TRAVEL Escapes

from Ohlala Qatar April 2023

Escapes

My wanderings lead me to the elegant surroundings of Dôme. Its glittering centrepiece is a 12-foot, walk-in glass cloche, housing the unique patisserie creations of the hotel’s expert pastry chefs. I find a sheltered nook in the landscaped tea garden beyond, looking out to sea. I’m here for the afternoon tea, an iconic meal with tea and scones – but at Dôme, rendered with playful creativity and technical innovation. It arrives with a coup-detheatre, dry ice cascading to reveal a multitude of exquisite treats. Miniature forest-inspired eclairs filled with savoury ragu are topped with minuscule mushroom caps pickled with ponzu and lemon. A retro egg mimosa is delicately reconstructed between light brioche and cream cheese layers. But the limelight is stolen by the sweets. My personal favourites are a miniature chocolate Sachertorte with apricot replaced by tart raspberry and, best of all, a tiny bronze tower revealing a symphony in pistachio with fine layers of creamy custard, crunchy nut butter, light mousse and sweet gelee. I wash these down with smoky amber Lapsang Souchong tea from Dôme’s extensive library of Newby teas.

Is there anything more indulgent than having a spa come to your own space? My expert therapists Boom and Tika lower the lights as I slip between the warmth of fluffy towels and close my eyes as the scents of orange blossom and jasmine fill the air. Tika starts at my feet, with warm hands working up my legs to focus on the tightness in my hips and lower back. Then with deeper pressure, she works the warm oil into the major muscles of my back and shoulders, coaxing out the knots and extending my limbs. We finish with a micro-massage of my neck and scalp, releasing those infinitesimally small muscles that hold so much stress around the head, and lulling me into total relaxation in the sanctuary of my room.

I resurface just in time for dinner. The simple décor at Masala Library, clean cream warmed by inlaid brass panelling, puts the focus firmly on the food. As manager Lawrence Raj explains, this is the first outpost outside India of Jiggs Kalra, the father of modern molecular Indian cuisine. In the hands of Michelin-trained head chef Saneesh Varghese, the food here becomes sadhana, an almost spiritual meditative discipline in pursuit of true perfection. The amuse-bouche sets the tone immediately. Creamy buttermilk lassi aerated to the finest foam, barely sweet, subtly sour, just enough to tease my taste buds into action. A truly rare treat follows it: Gucchi mushroom (one of the most expensive in the world). A single perfect specimen marinated, its stem stuffed with ricotta and then roasted in the tandoor, served in wild fungi Yakhni broth with truffle malai cream. It’s one impassioned mouthful, which melts then blooms into waves of evocative umami. The revelations keep coming. Salmon Bhel takes the fun puffed rice street-food dish and splices it with the rich butteriness of roast salmon beneath the satisfyingly bitter filigree of a charcoal crisp. Three bite-sized Kulchas (a type of leavened bread from northern India) burst open to reveal a melting middle of Wagyu beef cheek, cooked for 60 hours to a dark velvet. The butter chicken is hand-pulled, liberating flavour from the shredded breast, which rests in a coppery Makhani foam, bringing an irresistible lightness to this creamy classic. As the knife pierces the tightly sealed bread lid of the Mughlai Lamb Dum Parda Biryani, the scents of rose and saffron rise with the steam, a tribute to Arabia. But what takes my breath away is the dessert. The dazzling sweetness of fried Jalebi reinvented as microscopic, tongue-tingling ‘caviar’, topped with a golden saffron froth floating on pistachio rabdi (a dish made with full-fat milk, sugar, cardamom and nuts) elixir. Forget everything you ever thought you knew about Indian sweets. My senses are overwhelmed. Before I go back to the room, I descend to the garden terraces. Looking back along the promenade, the sweeping curves of Katara Towers crown the Lusail skyline like a pair of welcoming arms reaching upwards, eager and unafraid to exceed even the highest expectations.