I have just experienced the most wonderful and eventful September of my entire life. I went from Doha to London to New York (and on to New Haven CT where I got married!) to London to Doha (for a short overnight stop) to the Maldives (for the honeymoon) to Doha again, to London again, and finally back to Doha. In the process I gained a sh*t load of air miles, a fair few pounds (but I’m back on the treadmill, don’t worry) and, if I do say so myself, one amazing husband. Last Monday was my 1st day back at work and, although not exactly a walk in the park, the past week was not as rough as expected. Doha is warm and sunny and getting back to a bearable temperature which definitely helps keep that holiday feeling alive, and getting back into a routine takes my mind off the fact that my beloved is back in (a not so warm and sunny) London.
What better way to celebrate my 1st weekend back in Qatar than Friday brunch! Brunch on Friday is something of an expat institution in this part of the Middle east with nearly all major hotels in Qatar and the Emirates hosting their own versions. These brunches are usually lavish, all-you-can-eat buffet spreads with most, including the W Hotel which I visited, giving you the option of all-you-can-drink bubbly.
Eating out in Doha is a bit of an anomaly. I can roughly slot each restaurant in this city into 4 different categories…
1) The (apparently) posh eateries, like those associated with a celebrity chefs, that can be found in 5 star hotels.
2) The big chain restaurants (mostly American) found in the malls and shopping complexes which I’d really rather not eat at unless I had no other option.
3) The Middle Eastern chain restaurants.
4) The ‘hole in the wall’ places which I’m sure are really good but I wouldn’t know to go to unless someone recommended them to me.
Most of the meals out that I’ve had have been at either 1) or 2), with a few falling into category 3), and none of them being entirely memorable. For the most part, my meals out have been on the ‘good’ to ‘average’ scale with all of them being fairly overpriced and not worth the money. Even while I was staying at the Sharq (and claiming back all of 
the money I spent on food) I felt guilty for paying so much at their fish restaurant (reputedly one of the best in this city), where the sushi, although very nice, was charged on a ‘per roll’ basis; like one little circle of salmon roll was 15QR (£3 or $5). I am constantly asking people where their best meal out in Doha has been because I know that there must 
be some fabulous restaurants out there that I am missing. I love to eat, I love to eat well, and I am determined to crack this city’s food scene and find a place that I would actually recommend to someone….and I think I may have found such a place last Friday where, to date, I have had my best eating experience in Qatar.
The spread put on by the W Hotel not only looked amazing but it all tasted delicious too. It was fresh and modern with plenty of options to choose from, it walked the walk, it talked the talk, the sushi was excellent, the dessert bar was stunning and the wait staff didn’t let my glass of sparkling chardonnay go dry once! My guests and I arrived promptly at noon, 
when brunch began, and left once they stopped serving, at 4pm. We put in a valiant effort and got our money’s worth; I filled my plate 5 times, although I think that 4th plate of pizza, eggs Benedict and cheese might have pushed me over the edge, I couldn’t leave without going to the buffet once more to sample the desserts.
Needless to say, I didn’t think of food for the rest of the day.
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