Tse Yang restaurant - Pearl , Doha - review

The place was as mysterious as its name suggested .It was on the first floor so we had to take the lift .A Chinese looking woman was at the reception - she lead us through narrow corridors with dim light into a big room with oriental decor .
Tse Yang means the forbidden city .It was indeed as we arrived at the special dinning room of the Chinese emperor .
As we looked at their menu it seemed that they really expected the Chinese emperor to dine with them .The cheapest item on their drink list was 20QAR - it was a plain soft drinks price . 20 times more than at the supermarket . Quickly I made some calculation and found out that it would cost 100 QR to have a simple Coke /fanta whatever for five of us - something that we could buy later for 5 rials at the supermarket .Finally we decided to share a big bottle of mineral water .That was only 30 rial .
Luckily the waiters saw through the situation very quickly and they arranged everything smoothly so we did not feel embarrassed even later that we share the dishes .
It was easy as we sat at a nice table which had rotating plate in the middle .Soon the chicken dumpling arrived as entree .It looked beautiful -it was decorated with red caviar .Unfortunately it did not taste good at all .The dough was very thin and the filling did not taste chicken to us .One of my kids went for sweet corn chicken soup .I did not like that either - but he ate it all .
 For the main course we took sizzling dishes served in hot stone  casseroles .They were fantastic ! I ordered for myself tofu stew - it had the typical Chinese flavor with nice gravy and bell peppers ,tofu cubes and mushroom . Others went for chicken in hot stone  casseroles and that was great too .The stone dishes were put on the rotating plate and went around .We took turn to help ourselves to the dish .It was fun . The noodle with seafood was of ethereal type - so thin - almost nothing . It was not bad but we like it the rustic way - thick noodles .

The good thing about the stone casseroles was that they kept the food warm while we were chatting .
The caramelized banana and apple was a great end of our dinner . The sugar coat was perfectly covering the fruits and tasted wonderfully . It seems to be so simple but it is not .We tried the next day at home and it is not simple at all .They served six pieces for one person . Again we went for sharing .
The bill was as we expected - no surprise at the end .

It was funny as we visited the restroom . It was also made in special Chinese style with narrow corridors ,mirrors ,patterns .I started to feel dizzy . I had to go out quickly . I got claustrophobia - I almost forgot it - then it was a reminder .

Summary : " I think it was a real gourmet dinner . We had tasted things that were very special and you can not buy  at the supermarkets ."
My family members thought " It was very good dinner . much better than any of my business lunch I had earlier this week at five stars hotels"

" it was delicious but not so much that this very high price could be justified "
" Mummy did not allow me the fresh watermelon juice . She told me that 30 rial for a glass of fruit juice is too much "

If I were the restaurant manager I would include into the price the steamed rice and would not make people pay extra 15 QR for it .


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chopsticks restaurant - Grand Regency Hotel

Many good reviews have been written about this place . So as we were celebrating several special occasions last weekend then I decided to reserve a table there . It was terribly windy outside .Even there were warnings  on the news that the everyone should stay indoors as the wind lifted up parts of buildings and threw them on the roads/streets . It might be due to this that we were the only customers  in the restaurant .
First I was surprised how small the place was . So was the open buffet .There were only about five main dishes and three kinds of garnishes , Ten kinds of salads and three kinds of sushi and around ten kinds of desserts .
The sushi was  OK - I might have eaten better ones in a Japanese restaurant . The Thai shrimp curry was so tasty that we opted for a second portion of it leaving no room  for the other Thai/Chinese dishes .The salads were also delicious . The desserts were very special ones .I have never eaten before sweet pink caviar looking dish ... then white pudding with corn on the cob ...rice pudding topped with cooked beans . The beignet  of bananas were not as tasty as I had at the Indonesian mums party some years ago .
The buffet was not big but special and delicious and healthy .
We payed only for the adults though children above the age six should pay half price .The kids were the guests of the restaurant  -they told us  when we were considering taking a la carte menu .It was a good reason to opt for the buffet .It was very nice from them ..
All in all it was a special experience for a special occasion We were happy with it .Hopefully we will find another  special occasion to  return a day ,

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WOK OF FAME
It was dizzying mixture of styles . The restaurant is a typical Chinese one .Dark wooden tables -yellow china plates - junk plastic vine leaves .Our waiter was Indian .The mall itself is in Venetian style .
It is located on a bridge over the canal - this way one can watch the Canal street with gondolas .
It was a Friday afternoon and it was packed with Far Eastern looking people .We waited too much -more than half an hour for our sizzling chicken . Our children became fussy .it was not really kids friendly .
The chicken itself was good but not very special .I had already far better sizzling at the Great Wall - at the Center .The size of the meal was very large . Actually it was enough for three persons .It was not expensive around 20 rial .
My fried noodles was disappointing . I expected some kind of Asian noodles -but what i got it was something like tagliatelle in soy sauce .
I recommend it for people without kids - having plenty of time to wait - and prefering the huge meals over the gourmet one .

New Year came with sparkling sun and unusual cold weather in Doha.
It was also the last day of Eid. A" twin holiday" as the local media has referred to this coincidence.
It was not the greatest of our Eid holidays, however .My husband was down with flu .And he was not the only one attacked by a virus at the house. So was our computer .Hopelessly we switched it on and off – and it gave us sometimes ten minutes – and
We were able to use it. Then a total black out again.
New Year s day. My husband pulled himself together.
We went to a Chinese restaurant. It seems to me that no one is prepared for the cold here. It was O.K. - not a big deal .Chicken Sichuan style. I have already tasted better ones back in my homeland – in Budapest s Chinese buffets .There the cooks are real Chinese ones. Are the chefs here really Chinese? – I kept asking myself. Or Indian cooks- who know something about the Chinese cuisine?
It was the second Chinese restaurant that I have tried here in Doha. It seems to me- which Doha is the land of tasty curry rather than of the Chinese specialties...
Looking back to December – I can say – that it was a very unusual month. the cold , the rain , the visit of my in-laws – out of the blue .
But after all it was nice and busy month...Especially the children were happy to meet their grandma- and learn some Arabic... They picked up new words with light speed .It made them happy to feel that they have some roots somewhere...
It is very important feeling in this rootless life that we live here...

All of it made me remember my own childhood. December used to mean Grandma is coming and staying with us for a whole month.....