We’ve wanted to write about Al Bandar for a while because it offers a great selection of Arabic food and a relaxed outdoor setting (our advice is to try and get a table on the ground floor in the shade). And unlike many of the other popular spots in the souq it feels reasonably priced.
However, when we took visitors there on a busy Thursday night, one of our Mints was quickly relegated to the Lemon List – it sucked. On that particular evening, we were left to sit in a dark and unloved area, our waiters became magicians with their constant disappearing acts and the food was so-so.
But thankfully we gave it another go, and our love for Al Bandar has been rekindled. It seems that it’s best avoided on a busy night (weekends we guess) and head there for lunchtime when the Souq isn’t so crowded.
What we ate:
Fattoush
While the Mr always HAS to order something meaty, I always have to get my vegetables in, and a simple fattoush salad with its balsamic dressing is the perfect accompaniment to grilled or fried meat. The fattoush here is good: I like the balance of cucumber, radish and tomato. And their crispy bread pieces aren’t the usual over-fried kind, so it has a nice variety of textures and a good balanced flavour.
Kibbeh and Hummous
While I’m a newbie to the joys of kibbeh, the Mr, who has lived in Qatar all his life, is something of an expert. And he deems the kibbeh here to be one of the best he’s had – high praise indeed. I like the fact that although it’s fried the crispy shell protects the moisture of the meat inside.
Just like the hummous served up in the Sandwich Factory, here it’s neither too runny or too thick, and the flavors are balanced.
Mixed Grill
It’s a simple dish, that you’d think would be hard to ruin, yet places do. Thankfully that wasn’t the case here. The meats were perfectly cooked, so they were nice and tender. I also like that they come served up with lots of parsley for some added freshness and flavour.
Al Bandar is a great place to take cover from the sun and people watch, so lunchtimes can feel as long and lazy as you’d like.
The damage: With one lemon and mint and water, the bill came to 101QR.
Lemon & Mint
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