FUN BUT FABULOUS !

We were one of the first to experience the exclusive tasting and preview of the Ramadan

Tent at Fateh Al Khair, The Ritz-Carlton Doha as they unveiled a rich Qatari heritage-inspired theme, hosting a feast of the senses.

We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek behind the scenes of this years Ramadan offerings at The Ritz Carlton Doha, one of Qatar’s older and most established hotel brands and you know what they say, with age comes experience!

It’s that time of year again. Ramadan is coming. Cue a culinary season that’s a highlight in the foodie calendar teeming with stacked plates, infinite iftar buffets and more sweet treats than you can shake a marshmallow stick at.

The annual Ramadan tent will be housed, as usual, in the stunning, vast and ornate ballroom. You can expect some live music with musicians playing the oud and cosy tents in the corner for more private gatherings, as well as tables and chairs where families, large groups and smaller gatherings can join together for this important ritual.

We couldn’t help but be impressed by the length of imagination that the chefs had gone too. There was a strong emphasis on Arabic food but there were also sections that were international. There was even a section that was specifically and quintessentially Qatari. This iftar is certainly ticking a lot of boxes!

You can look forward to Qatari specialities like seafood harra, lamb harris, chicken maklouba and hammour sayadia.

Among the Arabic food offerings, the traditional mezze stands out for its excellent hummus including a sumptuous beetroot dip and impressive moutabel and fattoush. The warm breads and rolls were freshly produced in-house and they were certainly very good.

The cheese and zaatar manakish were delicious as was the kibbeh. More internationally, my attention was grabbed by the Mexican station offering small but wholesome yummy beef tacos with optional guacamole, salsa and other dips.

In keeping with the highly successful and award winning farmers market Friday Brunch that the Ritz offers in Lagoon, there was a healthy selection of seasonal salads to include; Greek, Italian caprese and ceasar. We found ourselves munching on the air dried beef bresaola with unanimous ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’.

The sushi selection was displayed beautifully allowing those seafood lovers amongst us to savour such delicacies. The Indian specialities were the strongest station to represent the Asian part of the world. Street food is the vibe that they are going for here and the pav bhajis were insanely good with the chef dolloping on complimentary chutneys. Be sure not to make a mess when you bite into them!

Other sections to look out for include the Turkish stand with some Tavuk doner which are Turkey’s equivalent of a chicken shawarma. The English will be happy to see a roast beef carving station and lamb lovers should make there way over to the impressive hand carved lamb ouzi station.

We haven’t even mentioned the sweetest part yet, quite literally. There is seasonal fresh fruit, Turkish ice cream and Turkish delight, Arabic sweets and classic desserts like umm ali. Now, if there is anything that is sure to get all chocoholics in a frenzy, well, it is the chocolate and dessert display showcasing the chocolate fountain glistening as pride-of-place. If you don’t like chocolate, well, it’s awfully fun to look at especially when you see kids’ faces lighting up as they dunk their marshmallows into the flowing fountain! After all, children under 5 dine for free but somethings, like this, are simply priceless.

For more information please call +974 4484 8000