusive of a sparkling welcome drink from 24th – 26th.

Call 4423 3333

Renaissance

The venues at the Renaissance will be bustling on Christmas Day as Cucina, the Italian Kitchen, serves a brunch in a market-style, Ipanema: Brazilian Churrascaria hosts another brunch with live music, New York Steakhouse holds a lunch and Crossroads puts on a brunch with great international flavour and fun for all the family with sweets, treats and Santa.

Call 4419 6100

Grand Heritage A fantastic Christmas Day brunch will be held from 12.30pm to 4pm at Blue, Grand Heritage hotel with live entertainment from a Latino band (QR195 per person; half price for children from 6 – 12 and free for under 6s).

Call 4445 5555

St Regis

Torch Doha

Kempinski Residences & Suites

Flying Carpet will be hosting a festive buffet, while Three Sixty, Doha’s only revolving restaurant, will have a festive set menu.

Call 4446 5600

Head over to Sky Villa for a Christmas Eve Gala Dinner of four courses accompanied by live entertainment for QR325 with soft drinks and QR495 with house vino.

The Lounge, on the other hand, will host the hip crowd with half price cocktails from 5pm to 7pm and free entrance.

Christmas day sees a brunch buffet with Santa in Sky Villa on the 61st floor for QR295 with soft drinks, QR425 with welcome bubbly and house vino or QR145 for a kids buffet (up to 12 but under 6s eat free).

Call 4405 3325

Oryx Rotana

On the Eve there will be a soiree at Jazz Club with a selection of treats with a drink and ‘holiday’ prices on bottles. From 23rd to 25th, The Cellar will serve a three-course dinner with Spanish twist, as well as a lunch on Christmas Day (QR240). In Choices, a fantastic Christmas spread will be laid out on Christmas Eve (QR219 with soft drinks, QR300 with house beverages) with turkey, Asian-inspired delights and even a carvery station. Then, a sumptuous buffet (QR249 for food, QR324 with drinks) will be held on Christmas Day featuring turkey and all the trimmings. Plus, a live band and Santa Claus (with gifts for the kids) will make appearances. Call 4402 3333

The hotel lobby will be transformed into an elegant winter wonderland for a Christmas Eve Gala Dinner until midnight with live jazz music and a five-course festive menu (QR690 with soft drinks; kids 6-12 are half price).

Or, head to Gordon Ramsay for a five-course dinner (QR825) paired with their sommelier’s choice of beverage (QR1,325).

On Christmas Day enjoy a family-friendly brunch at Vine Restaurant’s Terrace for QR325 with food and soft drinks or QR425 with house beverages. At Opal they will host their a la carte brunch for QR325 with soft drinks, QR425 with selected drinks or QR695 with a bottle of French bubbly.

If you’re looking for something more relaxed then head to Sarab Lounge for Christmas Day Afternoon Tea from 2pm to 6pm for QR168.

Call 4446 0105

InterContinental Doha

On the 24th, go to a buffet at Coral (QR295) and Mykonos where there’ll be a Greek Festive set menu (QR225). On Xmas Day, Santa Claus will fly in and there’ll be a traditional brunch (QR345 with a glass of bubbly), kids’ activities and live entertainment in Coral. At Mykonos there’s another brunch with live entertainment by the Bouzouki Band (QR250).

Special menus will also be available in Paloma, Belgian Café and Fish Market. Call 4484 4919

Four Seasons On Christmas Eve, Il Teatro will host a buffet of indulgent and elegant proportions featuring traditional dishes, live cooking stations and roast turkey with all the trimmings. Plus, Santa Claus will pay a visit (QR350 or QR180 for kids buffet).

The Christmas Day brunch will be held at Nusantao: Sea Kitchens where the spread will be traditionally festive with turkey and English fruitcake – to name a few. Extras include face painting, bouncy castle, magic show, balloon twisting and another visit from Santa (QR485; QR243 for kids brunch or QR565 for sparkling drinks). Call 4494 8888

La Cigale

Both Christmas Eve and Day will be full of life at La Cigale. La Cigalon will be hosting a brunch and dinner buffet with international pleasures including turkey and Christmas log. Le Central is offering a fourcourse set menu for both lunch and dinner. Then, Italian star Di Capri will put on a lavish four-course set menu for both lunch and dinner.

Call 4428 8888 FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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NOTEWORTHY

New Year’s Eve Hilton Doha

Call in the New Year at La Sahtaine with a five-course dinner menu (QR350 with sparkling welcome drink) and live entertainment. Or, count down in tropical-stylee at Trader Vic’s with a set dinner menu (QR350), fantastic cocktails and Cuban beats.

Call 4423 3333 or 4423 3118 respectively

W Doha

Grand Heritage

Bid a fond farewell to 2012 at Blue with a four-course set menu or a la carte of a cosmopolitan blend of cuisines while being serenaded by live entertainment from 6.30pm to 2am (QR350 with one bottle of sparkling beverage).

Call 4445 5555

Qube at Radisson Blu

Kempinski Residences & Suites

Get groovy babay with Yeah Baby, Yeah at Qube in Radisson Blu. Entertainment starts at 8pm right through until the early hours of the morning. The only rules are dress in retro 60s or 70s flares and pay QR100 for one welcome drink and a night full of fun.

Call 4428 1428

La Cigale

Head to Le Cigalon for brunch or dinner with a fabulous buffet spread, or Le Central are offering a four-course set menu for dinner with live entertainment and DJ. You could otherwise head to Di Capri where an Italian-inspired four-course set menu awaits. Alternatively, you could check out Madison Piano Bar where they’re hosting a special musical programme with Chadi El Basha (QR450 with food and one glass vino).

Then you could head over to Club 7 for a glamorous party (QR300 with canapés). Sky View is also hosting the night with VJ/DJ Tony Shweiry (QR200 with one glass vino and canapés). Call 4428 8888

New Year’s Day St Regis

Kick back and relax to the sounds of reggae on the beach at Oyster Bay, St Regis from 4pm to 11pm with a barbeque and signature cocktails (QR350). Vine Restaurant will also be hosting a brunch with an international spread, live cooking stations and the sounds of resident pianist Angela Furr (QR275 with soft drinks, QR375 with selected beverages).

Alternatively, have a truly British brunch at Opal with sommelier classes to improve tasting skills and oyster shucking (QR275 with soft drinks or QR425 with selected sommeliers’ beverages).

Call 4446 0105

Al Liwan at Sharq Village and Spa

Al Liwan will be offering live cooking stations with all your favourite cuisines and plenty of activities to keep the little ones busy from 12.30pm until 4pm (QR280 net).

Call 4425 6666

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Choices at Oryx Rotana

Comfort yourself after a fantastic night before with a hearty brunch at Choices. It’ll be laidback with breakfast treats, carving station, hot and cold dishes, desserts and more (QR210).

Call 4402 3333

Spice Market at W Doha Say a big hello to 2013 with Asian street food meets slick city chic at the upmarket Spice Market Brunch. Do so to a backdrop of live upbeat swing music courtesy of Doha Jazz (QR340 with selected beverages).

Call 4453 5135

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

There are plenty of options for everyone at W Doha this NYE. Head to Market by JeanGeorges for a four-course set menu and entertainment from Rick Guard and Phil Rice (QR395). Elsewhere, in Spice Market, enjoy a set menu to share among the family while listening to the epic Dr Gabs, master of swing, jazz and boogie woogie, as he joins up with Tamsin Steward and Doha Jazz (QR650).

At Wahm, DJ Kinky D and Famous Percussionist will bust out the tunes while you ring in 2013 on the wet deck or in a cosy cabana (QR150). Then, downstairs in Crystal Lounge, world famous DJ Sacha Muki and LED violinist Pasha will perform live with DJ Greg (QR200). Call 4453 5000

If you want to see the Skyfall at Aroma then order yours shaken and not stirred, as Kempinski are welcoming in the New Year’s James Bond style. Enjoy a five-course gala menu with welcome glass of bubbly at Aroma and then head to The Lounge where the count down will commence. There, a DJ, trumpet player, open bar and dress code of For Your Eyes Only, will ensure a great night all round. Price is QR1,150 for the whole night or QR850 for entrance to The Lounge.

Call 4405 3325

Mawasem at Hilton Doha

The Mawasem NYD Brunch is bound to recharge your batteries with a showstopping international spread and live entertainment to kick off 2013 (QR222 with soft drinks, QR333 with house beverages, QR444 with French bubbly).

Call 4423 3333

Renaissance

Nusantao at Four Seasons

A brunch at Nusantao: Sea Kitchens is what you call getting the New Year off to the right start. Grab some friends and loved ones, tuck in, and let the kids run wild with a bouncy castle, face painting and balloon twisting to entertain them (QR380 with food, QR460 with sparkling, QR190 for kids).

Call 4494 8888

The West End Doha are going all out for NYD. Cucina will be hosting a marketstyle brunch with authentic Italian delights such as pizza, fresh pasta and traditional desserts. Ipanema will keep the carnivores and seafood lovers happy at brunch time with lively entertainment and food until you pop. Or, journey to Crossroads for an international buffet and choices to please everyone.

Call 4419 6100

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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NOTEWORTHY

Venue Hopping at the West End Going to just one venue in a night is so passé. Katy Gillett went for a progressive dinner at West End Doha, hitting Glo, New York Steakhouse and Ipanema. This, she says, is the future of gastronomy.

THREE outlets in one night might sound a bit much, but believe me, in this case, it was just enough. Each of the bars or restaurants at the Renaissance City Center and Marriot Courtyard offer something so different, it’s almost wasteful not to try a bit of everything.

And we at FACT are not one’s to waste anything.

So, the night kicked off in Glo Cocktail Lounge where we were introduced to a selection of cocktails and a mocktail on the brand new festive menu. Abhy, the Glo bar supervisor and our cocktail shaker for the evening, explained some of the new drinks to us, with weird and wonderful flavours such as coffee, passionfruit, watermelon and maple syrup! We must admit we were a little apprehensive. dinner guest, particularly for a steakhouse chef. I don’t eat meat or cheese! Yet the chef took good care of me, with a tasty platter of salads and fishy appetisers to start, and a great seafood main. Around me, I could hear the meat eaters smacking their lips and mm-ing and ahh-ing so I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say the meat was darn good too.

The sides, as well, were phenomenal but I must say if you do try one, it has to be the sweet potato mash cooked with a melted marshmallow topping, which was sweet, moreish and a fantastic combination for the fish or meat. I’m drooling as I type with just the memory of that dish.

We then wrapped up the night in buzzing Ipanema. Chef manager Alexandre Kachan rather impressively flambé-d up some fruits (is there anything more impressive than flames?) and served it for us with some caramel toffee vanilla icecream. It was a wonderfully light dessert, which, in my view, was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.

I’d recommend this route through the Renaissance to anyone!

Of course, we needn’t have been because they’re pros (which became obvious when Abhy got a little carried away and started describing the chemical reactions that were going on!). Each of the flavours actually complemented each other perfectly.

After having our thirst suitably quenched we moved upstairs to the New York Steakhouse, a great venue with a real 1920s / 30s feel to it. You could almost see the flapper dresses sparkle. Yet, interestingly, there’s a modern twist, brought out by the big bay windows looking out over cosmopolitan West Bay. We were there to test Chef Moritz Neumann’s new festive menu, packed with showstoppers such as the seared tuna tataki, Wagyu beef carpaccio and Kobe peppercorn rump.

At this point, I’ll have to tell you, I’m possibly the worst

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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NOTEWORTHY

1 GIFTS GIVEAWAY 5 9 10 11 15 16 17 21 22 23 FACT’S FESTIVE

One pair of tickets to a Stand Up Comedy Qatar show of your choice

We teamed up with a bunch of our friends to offer you a really special treat. Every day for 25 days throughout December we will be giving you the chance to win a prize*! All you have to do, from the 1st to 25th, is like us on Facebook and share our promotional posts or follow us on Twitter and retweet. The more you share, the more chances you will have of winning, so don’t hold back! *Terms and conditions apply

One dinner for two at Aramede restaurant in the Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park

A one-night stay at Al Mirqab Boutique Hotel in Souq Waqif inclusive of free wi-fi and breakfast

A one-month gym membership to the Airport Fitness Club

A voucher for one adult and one kid to Teddy Bear Tea at the RitzCarlton Doha (find out more on page 81)

A one-month gym membership for Ifitness Villagio

One goodie bag of beauty products from L’Occitane

One dinner voucher for two with a three-course meal and soft drinks at Al Canteen in Arumaila Boutique Hotel and another one for The Dining Room at Al Najada Boutique Hotel at Souq Waqif

A one-month gym membership at Al Massa Active

An a la carte dinner for two at Quisine by Guy Savoy, at The Pearl-Qatar (find out more about this new restaurant on page 28)

One dinner voucher for two with a three-course meal and soft drinks at East in Al Mirqab Boutique Hotel and Argan in Al Jasra Boutique Hotel at Souq Waqif

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

2 3 4 6 7 8 12 13 14 18 19 20 24 25

A voucher worth QR200 to spend at any Nandos outlet of your choice

One goodie bag of beauty products from Faces

Two dinners for two at Al Liwan restaurant in Sharq Village & Spa

One pair of tickets worth QR300 each for Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s Viennese New Year’s Concert on 6th January

A voucher for QR300 to spend at Virgin Megastores

Two vouchers for 50-minute signature massages at Six Senses Spa in Sharq Village & Spa

A buffet lunch or dinner for two at Le Cigalon restaurant in La Cigale Hotel

One business lunch and one dinner for two at La Sahtaine restaurant in the Hilton Doha

One Friday brunch for two at Crossroads Kitchen in Renaissance City Centre Hotel with food and soft drinks

Business lunch for two at Opal by Gordon Ramsay in St Regis Doha, which includes a three-course menu designed

by Michelin Starred Chef Gilles Bosquet

One voucher for a signature full body repair treatment at eforea spa in the Hilton Doha

A one-night stay at Arumaila Boutique Hotel in Souq Waqif inclusive of free wi-fi and breakfast

Visit our website

A two-night weekend stay at W Doha in a Spectacular room with breakfast included

Like us on Facebook at FACT Qatar Magazine

Two BlackBerry Curve 9320s

Follow us on Twitter @FACT_Qatar FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

CULTURE GETTING UNDER QATAR’S SKIN THIS MONTH

p28: An interview with Guy Savoy p32: Festive Baking Recipes p36: The Perfect Winter BBQ

In the kitchen with

The Experts

We bring you an interview with three-Michelin-starred Chef Guy Savoy, as well as culinary tips from expert chefs from across Doha...

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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The Fine Art of

French Quisine Guy Savoy’s newest restaurant encapsulates the epitome of fine dining and, with its arrival at The Pearl, the benchmark in gastronomy in Qatar has been significantly raised.

Katy Gillett sits down with the man himself to find out: Why now, and why here?

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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F

rom the moment you walk into Quisine by Guy Savoy, you realise you’ve come for an experience and not just for dinner. It screams sophistication at its very best with its sharp angles, stylistic design elements and fascinating choice of modern artworks that include pieces by Iraqi artist Mahmud Obaidi, who has a house in Doha.

The menu offers signature Savoy dishes, such as crispy sea bass with 12 spices, the line-caught whiting with caviar, and new meals with a Middle Eastern twist like the lamb starter with mint and zataar flavourings. You can go for a la carte, or set menus with ten or twelve dishes that will take three to four hours to finish.

As we said, you’re not going there just for dinner, but an overarching experience that has been carefully crafted by the master of French cuisine, Guy himself.

“For me, a restaurant is not only food,” he tells us. “The team must give to the space a special atmosphere, a warm atmosphere, a very civilised atmosphere.”

From the butter dishes to the tablecloths, from the palate cleansing drink to the main courses, absolutely everything has been chosen to maximise the guests’ pleasure. It is this attention to detail and passion for his job that has earned Guy three Michelin stars.

“You arrive and take the elevator,” he describes. “You get the smile of the receptionist and the maitre d’ escorts you to your table. You can choose from 20 to 25 [dishes] and then the bread arrives, the water arrives… It’s like a ballet. You don’t move and you look at the ballet. You eat, you drink – it’s a good life.”

It’s a kind of good life that has only really just been introduced to Qatar. The cuisine scene is growing and although we’ve seen big name Michelin-starred chefs open restaurants here, we at FACT have yet to see such direct enthusiasm about the country as we have from Guy. “I didn’t choose Qatar, Qatar chose me,” he laughs. “This project for me is a great experience… I think today Doha is a place to be because of many, many, many things around sports, arts, culture, food,” he says.

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

“The Museum of Islamic Art is amazing. I saw when I arrived, the project of the future museum by Nouvelle – it’s amazing. The future will have many great events around sports and culture, and now there is the movie festival… It’s one of the main, important destinations in the world.” He tells us he plans to visit as often as possible, perhaps even monthly.

His trips to Qatar will come in between visits to his other restaurants in Paris, Singapore and Las Vegas. In Paris alone he has restaurants with four different concepts – from fine dining down to a more casual rotisserie, which he says could be another option for him to bring to Doha. “I saw many terraces and restaurants [in Qatar] where the food is good and simple; where a lot of families come and it is a good atmosphere. In Katara, Sukar Pasha has a big terrace – it was a very nice evening. I love the Souq – it has a very nice atmosphere and it’s a charming place.”

Whether it’s high end or casual, however, the secret to success for a restaurant, says Guy, is passion.

“You have to give a lot of pleasure to the guest,” he explains. “It’s the first ingredient to give pleasure and to do this you have to cook with your heart.” That’s also why he has brought a handpicked team in with him that he trusts implicitly.

“It’s a young team, professional, passionate,” he says. Some of the staff have been with him for years and he even has two married couples on board.

It was this loyalty to his team – from kitchen to front-of-house – and his warm personality that stood out most.

Although there was no mistaking the professionalism that he and his staff possess, you couldn’t help but notice a very inclusive familial vibe that makes you, the guest, also feel very welcome.

His innate sense of humour, too, is apparent through his eyes and in his jovial expression. As we were taking our photos, he struck his own playful poses, which showed us that despite his huge success (he has even been bestowed one of the highest honours in France by the President!) he remains down-to-earth.

At the same time, while this may be so,

I think today Doha is a place to be because of many, many, many things around sports, arts, culture, food

Let’s Hear it

from You!

We asked our readers online what one question they would ask Guy Savoy and here’s what we found…

Amy Warman asked what recipe Guy Savoy would advise a beginner cook of French cuisine to master. He said vinaigrette, as you can use it in many different dishes from salad to cold meat and fish.

The method to making a good one, he says, is to use salt and pepper, followed by vinegar as it dissolves the salt well. Then add oil and herbs to taste. He says if you put the oil in straight after the salt, it will take a long time to dissolve and it won’t taste as good.

Afterwards, he says you can add what you like – fresh herbs, tomatoes, onions; “many, many, many different things.”

--------------Reader Sara Loch asked what his biggest kitchen disaster has been.

When we asked this, he smiled and told us two days previously - on the Doha restaurant’s opening night - the kitchen had been flooded with 20cm of water! “It’s incredible,” he laughed, “we’re in the desert and we have a problem with too much water! It’s crazy!”

This may not have been the biggest disaster, he said, but it was the most recent. Every day, however, he says disasters happen, though they might not be as big as this one. “Five different courses for a table of five are ready to go out and one plate falls.

We have to do it all over again. It’s a small disaster but it’s a disaster!”

someone does not get three Michelin stars for being playful. Exquisite food and a detail-orientated nature is what he is best known for, and after 42 years in the kitchen, Guy is a master of his craft. In just one dish at the restaurant, there may be a variety of flavours and textures, but with every mouthful you are able to experience and taste each individual ingredient. “Every day for each plate, I think, I do a magic job,” he tells us. “I will explain to you…

“When you take a product, it is good but raw. You cut it, put some salt or

pepper or some herbs and you cook… and you transform it. After, when you eat, you have great pleasure and it’s magic. Food is magic and I love that.

Every day I am like a kid.”

At this point, we had to know, for a man with such a sophisticated palate – what his perfect meal would be. He said it depended on the situation – whether it was a family affair or friendly gathering – but, at the end of the day, he loves all the ingredients, apart from one – red pepper. “Cooked without skin it’s okay but raw with skin it’s just

impossible for me to eat,” he says.

This love of all fresh ingredients and a craving for good food is what continually inspires him to conceive of a brand new dish. “When I walk into market I can see a piece of fish, some meat, vegetables, and I think I want to eat that.” And just like that, as if by magic, he creates his own kind of art – an art that takes years of practice and patience to perfect but which many Doha-ers now have the opportunity to taste. Only then will you appreciate the true potential of food.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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CULTURE

Get Your

Bake On The festive season is here – the best time of year to spend baking and eating fabulous calorific treats that you’ll vow to burn off in January. We went round some of the country’s best pastry chefs and grabbed their sweetest recipes to share with you so you can make those calories the best you’ve ever consumed!

Ginger Bread ‘Elisen – Lebkuchen’

by Chef Richard Zeber of Radisson Blu

Chef Richard says the finest this is the finest Lebkuchen you can bake as it is prepared only with almonds and hazelnuts. He advises that you bake well in advance to Christmas to improve its flavour. Wrap it in foil and keep in an airtight tin in a cool, dry place.

Ingredients: 4 eggs 255g castor sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp ground cloves 140g finely chopped orange and lemon peel Grated rind of 1 lemon 200g ground almonds 100g ground hazelnuts Sheets of rice paper cut into 4-inch circles (if you don’t have proper oblaten rounds) Whole almonds Method: - Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together until thick and creamy.

- Now add the rest of the ingredients and mix into a thick paste.

- If it is too runny, add more ground hazelnuts.

- Spread a heaped teaspoon of mixture on top of the rice paper, higher in the centre.

- Decorate with some whole almonds.

- Place on a non greased baking tray and bake at 125C for 30 minutes.

- Leave to cool, decorate with almond glace or chocolate glace.

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Bonus Recipe!

Chocolate g lace 200 g (7oz) : powder (icin g) sugar, sifted 30g cocoa, sift Enough hot ed water to make thic runny mixtu k re to brush on

Stollen

By Chef Kemal Ozcan of Grand Hyatt Doha

This is a traditional German recipe that makes a great alternative to Christmas cake.

Ingredients: 500g flour 250g butter 50g castor sugar 15g spice (mixture of ginger, cinnamon and cloves) Half the zest of one lemon 50g marzipan 50g fresh yeast 90ml milk 1 egg 250g sultana 150g almonds 150g mixed peel 10ml vanilla essence Method: - Start by soaking aside the sultana, almonds and mixed peel in vanilla essence.

- Mix together all other ingredients (except marzipan) until it’s a clear dough.

- Fold through the prepared fruit and nut mix and fold in the marzipan so it is in the middle.

- Rest the dough for one hour.

- Scale it and rest again for another 30 minutes.

- Roll the dough and then proof (let dough rise).

- Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes.

To frompCtip hef Khaled When ba

ked, p some our me top wit lted butter and h icin Then pair it g sugar. w ith paste and po almond sugar. wder

Spiced bitter chocolate mousse

By Chef Kemal Ozcan of Grand Hyatt Doha This Christmas recipe, prepared by Chef Kemal, comes with a mint and white chocolate spaghetti.

Ingredients for mousse: 200g cream 250g chocolate 400g whipped cream 2 vanilla beans 5g Christmas spices

Method: - Boil the cream with the vanilla beans and Christmas spices.

- Sieve them into the melted chocolate.

- Mix smoothly.

- When mixture is cool, fold into whipped cream.

Ingredients for chocolate spaghetti: 200g cream 200g milk 100g egg yolks 100g fresh mint 40g sugar 160g white chocolate

Method: - Boil the cream, fresh mint and milk.

- Sieve the mint after and add mixture to the sugar and egg yolks.

- Boil them until 85 degrees Celsius.

- Gradually pour on the melted white chocolate and mix well.

- When mixture is cold, fold in whipped cream.

- Spoon into a piping bag and squeeze to achieve the desired shape.

- Pour into a chosen mould and keep in freezer to set.

- Remove when frozen and place atop the mousse with your choice of toppings.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

33

Chocolate Log

By Chef Yann Grennerat of La Cigale

This traditional favourite by Executive Pastry Chef Yann serves 12 people and never goes amiss at this time of year!

Ingredients for Butter Cream: 16 egg yolks 500g sugar 500g softened butter 100g chocolate powder

Method: - Stir the sugar with some water (10cl) and let it cook at 120 degrees Celsius - Mix the egg yolks in a bowl with a beater - As soon as the sugar is cooked, drop it steadily over the egg yolks - Once mixed, turn the beater on full until the mix is cold again. It will become white and triple in volume - One cold, add the butter - Flavour the cream with chocolate powder Ingredients for biscuit roll 10 whole eggs 250g semolina sugar 125g flour 25g extra semolina sugar

Method: - Preheat oven at 210 degrees Celsius - Separate 5 eggs and then mix the egg yolks with 5 whole eggs - Add the semolina sugar (250g) and beat until the mix becomes white and foamy - Add the flour manually with a whip and keep beating for 30 seconds - Add the 5 egg whites and beat - Once they are 他 mounted, add the semolina sugar to cover - Delicately include the first egg whites and mix with a wooden spatula - Spread the biscuit on baking paper and put in preheated oven - Cook for 10 to 15 minutes while keeping an eye on it - Separate the biscuit for the papers while rolling it Ingredients for the mounting: 25g cacao powder 400g chocolate tablets

Method: - Melt the spread chocolate on a heated plate at 65 degrees Celsius and place in the fridge - Once cold, scrape the chocolate with a spatula to get chocolate shavings - Spread the butter cream on the biscuit surface with a spatula, roll the biscuit on itself and tighten the log - Rest in fridge for 20 minutes - Take out and cut both ends of the log, then re-cover log with butter cream - Decorate the log by covering it with chocolate shavings and put in fridge for another 20 minutes - Sprinkle the log with cacao powder

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

Panettone Vanilla Cupcakes

by Chef Khaled Rashwan of By the team at Magnolia Bakery Magnolia Bakery will be opening soon in Qatar. Here is a sneak peek at a recipe that is bound to have us heading to their venue as soon as doors open!

Ingredients for cupcakes: 1 ½ cups self-raising flour 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 1 cup unsalted butter softened with 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs 1 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Method: - Preheat oven to around 180 degrees Celsius.

- Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

- In a small bowl, combine flours. Set aside.

- In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth.

- Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. About three mins.

- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

- Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla.

- With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but beware not to overbeat.

- Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

- Carefully spoon batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ full.

- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cupcake comes out clean.

- Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes, then remove from tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Ingredients for vanilla buttercream: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened with 4 cups confectioner’s sugar 2-3 tbsps milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Method: - Cream butter in a large mixing bowl and add the vanilla.

- Gradually add sugar one cup at a time.

- Scrape down sides of bowl often.

- When mixture starts to thicken and appears dry, add milk.

- Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. About 2-4 mins.

- Add more milk as needed if you want a thinner consistency.

- If desired, add a few drops of food colouring and mix thoroughly.

- Store icing at room temperature. It can also be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Ritz-Carlton

According to Chef Khaled, legend says that a Milanese baker fell in love with a beautiful woman who walked past his bakery every day. In an attempt to lure her inside and win her affections he spent months creating this vanillaperfumed loaf he called ‘Pan di Toni’ (Toni’s bread).

Ingredients Starter mixture: 80g flour 2g yeast 55ml water The rest: 50g castor sugar 7g yeast 55ml water 200g flour 4g salt 4g bread improver 3 to 4 egg yolks 5ml vanilla essence 1 zest of a lemon 50g butter 80g raisins (soaked in 10ml vanilla essence) 40g orange peel (soaked in 10ml vanilla essence) Method: - Mix flour, fresh yeast and water. Leave the starter mixture to rest for four hours.

- Combine started mixture with all other ingredients (except raisin and orange peel) and mix until it becomes a dough.

- Pour in the raisin and orange peel and then rest the mixture for 30 minutes.

- Scale and rest for another 30 minutes.

- Mould the mixture then proof (let dough rise).

- Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

- Serve and enjoy with a steamy cup of hot chocolate.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

35

CULTURE

Fire Up The Perfect Barbie

It’s that time of year when we should all be outside, enjoying the cooler weather, with friends, family and some grilled meats. We spoke to the experts to find out how to make the best of our barbecues.

1.

The Four Seasons has found a grilling genius in Chef Alessandro. These are his top tips to all you budding barbecue masters out there…

The perfect barbecue should use charcoal. It is of course not easy to manage but in terms of taste and flavour, it is the best. Just be sure to choose the right charcoal - the best choice is the natural chunks that come from 100 per cent wood.

you do a direct grill, before you cook, use longhandled tongs to spread the coals evenly in a single 2. When layer about one-inch beyond the area of the food.

Place your meat on the grill and when you check the temperature make sure your thermometer doesn’t touch the grill, the bone or the fat.

3.

Ask your butcher for the tender meat and avoid the hard meat like legs and shoulder. Choose meat with shiny white fat - if your meat has yellow fat most likely after cooking it will be chewy.

most common mistake that many people make on the grill is the cooking style. Everybody tends to 4. The cook well done. If your seafood is fresh, don’t be

scared to cook it for few minutes. The same for livers or brains.

lot of chefs marinate the meat with oils and herbs they only put salt before placing on the grill. This 5. Aand is a common mistake. The salt itself is water-soluble, so you need the water to dissolve and penetrate the meat, and oil, which is a natural fat, will not dissolve the salt.

absorb the olive oil that we put on before cooking, so when you grill, it will burn. I suggest 6. Vegetables slicing your zucchini, or eggplant or bell pepper 1 cm

high, put fine salt and keep it separate for at least 15 minutes. After this, you will notice that the vegetables are sweaty. This is the right moment to grill them, without oil.

on your grill at least one hour before you start cooking: The temperature is fundamental for a good 7. Switch result. The charcoal needs time to warm and create nice, shiny embers.

sure you take out your meat or fish from the fridge at least 1/2 an hour before you start. If, for 8. Make example, you put a cold steak on a hot grill, not only

will it decrease the temperature of your grate, it will also be very difficult to reach the cooking temperature you desire, because the heating power from your barbecue will take more time to penetrate the heart of your food.

The Four Seasons hold their Brazilian Gaucho Barbecue on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 10.30pm on the private beach. Call 4494 8888.

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

Chef Alessandro’s Marinade Since childhood, I have been a solid fan of chops such as beef, veal and lamb. For me a barbecue is not a barbecue if there are no chops on the grill. I do have a special marinade for my meat – it’s the same one that my grandmother used to make many years ago.

Ingredients: 100g rosemary 100g garlic 80g fine sea salt (chopped using knife NOT blender) Method for meat or fish: When you chop it together, the salt absorbs the garlic and rosemary taste and becomes very aromatic. Use it on your meat or fish 1/2 hour before you grill at ambient temperature.

Method for potatoes: The same aromatic salt is perfect if you want to make a jacket potato under the embers. Take a raw potato, put one spoon of unsalted butter around the skin, plus a big spoonful of this aromatic salt, and then wrap it in foil and put it at the corner of the barbecue where it is not as hot. After one hour, take the potato out and taste the fantastic flavour.

At St Regis Doha, Executive Chef Brendan McGowan has the intricacies of barbecuing down to a T. Here he shares what you need to know before lighting the flames…

Well oiled: A clean, well-oiled is in: The thinner the 4. grate also gives you much 1. Thin meat, the less the heat has to better grill marks. travel to penetrate the core, so

The simplest way to oil the grill is to soak a wad of paper towels or a rag in oil, and then rub it over the HOT grate using your long-handled tongs.

During the cooking process, if you notice foods are starting to stick, oil it again.

the easier it is to present the preferred temperature.

poke and prod: It takes time for your caramelised 2. Don’t BBQ crust to develop and

this won’t happen if you’re continually turning your steaks or burgers. Only turn once or twice. Do not force everything down as this allows the juices to run out and will leave the meat tasteless and dry.

hygiene: It’s funny how the outdoors can make some 3. Food people forget the basics.

Always put your cooked food on a relevant chopping board and never add marinade that was used for raw meat to cooked meat. Simple.

is on your side: For direct grilling, the food has to 5. Time be put on the grill as soon as

the coals start to ash over. For other cooking methods, let the coals burn longer before putting on the food.

6.

Venting is good: For direct grilling, the bottom and side vents should be opened.

For all other types, the vents should be adjusted for the proper temperatures. The top vent will control how much heat and smoke is retained the bottom and side vents control how much heat is produced.

This should be common sense, but a lot of grill cooks 7. Grate: overlook the fact that coals get hotter the closer you get to the heat source! If there’s a lot of partially burnt coals left after a cookout, chances are this is a problem.

the zone: Build multiple Start with a triple 8. Inheat-zones. layer of coals, followed by a

double layer, and then a single layer with a safety zone. That will give you a very hot zone for searing, a hot zone for grilling, a medium-hot zone for cooking and a cool zone to keep foods from burning.

You can cook several kinds of food at the same time, even if they require different cooking temperatures!

not sneak a peak: Finally, when it comes to grilling, avoid 9. Do the temptation to open the

lid any more than necessary, especially on gas grills. Believe me, it only doubles the cooking times. When you do open the lid to add coals or check on the food - Always Check the Temperature! After a while, you’ll be able to judge pretty accurately how quickly the grill loses heat and can compensate for it.

St Regis host Reggae Barbecue Nights in Oyster Bay every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 7pm to midnight for QR190 per person (valid until 30th Dec).

Ladies get two for one on drinks. Call 4446 0105.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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ARTS

KEEPING QATAR’S EYES, EARS AND MINDS IN SHAPE

THIS MONTH YOU MUST...

Faces of Photography

The impressive work of Habeeb Mohammed Abu-Futtaim!

HEAR

North by Matchbox Twenty

The first album of new work in ten years for the band. (see p.45)

p40: Faces of Photography p45: Choice Tunes p46: On Screen

(see p.40)

READ

The Twelve

by Justin Cronin

The incredible new horror, and sequel to The Passage! (see p.49)

WATCH

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey The highly anticipated new fantasy based on the Tolkien book. (see p.46)

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

39

Faces of Photography ARTS

Young photographer Habeeb Mohammed Abu-Futtaim has a talented eye that brings out the beauty in any moment. FACT speaks to him about his love of the art and his latest projects.

I

n his last year of high school, Habeeb started working in Qatar’s fledgling photography industry. Until now, he has worked in the fashion and commercial spheres, capturing up-and-coming fashion designers’ collections and enhancing editorial in national magazines. He has also been working on his own artistic albums.

“I’m not going to limit myself to anything,” he says.

“Whatever comes along, I might not be doing it right, but I’m going to try doing

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

it anyway.”

Habeeb has steely determination in his eyes as he says this. He’s young – only 19 – but he already has a purpose laid out for himself and he knows where he’s going. He tells us how he was always the kid with the crayons and drawing in class. His love of art and design is what led him to photography.

“No one in my family has done anything like photography and arts in general, so I was the first one to do it and no one really got what I was doing,” he tells us. “But the idea that you can capture anything really fascinated me.”

Habeeb’s family originally come from Yemen but he has grown up in Doha and he plans on staying for a while.

“There was no arts here before but thanks to people like Shaikha Mayassa who have put a lot of effort into

this industry, there is now,” he says.

“I’ve been here throughout the arts and design revolution, which is what I call it. It’s like watching history in the making right now and I want to see it to the end.”

After looking through Habeeb’s portfolio, FACT Qatar wouldn’t be surprised if he’s soon encouraging and developing the arts scene and making a bit of history himself !

ARTS

Habeeb’s Heroes

Here, in his own words, Habeeb tells us about his latest project that highlights the stories of Qatar’s labourers…

“There are two names that I decided for the labour movement project: The Heroes, and I’m A Story, because I try to tell their stories through photographs.

“I’ve always loved photographing labourers and workers who unfortunately have to do hard labour just to earn a little money…

“The best and the most beautiful part about photographing these people is that everything in the moment that you’re capturing is pure, honest and original.

They don’t pose or make faces like other people… they just tend to be their true selves or just do their work and that’s

when you get to capture the real beauty in that moment.

“The whole point of me doing this is because I feel for these people and I want to do something for them. So, as a young teen artist, I thought I could use art to help get their stories out and help them this way.

“I started photographing them and revealing their stories to people because they have a voice that is often unheard.

The least that can happen is that these photographs might make them feel special.

“These are real stories and they are the real heroes.”

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

41

A Man Praying

Habeeb also writes stories to go with his images. Here he tells us about capturing a man in the middle of prayer…

“On a Thursday afternoon I was out to attend a meeting for which I was late already.

When I left home I could hear the sound of the Azaan(s) of Salat-Ul-Asr (the afternoon prayer) fleeting in the sky. While I was on my way, a thought struck my mind that I was already late for the meeting, so why not stop by, pray and then head for the meeting.

Maybe that prayer will at least help me to not get in trouble for being late.

“So, I found a mosque on my way and pulled my car to the side, parking in the no parking area… thanks to the Thursday traffic jams. But then again, which cop would have a heart to fine a man who is praying…

“I did the ablution (wudhu) and stepped in the mosque only to find myself alone there. However, I chose the middle row in the middle of the mosque and prayed.

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

While I was praying, I heard a man walk in slowly. By the time he was walking past by me, my prayer was done and we made eye contact. He was pretty old, fair, had wrinkles on his face, light brown hair and facial hair, unusual hazel eyes and the way he said “Asalaamualaikm” to me, I knew he was an Afghani man.

“The lights of the mosque were switched off and rays of sunlight slowly and sort of distortedly fell inside the mosque. It was a beautiful sight when this man walked nowhere but to that place and started praying.

“This photograph is nowhere close to the definition of the bond of a man with his creator, but this photograph sure has captured that moment with a little bit of meaning and feeling.”

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

ARTS

NEW ALBUMS, ARTISTS, AND AUDIOPHONICS

CHOICE TUNES

In Association with Virgin Megastore, Villaggio Mall and Landmark Mall, Doha

Pop Rock

Matchbox Twenty you wouldn’t know that they hadn’t put out an album in ten years!

North

By Matchbox Twenty WHAT’S IT LIKE:

THIS is the latest album from the American band from Florida, and their first album of new material in ten years now, the last being the compilation ‘greatest hits’ album Exile in Mainstream back in 2007.

If you don’t know Matchbox Twenty, then the best comparison would probably be to Maroon 5, but that’s only in the loosest sense. Maroon 5 move far further down the pop road than these guys do.

With North, it was much more of a collaborative effort between the band as a whole, with each member making his own specific contribution, instead of the whole thing pretty much being written by lead singer Rob Thomas, as with the last album. This has led to a much more versatile, richer and more developed experience as a whole, thus proving that you can teach old dogs new tricks!

North is a thoroughly enjoyable album that would sound just as at home playing on your car stereo on a road trip as it would as the backing track for a good house party.

Highlights are ‘She’s So Mean’, an upbeat singalong track, and ‘English Town’.

B+

House

Soft Rock

Rap/Dance

Disco Crash

Born and Raised

Wild Ones

By Bob Sinclar

By Flo Rida

By John Mayer

WHAT’S IT LIKE:

BOB Sinclar made his name with a unique new sound that was distinctly his own, with hits like ‘Love Generation’ and ‘World Hold On’. However, with this album, he has gone down the very predictable route of recruiting a list of A-list artists in a marathon of collaborations, shoehorning his sound into whatever style fits each collaborator.

Putting their two cents in on the album are Snoop Dogg, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Hot Rod, Pitbull, Sean Paul, and so on.

And in trying to emulate a style that suits each artist, Sinclar has lost that originality that made him so good in the first place, with each track, though well produced, sounding recycled. For example, ‘Far L’Amour’ sounds like it got its cues from ‘We No Speak Americano’, and the Pitbull collaboration sounds like it came straight from a Pitbull album. And we’ve figured out how it feels. It feels pretentious.

C

WHAT’S IT LIKE:

MAYER’S been through the ringer over the past few years, facing a hailstorm of criticism after a controversial Playboy interview in 2009. He faded out of public view for a period of self-reflection, and came out at the end of it this year with this album - one which many critics say is his best to date.

There’s certainly an element of humility to Born and Raised - while it still does demonstrate Mayer’s prowess with a guitar, it’s a much more down-to-earth affair than previous albums.

The opening track, ‘Queen of California’, has an unmistakeable country flavour to it, albeit a very sophisticated one, and this flavour can be found throughout the album, giving it a grassroots touch that show his newfound groundedness.

‘Dark Shadow’ is probably the most telling track about his troubled days, with the lyrics telling a story of a fall and then a redemption.

A heartfelt effort!

B+

WHAT’S IT LIKE:

FUSING rap and dance music is no new thing - this dance-floor commercialisation of hip-hop has been going on for years now, with DJs remixing rap artists, and rap artists collaborating with DJs, and so on.

However, at no point until now had it been done so completely and thoroughly with this album.

Normally, the DJ makes the album and brings in a bunch of urban artists to collaborate - think Guetta or Sinclar et al but Flo Rida has turned it on his head and conceived from the start a hip-hop album overlaid onto commercial dance music.

In some places, it has worked well, such as on the by now highly recognisable tracks ‘Good Feeling’, which samples Avicii’s ‘Le7els’, and ‘Wild Ones’ which features the vocals of Sia, of Guetta’s ‘Titanium’ fame.

In others, not so much, but in general a guaranteed commercial success.

B

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

45

ARTS

TOP FILMS SHOWING THIS MONTH IN QATAR

ON SCREEN

The dwarves’ shopping list was rather perplexing. Bilbo had no idea where he was going to get L’Oreal highlights for beards and armourplated platform shoes...

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey D: Peter Jackson C: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis

WHAT’S IT ABOUT:

Bilbo Baggins is a respectable hobbit living a quiet, uneventful life, until one day the mysterious wizard Gandalf turns up, followed shortly by a group of sombre dwarves.

Before he knows it, he’s roped into a quest to retrieve a legendary hoard of treasure from the clutches of the powerful dragon, Smaug, dodging goblins and trolls along the way.

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

WHY IT’S WORTH WATCHING:

Well, to any Tolkien fan, or any Lord of the Rings movies fan, this will be a welcome continuation of the Middle Earth magic that has been sorely missed since the last Lord of the Rings movie was released way back in 2003 (Wow, has it really been that long?).

However, this is not, in fact, a sequel to the first trilogy, but a prequel, as the events in The Hobbit take place before those of LOTR. Also good news is that, because of the delays in making the movies, director Guillermo del Toro was unable to take on

the project, which means that the man responsible for the brilliant LOTR trilogy, Peter Jackson, had to step in and do it himself.

Even MORE good news - despite the fact that The Hobbit is just one book, the producers decided that the story was so rich that it was worth making into another trilogy.

And finally, Sir Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving reprise their roles as Gandalf, Galadriel and Elrond respectively.

However, leading the cast is the much-loved star of the British sitcom The Office, Martin Freeman, who plays the young Bilbo Baggins.

ARTS

Les Miserables D: Tom Hooper C: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway

They decided to pause the revolution for a quick coffee break...

WHAT’S IT ABOUT:

In 19th Century Paris, a peasant (Jackman) is caught stealing bread to feed his family, and serves 20 years in jail. When released, he breaks parole, but is pursued by a relentless police officer (Crowe).

The pursuit lasts years, and consumes the lives of both men, but eventually all the characters are swept up in the events of the Paris uprising of 1832.

WHY IT’S WORTH WATCHING:

Well, if the fact that it’s based on one of the most popular musicals of all time, which itself is based on one of the great novels of the 19th Century, isn’t enough to inspire some cultural cravings, perhaps the stellar cast might tickle your fancy.

This is some serious subject matter, and some serious acting talent, so you know the producers will be looking for some Oscar nominations for this one. It should therefore be worth a watch!

Jack Reacher is the film adaptation of author Lee Child’s much-loved character, the imposing and intractable anti-hero Jack Reacher, ex-US Army MP, wanderer, vagabond, and general hardass. However, the character, who is generally described as a giant, well over six feet tall and built like a tank, is being played by the five foot seven Tom Cruise. Fans of the books are already up in arms - can Cruise win them over?

This is NOT what Reacher fans had in mind when a film was discussed...

Django Unchained

“C’mon, just try one drag. All the cool kids are doing it!”

D: Quentin Tarantino C: Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio

WHAT’S IT ABOUT: Django (Foxx) is a slave in the Deep South of the US, who was separated from his wife when he was captured. Bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz frees him from his captors, and offers him his freedom and help finding his wife in return for his own help in tracking down and killing the dangerous Brittle Brothers, who only he knows how to find. Gunslinging ensues...

Cirque du Soleil: World’s Away is a 3D film adaptation of the spectacular Cirque du Soleil shows. Creating something in 3D cinema that represents an actual live show may seem a bit redundant, but when you factor in movie magic and effects, you begin to realise they could create something truly magical here - let’s hope we’re right!

If you haven’t been to see a live show, this could be the next best thing...

WHY IT’S WORTH WATCHING: It was directed by Quentin Tarantino...

What, you need us to go on? Ok, well, it’s got Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson in it. Samuel L. Jackson, in his first Tarantino movie since Pulp Fiction, which is arguably one of his best roles. AND, it’s a Western!

Still not convinced? Well GO AND WATCH TWILIGHT THEN...

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

ARTS

QATAR’S BEST READS THIS MONTH BY GENRE

CHOICE WORDS

In Association with Virgin Megastore, Villaggio Mall and Landmark Mall, Doha

Horror Fiction

The Twelve By Justin Cronin

WHAT’S IT ABOUT:

IN this sequel to Cronin’s epic first apocalyptic novel, The Passage, we pick up the story of the remaining California colony survivors and their ongoing lives in one of the last remaining outposts of human existence, the Republic of Texas, a walled city of 300,000 people.

Peter and Alicia, now members of the Expeditionary, continue to search for the remaining survivors of the Twelve, the first of the viral creatures that now populate the Earth, but the search isn’t going well.

Then a series of mysterious attacks, and rumours of another city elsewhere in America, begin to herald the coming of a catastrophic showdown that will change the lives of all the remaining humans on Earth forever.

WHAT’S IT LIKE:

As with the first novel, Justin Cronin demonstrates his staggering mastery of storytelling in another book that will draw you in, wrap its claws around your neck, and hold on for 564 harrowing, uplifting, mind-blowing and riveting pages.

Cronin seems to have addressed criticism of the fact that the main characters never get hurt in The Passage by wantonly dispatching any and every character you develop any emotional involvement with until you feel just as bewildered and traumatised as the characters in the book. More harrowing tales of the initial days of the outbreak beef up the story.

A

Non-Fiction

Fiction

Historical Fiction

The Further Adventures of an Idiot Abroad

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Citadel

by Ben Fountain

By Karl Pilkington

WHAT’S IT ABOUT:

The Further Adventures is a follow-up to Karl’s first book, An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington.

This time, Karl bases his diaries on his travels doing “The Bucket List of 100 Things to do Before You Die”, largely made up of outrageous suggestions

by Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant.

WHAT’S IT LIKE:

For anyone who loves the simplistic, narrowminded, and yet somehow strangely insightful musings of Karl Pilkington as he embarks on his many adventures, spurred on by Gervais and Merchant, then this is the book for you.

Despite the fact that both these books are an obvious ploy by Gervais and co. to milk as much money out of Idiot Abroad as possible, you still can’t help but be drawn in by Pilkington’s hilarious down-to-earth Mancunian logic.

For example, why would anyone want to run with bulls in Spain? It’s crazy human behaviour, but people still do it. However, when considered through Karl’s narrow world view, where a quiet cup of tea in front of the telly wins out any day, its downright daft!

This book has many laugh-out-loud moments, making it well worth a read.

A-

WHAT’S IT ABOUT:

BILLY Lynn is a member of a platoon of soldiers who were involved in a fierce battle in Iraq which was all caught on camera by news crews. The eight survivors of the battle become national heroes in the US, and are brought home to be paraded around the country to build public support for the war.

The 19-year-old Billy is somewhat overwhelmed and non-plussed by all the attention, as the tour culminates in a huge publicity event at the Dallas Cowboys stadium, where the battle-scarred boys are in serious danger of losing control amid the surging crowds and the fireworks display which is threatening to bring on bouts of PTSD...

WHAT’S IT LIKE:

This book was described by author Karl Marlantes as “the Catch-22 of the Iraq war.”

This isn’t really an accurate metaphor, as it has a completely different feel to Catch-22 - the central character in that book is an articulate and well-educated officer, and Billy Lynn is uneducated cannon-fodder. And unlike Catch-22, this is a book about war that’s not actually set in a war, but actually ‘back home’, and about the clash between US celebrity culture and sensationalism and the B+ stark realities of war, often with humourous results.

By Kate Mosse WHAT’S IT ABOUT:

SET during the Second World War, Citadel follows the lives of several different characters; a young orphan, a French resistance fighter, a German spy and others, whose lives are swept up in a historical mystery concerning the mythical treasure of the Cathars, which is believed to reveal the whereabouts of the Holy Grail.

The German spy is desperate to find the secret of its location, and he believes that Raoul, the resistance fighter, has the map, and he’ll stop at nothing to get his hands on it.

WHAT’S IT LIKE:

The last in a trilogy of adventure novels which is set to be made into a miniseries, it’s really advisable to have read the first two before beginning this one. This reviewer didn’t, and was somewhat bewildered by a lot of the references to the previous stories.

Having said that, the story itself was fantastic, and warrants searching out the first to books to get the complete story.

The level of knowledge Mosse has on the subject matter makes her extensive research apparent, and makes for a rich and vibrant story that really draws you in.

It’s intense, gripping and moves with a fluidity that B+ keeps you turning the page all they way to the end.

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TECHNOLOGY KEEPING THE PEOPLE OF QATAR STATE-OF-THE-ART

p52: Great Gadgets for Gifts p54: The Lab p56: The Lamborghini Gallardo

What to buy your loved ones:

The Xmas Gadget Gift Guide Shopping for presents can be stressful, so we make it easier for you with our guide to the best Xmas gadgets...

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TECHNOLOGY

The Gadget

Gift Guide Gadgets make great presents, but which one to buy for who? We’ve broken it down into five specific categories, with out favourite device in each one, making it easier for you to choose which one’s best for your loved ones…

For the photographers…

Nikon 1

The Nikon 1 range of cameras are an ideal gift for a photography enthusiast who wants close to professional-level shots without the big costs and bulkiness of a pro-grade SLR camera. These compact digital cameras differ from other digicams in that they boast interchangeable lenses, meaning that you can capture really high-quality pictures on your summer holidays or family gatherings. You can also capture full HD movies, with a lens available specifically for movie filming. The features on the camera are impressive, and you could spend a while playing around with them all to get the best out of your images.

For the travellers…

the iPad Mini

Any serious traveller will know that when it comes to packing, less is always more – travelling light is the way forward.

Therefore, this smaller version of the iPad, with a 7.9-inch screen, in contrast to the 9.7 inches of the normal iPad, is the traveller’s smart choice. While it’s more compact and lighter than the iPad, making it easier to lug around, what’ll really appeal to travellers is the claimed 10-hour battery life, meaning a fullycharged iPad mini should outlast any leg of your journey. They come with the usual 16, 32 or 64GB memory, with the powerful Apple A5 processor and WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. 3G versions are coming soon.

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For the movie lovers…

Samsung 75” ES9000

On the other hand, when it comes to home cinema, MORE is definitely more – the bigger your TV, the better. And while there are bigger options than this one – Sony and LG put out an 82-inch and an 84-inch respectively – this Samsung ES9000 stands out for its picture quality and features. For example, it’s 3D ready, boasts the usual connectivity and is outrageously slimline. However, the coolest feature has to be the little camera on top that pops up when needed. Not only does it allow for video chat on Skype, but it also recognises motion so that you can use hand motions to control the TV. Look out for the Angry Birds app designed specifically for this feature…

For the gamers…

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Care Package

For the music lovers…

If the person you’re buying this for is a serious gamer, then they’ll probably already have bought COD Black Ops II – it’s the biggest selling game of all time, earning a staggering $500 million within 24 hours of its release. However, it’s still worth buying this package for them simply because of the amazing goodies contained therein. Aside from the exclusive add-ons for the game itself, other treats inside include a remote-controlled drone quad-copter, exclusive weapon camo, and the soundtrack to the game, all boxed in an actual in-game care package crate.

Christmas presents don’t come better than this!

Harman Kardon Bluetooth Headphones You might remember these beauties being featured in one of our Lab Techs back in last month’s issue. As everyone in the office coveted them so much, we realised that they’d make a perfect gift for any techno-geek audiophile.

Not only is the sound incredible and the earphones incredibly comfortable with their light weight and soft padded leather, they’re also wireless, connecting to your iPhone or laptop via Bluetooth. Though pricey, ‘tis the season of generosity, so splash out and make someone REALLY happy!

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TECHNOLOGY

LAB TEST

Ipad Mini

Carrefour (Price: QR1695 for 16GB Wi-Fi Only) JUST when you think Apple have released any and every possible product they come out with this… the iPad Mini.

Despite the fact that there are already a number of similar devices out on the market – the Nexus 7, the Kindle Fire HD, the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Blackberry Playbook – this is the ultimate iDevice. Now we aren’t saying that this new device’s competitors are not better priced, more fully featured and a better value for your tablet dollar (the truth is, they are), but if you are going to constantly spend your time comparing a cheaper 7” tablet to that of the iPad Mini… just buy the iPad Mini.

To put things into perspective, the iPad Mini specifications are meaningless. It is, basically, a small version of an iPad 2. You won’t really care about the 1024 x 768 screen resolution; you won’t care about the A5 processor. What you will care about it the carefully balanced battery life and the fact that, unlike its siblings in the iPhone department, you won’t need to charge this device every damn hour!

What it all boils down to is your dedication to the world of Apple. If you are not an iPhone or Mac user, then you won’t love this device. If

you are an Android phone user, then go for the Google Nexus 7 – you have no reason to part from your Android ways and go over to the dark side.

If you already have an iPad 2 or 3, then you would be throwing your money away to buy the Mini. Many clients have claimed the only reason they have bought the Mini as it fits in their handbag. Solution? Save yourself a couple of hundred BD and just use a larger bag.

The bottom line is that, as much as this may be a winner for some, others are better off waiting for the Retina display and an A6 processor potentially coming out next March. Oh and the 3G option… Bahrain’s Wi-Fi reputation isn’t one to boast about quite yet.

EMOTION

IPAD MINI EXPERIENCE-METER Happiest human ever

Very impressed

“Hats off to Apple for creating another gadget – is there product list neverending?”

“The battery life is a marked improvement on its predecessors”

Pleased

Indifferent

Ouch!

“The specifications are pretty meaningless – it is basically a small iPad 2”

“A fun, great little gadget, but is it actually worth the price tag though?”

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PROS

- Perfect fit for every sized hand or man bag - You can travel for hours without having to sit by a power source

CONS

- Overpriced for what you are actually getting

B

TECHNOLOGY

LAB TEST

Dell XPS13 Ultrabook Avaliable: BDL Trading (Price: QR3550)

EMOTION

DELL is pretty late to the Ultrabook game; with every one of its major rivals already having one or more models on the market. On saying that, is the XPS 13 good enough to make up for its tardy appearance, and the big question is, has Dell learned from its mistakes made with its XPS 14z?

At first glance, the answer is a resounding yes. The XPS 13 Ultrabook appears to have it all – a 13-inch screen crammed into the equivalent of a 12-inch chassis, classy metal and carbon fibre build, good-looking design, good connectivity and specs and a backlit keyboard. One way this Ultrabook succeeds is when it comes to design. With the possible exceptions of the Samsung Series 9 900X3B and the Macbook Air, it is probably the most attractive ultraportal we have seen yet.

Its curved, tapering corners and smooth aluminium lid look pretty superb and is nicely complemented by an aluminium strip around the laptop’s otherwise black base.

Connectivity on this device is rather limited. Unlike the majority of other laptops out there, there is no SD card reader, therefore you will need an adapter to import your camera snaps.

There’s also no Ethernet jack and Dell doesn’t provide any adapters in the box. In its defence however, it is no worse than the MacBook Air 11-inch.

The wireless side of things is covered by the usual Bluetooth and Wi-Fi N combo, while the integrated HD webcam does its job. A nice little feature is a MacBook-esque battery indicator

DEL XPS 13 EXPERIENCE-METER

Happiest human ever

Very impressed

Pleased

Indifferent

on the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook’s side, which uses five white LEDs to indicate the remaining charge.

When it comes down to usability, Dell’s first Ultrabook really shines – literally as the keyboard is backlit in white. The keyboard is also pretty nice to type on, with an attractive layout and well-spaced keys. The semi-gloss finish means fingerprints don’t show and the keys’ concave shape cradle your fingertips.

Dell may have waited a little too long to break into the Ultrabook world but many will claim the XPS 13 is worth the wait. Its design is innovative; its practical use is comfortable and its battery life is decent. Unfortunately its connectivity suffers and the screen’s poor viewing angles really lets the side down.

“There are better options out there – good back up as a premium laptop though”

“Good looking yet lacks in the connectivity and adapter department”

“Although late to the market, this could be a turning point for Dell”

“Seriously comfy typing experience, goodbye to RSI!”

Ouch!

PROS

TIME

- Great typing experience - Better battery life

CONS

- Poor quality screen - Limited connectivity - Pricey

B+

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TECHNOLOGY

ALI DRIVER SAYS THAT

“There’s a very good reason why pictures of Lamborghinis grace the walls of boys and men across the world…”

Our Mystery Motoring Expert, Ali Driver, rides the raging bull, and will never be the same again…

T

here are certain things in life you’ll never forget – the first time you fall in love; the first car you ever buy; the first time you hold your own baby.

And then there’s the first time you drive a Lamborghini, and hear its V10 unleash hell a foot behind your head. It’s an elemental sound, working its way deep into your consciousness and reverberating around in your mind like a clap of thunder – which is all rather distracting when in front of you whole kilometres are disappearing in a matter of seconds.

The appeal of a Lamborghini is a hard thing to quantify.

When you see a man driving by in a Lamborghini, your natural reaction to him is to mutter “Tosser…” under your breath, and make assumptions as to the fact that he’s compensating for something lacking in the trouser department. However, if you’re really honest with yourself, this reaction is a direct result of a single, ugly and yet utterly human base emotion: Jealousy.

Because deep inside, you know that if you had the money, you would be that guy. And he knows it too. So he doesn’t mind the haters, because he can’t hear you

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muttering insults over the throaty rumble of his 5.2l V10.

Don’t get me wrong – there is a large element of posing to the Lamborghini. There’s nothing understated about this car.

However, it’s so much more than that. The Lamborghini reaches that part inside all men that will never grow up – the part that will always be thrilled by something exotic, shiny, and fast.

And the great thing about modern Lamborghinis is that they no longer kill you. The Lambos of old were wild and unpredictable beasts – every time you drove one, it was a fifty-fifty chance between getting to your destination, or ending up parked upside down in a ditch. At the very least, you could expect a piece to fall off somewhere on the journey.

However, those days are long gone, thanks to the intervention of a man who could conceivably be the craziest German (well, ok, Austrian, but that’s close enough!) ever to head up a company in the notoriously conservative and sensible German automotive industry - Ferdinand Piëch.

We’re talking about a man largely responsible for the insane Audi Quattro; a man who, as the

TECHNOLOGY chairman of VW Group, decided to buy Bentley, Lamborghini AND Bugatti, two ailing brands and one extinct, in a spending spree of epic proportions when a global recession was looming; a man responsible for the Bugatti Veyron, which was one of the craziest cars ever made, and despite costing a million Euros, was never meant to earn a profit.

But there is genius behind the craziness. I mean, what could possibly be better than blending the style, passion, exotica and desirability of an Italian supercar brand with German precision, engineering and reliability?

Well, here you see the results, and this is just the entry level Lambo. The Gallardo was designed to be a more accessible model for a brand known for producing super-exotics for the uber-wealthy. It was a very smart move. The Gallardo has now become Lamborghini’s biggestselling model, providing a stable platform for production of the higher-end Lambos like the Murcielago, the Reventon, and now the Aventador.

The pairing between Lamborghini and Audi, a subsidiary of the VW group, left Lamborghini free to design and create things of magnificence and beauty, and leave middling details like build quality, handling, engineering and reliability to Audi. Many of the Gallardo’s parts are derived from the Audi stable, such as the engines, which are based on the engines that power the Audi R8.

This is the second-generation Gallardo, with design cues coming

from the super-exotic Reventon (of which only twenty were made, the first of which was delivered to someone in neighbouring Bahrain!) which can be seen on the front air scoops and lights.

And this model in particular is the Gallardo LP 550-2. This is a special addition to the line-up, as it is currently the only Lamborghini model that is rear-wheel drive. The first incarnation of it was the LP 5502 Valentino Balboni, named after the Lamborghini test driver who specifically requested that they make a rear-wheel-drive version of the Gallardo. This version proved such a hit that they decided to mass produce the LP 550-2 as a new Gallardo model.

In order to maintain the driveability of the 550-2, the Lamborghini engineers had to completely re-adjust the chassis of the car, including the suspension settings, the electronic stability programme, the transmission and even the aerodynamics.

The best part, though, is that being only rear-wheel drive has reduced the curb-weight of the Gallardo 550-2 to 1,380kg, compared to the 1,410kg of the LP 560-4.

From what I gather, the overall effect is to add an element of danger to the whole affair that increases the thrill for the driver, much like Lambos of old. It seems that, being rear-wheeldrive makes the LP 550-2 just that bit more lairy than the fourwheel-drive version.

Having never driven the 560-4, I can’t personally attest to this.

It seems that, being rearwheel-drive makes the LP 550-2 just that bit more lairy than the fourwheel-drive version.

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However, what I can attest to is that the LP 550-2 is a hell of a lot of fun to drive. The soul-stirring sound and jawdropping power come courtesy of the 5.2l V10 engine, which has a power output of 550hp (hence the name).

The power is immense – when you floor it at 120, the six-speed automatic gearbox will drop two gears in a fraction of a second, and deliver a surge of power like a explosion at your back, propelling you to 180km/h in literally a couple of seconds.

It’ll go from a standstill to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, and on to a top speed of 320km/h.

The word ‘awesome’ springs to mind.

But the speed and power of the Gallardo are not, in my opinion, the most important thing about the car. I think the most important thing is the eminent driveability of it.

I have to confess to having some nerves when I first set out on the test drive – this was a Lamborghini, after all!

However, my nerves were quickly dispelled when I settled into the drive, and before long, I was thoroughly

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comfortable behind the wheel.

The Gallardo is perfectly pleasant to drive at day-today speeds, and though the suspension is firm, as you’d expect from a sports car, it’s not bone-jarring.

When you do want to have some fun, however, you have a choice between two options – Sport and Corsa. Sport firms the suspension, increases throttle response and sharpens everything up a bit, improving the handling for enthusiastic driving. The first thing you’ll notice is the change in the engine note – it revs a little harder, and the sound is all the more delicious for it!

Then there is Corsa, which is Italian for ‘track’, and the name speaks for itself really.

The car will reconfigure itself for the most extreme performance available, and while this does make the car hugely fun to drive, the very hard suspension setting isn’t something you’d want to be stuck with permanently.

And as for the performance, the handling is sublime. The rear-wheel-drive configuration is, in my opinion, preferable to the four-wheel-drive option.

Sure, the four-wheel-drive will handle better, but the rear-wheel-drive is so much more fun. Add power in a corner, and the back end will flick out eagerly, but again,

unlike Lamborghinis of old, the car can be brought back into line again with a flick of the steering wheel, rather than sending you backwards into a sand dune.

Ultimately, you don’t get the feeling that the Gallardo is waiting to bite you in the ass if you make a mistake. Instead, you feel like it’s working with you to extract the most rewarding drive possible out of it.

The 6-speed gearbox on the model we drove featured the robotised sequential e-gear system, with the paddle shifters fixed on the steering column. This did raise one issue, which was how you were supposed to change gear when

you were turning a corner and your hands weren’t at quarterto-three! A minor detail that you’d probably only notice on a track, I think.

The interior was an exercise in Italian style, both strange and wonderful. Things aren’t where you’d expect them to be on other cars, and it can take a little while to figure out where everything is. Take, for example, the bank of metallic switches across the centre console, which do things I had no concept of. Or the button to engage the reverse gear which is nowhere near the centre console, but instead to the left of the steering wheel.

You don’t mind any of these things, though, because it’s a Lamborghini, and you expect it to be a little “unusual”.

So, all in all, I was both impressed and surprised by the Gallardo. Impressed because, well, it’s a Lamborghini, it’s gorgeous, and fast as hell!

Surprised, because it was a lot friendlier than I expected it to be. After several hours of driving, I was calm, relaxed and exhilarated, and would happily have driven for several hours more. It’s a car that makes you wish you had a whole continent of twisting mountain roads to drive across.

So, for the paltry sum of BD60,000-ish, you get all the exotic magic of a Lamborghini in a car you could drive every day. To me, that’s an absolute bargain!

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TECHNOLOGY

ALI DRIVER SAYS THAT

“Mitsubishi add yet another Lancer to their range, bringing the total up to three!”

Our Mystery Motoring Expert, Ali Driver, attempts to figure

out exactly where the new Lancer Fortis fits in the Mitsubishi range…

W

hen I was invited to review the Lancer, I presumed that it was going to be the Lancer EX - what I believed to be the latest model of the Mitsubishi Lancer. It couldn’t be the older model, that is still being sold as just ‘Lancer’, as the model was many years old now.

However, to my utter surprise, when I arrived, I was told that it would be neither of these models – I would, in fact, be reviewing the Lancer Fortis, a new arrival in Qatar.

“ANOTHER type of Lancer?” I asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

OK… And here’s where things get complicated. Mitsubishi make a bewildering range of vehicles, each tailored to a specific region. One model they’ll sell only in Europe, one would only be found in Asia, and another perhaps in Australia. And THEN there are the various licensing agreements with other car companies to manufacture variants of them, and so on.

The Lancer alone has so many different interchanging model variants that I’m not even going to attempt to write it out here. I am, instead, going to shamelessly plunder Wikipedia…

“The Mitsubishi Lancer is a family car built by Mitsubishi Motors. It has been known as the Colt Lancer, Dodge/Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer,

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Eagle Summit (what?!?), Hindustan Lancer (our personal favourite), Soueast Lioncel, Mitsubishi Carisma, and Mitsubishi Mirage in various countries at different times.”

To make matters even more confusing, the Lancer EX in Qatar is also named the Galant Fortis in Japan and the Lancer Fortis in Taiwan. Neither of these cars bears any resemblance to the Lancer Fortis you see here today. Type Lancer Fortis into a Google search, and a whole variety of different models will appear.

So, are you following all this so far?

No, me neither, but let’s soldier on regardless…

We should start by getting down to the bare bones of the issue – what is this new Lancer, and why have they brought it to Qatar?

Well, the Lancer Fortis slots almost perfectly between the two current Lancer models, the Lancer and the Lancer EX. It’s not as stylish or well appointed as the Lancer EX, and it costs less as well.

It is, however, a definite mark up on the old Lancer, being larger, more comfortable and boasting more features. If I were to hazard a guess, and this is pure conjecture, mind, I would say that the Fortis is being brought in to phase out the old Lancer, which is beginning to look somewhat dated now.

As for the car itself, it boasts a 1.8l engine straight-four DOHC 16-valve

TECHNOLOGY

“As an all-round affordable option, you won’t get much more for your money...”

MIVEC engine putting out around 140hp and 177Nm of torque. It comes in a grand choice of four colours – silver, grey, black or white.

Inside, the design is simple, functional, spartan. You get the basics – stereo, CD-player, AC… and that’s about it! It does have electric windows, remote keyless entry and 16” alloy wheels, but that as far as things go frills-wise.

To drive, the Fortis really isn’t bad at all. The 1.8l engine is surprisingly feisty – it won’t win any races, but you do feel like you’re shifting when you put your foot down. Ride comfort is good too, with the suspension soaking up the bumps and cracks on the mean streets of Doha pretty well. Handling and steering response are both better than expected, with reasonably sharp cornering and not too much body roll.

Gear changes are smooth and intuitive thanks to Mitsubishi’s INVECS-III system, which does a good job of selecting the right gear ratio for the task at hand. Also included is the Continuous Variable

Who is Ali Driver?

Transmission that enhances energy efficiency, meaning that the Fortis won’t be thirsty with the fuel – not a massive worry in the Gulf, but welcome news for someone looking for economy.

So what’s the verdict on Lancer part III? Overall, while there isn’t anything to take your breath away, but there isn’t anything to fault, either, which is more than can be said for the old Lancer. However, it won’t raise any eyebrows like the Lancer EX did – more than a few of us where impressed when Mitsubishi unveiled THAT particular model. I see the Fortis as a direct challenger to cars like the Nissan Tiida and the Toyota Corolla.

The Fortis wasn’t made to win hearts and minds – it was made to be one thing, which is functional. It’ll be much beloved of hire-car companies, taxi drivers, and anyone looking for a decent, reliable car for great value. Because that’s what the Fortis is, and because it’s a Mitsubishi, you know that it’ll just keep going and going and going.

1. He lives in Qatar and says he grew up hard on the mean streets of Doha, but we think he’s actually from a rich family with lots of cars, and won’t admit it!

2. He says his car skills are all self-taught, but we’re sure we’ve seen a course certificate from the Losail International Circuit on his wall.

3. He drives cars better than anyone we know (but don’t ever tell him).

4. He claims to be able to change a regular car tyre in under 4 minutes, but we’re sure that’s only when his wife helps him.

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FASHION

FIGHTING THE BATTLE AGAINST BAD TASTE IN QATAR

FASHION

p64: Pepe Jeans do Warhol... p64: Festive Fashion...

e y b d o o g e l y t s n n i i 2 2 1 1 0 0 2 2 o tto S a y in g

To celebrate the festive season we’ve worked hard to find hottest looks, garments, shoes and accessories to make this your most memorable month of they year, because we want our readers to be the best dressed people at the party.

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FASHION

From

Portobello to Qatar

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QAR679

QAR315

QAR455

QAR315

Portobello Road, the home of George Orwell, Electric Cinema (one of Britain’s oldest film houses) and the notable Portobello Market, also saw the birth of Pepe Jeans in 1973.

It was the inspiration of Nitin Shah, who had decided to manufacture jeans with original labels. Two years on, in 75, and brothers Shah, Nitin, Arun and Milan were the owners of several jeans stores.

These days the brand has infiltrated the world and come out with fresh and funky fashion trends that are picked up by global celebrities such as Jason Priestley, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sienna Miller and Ashton Kutcher – to name a few.

And they have a store right here in Lagoona Mall…

QAR625

The Birth of a Brand

Autumn/Winter sees a revival of 1960s pop art in the Pepe Jeans collection to celebrate and not criticise consumerism in today’s culture.

QAR425 QAR455 QAR829

Andy Warhol Collection

The Autumn/Winter 2012 Pepe Jeans Collection is an interesting one that has been inspired by the pop art of the 60s by prolific artist Andy Warhol.

The designers behind the women’s and men’s collections had this to say about their choices: “Andy Warhol had a very important role in the creation and development of pop culture. He’s relevant for his superficial and consumer culture - facts that still remain in actual society.

“Just like the Pepe Jeans collection, the Andy Warhol line has been developed for a client that looks for something different… It’s complemented by the strong presence of bright colours, graphics and all-over prints.

“The inspiration comes from different sources such as culture, art, blogs. This collection is a tribute to Warhol’s work as his most important icons appear on different graphics with his representative colours.

“The collection adapts perfectly to Qatar’s market as it’s a market that searches for new possibilities.”

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FASHION

obe r d r a W Winter In A Perfect

The Wish List

You simply can’t celebrate Christmas without a festive sweater. At the top of our wish list is this divine example brought to us by Stella McCartney, available from Net-A-Porter, which puts a smile on our faces.

Not only does it encapsulate the spirit of the holiday, but its fluro colours make it the most stylish Christmas sweater we have ever come across. We are pretty certain you’ll find it difficult not to wear it all year round.

As the holiday season looms ever closer we’ve complied a list of our most coveted items, because looking good has never been more important.

Lacoste took sportswear to a whole new level with what was a brilliantly unconventional collection, making their Fall/Winter 2012 campaign one of their best yet. A neutral colour pallet allowed for the spotlight to remain on shape, as Lacoste’s design team focused on voluminous coats layered over colour-blocked leggings showing that style was as significant as comfort.

Fabrication was luxurious as ever, with materials such as merino wool, leather and felt at the helm. We particularly adore this crème cocoon coat, leaving us wishing we’d booked a skiing holiday this season.

Maison Martin Margiela with H&M was one of the most anticipated collaborations yet. As people who eagerly lined up at 8am to get their hands on a piece of the collection we can honestly say that all the fuss had good foundation.

These plexiglass heels were one of the star pieces and if you haven’t already got your hands on them they prove to be a hard find.

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Juicy Couture’s signature gold pyramid ring is the charming little accessory your jewellery box is missing.

For those of you jetting off on holiday this festive season we’ve found a great travel bag by Pull & Bear.

There’s never an excuse for trading style for size and thankfully this bag has both.

Every fashionable lady should have a fabulous jumpsuit in her arsenal. Chloe gives us this antique rose satin number, from Net-A-Porter, that’s effortlessly chic. It only requires a couple of gold or leather accessories and you’ll be strutting your way to the top of the best-dressed lists without batting an eyelid.

This sweet little box clutch with its gold metal caging

by Miss Selfridge may not carry much, but it looks so good we couldn’t care less. Paired with an evening look it’s a tiny little masterpiece that won’t cost you near as much as its designer alternative.

Salsa know their denim, and it shows, with an array of jeans flattering to all body types. Their New Mystery range was created to give you a lift creating the illusion of perfectly sculpted curves. A pair of these will quickly become a wardrobe staple and will stay faithful to you for years. As jeans never go out of fashion it’s important to invest in the right pieces. Trust us, once you’ve bought a pair of Salsa jeans you’ll never shop anywhere else.

A belt has the ability to tie an outfit together and this slim leather belt by Juicy Couture is a perfect gift for a friend with great taste. Though it may prove hard to give up.

Pull & Bear make another addition to our list with this sweater featuring neon raised embroidery. Twin with a pair of cropped slim fitting trousers for a snug casual look that’ll have you riding out the cold in style.

Wallis have introduced this snake skin print pencil skirt into their mainline this season with great success. It’s a high shine number that can be styled up or down and will see you transitioning from the office to a night out with total ease.

Martin This Maison dy Margiela Cantch is Wrapper clu at it so unique thand out will really st ally any with practic g it the outfit, makinssory to perfect acce this turn heads atees. season’s soir

We just can’t sa these incrediby no to ly androgynous cool boots by T ankle They’re a greaopshop. add a bad girl t way to an outfit and edge to you earning th will have e re of every wort spect h fashion blogg while er out there.

This studded leather shoulder bag by Juicy Couture is the ultimate companion for your day-to-day chores. It carries all your essentials whilst inserting a rebellious undertone to your casual wardrobe.

For those of you with a dark side, Miss Selfridge has a whole collection of devilishly tempting dresses, skirts, cardigans and coats just calling your name.

Give a dark monochrome outfit a slight lift by adding a feminine accessory in a lighter tone like this floral headband.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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The Nostalgic Romantic

The search for the perfect New Year’s Eve Dress is over!

As we anticipate the release of Baz Luhrmann’s take on the classic American novel The Great Gatsby, it’s no surprise the roaring 20’s are once again having a fashion moment. This dress by Evans has it all. The streamlined embellishments and feminine pleats make it a perfect choice for those with a love for the bygone era.

We’ve scoured the shops from high end to high street to find you the hottest selection of New Years Eve dresses.

Each one of these dresses guarantees you’ll be ringing in the New Year in style.

The Queen Bee

Dolce and Gabbana wowed us this season with a collection of baroque inspired garments fit for a queen. This stunning floral number from Net-A-Porter is a clear showstopper. In this deliciously feminine dress you’ll be sure to make an entrance.

The Girly Girl

It looks like Santa won’t be the only one wearing red this Christmas. Collette by Collette Dinnigan is a new addition to our wish list, with a pretty lace dress from Net-A-Porter ideal for those described as having a flirty feminine style aesthetic. If looking as sugary sweet as a box of Parisian macaroons sounds perfect then this is the right dress for you.

The Nonconformist

68

Every fashonista should recognise the name 3.1 Phillip Lim. Designer Philip Lim has taken the fashion industry by storm with his effortlessly chic design aesthetic marked by his renowned offbeat detailing.

Wonderfully wearable, this simple cotton and linen blend dress from his Fall/Winter 2012 collection, available on Net-A-Porter, is the perfect dress for those of you who steer clear of the ostentatious and prefer a more casual look.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

The Bombshell

Jane Norman is a pro when it comes to making girls look and feel sexy.

So it’s no surprise they’ve presented us with this simple but striking number. A figure hugging structured dress with horizontal panels will slice your figure in half instantly making you appear slimmer. The high neckline gives it a touch of sophistication, whilst the cap sleeves help elongate those petite shoulders.

The Futuristic Fashionista

Always a trusty destination for on trend affordable party pieces, Topshop brings us a dress for those with a penchant for print.

This skater dress stands out with its bold sci-fi print and will have you looking like you stepped out of a storefront in the future.

The Muse

As a white Christmas is totally out of the realms of possibility, we’re choosing to wear white instead.

Cèline’s cady dress is a perfect choice for those who prefer a maxi. It’s wonderfully elegant without being too extravagant. The high waistline will give the illusion of long legs and worn with heels that will elongate your figure. This is a look best reserved for those with a slim physique and style to the nines.

The Kardashians hit the high street

The Kardashian collection for Dorothy Perkins made its début in stores a couple of weeks ago just in time for the biggest party month of the year. You can expect leopard print motifs; figure hugging dresses and a whole lot of bling from this highly provocative collection. The clothes are most flattering to women with a fuller figure and it’s a great place to go if you’re looking for a killer outfit to wear on a special night out.

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Dress to impress It’s time to kick it up a notch for the festive season. We’ve made your life a little easier this year by sending our stylist out to select the latest looks and most coveted pieces ranging from smart to casual, making getting dressed a stress-free event.

Make a lasting impression at the office with this crocodile briefcase

by Santiago Gonzales, available at Net-A-Porter.

Though it may seem pricey it’s a true investment piece that if cared for properly will be with you for years to come.

When dressing smart it’s important to accomplish the look from head to toe and these patent leather derby shoes

by H&M are just the ticket. Their simplicity makes them effortlessly wearable, and not only do they look great but their price is pretty great too.

Kenneth Cole does smart casual like no other with an immaculately suave look as versatile as it is chic. A sartorial delight, its edgy urban accents paired with a burst of colour have given the classic suit and shirt combo a contemporary makeover. This look will carry you from the office to a social event with little need for styling alterations.

Nothing says refined like a velvet dinner jacket and choosing one in an opulent colour will project a youthful roguish charm.

Dsquared’s decidedly dapper forest green jacket complements a man with eccentric tastes. Accessorise with a bow tie and slim fitting black trousers to complete the look.

Salvatore Ferragamo breathes new life into the classic grey suit, fit only for the most distinguished gentlemen with impeccable taste. Flawlessly tailored for a sharp fit, perfect for both the boardroom and special occasions, this suit exudes confidence and power, as will you in it.

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

No urban trendsetter would be complete without a pair of leather sneakers. First on our list is this pair by Common Practice. A classic design constructed of luxury fabric, these shoes truly speak for themselves. Because street wear shouldn’t look like it came from the street.

rter Available at MrPo

It’s about that time of year when the AC gets switched off and we brush the dust of our coats. So as it gets colder wrap up nice and snug with the help of this knitted jacquard scarf from Pull & Bear.

This look from Topman screams hipster from head to toe. If you too approach your style with an unwavering nonchalance then this is the outfit for you. The printed trousers are a bold unorthodox way of introducing pattern and are cleverly offset with a monochrome shirt and matching bomber jacket, resulting in a pleasantly unconventional yet balanced look.

Everyone needs a few good pairs of jeans, but just because they’re a wardrobe staple doesn’t mean their quality should be overlooked. Salsa is one of the leading denim retailers and guarantee style and quality with all their products. Their new ER-GO jeans allow for extreme comfort during movement with their relaxed fit and youthful design making them a true revolution in denim.

Lacoste is famous for their lavish approach to sportswear and their Fall/ Winter 2012 collection saw them exceed their already stellar reputation. They mixed oversized outerwear with loose knits, proving you shouldn’t sacrifice style for comfort. For December we’ve chosen this mix media coat for the way it combines luxury fabric with cool urban design. Another favorite is this ribbed sweater with cocoon sleeves, a simplistic design with the ability to stand out without being overly brazen.

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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Tel : +974 4421 2525 | Fax : +974 4469 4900 | Tel Box: 31637+974 44211st Floor 2525Almana | Motors Fax -: Al Waab +974Showroom, 4469 Salwa 4900Road| P.O. Doha, Qatar, P.O. Box :31637 Doha, Qatar, 1st Floor Almana Motors - Al Waab Showroom, Salwa Road Email info@creativedesigmena.com | www.creativedesignmena.com Email : info@creativedesigmena.com | www.creativedesignmena.com

This This was was in in

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EGYPT

GUESS WHAT'S NEXT?!

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

INDEX For anyone who’s uttered the words: ‘There’s nothing to do in Qatar.’ We really, really beg to differ...

FINAL WORD

What’s your

QATAR

IQ

QATAR IQ - p96

Our sly monthly round-up of recent Qatar news

S.A.T’s? M.B.A’s? Pah! In Qatar, only

one test score really matters: your Qatar

IQ!

Three Michelin-starred French chef Guy Savoy has opened

a Check it out immediately - you would never say no to a bit at restaurant at The Pearl. Do you: of fine dining? b Hide the news from your husband or wife - you’re still paying off the bill from your last fancy meal out? c Walk past it on your way to Turkey Central – you like to keep it cheap and cheerful?

The end of the world is apparently upon us (on Decembe r 21, 2012) according to the Mayans.

Are you:

a Freaked out? You’ve been convinced the end been coming for a long time. b Excited? Now’s your chance to prove that youhas ain’t just a

pretty face. Move over Bruce Willis and Angelina Jolie.

Ignoring it? This is not the first time you’ve heard a doomsday prediction and you’re still here. Won’t people wake up already!?

c

FACT’s festive giveaways promotion kicks off on Decembe r 1 and you have the chance to win some cool prizes. Do you:

a Retweet and share like there’s no tomorrow? of those babies would make you happy. b Create several Twitter and Facebook accountsAnysoone that you

ALL (mmWAHAHAHAAA!!)?

c

might be in with a chance of winning

them

Finally set up a Facebook or Twitter account to see what all the fuss is about? You’ve been meaning to do it at some point anyway, so you might as well get something out of it.

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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Prime

InterContinental The City (Tel: 4015 8888)

BODIES

LEISURE

SPORTS

NIGHTS

EATS

VENUE REVIEW

THE newest restaurant to open at InterContinental The City has fast become known in meat lovers’ circles for its elegant ambience and mouthwatering cuts. So, we went to find out what all the fuss is about.

Now, during our reviewing years we have found that plenty of restaurants in Doha are able to give us a great time, but during our visit to Prime, we found a unique experience, which these days is much harder to offer.

From the moment we walked in, we were impressed. Overall, the décor is warm, classy and very fitting for a steakhouse. There are various seating areas – private booths and a more public space – and you choose based on the kind of experience you want. The open kitchen in the middle is a nice touch, as you can see the chefs milling about, making their appetisers.

The meal kicked off with an amuse bouche – a spoonful of duck combined with mixed vegetables and served alongside a tomato-infused shot with palemo foam atop. A visiting pescetarian (fish-eating, nonmeat eater), on announcement that

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she doesn’t eat duck, was promptly served with an apple / beetroot taster with hints of cinnamon.

Following this, we tucked into a delicious dish of oysters with a sherry vinegar dressing with garlic and chilli which perfectly offset the usual potent taste. This was complemented by a refreshing arugula and herb salad with candied walnuts and blood orange, a wonderfully more-ish crab cake and – the star of all the starters – steak tartare, which was mixed at the table with a selection of condiments of our choice.

We were then given a short break when we were served a tangy lemon sorbet to cleanse the palette, and then in came the mains. These were To Die For! The meat eaters among us tucked straight into the wagyu tenderloin, which slid off the fork and melted in our mouths. We had ordered sauces but didn’t actually use them as the meat was so tasty on its own.

One of the aspects we loved most about Prime were the small touches and attention to detail, really topping off that uniqueness to the restaurant.

On serving our steaks, we were given

the option of three steak knives – from Britain, France and Japan – and were told which knife would go best with our meat. Following this, we were given three types of mustard and three types of salt from Hawaii, all paired with our plates.

Our side dishes, as well, were incredible, which stands testament to the level of care and attention given at Prime. We highly recommend the garlic home fries and asparagus, which were each full of their own flavours and topped with tasty condiments, perfectly complementing our dishes.

All in all, Prime is the epitome of a carnivore’s paradise, and although costs lay on the expensive side, the management has reacted positively to criticism, revaluating the menu and prices. This was introduced just last month.

We went just before the changes and have seen the new menu since and we have to be honest – if you didn’t go before, you’re not missing out, as they have added more meats and cuts, while taking off less popular dishes and lowering the prices. Great value in our books!

Meat the Passadores

THERE’S a new meat destination in town! Crowne Plaza Doha – The Business Park has opened the latest venue on their premises and it promises to be a carnivore’s paradise. Rodizio is a Brazilian Churrascaria catering solely to the meat lovers among us.

Churrasco is the cooking style and roughly translates to ‘barbecue’ from Portuguese. This is distinctly South American and comes from the fireside roasts of the gauchos in southern Brazil centuries ago.

Here in Doha, Rodizio serves more than 15 different cuts of meat, and are the only restaurant in Doha to also serve camel meat!

The deal is that you eat all you can for QR265 as the passadores (meat waiters) serve you at the table with knives and skewers of meat. The green card on your table signals that you want more meat. While if you turn it over to show red, this tells them that you simply couldn’t handle another bite.

GO: Call their hotline on 00800 971 234

Change On The 23rd Floor

THE Ritz-Carlton’s seafood restaurant, La Mer, has undergone a few changes and reopened as an all-new dining venue. The first diners of the day are welcomed in at 2pm for early afternoon tea with delicate sandwiches, scones and muffins and a classical pianist.

Then, for dinner, there’s a fabulous new menu that has been designed with new French Chef de Cuisine, Olivier Catora. Chef Catora’s recipes take you foodies on a sublime culinary journey in a dramatic Doha setting with a fantastic skyline view to boot. After all, it is all about entertaining the senses at La Mer. Hoss Vetry, Area General Manager of the RitzCarlton hotels in Qatar, commented on the changes, saying, “The engagement and testimonials that we have received from our guests over a decade help us pass new frontiers in service excellence today.

We are delighted to offer a new level of fine dining experiences to the visitors of La Mer.” Well all we can say, dear Mr Vetry, is we’re all delighted to partake!

GO: Call 4484 8000

All’Italiana at Di Capri LA CIGALE Hotel has launched a new night for December at their sophisticated Italian restaurant, Di Capri, where you can enjoy fantastic dishes conceived by Chef Hichem Khelil. Thursday’s All’Italiana features a threecourse set menu for QR190 per person or a live cooking station with ‘A Go-Go’ pasta for QR85 per person, with both options including one house beverage or soft drink. It’s a great way to kick start your weekend - an authentic Italian experience with food, drink and live performances by a talented musician singing soothing Italian and English melodies.

For starters, there is a choice of soup or salad, followed by a main dish of meat or seafood and/or fresh pasta created with a delicious sauce at the live cooking station.

The evening ends with a ‘Dolce e Gelato’ dessert. We went for the lighter sorbet with three flavours, vowing to only have a bite, but ended up licking the elegant glass clean (we’re hoping we’ll still be allowed back in on Thursdays after that!).

A New Addition at Nando’s

EVERYBODY’S favourite Afro-Portuguese restaurant, Nando’s, will be launching the Butterfly Chicken Breast Meal in December and will run for five weeks. The meal is made from butterfly-cut double chicken breast which is flame-grilled and basted in your choice of Peri-Peri flavour sauce, ranging from lemon and herb, mild and hot to extra hot or even extra extra hot! The butterfly chicken breast is served with crispy potato wedges, fresh salad and Rosa Fresca - one of the restaurant’s refreshing signature designer drinks. You get all of this for QR52.

GO: Call 4436 0606 (Al Sadd branch)

GO: All’Italiana will take place every Thursday until 14th February 2013. Call 4428 8698

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With Head Chef Tommaso Faganelli.

This month we went to sample the authentic Italian delights of Carluccio’s at The Pearl-Qatar and, as we tucked in, we had a chat with Head Chef Tommaso Faganelli.

A

t the core of The Pearl lays Carluccio’s, an Italian restaurant with a friendly and inviting atmosphere, gourmet products and pizza recipes to die for. It’s the kind of place that’s great for al fresco dining, an express lunch or family days out. Go for breakfast, lunch or dinner and eat in or take away.

It’s just got that great deli-like atmosphere, which you could imagine in modern Italy.

The Carluccio’s chain originally started with an Italian food shop in 1991 by Antonio Carluccio and his wife. Seven years later, they opened the first ‘Carluccio’s Caffe’, which was in Market Place, London. It began as a joint authentic Italian restaurant with integrated food shop, serving light breakfasts at sensible prices.

The idea was to offer an informal atmosphere with excellent service and great quality products.

This is exactly what you can expect at The Pearl-Qatar. The interior has a casual vibe, as it’s spacious with bright, light décor and plenty of natural light streaming in. There are private booths and more sociable seating areas inside, and a fabulous waterfront terrace with tables and chairs, too. The staff are friendly and attentive, the service is fast and everything is presented beautifully. You can also wander around their shop section with its gourmet products and deli bar.

Chef Tomasso tells us that their aim is to make Carluccio’s very family-friendly, with plenty of activities for the kids and parents, such as cooking classes, biscuit making and special menus with

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cost effective deals.

He and his team make everything on the premises with a combination of local and imported produce. As we sat on the shaded terrace, looking out at the sea and the rest of the luxurious residential development, we were served a sweet pomegranate punch and two main dishes from their brand new menu – the gnocchi with porcini mushrooms and pizza with radicchio and pecorino cheese.

The gnocchi, which came with a butter and rosemary, was simple yet wholesome. The pizza, too, was incredible. They have recently installed a wood fire oven and the pizzas they are churning out are full of flavour - light and delicious. Basically, everything you want from a real Italian eatery – great comfort food that hits the spot. Rumour has it that other chefs from Italian restaurants in the country even prefer Chef Tomasso’s pizza to their own! Need we say more?

Hailing from the north of Italy, Chef Tomasso has done a lot of travelling throughout his career, picking up his flair for understanding international yet authentic cuisine and sharing his own specialities – seafood and Italian.

At the age of 16, he spent a summer as a commis in Pasta e Vino restaurant, Grosvenor House Hotel, London. “It was fun,” he tells us, “and a great experience.” Following this, he travelled and cooked his way around the area surrounding Garda Lake in Italy when he

picked up a Michelin nomination. After ten years, however, he felt he wanted to explore the wider world, and made the move to Shenzhen, China where he was the head chef at a private restaurant.

Here, he fell in love with the Asian culture, and to this day, he adores Far Eastern cuisine. “I love creating dishes combining Asian and Italian influences,” he tells us.

From there, he did a brief stint in Kazakhstan, before moving to Qatar to work at Carluccio’s. “I got the offer and I didn’t like Kazakstan much so I thought ‘why not try the Middle East?’ and here I am,” he explains. He’s now been here for 14 months and he’s thoroughly enjoying it.

We asked him how the people he has cooked for in the various countries have received his cooking and he tells us many still need educating on real Italian food. “Everyone’s favourite dish is made with Al Fredo sauce.

They don’t even cook that in Italy!” he laughs.

As we chat, a dessert dish is brought to us, and we dig in with gusto. It’s panna cotta with crushed amaretto biscuit surrounding it and sugared peach atop. More-ish but still wonderfully light, it’s the perfect way to end such a deliciously simple Italian meal.

That’s the thing about Carluccio’s – it’s just authentic, unpretentious food with a friendly atmosphere and reasonable prices that you can enjoy over and over again. What’s not to like?

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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RESTAURANT LISTINGS EATS

RODIZIO New! Crowne Plaza Doha 4408 7777

CHINESE

COMMUNITY

TRAVEL

BODIES

LEISURE

SPORTS

NIGHTS

RUBY WU’S Radisson Blu 4428 1555 TSE YANG The Pearl-Qatar, Porto Arabia 4495 3876 ext 2071

EUROPEAN

Theme Nights at Mawasem

The evenings have never looked as promising as they do now with the Hilton Doha mixing it up!

THE Hilton’s all-day dining international cuisine destination, Mawasem, has kick started their theme nights throughout the week. Thursday evenings see the Seafood Extravaganza where you pay QR225 per person (including soft drinks) for an extravagant spread of the freshest fish.

On Sundays, it is Crazy for Creole, where you are invited to sample authentic Creole and curry dishes from the heart of the islands for QR190 (including soft drinks).

Asian Persuasion happens on Friday nights with a presentation of colourful dishes from the Far East at your fingertips for QR190 (with soft drinks). Enjoy exotic and aromatic flavours from this region, as you look out the bay windows at a fantastic view of the Arabian Gulf.

Finally, on Saturdays, head over for 1001 Arabian Feast Night to dive head first into the finest of Arabian delicacies from around the Middle East and Gulf regions for QR190 (with soft drinks).

There’s plenty to pick, so what are you waiting for?!

GO: Availability is valid throughout December and nights run from 7pm to 10.30pm. Call 4423 3333.

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NORTH AMERICAN

APPLEBEE’S Four outlets across Doha 4493 4880 (City Center Mall) CHILI’S Four outlets across Doha 4444 5335 (Salwa Rd) DAIRY QUEEN GRILL’N’CHILL Three outlets across Doha 4432 0982 (Ramada Junction) JOHNNY ROCKETS Two outlets across Doha 4455 2792 (Salwa Rd) ROGER’S DINER C Ring Road 4455 2333

AFRO-PORTUGUESE NANDO’S 5 branches across Doha 44360606 (Al Sadd)

ASIAN

WOK MEE NOODLE HOUSE Movenpick Tower and Suites 4496 6600 SPICE MARKET W Hotel 4453 5135 NUSANTAO: SEA KITCHENS Four Seasons 4494 8601 ASIA LIVE! Doha Marriott 4429 8472 CHOPSTICKS Wyndham Grand Regency 4434 3225 NOODLE HOUSE The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 2531

BRAZILIAN

IPANEMA BRAZILIAN CHURRASCARIA West End Doha 4419 6100

AROMA Kempinski Residences and Suites 4405 3325 BISTRO 61 Al Fardan Towers, West Bay 4498 9393 BISTRO BISTRO Radisson Blu 4428 1555 LA SAHITAINE Hilton Doha 4423 3333 PICASSO’S Radisson Blu 4428 1555 SORMANI The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 3222 BELGIAN CAFÉ Intercontinental Doha 4484 4444

FINE DINING

THE DINING ROOM Al Najada Boutique Hotel, Souq Waqif 4433 6444 PORCINI Ritz-Carlton 4484 8360 GORDON RAMSAY DOHA St Regis Doha 4446 0105

FRENCH

LA MAISON DU CAVIAR W Hotel 4453 5303 DALLOYAU The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 1961 LE RELAIS DE L’ENTRECÔTE The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 1411 PAUL BAKERY & RESTAURANT Two outlets across Doha Landmark Mall: 4486 0776 MAXIM Radisson Blu 4428 1428

INDIAN

BOMBAY BALTI Radisson Blu 4428 1555

ITALIAN

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

79

COMMUNITY

GO: Call 4463 3876

TRAVEL

ZAMAN Millennium Hotel 4424 7367 AL SHAHEEN Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel 4485 4071 AL MOURJAN Corniche 4483 4423 AL TABKHA The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 5875 BURJ AL HAMAM The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 1291 LIZA The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 1721 MAMIG Katara Valley of Cultures 4408 0800 AL SULTAN BRAHIM St Regis Doha 4408 0800

DOWN in the outdoor piazza at Lagoona Mall you will find a new addition to the growing bunch of restaurants. Wagamama, which is inspired by Japanese noodle bars around the world, was originally launched in 1992 to offer diners an inclusive, casual eating experience where you share your long table with strangers and mingle over the delicious Japanese-inspired flavours.

The Qatar branch is no exception, with a canteen-like yet friendly atmosphere and plenty of private seating, too, if you prefer. It is open from Monday to Saturday from 11.30am to 11pm and the menu offers plenty of options from your other favourite Wagamama branches around the world and some different ones on top. From gyoza to teryaki, from katsu to ramen, with frozen smoothies and juices, plus interesting dessert options, there is more than enough to choose from here.

We have heard a couple of complaints through the grapevine of tasteless noodles, however, our editor recently had the yasai yaki soba and loved it. Our advice would be to check it out for yourself and make up your own minds. Then, don’t forget to report back to us at FACT Qatar!

BODIES

LEBANESE

Japanese flavour meets casual dining at the latest venue in Lagoona Mall.

LEISURE

DI CAPRI La Cigale Hotel 4428 8840 CUCINA Renaissance City Center Hotel 4419 6100 LAGOON RISTORANTE Sealine Beach Resort 4476 5257 IL TEATRO Four Seasons 4494 8888 CARLUCCIO’S The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 3541 THE ITALIAN JOB Radisson Blu 4428 1555 LA DOLCE VITA Souq Waqif 4436 7991

Wagamama Hits Our Shores!

SPORTS

BLUE Grand Heritage Hotel Doha 4445 5535 FLAVOURS Grand Heritage Doha Hotel 4445 5544 LE CIGALON La Cigale Hotel 4428 8698 AL CANTEEN Arumaila Boutique Hotel, Souq Waqif 4433 6777 THE SQUARE InterContinental The City 4015 8888 COSMO Millennium Hotel 4424 7362 ANIMATO RESTAURANT Movenpick Tower and Suites 4496 6600 CHOICES Oryx Rotana 4402 3333 CROSSROADS KITCHEN Renaissance City Center Hotel 4419 6100 BONBINI RESTAURANT Sealine Beach Resort 4476 5226 THE LAGOON Ritz-Carlton 4484 8512 MARKET BY JEAN-GEORGES W Hotel 4453 5135 MAWASEM Hilton Doha 4423 3112 AL DANA Sharq Village & Spa 4425 6227 AL WANIS TERRACE Sharq Village & Spa 4425 6868 BLUE BRASSERIE Al Sultan Beach Resort 4472 2666 CORNICHE Doha Marriott 4429 8404

NIGHTS

INTERNATIONAL

J G SANDWICH CELLAR Ras Abu Abboud St 4435 7559 LENOTRE Suhaim bin Hamad: 4455 2666 Villagio Mall: 4450 7255 VINE St Regis Doha 4446 0105 OPAL BY GORDON RAMSAY St Regis Doha 4446 0105 FLYING CARPET The Torch Doha 4446 5600 YUM YUM K108 Boutique Hotel 4433 3000

EATS

CHINGARI Radisson Blu 4428 1555 SAFFRON LOUNGE Katara Cultural Village 4408 0808 TAJ RASOI Doha Marriott 4429 8570 STAR OF INDIA Al Markhiya 4486 4440 SARANGI Horizon Manor Hotel 4445 5444

THE WEEKEND BRUNCHES

The Lagoon brunch at the Ritz-Carlton. Quite a spread!

SPORTS

NIGHTS

EATS

RESTAURANT LISTINGS

Fridays from 12.30pm to 3.30pm QR250 (soft drinks) or QR320 (house beverages) Call 4419 6100

AL LIWAN @ Sharq Village and Spa Fridays and Saturdays from 12.30pm to 4pm

QR250 (adults) and QR125 (children aged six to 12) Call 4425 6666

RESTAURANT GALLERY AND CORNICHE @ Doha Marriot

CROSSROADS FAMILY BRUNCH @ West End Doha

AL SHAHEEN @ Sheraton Doha Resort

THE LAGOON @ Ritz-Carlton

THE SQUARE @ InterContinental The City

OPAL BY GORDON RAMSAY @ St Regis Doha

CHOICES @ Oryx Rotana

FISH MARKET @ InterContinental Doha

VINE @ St Regis Doha

MARKET BY JEAN-GEORGES @ W Hotel

LE CIGALON @ La Cigale Hotel

THE GRILL @ Grand Hyatt

Fridays from noon until 4pm QR200 (American coffee or tea) Call 4428 8698

Fridays from 12.30pm to 4pm QR220 (soft drinks) or QR395 (house beverages) Call 4448 1240

HYDE PARK @ Radisson Blu

ISAAN @ Grand Hyatt

LEISURE

IPANEMA @ West End Doha

COMMUNITY

TRAVEL

BODIES

Fridays from noon until 3.30pm QR 225 (soft drinks) Call 4419 6100

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Fridays from noon until 4pm QR210 (soft drinks) or QR320 (house beverages) Call 4418 2846

Fridays from 12.30pm to 3.30pm QR275 (house beverages) Call 4484 4444

Fridays from noon until 3pm QR140 (soft drinks) or QR190 (house beverages) Call 4428 1428 FACT QATAR DECEMBER

Fridays from noon until 4pm QR190 (food only) or QR270 (house beverages) Call 4485 4071

Fridays and Saturdays from noon until 4pm QR250 (soft drinks) or QR375 (selected beverages) Call 4446 0105

Fridays from 12.30pm to 4pm QR250 (soft drinks) and QR350 (selected beverages) Call 4446 0105

Fridays from 12.30pm to 4.30pm QR250 (soft drinks), QR395 (house beverages) or QR680 (inc a bottle of bubbly) Call 4448 1240

Fridays from noon until 3pm QR235 (soft drinks) or QR340 (house beverages) Call 4429 8888

Fridays at noon until 3.30pm QR220 (soft drinks) or QR295 (house beverages) Call 4484 8000

Fridays at noon until 3pm QR210 (soft drinks) or QR285 (house beverages) Call 4402 3333

Fridays at noon until 4pm QR320 (house beverages) Call 4453 5353

SPICE MARKET @ W Hotel Fridays at noon until 4pm QR320 (house beverages) Call 4453 5353

MAWASEM @ Hilton Doha

Fridays at noon until 3.30pm QR222 (soft drinks), QR333 (house beverages) and QR444 (house beverages and French bubbly) Call 4423 3112

POLYNESIAN

SEAFOOD

STRATA InterContinental The City 4015 8888 FISH MARKET InterContinental Doha 4484 4444

THAI

ISAAN Doha Grand Hyatt 4448 1250 MANGO TREE The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 3231

TURKISH

SUKAR PASHA Katara Valley of Cultures 4408 2000 IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR BUSINESS INCLUDED IN OUR LISTINGS CONTACT THE EDITOR. IF YOU NOTICE A MISTAKE HERE THEN DO TELL US ASAP!

Host your own fabulous Christmas brunch or dinner by taking cooking classes with Chef Ricardo Acquista on the 15th as he shares his favourite festive recipes, followed by a sumptuous lunch (10.30am for QR285 per person).

Festivities @ Porcini

If you don’t want to cook, then head over on the 25th for a taste of Christmas in a Mediterranean setting, with a dinner set menu (7pm – 11pm for QR575 per person). On New Year’s Eve, too, welcome 2013 in style with a six-course menu in Porcini before checking out Habanos for the countdown (QR620 excluding drinks).

Festivities @ La Mer Celebrate the 25th with a beautiful panoramic view of Doha’s skyline in a deeply romantic setting with great cuisine and good company (7pm – 11pm, QR650 for six-course set menu). What more can you ask for?

You could also look over Doha as you welcome in the New Year. Enjoy a truly exciting gastronomic adventure and then head to Habanos to ring in 2013 (7pm – 11pm, QR750 for six-course set menu).

Festivities @ The Lagoon

If you want to get out and about then there are plenty of options at The Lagoon. Christmas Eve Dinner, prepared by Chef Mourhaf, will be on from 6.30pm-11.30pm (QR240 per person with soft drinks, QR315 including bubbly, QR120 for kids 4-12). Then there’s the Christmas Day Brunch in either The Lagoon or Al Wosail Ballroom from 12pm-4pm (QR260 per person with soft drinks, QR235 with bubbly or QR395 for a full brunch, QR130 for kids aged 4-12).

As you say goodbye to 2012 you can have an international New Year’s Eve Dinner from 6.30pm to midnight at The Lagoon (QR240 per person, QR315 with bubbly, QR120 for kids aged 4-12). The next day, to welcome 2013, head with all the family to the New Year’s Day Brunch from noon to 4pm (QR260 per person with soft drinks, QR325 including bubbly or QR395 for a full brunch, QR130 for kids aged 4-12.

More to enjoy...

Family Barbecue Nights @ The Lagoon

Every Thursday the terrace welcomes families for a memorable barbecue with meats, chicken and seafood all grilled al fresco. Plus, there’s fun forJaula the children atGrand the Kids Corner, parents unwind for Spa at the Hyatt, one ofas Doha’s most luxurious cinema classics under the stars (6.30pm for QR240 with soft drinks and 50% off for kids 4-12).

Teddy Bear Tea with Binky

Binky comes to Doha from 18th to 24th to entertain the little ones and grown-ups alike with stories, songs and dancing! Filled with savoury treats and a festive season atmosphere, families will leave the afternoon tea with the most huggable Binky bear as a gift to take away (2pm-4pm, QR150 per person).

Christmas Tree Lighting @ Fountain Courtyard Hot chocolate, cookies, hot vino and more are to be enjoyed as Santa turns on the lights. Christmas carols sung by a choir will perfectly set the scene (10th December, 6pm onwards).

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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COMMUNITY

TRADER VIC’S Hilton Doha 4423 3118

LATINO Sheraton Doha 4485 4071 OYSTER BAY St Regis Doha 4446 0105 PALOMA InterContinental Doha 4484 4444

Cooking Classes @ Porcini

TRAVEL

AL MATAAM Musheireb Boutique Hotel, Souq Waqif 4433 6700 AL HUBARA Sheraton Doha 4485 4071 MAJLIS Doha Grand Hyatt 4448 1250

SOUTH AMERICAN

The Festive Season at the Ritz

BODIES

MIDDLE EASTERN

THE GRILL Doha Grand Hyatt 4448 1240 PRIME InterContinental The City 4015 8888 NEW YORK STEAKHOUSE Renaissance City Center Hotel 4419 6100 BENTLEY’S GRILL Radisson Blu 4428 1555 ASTOR GRILL St Regis Doha 4446 0105 JW STEAKHOUSE Marriot Doha 4429 8888 LE GRILL Diplomatic Club 4484 7420

The Ritz Carlton, Doha Contact No: +974 4484 8000

LEISURE

LE CENTRAL La Cigale Hotel 4428 8698 EAST Al Mirqab Boutique Hotel 4433 6555 ARAMEDE Crowne Plaza Doha 4408 7777 MYKONOS InterContinental Doha 4484 4444 THE CELLAR Oryx Rotana 4402 3333 ROCCA Doha Grand Hyatt 4448 1270 THREE SIXTY The Torch Doha 4446 5600 LE GOURMET Souq Waqif 4436 1789

STEAKHOUSES

HOTEL SPOTLIGHT

SPORTS

MEDITERRANEAN

LA MER Ritz-Carlton 4484 8360 PAMPANO The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 1221 RED LOBSTER C Ring Road 4444 1066 PIER 12 Radisson Blu 4428 1555 L’WZAAR Katara - Valley of Cultures 4408 0710

NIGHTS

YEN SUSHI BAR La Cigale Hotel 4428 8698 SAKURA Radisson Blu 4428 1555 YUZU Swiss-Belhotel 4407 8888 MIDORI The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876 ext 6779 SUSHI MINTO Salwa Road 4467 5577 WAGAMAMA New! Lagoona Mall 4463 3876

EATS

JAPANESE

EATS

NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS GETTING IN THE PARTY SPIRIT

M-LOUNGE Merweb Central Hotel 4409 4444

CIGAR LOUNGE DUNES Doha Grand Hyatt 4448 1280

COMMUNITY

TRAVEL

BODIES

LEISURE

SPORTS

NIGHTS

HABANOS Ritz-Carlton 4484 8000 LIBRARY AND CIGAR LOUNGE Four Seasons 4494 8888

Relax at the Sea Lounge Kick back to the soothing sounds of the ocean with a cocktail in hand at Sharq Village’s newest hot spot.

A NEW idyllically located evening spot has opening up in Doha’s culinary scene at Sharq Village and Spa. Sea Lounge, on the terrace of Al Dana, sits by the water’s edge and offers a relaxing place for guests to enjoy a casual gathering under the stars.

There is a special menu with tapas such as patatas bravas, fried calamari with aioli sauce, marinated beef or lamb cutlets, and a fantastic range of cocktails, mocktails and tropical drinks.

The venue is open every day from 5pm to 11pm but closed on Sundays.

“The essence of Sea Lounge is to create a place for people to meet, relax and lounge,” said Carsten Fritz, General Manager of Sharq Village and Spa. “For diners who prefer loftier views, Sea Lounge offers an elegant and refined location ideal for both business functions, and casual gatherings,” he added.

We went to the opening and can tell you from first hand experience that this is a great place to destress after a meal or a long, hard day or week at work.

As Sea Lounge is just outside the Al Dana, we recommend a meal at the restaurant where they serve fantastic fresh seafood by the bucket, followed by a juicy cocktail.

GO: To find out more, call 4425 6666

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

LOUNGES

HIVE InterContinental The City 4015 8888 THE LOUNGE Kempinski Residences and Suites 4405 3325 GLO COCKTAIL LOUNGE West End Doha 4419 6100 WAHM W Hotel 4453 5000 TRADER VIC’S Hilton Doha 4423 3118 PEARL LOUNGE Marriot Doha 4429 8444 THE LIBRARY Radisson Blu 4428 1428 SEA LOUNGE New! Sharq Village & Spa 4425 6666

VINTAGE St Regis Doha 4446 0105 CIGAR LOUNGE Sharq Village & Spa 4425 6666

BARS

DUNES Doha Grand Hyatt 4448 1280 MADISON PIANO BAR La Cigale Hotel 4428 8665 SKY VIEW La Cigale Hotel 4428 8204 CHAMPIONS West End Doha (Renaissance City Center and Marriott Courtyard) 4419 6100 IRISH HARP Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel 4485 4071 BELGIAN CAFE InterContinental Doha 4484 4954

Back By Popular Demand

The Jazz Club at Oryx Rotana brings back Phil and his Jazz 101 Band and also welcomes a brand new vocalist...

OVER at the Oryx Rotana’s notable Jazz Club, performer and drummer Phil has come to retain his place due to popular demand.

He showed up on the 19th November with his all-new Jazz 101 Band to perform to us Dohaers with pure passion and raw emotion in the form of his soothing, melodious jazz tunes.

GO: Call Oryx Rotana on 4402 3333

Head over every night (except for Sundays) from 7pm to 2am and enjoy the sensational voice of the Jazz Club’s newest vocalist Tribute Jabulile Mboweni.

So, with a tasty cocktail or mocktail in hand, in a modern yet cosy setting, with Asian fusion bites at the ready, sit back and let the music wash over you.

You won’t regret it! We promise.

MANHATTAN Radisson Blu 4428 1428

SHEHRAZAD BAR AND IRISH TERRACE Radisson Blu 4428 1428 ORION Radisson Blu 4428 1428

MISTURADO Crowne Plaza Doha 4408 7777 KROSSROADS Horizon Manor Hotel 4445 5444

Glo Cocktail Lounge @ West End Doha Daily from 17.00 – 20.00 Selected beverages at QR25 or cocktails from QR35 Irish Harp @ Sheraton Doha Daily from 17.00 – 20.00 QR25 on selected beverages Admiral’s @ Ritz-Carlton Saturday to Wednesdays, 17.00 – 19.00 Buy one get one free on selected beverages Crystal Lounge @ W Hotel From 20.00 – 22.00 Buy one get one free on selected beverages Zawaya Bar & Lounge @ Hilton Daily from 16.00 - 19.00 Buy one get the same one free Wahm @ W Hotel Buy one get one free everyday from 17.00 – 20.00

JAZZ CLUB Oryx Rotana 4402 3333

The Lounge @ Kempinski Residences & Suites Daily from 17.00 - 19.00 Half price on selected beverages and food menu items

CLUB 7 La Cigale Hotel 4428 8665

Dunes @ Grand Hyatt All day on Sunday Half price on selected beverages

CRYSTAL LOUNGE W Hotel 4453 5135

Cigar Lounge @ Sharq Village and Spa Daily from 17.00 - 20.00 Half price on regular brands and beverages

TRAVEL

LAVA InterContinental Doha 4484 4936

BODIES

CLUBS

Champions @ West End - Renaissance City Center Daily from 17.00 – 19.00 QR25 on selected beverages

LEISURE

TRADER VIC’S Hilton Doha 4423 3118

Jazz Club @ Oryx Rotana Daily from 19.00 – 20.00 30 per cent discount on selected beverages

SPORTS

DOHA RUGBY CLUB BAR Doha Rugby Club 4468 3771

Hive @ InterContinental The City Daily from 17.00 – 19.00 Buy one get one free on selected beverages

NIGHTS

BUBBLES ON TWO Radisson Blu 4428 1428

HAPPY HOURS

THE HAPPY HOURS

EATS

ADMIRAL CLUB AND MARINA CLUB Ritz-Carlton 4484 8000 MEZZO BAR Swiss Belhotel 4407 8841 OYSTER BAY St Regis Doha 4446 0105

COMMUNITY

WINDOWS Swiss Belhotel 4407 8999 QUBE Radisson Blu 4428 1428 FAHRENHEIT Horizon Manor Hotel 4445 5444

Wahm at W Hotel FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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DOING IT FOR THE YOUTH...

CONTOURS EXPRESS Off Salwa Road, parallel to Al Sadd 4498 0099 or 4464 1540

SPORTS LEISURE BODIES TRAVEL

Available classes include martial arts, yoga, pilates, zumba, dance, swimming, spinning, circuit training, step aerobics, and many more.

AL MASSA ACTIVE

By Khalifa Stadium 4436 4850 (men) / 4444 4161 (ladies)

BOOT CAMP QATAR Bootcampqatar.com 5570 1626 or 3000 8974

CURVES Three locations across Doha Salwa Road – 4469 9955

The Youth Will Run the World

COMMUNITY

GYMS / FITNESS CLASSES

ASPIRE ACADEMY www.aspire.qa 4413 6219

NIGHTS

EATS

SPORTS LISTINGS

A ten-day national youth sports festival is set to take place from the 12th to 22nd this month and we’re saying we should all support it!

IF you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have seen us mention the Run The World festival in our November issue. A ten-day national youth sports festival organised by a youth-led social enterprise called The Youth Company (TYC) in partnership with Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), Run The World, is a fantastic initiative that’s been created to encourage the youth of Qatar to lead an active, athletic and healthy lifestyle.

What is so great about this event, and indeed TYC in general, is that it is designed completely by the youth for the youth. The organising committee comprises over 60 young people, alongside over 700 volunteers.

Following on from the success of last year’s event, Run The World will run under the umbrella of Youth and Sports, and feature a fashion show, talk, a corporate football tournament, comedy show, medical camp, three-day outdoor festival and a gala dinner.

Diego Pinzon, acting executive director of TYC, said: “Following our mission, [the festival] was designed as a platform for youth empowerment, networking and development through sports.

Undoubtedly, sports is one of the key elements of building a healthy nation, and it is crucial to embed sports in our youth at an early age.”

Kicking off on the 12th, is a fashion show dedicated to a range of sports and leisure wear and is being created as a opportunity for local designers to showcase their talents.

On the 14th and 15th there will be the ‘Young Corporate Cup’ which aims to attract 16 football teams of all ages, representing different companies and organisations.

Another event, ‘Heart Qatar’, will gather children with special needs to play with sports celebrities on the 19th. The star of the whole show, however, will be the outdoor festival for the public between the 20th and 22nd. This will include sports tournaments, workshops and a rich cultural programme that comes along with the support of numerous embassies and cultural groups in Qatar. It will also host the finals of the Youth Got Talent singing and dancing competition, as well as an exhibition of the best submissions for the festival’s photography competition.

So let’s all join and support the youth, because, after all, the future of this country will go nowhere without them.

GO: All events are free to participate in although some need prior registration. Find out more at rtwfestival.com

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

ÉNERGIE FITNESS CLUB Airport Road (next to Ramez Shopping) info@energie.com.qa FITNESS FIRST City Center Doha 4411 5999 DANA CLUB Dafna behind Qatar Sports Club 4496 0600 HEALTH AND FITNESS CLUB InterContinental The City 4015 8888 SWISS BELHOTEL GYM AND POOL Swiss Belhotel 4407 8549 GRAND HYATT GYM, POOL AND BEACH Grand Hyatt Doha 4448 1056 OZONE GYM La Cigale Hotel 4428 8888 PURE LEISURE AND WELLNESS CENTRE Kempinski Residences & Suites 4405 3307 BAY VIEW 26 WELLNESS CENTRE Movenpick 4496 6410 VITALITY ZONE HEALTH CLUB Renaissance City Center 4419 5520 POOL, BEACH AND FITNESS FACILITIES St Regis Doha 4446 0000

EATS

Khalifa Stadium at ASPIRE, once lonely, will have very many stadium friends in the near future. Image by Xavier Bouchevreau

NIGHTS SPORTS

QATARSUB Souq Waqif 4434 1234

THE BAY CLUB InterContinental Doha 4484 4852

CRICKET

DOHA SUB-AQUA CLUB Near Sharq Village Dohasubaquaclub.com

FITNESS FACILITIES AND CLASSES Ritz-Carlton Hotel 4484 8173 LEISURE AND SPORTS FACILITIES The Diplomatic Club 4484 7450

BADMINTON

QATAR BADMINTON ACADEMY qatarbadmintonacademy@gmail.com

STRIKE BOWLING City Center Doha 4483 9162 GONDOLANIA BOWLING CENTER Villagio Mall 4403 9800

QATAR CYCLING FEDERATION Qatarcf.org 4447 5522 QATAR CHAIN REACTION Qatarchainreaction.org info@qatarchainreaction.org

DARTS

DOHA DARTS LEAGUE dohadartsleague.com Call Elsa on 6664 1750

DIVING/SNORKELLING QATAR DIVERS

By Doha Marriott Hotel 4431 3331

FISHING

TRIPS THROUGH SHERATON DOHA Call Bassel on 5551 8100 THE DIPLOMATIC CLUB West Bay Lagoon 4484 7444 QATAR SEA ANGLING ASSOCIATION Call Tony Moorat on 5550 1906

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR BUSINESS INCLUDED IN OUR LISTINGS CONTACT THE EDITOR. IF YOU NOTICE A MISTAKE HERE THEN DO TELL US ASAP!

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

85

COMMUNITY

BOWLING

CYCLING

PEARL DIVERS 4444 9553

TRAVEL

SIGNATURE SHERATON FITNESS Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel 4485 4600

QATAR CRICKET ASSOCIATION Near Doha Golf Club 4431 4154 qatarca@hotmail.com

BODIES

QATAR BOWLING CENTER Al Bidda Street 4432 9178

LEISURE

FITNESS CENTRE AND SWIMMING POOL Wyndham Grand Regency 4434 3152

LEISURE

SPORTS

NIGHTS

EATS

SPORTS LISTINGS

Go swimming in the DIplomatic Club’s snazzy pool located by the Pearl. Call 4484 7450.

FOOTBALL

BODIES

EVOLUTION SOCCER QATAR Evosportsqatar.com 5506 4794 QATAR WOMEN’S FOOTBALL ASSOC. Qatar.wfa@gmail.com

FLYING

TRAVEL

Qatar Aeronautical College Ras Abu Abboud Street 4440 8888

FRISBEE

DOHA ULTIMATE FRISBEE Rayyan Road Park or American School of Doha Visit sites.google.com/site/qatarulti

COMMUNITY

GOLF

DOHA GOLF CLUB West Bay 4496 0777

HOCKEY

DOHA HOCKEY CLUB info@dohahockeyclub.com WANDERERS HOCKEY CLUB Bosco_menezes@hotmail.com

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

QATAR HOCKEY ACADEMY Qatar Hockey Federation 5587 8317

FALCON TAEKWONDO ACADEMY Al Mansoura 4442 3012

AL KHOR RIDING CENTER 4421 8857

KARATE The International Academy Development 4432 0974

AL SAMARIYA STABLES Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani farm 5525 7203

AIKIDO Sheraton Doha 5562 4178

AL SHAQAB RIDING ACADEMY Alshaqab.com 4454 6320

MOTORCYCLING

HORSERIDING

QATAR RACING AND EQUESTRIAN CLUB RIDING SCHOOL Qrec.gov.qa 4480 8122

KITESURFING

FLO KITE SCHOOL Call Flora Pestre on 5504 1039 KITEBOARDING QATAR 6601 8941 Kiteboardingqatar.com

MARTIAL ARTS

KOREA TAEKWONDO CENTRE Al Muthanna Complex, opp Jarir Bookstore 4465 9066

for

Intercultural

DOHA QATAR CHAPTER HOG Hogdohaqatarchapter.com QATAR MOTOR AND FEDERATION Losail International Circuit 4472 9151

PARASAILING

PARASAILING Sheraton Doha Call Bassel on 5551 8100

PILATES

ASPIRE ACADEMY www.aspire.qa 4413 6219

MOTORCYCLE

TENNIS

RUNNING

LEISURE AND SPORTS FACILITIES The Diplomatic Club 4484 7450

Doha Rugby Union FC Doha Rugby Club, near Doha College 4468 3771

DOHA BAY RUNNING CLUB Dohabayrunningclub.webs.com

QTHLETICS Al Sadd Sports Club 4411 7911

DOHA SAILING CLUB Ras Abu Abboud Street 4443 9840 REGATTA SAILING ACADEMY InterContinental Doha 4442 4577

DUFFERS SQUASH LEAGUE Email Williams@qp.com.qa www.squashleagues.com/duffers KHALIFA TENNIS AND SQUASH COMPLEX Dafna 4440 9666

SIGNATURE SHERATON FITNESS Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel 4485 4600 FITNESS FACILITIES AND CLASSES Ritz-Carlton Hotel 4484 8173

DANA CLUB Dafna behind Qatar Sports Club 4496 0600 DOHA DOLPHINS Doha College and Hamad Aquatics (Aspire Zone) 4411 7911

H2O SWIM CLUB American School of Doha 5564 1475

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL Corniche 4494 8888

TRAMPOLINING

GYMNASTICS ACADEMY DOHA Doha English Speaking School 6664 5032

VOLLEYBALL

3RD FILIPINO VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION Philippine International School 5585 2101

WAKEBOARDING/WATERSKIING LEISURE AND SPORTS FACILITIES The Diplomatic Club 4484 7450

YOGA

YAMA YOGA STUDIOS Salwa Road, West Bay and Al Dana 6617 5802 PURE LEISURE AND WELLNESS CENTRE Kempinski Residences & Suites 4405 3307 FITNESS FACILITIES AND CLASSES Ritz-Carlton Hotel 4484 8173 SIGNATURE SHERATON FITNESS Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel 4485 4600 SIX SENSES SPA Sharq Village and Spa 4425 6999 ASPIRE ACADEMY 4413 6219

A new kind of conference is coming to Doha this month to attempt to address world sporting issues.

IN line with Qatar’s mission to become a world sporting hub, Doha GOALS (which stands for Gathering of All Leaders in Sport – nifty, eh?), under the patronage of HH The Emir, was founded at the beginning of this year and is set to start on 10th December, running until the 12th.

The idea is that each year, global sports leaders will come to Doha, alongside decision makers and professionals, to create partnerships and initiatives that will aim to tackle problems in the sporting world. The event will then conclude by outlining a roadmap to address issues such as “economic development throughout sport, the welfare of athletes, federation governance, sport as a tool for education of youth, integration of women and minorities through sport, and cross-culture cooperation”, according to the mission statement.

In the opening speech at the Doha GOALS pre-form by HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, he said it is hoped that it will “bring the world closer together: through this initiative specifically, and through sports in general, we plan to advance both individual and group development for people all over the world.”

A quote from the founder of the International Olympic Committee, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, also sums it up well. “Sport is part of every man and woman’s heritage and its absence can never be compensated for”.

We’d have to agree with that!

GO: Find out more at www.dohagoals.com

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

87

COMMUNITY

ENGLISH SWIM CLUB lessons@englishswimclub.com 3348 7308

ELITE TENNIS ACADEMY Samrya Garden Compound and Doha College 5566 4747 Elite-tennisacademy.com

TRAVEL

SWIMMING

FITNESS FACILITIES AND CLASSES Ritz-Carlton Hotel 4484 8173

BODIES

LEISURE AND SPORTS FACILITIES The Diplomatic Club 4484 7450

SIGNATURE SHERATON FITNESS Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel 4485 4600

LEISURE

SQUASH

Kicking Off the GOALS

SPORTS

SAILING

BECOMING A HUB...

NIGHTS

QATAR HASH HOUSE HARRIERS 5551 9603 abkuw@yahoo.com

KHALIFA TENNIS AND SQUASH COMPLEX Dafna 4440 9666

EATS

RUGBY

EATS

LEISURE LISTINGS WORTH YOUR TIME

Metropolitan Opera HD LIVE SERIES www.katara.net

Experience fabulous operatic performances straight from the stage of the Met in New York live at Katara Drama Theatre.

NIGHTS

1st: La Clemenza di Tito by Mozart 8th: Un Ballo in Maschera by Giuseppe Verdi 15th: If you missed Aida (pictured) in October then now is

LEISURE

SPORTS

your chance to revisit it in this series of live screenings!

GALLERIES AND STUDIOS AL MARKHIYA GALLERY Souq Waqif 6609 9687

BODIES

SOUQ WAQIF ART CENTRE Souq Waqif Artcentersouqwaqif.com KATARA ARTS STUDIOS Katara Cultural Village education@katara.net KATARA ART CENTER Katara Cultural Village info@kataraartcenter.com

TRAVEL

VISUAL ART SECTION Building 19, Katara Cultural Village 4408 1471 QMA GALLERY AT KATARA Building 10, Katara Cultural Village 4402 8045

COMMUNITY

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY Education City Exhibitions.qatar.vcu.edu

MUSEUMS

MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART (MIA) Corniche Mia.org.qa MATHAF: ARAB MUSEUM OF MODERN ART Education City 4402 8855

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

ARAB POSTAL STAMPS MUSEUM Building 22, Katara Cultural Village 5553 2918 FAISAL BIN QASSIM AL-THANI MUSEUM Al Samariyah 4486 1444

HERITAGE

Qatar has around 200 forts, castles and heritage sites worth checking out.

Here we have listed a few. For more information visit qma.com.qa.

AL KOOT FORT Al Bidda AL WAJBAH FORT Al Rayyan FANAR: ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTRE Next to Souq Waqif BARZAN TOWER Umm Salal Mohammed AL KHOR TOWER AND MUSEUM Al Khor, north of Doha AL WAKRAH MUSEUM Al Wakrah, south of Doha MARWAB FORT West coast of Qatar AL ZUBARAH FORT Around 100km west of Doha

BEACHES

There are plenty of beaches to visit all over Qatar. Here we have listed a few of the best.

HILTON DOHA Corniche 4423 3333 ST REGIS DOHA Al Gassar Resort 4446 0000 INTERCONTINENTAL DOHA West Bay Lagoon 4484 4444 FOUR SEASONS Corniche 4494 8888 DOHA MARRIOTT Ras Abu Abboud Street 4429 8888 GRAND HYATT DOHA Near The Pearl-Qatar 4448 1234 SHARQ VILLAGE AND SPA Ras Abu Abboud Street 4425 6666 SHERATON DOHA Corniche 4485 4444 SEALINE BEACH RESORT South of Doha, just outside Mesaieed 4476 5299

INCEPTION LANGUAGE CENTRE Equestrian Street 4412 6660 or 4412 6661

KHOR AL DAID The Inland Sea, southeast tip of Qatar

STENDEN INSTITUTE Fereej Bin Omran 4488 8116

AL FARKIYA Al Khor, north of Doha

KATARA BEACH Katara Cultural Village 4408 1017

FILM

DOHA SINGERS dohasingers@gmail.com JAZZ Dohajazz.com 5571 0746 THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR MUSIC Villa 81, Ahmed bin Hanbal Street 4467 1354

Cinema Land Landmark Mall 4488 1674

QATAR PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA The Opera House, Katara Cultural Village Qatarphilharmonicorchestra.org

GRAND CINECENTRE City Center Doha 4483 9064

DOHA COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA Dohaorchestra.com 3385 7784

QATAR PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Qps.com.qa 4408 1812

A Persuasive Groove A modern dance performance

by Hofesh Shechter, Political Mother has been on a global tour since 2010 with remarkable success and so-far great reviews.

It is Shechter’s first full-length piece. It brims with emotion - a complex expression of powerful and honest physicality performed by ten dancers.

Accompanied by Shechter’s own cinematic score, the show features a band of live drummers and electric guitarists.

It will be on from 12th until 14th of this month at Katara Drama Theatre.

THE CINEMA PALACE Royal Plaza 4413 0000

LEISURE

ASPIRE Ladies Cinema 4499 7664

PHOTOGRAPHY

SPORTS

Doha Film Institute dohafilminstitute.com

MUSIC

QATAR NATIONAL LIBRARY Various branches 4438 9888

NIGHTS

AL WAKRA BEACH Al Wakra, south of Doha

QATAR UNIVERSITY College of Arts and Sciences 4403 4584

LITERATURE

EATS

OASIS HOTEL AND BEACH CLUB Ras Abu Abboud Road 4442 4424

MALL CINEMA The Mall, D Ring Road 4467 8666

BODIES

THEATRE

DOHA PLAYERS Amateur dramatics group Doha_players@yahoo.com KATARA AMPHITHEATRE Katara Cultural Village Corniche

LANGUAGES

FANAR: QATAR ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTRE Next to Souq Waqif www.fanar.gov.qa

QATAR EASTERN LANGUAGE CENTER Salwa Road 4491 9580 or 6690 8551

ARTISTS, photographers, musicians, sculptors, performers, comedians - you name it, you’ll find it at the first ever annual Outdoor Art Fair at Katara Cultural Village.

Up to 100 booths will be set up for the talents of Doha to show off their skills and passions from the 14th to 19th of this month.

An Open Mic Zone will be set up, where Doha-based performing artists will be given the chance to

perform on stage. There will also be mobile restaurant stands around the amphitheatre.

In addition, the fair will offer a chillout area where visitors can relax and enjoy the activities on display.

The fair will be on from 10am to 10pm so no matter how busy you are throughout the week, you will be able to find some time to support the artists of Qatar..

Visit www.katara.net for more details FACT QATAR DECEMBER

89

COMMUNITY

BERLITZ E Ring Road, Mesaimeer 4455 0506

Encouraging Qatari Talent

TRAVEL

QATAR NATIONAL THEATRE National Theatre roundabout

EATS

WELLBEING LISTINGS WHERE TO GET A GOOD PAMPERING...

SPAS

JAULA SPA Grand Hyatt 4448 1056 DADOS SPA Al Seal Residence, West Bay 4498 0033

SPORTS

NIGHTS

OZONE SPA La Cigale Hotel 4428 8888 PURE SPA Millennium Hotel 4424 7777 SARAY SPA Renaissance City Center 4419 6090 Make the Ritz-Carlton Spa your own

A Personable Experience Bamboo body scrub and The Ritz-Carlton Massage

COMMUNITY

TRAVEL

BODIES

LEISURE

Ritz-Carlton’s Spa 90 minutes for QR740

ANGSANA SPA Wyndham Grand Regency 4434 3152 BLISS SPA W Hotel 4453 5555

Friendly therapists, expert techniques and with no frills attached. That’s what you can expect from spa masters, The Ritz-Carlton.

BODYLINES LEISURE AND FITNESS CLUB Oryx Rotana 4402 3333

THE Ritz-Carlton is undeniably a stalwart of the hospitality industry in Doha. So, when I was sent to do a review, I was interested to see what I would find.

Now, I’ve experienced quite a few spas in my lifetime – some might call me an addict (or a spaddict?) – and while the Ritz-Carlton Doha’s isn’t as fancy as many others, I found it to be one of the most friendly and welcoming.

Irina, my Romanian therapist, was faultlessly warm and bubbly.

She was very accommodating and made sure to find out what areas of my body needed work. She also gave me the option of three different scrubs – vitamin C, honey or bamboo. I went for bamboo, which, incidentally, she said was the one she would have recommended.

The bamboo scrub, Irina explained, is used to get rid of dead skin cells, moisturise and hydrate. It uses microfibres from bamboo and essential oils such as sandalwood, myrrh, cardamom and black pepper. And boy did she scrub.

By the time the 30-minute scrub was over I could already feel the benefits. I was led to a shower room where I cleaned myself off and what struck me most was how clean I felt. Plus, my skin was

CHANTARA SPA DOHA The Venue, Al Waab 4459 4233

Words by Katy Gillett

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

baby’s-bottom-soft.

Then it was back to the table for The Ritz-Carlton Massage, which they describe as ‘the ultimate in relaxation’. It really was.

Basically, it is a personalised combination of deep tissue, Swedish and pressure point massage techniques. As someone who generally goes for the usual aromatherapy or Thai massages, this was very different for me. It was an interesting mix of therapies that released tension in a subtler and less painful way.

Irina used an aloe vera cream from South Africa and focused, just as I had asked her to, mainly on my shoulders and neck. The massage, coupled with the soothing yet eclectic music emanating from the corners of our room, really transported me somewhere else. Even after an hour, when I usually feel ready to leave, I didn’t want to go. I could have stayed there all day!

What I really like about this spa is that it is almost like a blank canvas.

It is luxurious, comfortable and accommodating, but also doesn’t have many frills, so at the end of the day it is what you make it. And more fool you if you don’t make the very most of it.

GO: Call the spa directly too book a treatment on 4484 8173. Find the spa menu online.

THE SPA Ritz-Carlton Hotel 4484 8173 EFOREA Hilton Doha 4423 3441 DIPLOMATIC CLUB SPA The Diplomatic Club 4484 7450 GUERLAIN ALFARDAN SPA Renamed Alfardan Towers 4499 9250 DOHA MARRIOT SPA Doha Marriott 4429 8520 FOUR SEASONS SPA AND WELLNESS CENTRE Four Seasons 4494 8801 THE BAY CLUB InterContinental Doha 4484 4852 SIX SENSES SPA Sharq Village & Spa 4425 6999

MARIE CLAIRE Salwa Road 4468 9211

BIO-BIL HEALTH BEAUTY AND SPA Bilal Suites 4493 4433

PINKIES The Centre 4431 7959

HABIBS HAIR N BEAUTY SPA Al Sadd 4413 0672

STUDIO 1 Al Mirqab Al Jadeed 4444 7494

LADY SIAM MASSAGE Al Kinana Street 4435 4115

STYLO LADIES BEAUTY CENTER Al Sadd 4436 3626

LUCIE SAINT-CLAIR Royal Plaza 4447 7725

NARA SALON Al Waab 4447 8008

BEAUTY SALONS

LE SALON and LA SALON Alfardan Towers, West Bay 4420 8660

THE BEAUTY CENTER The Diplomatic Club 4484 7407

THERE’S a great deal going on in Angsana Spa at the

Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel this month called the Winter Escape Package.

Basically, you can enjoy two treatments for the price of one right up until the end of the year. You can choose two of three options: a 60-minute massage, 60-minute facial and/ or a body scrub with on-spot massage for an hour. The promotional price is QR655 with members enjoying the benefits for QR595.

SPORTS

BE BLOOM BEAUTY CENTRE AND SPA Al Hilal Area 4455 4422

The Winter Escape Package

NIGHTS

PATRICE Landmark Mall and Sheraton Hotel 4486 5970 and 4485 4012

EATS

REMEDE SPA St Regis Doha 4446 0000

GO: Call 4434 3152.

LEISURE

GLOW AMERICAN SALON Salwa Road and West Bay 4468 9945 and 4411 7652 AL SAYYAD GENT’S SALON Wyndham Grand Regency 4434 3445 CAROLINE Oryx Rotana 4402 3333

BODIES

DIVA LOUNGE Al Kinana Street 4431 8488 FRANCK PROVOST Four Seasons Hotel 4494 8844

TRAVEL

JACQUES DESSANGE Salwa Road 4444 9194 LA DUREE La Cigale Hotel 4428 8888 PORTO SALON The Pearl-Qatar 4495 3876

CUT BY ALEXANDRE ZOUARI W Hotel 4453 5353

Escape winter, re-embrace summer at Angsana Spa Jaula Spa at the Grand Hyatt, one of Doha’s most luxurious

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COMMUNITY

YAHYA ZAKARIA Grand Hyatt Hotel 4448 1100

EATS

TRAVEL LISTINGS WHERE ELSE COULD YOU BE THIS MONTH?

Authentic Brazilian daytime entertainment to get this party started. Image by Mike Vondran.

TRAVEL AGENTSJAULA SPA MANNAI AIR TRAVEL Four branches across Doha 4428 2666 (Musheireb) SPACE TRAVEL

By Al Andalus Compound Villa, D Ring Road 4422 7333

COMMUNITY

TRAVEL

BODIES

LEISURE

SPORTS

NIGHTS

MANNAI HOLIDAYS Musheireb Street 4428 2633 DARWISH TRAVEL BUREAU Near Sana Signal, Um Mughalina 4441 8666 QATAR TOURS In Darwish Travel (see above) 4441 1414

Hit The Copacabana Beach

REGENCY TRAVEL AND TOURS Suhaim Bin Hamad St, C Ring Road 4434 4444

Emirates flies daily to Rio de Janeiro, Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, Brazil. Go from Doha (via Dubai) Call 4438 4477

TRANS ORIENT TRAVEL & TOURISM Airport Road 4442 3496

Why not do something truly exciting this New Year? We recommend one of the best parties on the planet – in beautiful, bubbly Brazil.

ALI BIN ALI TRAVEL BUREAU Al Sadd 4444 1161

PICTURE this: Your bare toes sink into soft white sand, as a balmy breeze cools your skin and you sip on an ice-cold beverage that you bought for just fifty cents. 10, 9, 8… Surrounding you, millions of people dance. 7, 6, 5… You walk to the shore and look out at the Atlantic Ocean. 4, 3, 2… Up above, you watch as enormous displays of colourful fireworks light the sky.

1… A series of open-air live music shows kick off on various stages as you usher in 2013 at Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro.

It’s where, each year, they play host to Reveillon, said to be the world’s largest (and perhaps wildest) New Year’s Eve celebration.

Second only to Carnaval in Rio, Reveillon is a free-for-all beachside party with seaside dancing and general merriment. But it is also a cultural event as millions of cariocas (Rio natives) attend dressed in white, to symbolise the purity of the New Year and the AfroBrazilian goddess Iemanja, aka Queen of the Seas.

They pay homage to her by heading out in boats to throw white flowers into the sea, and by laying gifts for her on the beach.

AAMAL TRAVEL City Center (next to Qatar Airways offices) 4493 0103

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Legend has it, that if Iemanja accepts their gifts, then they are sure to have a happy year.

Don’t think you’re going to be just in a sea of white-clad locals, however.

Expect plenty of bright colours (as you would during a trip to Brazil!) such as red, which denotes romance, or green for good health, and yellow/ gold for wealth.

Once the offerings have been given, the real party starts and don’t believe for one second you’re going anywhere any time soon. The event goes on all night and it is customary to greet New Year’s morning with a dip in the ocean (which, we’re guessing, you’ll need by then…).

Once you’ve settled into 2013, you might need a few hours to recuperate and energise at the hotel, but not for too long, as now you have the rest of Rio to explore!

Head to any one of the city’s stunning beaches (you’ll see some pretty skimpy swimwear, which is normal there, so remember not to stare!), explore downtown’s winding streets and fantastic architecture. Or, better yet, take a cable car ride atop Sugar Loaf Mountain at sunset and check out some of the most beautiful views you will ever see.

Even if you don’t go for New Years, Rio is a must-visit for everyone.

AL JABER TOURS AND TRAVELS Muntazah 4444 2015 AL JASRA TRAVEL Bin Dirham St, Mansoura 4443 0737 AL BATEEL TRAVEL New Salata 4498 9898 ALSHAMEL TRAVEL AND TOURISM Al Jabr Bldg, C Ring Road 4434 3888 AL SULAIMAN TRAVEL Four branches across Doha 4435 5006 (Musheireb) FALCON TRAVEL Salwa Road 4435 4777 KANOO TRAVEL Three branches across Doha 4474 8774 (Ras Laffan Commerical Complex) MILANO TRAVEL Fereej Bin Mahmoud 4442 4443

DANA TRAVELS & TOURISM Al Gharrafa Complex 4491 6111

JET AIRWAYS www.jetairways.com 4407 2222

ROYAL JORDANIAN www.rj.com 4443 1431

AIRLINESTHE BEAUTY CENTER

KUWAIT AIRWAYS www.kuwaitairways.com 4443 5340

SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES www.saudiairlines.com 4444 0121

LUFTHANSA www.lufthansa.com 4431 0623

SRI LANKAN AIRLINES www.srilankan.com 4444 1217

MEA www.mea.com/lb 4434 2976

SYRIAN AIR www.syriaair.com 4441 2911

OMAN AIR www.omanair.com 4432 1373

TURKISH AIRLINES www.turkishairlines.com 4443 3028

AIR ARABIA www.airarabia.com 4407 3434

AIR INDIA (and AIR INDIA EXPRESS) www.airindia.com 4442 7747 AIR FRANCE / KLM www.klm.com 4432 1208 BAHRAIN AIR www.bahrainair.net 4442 1807 BIMAN BANGLADESH www.biman-airlines.com 4443 3117

CATHAY PACIFIC www.cathaypacific.com 4445 8319 CYPRUS AIRWAYS www.cyprusair.com 4411 9017

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR BUSINESS INCLUDED IN OUR LISTINGS CONTACT THE EDITOR. IF YOU NOTICE A MISTAKE HERE THEN DO TELL US ASAP!

LEISURE

BRITISH AIRWAYS www.britishairways.com 4432 1434

PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES www.piac.aero 4442 6290

SPORTS

QATAR AIRWAYS www.qatarairways.com 4449 6666 (call centre)

NIGHTS

IRAQ AIRWAYS www.iq-airways.com 4443 7788

EATS

BON VOYAGE QATAR Khalifa St, Al Markhiya 4487 4411

HOT NEW CITY HOP

QATAR AIRWAYS TO WARSAW

FLY to Poland’s capital this month with our national airline as they just launched a new route. This follows their inaugural flight to Belgrade, Serbia in November.

GO: Call 4449 6666

BODIES

DELTA AIRLINES www.delta.com 4483 0725 EGYPT AIR www.egyptair.com 4435 6020

TRAVEL

EMIRATES www.emirates.com 4438 4477 ETIHAD AIRWAYS www.etihadairways.com 4436 6657 FLYDUBAI www.flydubai.com 4422 7350

IRAN AIR www.iranair.com 4441 5318

Jaula Spa at the Grand Hyatt, one of Doha’s most luxurious

FACT QATAR DECEMBER

93

COMMUNITY

GULF AIR www.gulfair.com 4499 8037

EATS

COMMUNITY LISTINGS GET INVOLVED WITH A GOOD CAUSE

ANIMAL WELFAREAULA SPA CATS IN QATAR Daytime number: Gill on 3393 7645 Evenings and weekends: Vicki on 3393 7646 QATAR ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY www.qaws.org 5539 6074

NIGHTS

2ND CHANCE RESCUE QATAR www.2ndchancerescue.com 6644 1087 (Katharine Body) QATAR PET RELOCATORS www.qatarpetrelocators.com 5528 6335

SPORTS

QATAR VETERINARY CENTER Off Al Waab Street 4421 6405 PAMPERED PETS KENNEL AND CATTERY www.ppkdoha.net 5588 4132 At the New Arrivals Coffee during Ramadan at Qipco compound.

COMMUNITY

TRAVEL

BODIES

LEISURE

December with Doha Mums

One of Qatar’s biggest network is going all out this season for their members so why not make it official and become a member?

WHEN Roxanne Davis moved to Doha in 2008, she found that it was very difficult for mums to connect. “I had been part of an expatriate group in Buenos Aires and a mother’s group in Texas, so I combined the two concepts to form Doha Mums,” she tells us.

“It was very important to me that the group embrace mums of all nationalities and religions since we have so much to learn from each other.”

The rest is history, as they say, as at last count the membership network had grown to include 1,300 Doha Mums from more than 100 countries.

If you have children living with you or if you’re expecting a baby, then you can join Doha Mums for the minimal membership fee of QR150 per year. With this, you have access to their private online forum where you can discuss anything and everything you may want. Roxanne tells us that many mums have described the forum as a ‘lifesaver’.

The group also have an Ask! And Borrow! Programme initiative that assists mums and mums-tobe who are new to Doha with the many challenges of settling in, such as where to loan baby equipment or where to find a nanny.

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

As a member you are also able to purchase their Deals Card which gives you access to almost 300 discounts, as well as a general airline discount.

On top of all this, Doha Mums hold many monthly events. This month, for example, there will be a number of gingerbread house decorating classes and ‘Teddy Bear Afternoon Tea with Santa’ events going on at the Ritz-Carlton, as well as their annual Winter Festival on the 8th. There will also be a Christmas carol sing-along (dates and venues still to be confirmed).

Their big news for the upcoming year, however, is that their dedicated Children’s Library, that has a collection of over 3,500 books in various languages, now has a permanent home. This library is accessible to Doha Mums members for a small annual fee. “We can [now] focus on building up our collection to include more books for older kids,” says Roxanne.

“We are also looking forward to having more and more events through which our members can meet one another,” she adds. “Doha Mums events are volunteer-based, so anyone with an idea for an event can pop it onto our calendar and run with it.”

GO: Contact info@dohamums.com or visit www. dohamums.com for more

QATAR BIRD CLUB Bin Omran 4487 4731 DOGS IN DOHA dogsindoha@gmail.com 6618 2924 PARKVIEW CENTER info@parkviewcenter.net 4417 1560 or 5509 9494 (emergencies) QATAR PET REGISTER www.qatarpetregister.com

info@qatarpetregister.com

CHARITIES / SOCIAL WELFARE QATAR CHARITY 10 branches across Doha 4466 7711 (main)

QATAR RED CRESCENT Old Salata 4402 7700 QATAR FOUNDATION HUMAN TRAFFICKING 4491 2888

FOR

COMBATING

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER C Ring Road 4454 2400 NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE Salwa Road 4444 4012 REACH OUT TO ASIA Education City 4480 029 THE YOUTH COMPANY info@theyouthcompany.com 44118132

ENVIRONMENT

FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT CENTER Bin Omran 4487 4731

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT responsibility@moe.gov.qa 4420 7777

SOCIETIES

CANCER SURVIVORS AND SUPPORTERS GROUP 6673 0674 DOHA MUMS www.dohamums.com info@dohamums.com

WOMEN’S HOSPITAL Bin Omran 4439 6666 AL AMAL (ONCOLOGY) HOSPITAL Rumaillah Hospital Complex 4474 5555 AL AHLI HOSPITAL Wadi Al Sail 4489 8888 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Aaqatar.org 5560 5901 (24-hour hotline) IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR BUSINESS INCLUDED IN OUR LISTINGS CONTACT THE EDITOR.

IF you, like many others living in Doha, feel that there is a lot to be done with and help to be offered to the animal community, then your first chance with 2nd Chance Rescue is here. They’re always looking for volunteers with a few hours to spare every now and then. On Friday afternoons (around 2.30pm), their farm is open to volunteers. So, if you have any time you can give up to help walk or groom one or two of their dogs (they have almost 80!), you’d be doing the team over at the 2nd Chance farm a great kindness.

GO: Email 2ndchancerescue.dohaqatar@ gmail.com. The farm is about 15 minutes outside of Doha on Al Shamal Road.

MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT...

LEISURE

AMERICAN WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION www.awaqatar.com Contact through online submission form

HAMAD GENERAL HOSPITAL Rayyan Road 4439 3082

Give a 2nd Chance

SPORTS

THINK PINK QATAR Thinkpinkqatar.com Contact through online submission form

QATAR FOUNDATION FOR CHILD & WOMAN PROTECTION 4467 9444 (hotline)

NIGHTS

SUSTAINABLE QATAR www.sustainableqatar.com 5516 2764 (Katrin Scholz-Barth, President)

MEDICAL

EATS

BEST BUDDIES QATAR www.bestbuddies.org.qa 4466 6095

FRENCH SPEAKING WOMEN’S COMMITTEE The French Cultural Centre 4493 0862

BODIES

INDIAN WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION www.iwaqatar.com 4442 5937

CLUBS

QATAR CHESS ASSOCIATION Corniche, Al Bidda Tower 4494 4292

QATAR PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S NETWORK Melissa Mitchell, QPEN leader Info@qpwn.org QATAR TOASTMASTERS www.qatartoastmasters.net 5554 7248

QATAR EXPATS www.meetup.com/Qatar-expats Online sign-up

What do you think of the Pet Market?

We asked all our readers online what they thought of Souq Waqif’s bustling pet market. Here are the results.

83%

of you think it should be closed or at least monitored

17%

COMMUNITY

TUESDAY LADIES GROUP Tlgindoha@gmail.com 5573 5078

Rabbits are one of many types of creatures available to buy. Image by Omar Chatriwala on Flickr

TRAVEL

QATAR NATURAL HISTORY GROUP www.qnhg.org chairman@qnhg.org (Rob Ross)

of you love it there and take all your visitors FACT QATAR DECEMBER

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FINAL WORD

What’s your

QATAR

IQ

S.A.T’s? M.B.A’s? Pah! In Qatar, only one test score really matters: your Qatar IQ!

Three Michelin-starred French chef Guy Savoy has opened at restaurant at The Pearl. Do you: a Check it out immediately - you would never say no to a bit of fine dining? b Hide the news from your husband or wife - you’re still paying off the bill from your last fancy meal out? c Walk past it on your way to Turkey Central – you like to keep it cheap and cheerful?

The end of the world is apparently upon us (on December 21, 2012) according to the Mayans.

Are you:

a Freaked out? You’ve been convinced the end has been coming for a long time. b Excited? Now’s your chance to prove that you ain’t just a pretty face. Move over Bruce Willis and

Angelina Jolie.

Ignoring it? This is not the first time you’ve heard a doomsday prediction and you’re still here. Won’t people wake up already!?

c

FACT’s festive giveaways promotion kicks off on December 1 and you have the chance to win

some cool prizes. Do you:

a Retweet and share like there’s no tomorrow? Any one of those babies would make you happy. b Create several Twitter and Facebook accounts so that you might be in with a chance of winning them

ALL (mmWAHAHAHAAA!!)?

Finally set up a Facebook or Twitter account to see what all the fuss is about? You’ve been meaning to do it at some point anyway, so you might as well get something out of it.

c

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FACT QATAR DECEMBER

Let us lift up the festive spirit with the most huggable Teddy Bear.

Let us bring smiles to all children.

Let us introduce you to the jolly and merry Binky the Elf. Let us turn afternoon tea into an unforgettable experience.

Binky the Elf comes to Doha! Make sure you spend the afternoon with us as Binky entertains the little ones and grown-ups alike with story-telling, singing and dancing!

Families leave the afternoon tea with the most huggable Teddy Bear as a take-away gift. For reservations, call The Ritz-Carlton, Doha at +974-4484-8000 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com/doha.

Š 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

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