Doha's Breakfast Central

Where: Movenpick Tower, West Bay

When: 7 am to 11 am.

What’s on the menu: 
Five pre-decided breakfast set menus. Arabic, Energy, Lime Café and Westbay breakfast and not to forget the bread basket. Prices form QAR 30 to 92.

What we ate:

Hani:
As usual I ordered myself the largest combo available, that being the
West Bay breakfast. It comprised eggs, bacon, hash brown, breakfast pastries, sausages, juice and a choice of coffee or tea! Phew, I thought I wouldn’t be able to complete this in one breath.

Taste aspects, the eggs were lightly crisp! Quantity on my plate was not as much as my description would have made you to believe. Places that are not half as fancy usually have at least 2 hash browns, 2 sausages or 2 strips of Bacon. So quite naturally I polished off my plate (except the nuisance halved tomato). They just had one person manning the cash and the floor. He was able to do everything on his own.

Kavi: Against my better judgment, I ordered an “Energy Breakfast” that consisted of Grapefruit juice, brown bread, honey, butter, low fat yoghurt, tea and a fruit platter. Now I would imagine for some who’s a health buff, all of this must be very appetizing. But somehow the idea of consuming sweet stuff for breakfast doesn’t energize me in the least. There isn’t much to be said in the form of review. You can’t really go very wrong with fresh fruits or butter. However, the service was outstanding. With no help whatsoever, one person was able to greet customers, take orders and serve at all the tables.

Verdict:

Hani: Quantity is less compared to the price charged- food is not exceptional.  

Kavi: Biffsquiggle food but FIVE STAR service.

Insterestingness: They serve a small Toblerone with their hot drinks :)

Where: Landmark Mall in between Haagen Dazs and The One

When: Daily from 9am onwards

What’s on the menu: Eggs, Labneh, pancakes Coffee with Croissant
Prices between QAR 18 to 31.

What we ate:

Hani: I had The Gambini Omelet which was with butter bread, bacon
The baby potatoes were mushy and sweet, which does not fit my liking. The cheese instead of making the egg crispy was rather cooked to the degree that it formed a film on almost all the eggs (see egg border in the picture).

I had an after eight mint coffee, I am not sure whether it should’ve tasted the way it tasted, also was very sweet as if I was drinking sugar syrup. These guys have good service but it did seem to me as if it was one of those days …..
Even for the non-breakfast meals that I’ve had from here, nothing has been extraordinary.

Kavi: I ordered the Perfect Pancakes which comes up with maple syrup and fruits. The Pancakes were a bit heavy and not light and fluffy as I had hoped. It had a cake/bread like texture as though it had been baked. Not my favourite kind of pancakes. However, their servers are very attentive and will visit your table to enquire if you’re pleased with food or not. We’ve been to some places which serve good food and have terrible service. This feels like awkward change. We want to say great things about this place but the food is only so-so.

Verdict:

Hani:The food and coffee gave me zero appeal although the attentive service is praise-worthy. Almost like a place where you go not for the food but to enjoy the great service.
But then again, good food with bad service still gets a lot more business.

Kavi: Biffsquiggle

Where : Al- Emadi Complex

When: 8AM to 11AM

What’s on the menu: Fixed menus for breakfast- such as continental – oriental, healthy etc. as well as stand-alone omelettes. QAR 12 to 44

What we ate:

Hani : I ordered the Ma Maison set breakfast. This comes with Choice of eggs, bacon, Sauteed Mushrooms, diced potatoes and a choice of tea or coffee. The omelette I ordered was a plain variety and tasted fine without any seasoning. The bacon was more of left overs added to a plate and not the usual complete strip-pan fired to perfection. The diced potatoes were not fried- but rather blanched and had a steam cooked texture. This usually means that they were rather soft and not of starchy uptight, crisp nature. The coffee – a cappuccino was above Doha average.

Kavi: I ordered a good ol’ cheese omelette which I had serious misgivings about. But the weather was nice, cold and windy and demanded a hot cheesy egg and so I caved in. If you’ll ignore the half-hearted vegetables on the side, the eggs were actually quite delicious. The cheese was added in just the right amount, which complemented the eggs without overwhelming it. I always hate it when restaurants just dice up a couple of tomatoes and cucumbers and throw it in to make it look like I cooked it up. Besides, I don’t know who enjoys cucumbers and tomatoes with their eggs. But the omelette was delicious and if you’re “hungover” from the Starbucks near by or going shopping for Cadillac, start here!

Verdict: 

Hani: Average taste but prepared with affection.

Kavi: Delumptious!

#interestingness factor: Ma maison has a weird wallpapered wall with a narrow opening, giving the illusion that the people sitting beyond the opening are actually sitting behind you! Go check it out!

Where: Dar Es Salaam Mall

When: 8 am everyday - all day breakfast.

What’s on the menu: 
Set menu items all priced at QAR 49. Also you have the option of a la carte items like manakish (fatayer), savory crepes etc. priced at QAR 24 to 29. Eggs and specialties menu come in prices QAR 21 to 41, these include eggs (done your way, benedict etc.) foul etc.

What we ate:

Hani:

Healthy breakfast was quite a large sized breakfast but went well with the name. The eggs were were light and were accompanied by fruit and yogurt. Since it was meant to be healthy, I don’t know if I should complain about it being bland. There was nothing memorable about the breakfast, the service however, was accommodating. The bread basket and the butter were left as is. This place is already a busy place despite being new. So don’t expect it to be empty.

Kavi: After having just returned from London, where I was used to having an English breakfast every day, I decided to choose the same to for nostalgia’s sake. I have to say the scrambled eggs were a bit of disappointment. They weren’t fluffy or moist lacked flavor. The bacon, potatoes and sausages were very good. But that is kind of setting the bar low, isn’t it? It would be very hard for a decent restaurant to get that wrong. The furniture and ambience in this place feels a bit tacky at first but eventually warms to you.

Verdict:

Hani:
not ready to write this off yet!

Kavi: Biffquiggle

Where: City Centre Mall

When: 10 am onwards

What’s on the menu:
Croissants, eggs, French toast and breakfast combos. QAR 10 to 49.

What we ate:

Hani: We’ve been wanting to try this earlier but the timings (10 AM) for breakfast and perhaps it being a uselessly overcrowded mall prevented us from going here sooner.
What you see in the picture before I devoured it, is an English Breakfast. Eye eggs! My favorite thing on the plate you ask? Sausages. The standard sized slightly cooked tomato slices were very hard me to finish. Almost ended up wasting these. I didn’t enjoy their coffee either. Richoux remains empty most of the time and that kind of takes away from people trying out this place.

Kavi: Richoux, neatly tucked away on the third floor of the City Centre, has this odd other-worldliness about it which makes you feel like you are not in Doha, when you enter it. I had very low expectations from the food, but I was quite pleasantly surprised. I ordered a portion of scrambled eggs on toast. The eggs were quite fluffy and even had the right amount of cheese and salt in it. Although you can’t see it, the scrambled eggs came on a bed of toasted bread which made it all the more delicious. I recommend this place if you’re looking for a moment of a quiet in a maddeningly busy mall.

Verdict:
Hani: Wasn’t expecting this but it was a good experience dining here.

Kavi: Delumptious

Where: Mango Tree, 18 La Croisette

When: 9 PM to 11.30 AM -Friday and Saturday

What’s on the menu:

American, thai and healthy breakfast options to choose from. Interestingly almost all priced at QAR 60 and other few items for less than QAR 70.

Hani:

I chose the traditional thai breakfast which are three items from a choice of nine. The traditional Thai breakfast comes with a choice of soup or jasmine rice. As can be seen from the image above, I ordered the jasmine rice. Besides, I wonder how
one can have the above items with soup anyway? Lots of welcoming stuff the moment we sat down: thai coffee (yummy!), salty doughnuts (seen on the top right corner) and a detox shot welcome drink! Phew!!
While choosing the meal, I didn’t pick the right options, as all these items never gave me the impression of lunch and not breakfast. The main ingredients of a breakfast, i.e eggs and dairy products were absent from what I had ordered.

Kavi: I ordered a Thai Breakfast Tofu which is basically scrambled tofu with onions, carrots, soy sauce and vegetables. The picture looks beautiful. Alas, it didn’t taste as good. The soy sauce made the dish too salty to be healthy. However, I did help myself to Hani’s plate and his food was quite good. I’ve always had a good experience at Mango Tree and I would certainly go back to try the other dishes. But this one just didn’t cut it. Perhaps, I am not a Thai breakfast kinda girl.

Verdict:

Hani:
Will have to give this a second try- next time with the breakfast essentials on my plate.

They also had an offer on, which was at the purchase of a breakfast, get another one for free-that halved our bill just fine :)

Kavi: Biffsquiggle but will give this a second chance.

Where: 6 La Croisette, The Pearl Qatar

When: All day breakfast, daily from 9am.

What’s on the menu: Viennoiserie And Eggs priced between QAR 12 to 55.

Hani:

I had poached eggs “florentine” - Eggs with pan sauteed spinach and cheesy bechamel buttered toast. Other than the normal white bread toast, enjoyed everything on my plate, the look of the preparation shows that the meal was
exceptionally prepared. The spinach looked just blanched and lightly cooked so
that my mind successfully led me to believe it was healthy eating and I gobbled it up accordingly. The good experience was ruined by a bad tasting of something as
explained below.

Kavi: I ordered Poached Eggs “Mentonise”, which the menu describes as “two poached eggs on creamy polenta with sundried tomatoes, artichokes and black olives”. The eggs were so beautiful to look at, I didn’t want to eat it. But my “sundried tomatoes” looks like grilled baby tomatoes. I don’t know much about cooking, but I am sure the two tomatoes aren’t interchangable. My supposedly “creamy polenta” was dry and terrible to taste. I had Hani taste it too, just to be sure this wasn’t my imagination. The black olives were on holiday, apparently. So the only part they got right was the eggs.

The water melon juice very dreamy and its visual appeal led to its taste being enjoyable too.

Verdict:
Hani: Satisfactory Experience

Kavi: Bunkumhouse

Where: Bistro 61, Al Fardan Towers

When: 7:30 AM onwards

What’s on the menu:

Eastern and Western breakfast, manakish, croissants, danish pastries, eggs and yoghurt. Prices from 8 to 28 Qar

the shadow is not two other franks but rather my fingers.

Hani:

Asked for an omelette with bacon, turkey ham, beef sausage and gruyere cheese.
Each topping costs 3 Qar. The sausage was burnt and a bit dry. The 3 egg Omelette was fluffy and the toppings combination turned out to be good. When we dined, it was very quiet and we had almost the entire place to ourselves. Sunny interiors.

Kavi:
I ordered a turkey ham and kashkawal cheese manakeesh. It was rather salty and dry. I felt thirsty for a long while after eating this. So if you want an Arabic breakfast, Bistro is out. I’d recommend Zaatar W Zeit instead. However if you’re looking for a quiet place to have a cup of coffee and some sunshine, do head here.

Verdict:

Kavi: Biffsquiggle
Hani: Won’t be writing home about it but won’t puke at an opportunity to have breakfast there again.

Where: The Pearl Qatar, 1 la Croisette

When: Weekdays from 9am -12pm
Weekends from 9 am - 2 pm.

What’s on the menu:

3 items on the breakfast menu
CBNY Breakfast 55 QR
Pearl Breakfast 65  QR
American Breakfast 75 QR

What we ate:

Hani:

I ordered the American breakfast considering how hungry I was- fried eggs, bacon and hash browns. Fried eggs had juicy yolks, dry & salty bacon with crispy crusted hash browns. Coffee as a part of the breakfast was good too.

The savior:
The above was a very limited quantity for breakfast and wouldn’t have been enough if it wasn’t for the (included) bread basket that was served with butter, honey and an assortment of marmalades.

Kavi:

I decided to order a grilled cheese sandwich. As the photo will demonstrate, my sandwich was overflowing with cheddar cheese. I’ve now surmised that I’d dislike anything I order with cheddar in it. And this sandwich was just cheddar overkill. So if you like cheddar, bite into these cheese paradise of a sandwich. The Chocolate Bar has great service if the restaurant has anything under 6 customers. Should the number of customers exceed ten, the service and attention declines rather rapidly.

Verdict:
Hani:
Late weekday breakfast, didn’t have many others and staff was extra attentive. The (what seems an essential part of breakfast at the pearl) flying fly made a guest appearance.

Kavi: I feel bad ranking this place because I ordered something which had an ingredient I dislike. So for now, I am undecided. Maybe I’ll visit again, order something different and revise this. But based on Hani’s expression of delight, do visit them!

Where: W hotel, Ground Floor

When: Daily from 6am -11 pm

What’s on the menu:

W Breakfast- 60 QR
Sausage, 2 eggs any style, grilled mushrooms, sauteed potatoes

Continental Breakfast -70 QR
Fruit Platter or Toast, Orange Juice and a hot Drink

2 Eggs any style -50 QR
with Saute Mushrooms, baby spinach and grilled cherry tomatoes

Egg Benedict -50 QR
2 poached eggs and spinach on crostini with hollandaise sauce

What we ate:

Hani:

Unusually I chose the least priced item-Egg Benedict - with well done yolks and
well toasted bread. Felt light yet satisfied with the combination of a honey latte.
Might as well have made them into a sandwich and gobbled away at the light taste. Paying this much for a sandwich isn’t easy though. Honey latte is quite good, beats having to put sugar in the coffee! I think I will be searching for this option from now on for coffees that are slightly strong hence bitter.

Kavi:

I ordered the W Breakfast. Although they offered to add cheese (which I declined due to my dislike for cheddar), the scrambled eggs were a bit bland. It would have been great to have a few herb seasonings or a different kind of cheese to add a bit of flavor. Even a dash of parmesan would have been helpful. The bread (which resembles cake in the photo) was delicious. A larger slice would make this breakfast even better. The hot chocolate is a great contender for the “Best Hot Chocolate in Doha” category. But that award still rests with Jones the Grocer because the latter is cheaper by QR15 and has a larger quantity. Tastewise however, W Cafe’s hot chocolate is smooth, rich, dark and absolutely heavenly.

Verdict:

Kavi: Delumptious.

Hani:

On the expensive side but the refreshing and calm ambiance calls for it. Service is prompt.