Nooooooooo  was my immediate thought when I read that this month’s Qatar Linkup was to write about my favourite restaurant in Doha. It’s a question I get asked so often and I always give a different answer as it changes daily if not hourly. My favourite restaurant depends on a variety of factors – what type of food am I in the mood for? Who else is going? Is it the day before or the day after I have been paid? Do I have to get dressed up or can I get away with a touch of makeup? How hungry am I? Can I walk there? What was my recent experience of the restaurant? Is it a school night or can I have vodka or two? The list goes on. Fickle I know.

After much consideration I have concluded that my favourite restaurant (not the best restaurant, which includes a whole load more factors) is ……..Spice Market. The reasons I chose Spice Market are listed below

• Convenience – we live really close so we can walk there in just over 5 minutes, no messing around with taxis. Even as it gets hotter is pretty do able. It also means we can go there spur of the moment i.e. when I can’t be bothered to cook.
• Dress – I think you can dress up or dress down as much as you want here. I’ve worn a dress and heels, I’ve also gone here to eat before going to City Centre to do the weekly shop
• Service – overall the service here is excellent. It does get busy during happy hour and you may have to wait a while for a drink (my advice is to order two). There is always plenty of staff about and the manager is happy to stop for a chat and seems genuinely interested in feedback.
• Ambiance – a separate bar area, great use of decoration and furniture to give a feeling of space, subtle music. Everything comes together here. The toilets are also brilliant; Greg has been known to take visitors to Spice Market just to show them the loos.
• Variety – whether you want happy hour drink with a free appetizer, a bento box, supper club, a taster menu, Friday brunch or a la carte there’s a huge choice. If you haven’t had the taster menu here you are missing out!
• Food – finally….the most important thing. I have never had a poor dish at Spice Market regardless of when I have eaten or from which menu. The food is stunning. It is always well-flavoured, spiced, seasoned and presented. It also helps that Spice Market serves two of my favourite desserts – Ovaltine Kulfi and Red Velvet Cake. I also had tuna tartare for the first time a few nights ago and I have been having fabulous food flash backs ever since.

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To sum up, in my opinion if you want consistently good service and excellent food served in lovely surroundings then Spice Market is the place to go. That’s why it’s my favourite restaurant in Doha.