Doha's Breakfast Central

Where: Ar Rumaila Hotels, Souq Waqif

When: All Day Breakfast

What’s on the menu: 
Eggs to your liking, London Adria, Continental breakfast and Arabic specialties priced from QAR: 19 to 95 or go for the buffet continental breakfast served from 7:00 am to 11:30 am.

What we ate:

Hani:

The London adria breakfast, my order, includes muesli, 2 poached eggs,
hash browns, chicken sausages, baked beans, bacon, bread and butter pudding and orange juice. All of this was even too much, even for someone with an appetite like mine. Found the sausages to be juicy, hash browns crispy, the bacon chewy, the baked beans soft not mushy, in short, the way they should be.

Kavi:

I ordered fried eggs which supposedly comes with condiments and sauces. The only problem is you have to expressly ‘opt-in’ and say, “please bring everything the menu promises” or they only get you the fried eggs. Fortunately, I mentioned my choice of sauce and they were kind enough to include a small blob. The condiments? None. In theory, condiments include ham, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, hash browns, baked beans, spinach and cheddar cheese. For QR 29, I’d rather go to Bread and Bagels and get a sumptuous sandwich.

Verdict:

Hani: Nice, quiet and sunny breakfast. Nice super filling breakfast. (Not the case with Kavi)

Kavi: Biffsquiggle

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: Bismillah Restaurant - Souq Waqif

This is one of the oldest eateries in Doha that served the purpose of being a landmark, simply because of it’s stable operations since inception decades ago. Now, its a Royal Tandoor restaurant and they were smart enough not to do away with the original name.

When: Daily from 9am to 11:30 am

What’s on the menu: Indian style breakfast options like samosas, parathas, keema all ranging from QAR 10 to 20

What we ate: 

Hani:

I ordered my self an egg paratha- which is essentially a paratha like any other, except that the dough is mixed with egg before being fried. Usually, this means that the paratha should be so stuffed with the egg filling that it should be bent out of shape. My paratha on the other hand had little sprinklings of eggs all around it, which was kind of disappointing. The only drink on the breakfast menu was a Karak. For a desi breakfast, I’d rather have a lassi, and I ordered a saffron Lassi. As unique as it sounds, the taste wasn’t anything like expectations of a Lassi. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing but this tasted alright. :)

Kavi:

Before we get to the food, an important note on the service. While the restaurant was beginning to set up for the day, we waited outdoors on their chairs. A server informed us that they would start serving at 11.30. We asked him repeatedly about breakfast and he nodded his head in that infuriating Indian way that everyone mocks (chagrin). Finally
we sent him to see the manager and learn what his restaurant actually serves and he came back to us saying we would be seated indoors shortly. So around 5 mins before official opening time, we made our way to the restaurant only to be turned away rudely because it wasn’t time yet. It was so uncomfortably hot and we requested politely to let
us in as it was just a case of a few minutes. But the server shooed us off like we were asking him to feed for free. If it weren’t for the blog, I’d have stalked off right away.

Now on to the food. I ordered a paratha and omelette. To the uninitiated a paratha is a round Indian bread made of wheat flour. Depending on how refined it is and what you add to the dough, the paratha tastes vastly different place to place. The one I ate was made of super-refined wheat called ‘maida’. This ingredient while tasty, is
infamous for causing all kinds of health issues. It fills you rather quickly and makes you feel all sleepy and lethargic. Clearly unsuitable for breakfast. The eggs were super oily. It wasn’t the best omelette I’ve had but it was certainly desi.

Verdict:
Hani: Keep your watches on time to avoid standing outside. Prices are digestible, the food will take a little longer for digestion though.
Kavi: Biffsquiggle

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: Gino Panino, ASAS Tower

When: Saturday-Thursday: 9 AM

What’s on the menu:
Eggs, Pancakes, Croissant-jam and cheese, prices from QR 7 to 49.

What we ate:

Hani:
Ordered myself a french breakfast priced at QR 39. Also not in the picture is a
toasted baguette. The menu said it comes with coffee or tea and a juice.
Our server upon asking twice said just one drink. Ordered myself a carrot
juice which I heard from the juicer was freshly prepared.
There is nothing on my plate on which I can talk about because I could go out to a hypermarket and get myself some turkey and cheese and eat it.

Kavi:
When I look at the photograph, I wonder if we’d maybe dreamed up this place and we’d actually just eaten at home. The amateurish presentation goes with the tasteless food. I am baffled as to how one can go wrong with scrambled eggs. The small ray of hope for me personally is that even I, with no culinary experience whatsoever, can cook up this breakfast and make some money on the side, when all else fails.

The absolute deal breaker for me is smoking indoors. There was someone smoking  right under the water sprinkler and the waitress said that “that area” was a smoking zone. I am selfishly glad that the alarms didn’t work - I’d not wanted a wet-breakfast experience.

Verdict:

Vallath: Double whammy: Disgusterous+bunkumhouse
Hani: Painless breakfast preparation, served with a smile

Where: The Gate Shopping Centre, adjacent to Salam Plaza and opposite City Center Doha

When: Breakfast served 8 AM to 11.45 AM on weekdays and 8 AM to 3 PM on weekends

What’s on the menu:

Toasts, Eggs, Porridge, fritters and muesli. Qar 16 to 49

What we ate:

Hani:

I ordered myself sweet corn fritters, that are served with cherry tomato relish (a first!), poached egg and rocket salad all of which cost QR 38. The food was well prepared. And despite including fried items, I still felt light after finishing it (can also be attributed to small quantity). There was a bit of an extra salty aftertaste because of the fritters. My palate although was neatly cleared by the good coffee I had with my breakfast. The environment is lively to the scale of Ric’s at mid morning but with an upmarket ambiance. Jones also has a unique selection of staff from different parts of the world who will come and give you personal attention.

Kavi:
I went the safe route and ordered omelettes and sour dough bread toast. I was already getting excited when the waitress asked me if I wanted it medium or well done (no one’s ever asked me that before!). The hot chocolate I ordered was dark and creamy. It didn’t taste Nesquicky or thick and syrupy like Italian chocolate. It was so good, I ordered two. When the eggs came I was just ever so slightly disappointed that there was so much empty space on my plate.I usually like for it to be brimming with food. But all of my disappointment vanished when I bit into the eggs. It was perfectly well done and delicious. The best part was the toast. It was soft without being soggy and yet had the crispiness of a toasted bread. My cutlery didn’t need to wrestle with it to cut it down (as usually is the case most of the time). Overall, the food was wonderful.

Verdict:

Hani:
Small portions, must eat 2 portions of each, attentive staff with good tasting food.
As the name suggests this is also a grocer(y) so you can buy interestingly sourced food items and kitchen appliances for domestic godliness after your meals.

Kavi: Scrumdiddleyumptious. It was so good, we went there again the next day. But be warned, it is priced slightly higher than average and the ambiance on weekends is super noisy. Unless you get there early (around 8 or 9 am), expect to wait for 10-15 minutes before being seated.

Where: City Centre Doha, Ramada Junction opposite Popeyes
When: 9AM onwards -All Day Breakfast

What’s on the menu: Arabic, western styled options priced between QR 10 to 37 
What we ate :

Hani: I ordered a Mexican Omelet which comprised of Eggs with Chicken, Avocado, cheese and cilantro leaves. It was served with grilled tomato and tortilla bread.

The tortilla bread was pita bread or what is commonly known as KHUBZ. The omelet however with all the above mentioned ingredients, made it a melting pot of flavours. It was juicy, well cooked and filling. The tomato served well as a decorative blob on the plate. I had it with regular orange juice which was well prepared.. The TV had nat-geo playing, things don’t get more educational than that.

Kavi: I wanted the omelette that Hani ended up ordering. But in my eternal quest for the perfect waffle, I decided to order a Walnut chocolate waffle. The pictures were not inspiring much confidence but I cut them some slack anyway. However, much to my disappointment, the waffles were very soggy and cake like. I ate a few bites and then ordered the omelette Hani was having. I can confirm Hani’s review and testify that the omelette was indeed quite tasty Now judging and reviewing food is a tricky thing. Particularly when the cuisine isn’t quite native to you. But I think good waffles combine crispiness with a certain level of moisture which makes it chewy and delicious. So far, PQ is the only place that has checked all the right boxes.

Verdict:
Hani: Although the ambience was alright an interesting tidbit is that a fly followed us from Carluccio’s to ELi “Fghansay”

Kavi: Delumptious omelette but avoid the waffles.

Where: Villagio Mall

When: 9AM onwards -All Day Breakfast

What’s on the menu:
Baker’s goods, Breakfast Specials, Hot Breakfast and Breakfast Platters which means from biscotti to full featured combos. Qar 5 to Qar 60.

What we ate:

Hani:

I had a PQ breakfast platter which includes a baker’s basket, choice of pastry and
omelette with coffee. Although, I ordered a plain omelette, it was quite delightfully fluffy.
I really like how they served my mocha, in a bowl instead of the usual mug.

doesn’t the froth look like Africa?

Kavi: In the interest of giving our readers a fair and comprehensive review, I decided to forego the safety of eggs for breakfast and ordered waffles instead. And o boy! It was the best choice. The waffles were just right: not too hard and not too chewy. These are undoubtedly the best waff les I have ever had. The portion was perfect too! The kind that fills you up but leaves you hungry for lunch.

A special note on the breads. Unlike Paul, we found the bread in the baker’s basket, soft and easy on the teeth.

Hani’s Verdict: Good ambience, lots of variety
Kavi’s Verdict: Delumptious but noisy

Where: The Pearl Qatar, Parcel 10 

When: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 10am - 12am; Friday to Saturday 10am - 1am

What’s on the menu: Different kinds of eggs, selection of croissants, fruit salads, costs between QAR 10 to QAR 46.

What we ate:

Hani:

Knowing my hunger (games) I usually end up choosing the largest offering
in the menu, this time I chose Carluccio’s Colazione Magnifica -which had eggs, turkey bacon, mushrooms, grilled tomato and italian bread. With the option of having coffee or tea with fresh fruit juice. Among the very few places to have filtered pomegranate juice- -ah bliss! The mushrooms served with the dishes could as well be anchovies due to the salt factor. There was enough salt in them to cover for all the other items on the plate. Like the eggs, my latte was also well prepared.

Kavi: I ordered scrambled eggs with mushrooms and hot chocolate (as usual). The eggs were light, fluffy and had a dash of cheese and herbs. The portion was just right. Not too heavy and yet filling. But the mushrooms were too salty to eat. I ended up leaving all of them behind. We also had a friend and painter extraordinaire Zoe Hawk with us this time. Here’s her review in her own words, “My eggs benedict was delicious: the Hollandaise sauce was light and perfectly buttery with a hint of lemon, not too thick or heavy. I always enjoy the atmosphere at Carluccio’s in the morning; it’s bright and airy inside, and I like the option to sit on the patio when it’s not too hot outside.”

This is what the eggs benedict looked like

Verdict:

Hani: Breakfast menu is competitively priced over their other menu, if you are the type of person that likes to have breakfast in a place that’s bustling with activity, this one will suit you right.

Kavi: Delumptious BUT the atmosphere isn’t really my kind. It’s a family restaurant which means, expect lots of wailing babies and noisy kids. The first time I visited Carluccio’s a kid next to my table, threw up on the floor and the parents didn’t even bother cleaning it up. Needless to say: super unpleasant. The staff didn’t clean the floor too often leading to crumbs and food lying around the floor. This brings me to my next pet peeve: FLIES. It could be because we were seated close to the door but the flies in the restaurant were just too annoying to ignore and ruins a good dining experience. The waiters however did pay us attention and served us food in good time and inquired if we’d had a good experience.