ramada encore iftar buffet review

 Ramada Encore was built in an old part of Doha on a very small site .The building is high and next to other hotels .When we decided to try their iftar buffet then we wanted to explore something new .

It is a four star hotel . The restaurant with modern design  was so much minimalist that it nearly looked like a school canteen .It was rather small . Mostly families came to break their fast here but there was a large group of males as well .It really disturbed at first .I got used to families only sections .

 The buffet was modest looking . I started with harissa soup . That was the only kind of soup . It was spicy and light .Chickpeas and spices like clove or cinnamon  -  I thought first that it was an Indian soup but it turned out that it is  from  Maghreb area .It was a good start .

 Then I took some salads . The usual Middle Eastern salads : hummus ,tabbouleh ,mutabbal . I do not remember all of them - they were good and simple .

There were four kinds of main course on the buffet table .Lamb ,fish ,chicken  and mutton perhaps .I think Pakistani dishes .I forgot the names . They were good but not special .

On the dessert table there were some French pastry with oriental  sweet treats . I liked their rice pudding - it was a more concentrated one than our rice pudding that we eat in Hungary . The small cakes with silver icing were a visual delight .But they were not as tasty as they looked .

I tried not to eat too much .
The cappuccino was excellent .
And we are very picky when it is about good cappucino .

All in all it was a good but not very special iftar buffet .It was quite eclectic - when it is about Pakistani dishes I never ate better than in the rundown Shezan hotel's restaurant .
The service is excellent .Those waiters are probably the loveliest ones in Doha .

The value for the money : we used Qgrab coupons -so we payed half price  - 40 rials for adults/ 20 rials for kids .It was a real deal this way  but I am not sure that I would take it for the full price ...

official site 

iftar buffet at the Al- Khaima restaurant or Fight For Your Food

It was some years ago that my husband had a company iftar dinner there . He had liked the place and decided to take us out the other day .
We had reservation and clearly stated that we were coming with small kids . We were happy to see that they have a big hall just for families . But when we entered we were less happy to see that it was way too much crowded . In fact one of our kids had to use the toilet and it was so painful until we got to the place - there was not much room for left for the aisle and we had to disturb people while they were having dinner .
I saw a lots of Arab expat families but no one local .
The second shock came when I noticed that they were smoking at the next table . When my husband went to the staff to complain he got the information that it is allowed to smoke at the family section. Family section -can you believe that ? It has a smoking area !
We had no chance to get another table .Do we have any excuse for not leaving at once ? Only that we were hungry at the end of the fasting day .Otherwise we would have left .

The third shock .
My parents always told me to avoid big crowds/pushing each other -it is simply not our style . So somehow even after living here for so many years it is deep in my soul -I rather wait .Ten minutes after that the voice of the muesin gave sign for iftar time - there were barely any food left on the buffet table .
So if you happen to go there for buffet dinner you have to stand and wait and push and take as much food as possible on your plate ... literally you are supposed to fight for your meal .

Finally I had some salad which is a healthy dinner but asking 70 riyal for that is a daytime robbery .I booked for an open buffet dinner which included there grilled fish/grilled chicken cubes /grilled lamb - but I did not get any .
I did not ask for nicotine and our clothes are still smelling the smoke .

This restaurant is for you of you got used to this type of fighting for your food dinner.
I have been to many restaurants with buffet dinner but I have never seen this unfair practice that I witnessed here . I think they should refill their buffet table if it runs out of food within ten minutes ...
For us "never again "