Gokulam Park Hotel - iftar dinner review

It was not the first time that I visited that restaurant . We have been there before for affordable week day lunch some years ago .This is rather a small ,modern restaurant on the first floor .

 This time we arrived 5 minutes before the sunset . The place was already noisy by the guests ,  the tinkling cutlery , the  excited but moderate way people were chatting .

We were welcomed by the staff kindly and seated at our table I had booked before .

There was not long queue  at the buffet table as most people had already served themselves when we heard the adan .

I started with some spring rolls and kebbe . The first one was quite good but I did not like the kebbe . At least it was not good idea the break the fast with it .

Two kinds of soup was offered . The traditional lentil soup  and the Chinese sounding hot and sour soup ! I chose that one  and though it did not taste to me Chinese but it was so perfectly done that I had filled my tummy  with that dish . It was some finely chopped cabbage with chicken in a  spicy  consommé . Even home made rye bread was offered and  it went very well with the soup .
 That was the best part of that dinner .

"A wide range of salads to get your fill of veggies!" was the slogan in their ads .

The salad bar was disappointing . Some  stale looking vegetables ,canned  and fresh ones .Two kinds of dressing and   some  mutabbal . 
 They promised the following main courses : " biryani, Mediterranean lamb chops, fish tagine, palak paneer, a range of pastas, green moon dal tadka and so much more!"
 I found biryani , some dal ,vegetables au gratin , only one kind of pasta ,potato lyonnaise  . There was no palak panir ,no lamb chops . I had some shish tawook which was spiced in an unusual way but it was still good .Lyonnaise potatoe was also a pleasure but the mixed  veggies au gratin were full of undercooked hard green peas . Fish in lemon sauce was good but the fish itself must have been some cheap white fish .

 The dessert   table was rather poor - some tiny brownies ,umm ali , dried and fresh fruit . Small kids were standing by and taking some of them then putting them back to the trays . I was disgusted by and nobody supervised  them . I had some umm-ali and a coffee .
 What they promised was

 "desserts like pastries, rice kheer, umm ali, payasam, a selection of fresh cut fruits and more!"

No rice kheer ,only one kind of pastry , no payasam was available .

  The atmosphere was very much annoying . The crowded restaurant was full of noisy and trouble making kids . Expat Arabs and Pakistanis .One can forgive the kids for being noisy  but some parents were even noisier than their offsprings . Nobody supervised the buffet tables  and the parents did not supervise their little kids . It was free for children under five - so there were a  lots of small kids touching with their hands whatever they managed to reach ...
At the end of the dinner feeling bored they started to climb on dangerous places , drumming with cutlery , throwing things  into the fish tank .

I arrived with kids as well . My kids are not perfect ,either but there is a limit for everything . I was shocked to see how  much some parents ignore their kids' wrong doings .

 I felt sorry that I chose the cheapest iftar offer  I found nearby.Many things were promised but not  on the buffet table .Some details were good or excellent but all in all it was not a  great gourmet dinner .

                   

Iftar Dinner at the Mercury Hotel - review

 La  Brasserie  - was the name of the restaurant where we went some days ago . How very strange name for taking a dinner at the end of a fasting day - I thought . Luckily ,most  people here do not understand French  - then it did not disturb them .

 We arrived just on time for the iftar  . The receptionist looked on us and  without any  question he told us where to go . How did he know that we were heading to have dinner ? Did we look so tired and hungry ?

We were seated promptly - fruit juices and water on the table  to break the fast .  I am great fan of starters and salads . I was very disappointed when I tasted the lentil soup  -  the adas was cold and the harissa was nearly cold . The salad bar looked mediocre when I noticed the stuffed tomatoes .  I have not had this delicacy for so long time ! Not in  Qatar ! It was wonderful - the spices and the  texture  and the presentation in tiny bowls ! The whole thing !
 The samosa counter  ran out of samosas  quickly . My smallest child was yelling " Samosas  - I want samosas " - It would have been very embarrassing  if he  had been  the only one  - but luckily the restaurant was full of  whining kids . So my one was just one of them ! It took the staff around ten minutes to refill the samosa trays . It is not easy to feed  so many hungry customers !

 There were 5 -6 main courses  . I  went for beef picatta ! It was cold too  - luckily it was tasty even this way - actually I like cold meals   - I just expect the soup to be hot or warm at least ! So I went for  the beef again as it  tasted so good !

   There was some fish stew and rosemary lamb on the buffet tables . Vegetarian dish and tandoori chicken as well . I tasted the chicken just  out of curiosity  . It was excellent - but  by that time no more room in my stomach for main dishes .

 The dessert table apart from the chocolate fountain was very modest -some tiny cups with mousse or Middle Eastern sweet treats like Ummali or Mohlobiya .I liked their mohlobiya  served in tiny cups but   it shocked me that they were not able to provide me a dessert spoon . I had to eat from the tiny cup with a regular  table spoon !

 I know that we came with coupons but somehow organizing this dinner was not so much well done !
 Little things do count !  Hot soups ,dessert  spoon  or providing  tea at the end of the meal would not have cost much money - just some effort !
 Their waiters and waitresses were nice and helpful - the cook made wonderful dishes but the whole thing missed   a conductor  -a  manager who would  have organized  the whole event to be flawless !

 We had some coffee khalejee style at the end  -as there was no tea available and took a family photo at the decorative Ramadan table in the  lounge .All in all it was not a bad dinner -  I think this will be the thing that we will remember - if we look at the photo after some years !

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 ...

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