So, you’ll notice a lack of brunch reviews here. Why? Because we’re spendthrifts (ok tight), and we always end up overeating and feeling a massive sense of guilt and regret for all we indulged in (actually I think that’s just me, the Mr only complains of feeling full to the brim). We don’t live the typical expat life because we don’t take home the nice fat pay packet, and even if our meager salaries could stretch to brunches every other week, I’m not sure my stomach would do the same.
Plus, having had the fortune of experiencing a great many Iftars and Suhoors at the hotels in Doha, I’m a firm believer that producing things in vast quantity has a disproportionate effect on the quality. So although it all looks very appealing, the flavour seems lacking and I always end up longing for a big bowl of something stupidly cheap like noodles or channa.
Thanks to Rochelle of Quest and Mark for organizing the recent Food Relay at the new City Centre Rotana, we got to check out Olive Oil, their international buffet restaurant, and although we experienced it with others and enjoyed the selection of items available, we wanted to go back and see what the Friday brunch had to offer.
The highlights
We tucked into lots of salads and cooked vegetables – I was excited to see roasted beetroot and pumpkin with thyme. You could create your own salad, or load your plate up with any one of their delicious mixtures. Their Arabic cold mezze selection was also a hit for us – I couldn’t leave their muhammara alone, and served up another portion for myself to go with the hot meat.
And the sharwarma totally disproved our theory that hotels can’t do street food well. Theirs was light – I think the bread was a saj instead of the thicker, everyday variety – the thinly sliced meat and pickles made this unhealthy option seem a like a lighter sin-free snack.
The freshly baked homemade bread on offer and selection of cheeses is also something that stood out for me – there were plenty to choose from and it rounded off our meal very nicely. I managed to remember to slip some of the roasted pear from the salad bar on the plate to serve with the cheese and it was YUM–O – it’s also inspired me to roast some pears at home.
Another big hit was the homemade ice cream. We opted for chocolate, which is freckled with small chocolate pieces and is just the right amount of sweet – it’s chocolate ice cream for grownups (or so we like to tell ourselves).
The selection is small but almost perfectly formed (I didn’t like the lamb which was dry and a little fatty). The salads are bright and offer something different from the usual. There’s something for everyone. They had plenty of veggie options and seafood and also if you’re not a fan of Arabic food, their were European and Indian dishes on offer too. The price is also budget friendly, and the subtly sophisticated dining room and service was spot on. It’s a friendly and welcoming room rather than being pretentious and intimidating – we liked it.
Would we dine here again? YES, if only for the salad, cheese and ice cream.
The damage: It’s 245 QR without alcohol and 325 QR with wine and beers, which in Doha feels like a bit of a bargain. We were guests this time, but we’d be happy to go back and pay for this ourselves.
L&M rating: 4/5
Lemon & Mint
Add comment