The newly opened Mandarin Oriental has been the talk of the town and we couldn’t wait and try their Ramadan preview. Their Iftar and Sohour embodies the spirit of bringing family together to be thankful, to reflect, to be charitable. FACT’s Anushay Taimur Khan headed to the venue to give their food a try…

For the first time ever, Mandarin Oriental Doha was my host for the Ramadan preview to sample some culinary highlights from their Ramadan tent, and I was very excited to see how they will measure up to the competition in Doha. As soon as I entered the venue, I was delighted to see the variety of food that was present. I’m not joking when I say that my hunger pangs came with me this particular day and I was not going to shy away from this buffet.

Embodying the journey of the Silk Route, that stretched from Far East to Europe, the variety of food reflected the entire culinary expedition of this particular voyage. My feast started from delectable Japanese sushi, sashimi and robatayaki – all of which were a favourite at our table. I absolutely loved the variety in this cuisine as I come from a family that has polar opposite choices, and this was just what I needed for the night – a range of food to keep everyone happy!

The Arabic mezze accompanied by the grilled meat were next on the table and as soon as we dug in, it was like settling right back at home. Arabic cuisine, quite rightly, has become a favourite for us since we have finally given in to the deliciousness that comes with living in Doha and, this day, we were just having a wholesome experience. Furthermore, the entire table was blown away by the exotic Indian delicacies the most. Readers, if you’re coming to the Mandarin Oriental tent (which you MUST), the biryani table is the one you should all be hogging. The biryani was the queen of the night and every person sitting on the table was going for seconds – that is the biggest compliment one can give when you’re at a buffet! Also expect delicate dims dim sums and wok fried dishes from China and South East Asia, with a selection of European roast that you’re not going to want to miss.

The heavenly desserts came next and that too with a variety and, believe me when I say: save some space for these beautiful creations. This was the first time that I could not pick one dessert and call it a favourite. They were all THAT good.

The one thing that stood out for me at this particular tent was their setup for children – the world renowned storytelling adventures by Papinee were set up at the venue from Leo the lion from the savannah of Africa or Vani the monkey from the jungles of Mexico, Odo the Deer, podo the Turtle, and Strix the Owl to keep the story going. It was all about keeping the family entertained and I don’t think I could ever be more grateful to someone for keeping my child distracted while I devour all the goodies Mandarin Oriental offered. Capturing the true essence of Ramadan the toys will be available for  purchase with a portion of the sales donated to a local charity.

Like promised, my visit was a wholesome family experience: we all had our favourite food, the baby was occupied and we all argued over the biryani. Yes, it felt like home. ✤

GO: IFTAR – 6PM TO 8PM, QR245 FOR ADULTS AND QR135  FOR CHILDREN.
SUHOUR – 9PM TO 2AM, QR280 FOR ADULTS AND QR160 FOR CHILDREN.
EACH PAYING COUPLE WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR UP TO FOUR COMPLIMENTARY MEALS FOR CHILDREN.
PRICES APPLY FOR ADDITIONAL CHILDREN.

CALL 4008 8888 FOR RESERVATIONS AND MORE INFORMATION.