Bring the family, bring friends, bring everyone, and enjoy each other’s company the Italian way. With great food that will bring a smile to your heart, your tummy and of course your face. Sharing has never been so much fun.
The Glass House at Al Aziziyah Boutique Hotel is stunning. Airy and spacious with lashings of green. You are transported miles away from the past week, and the week ahead. The setting is well designed and prepares you for the coming gastronomic feast.
The starter station is dominated by seafood, but there is something for everyone there. Fresh and bursting with flavour. And my first plate was also dominated by seafood as it’s always my preferred starter. I love scallops, and I partnered them with shrimps, muscles, cigale (a sort of mini lobster), bresaola (cured beef) and of course tomato mozzarella. But of course it’s a brunch, so you design your own starter, no need to copy mine.
Round two and it had to be pizza. Today, there was pizza margherita and pizza Contadina. And into the mix I also added Bruschetta with Duxelles. All three were bang on! I especially love it when you try to take a slice of pizza and the cheese goes crazy stringy. And this cheese was way out of control stringy. Loved it. The base had the texture and taste you only get from an Italian restaurant that knows its stuff. The toppings were really tasty without the over complicated ingredients used in errr…. Shall we say American style pizza. The Bruschetta with Duxelles was made with truffle oil and it exploded with flavour. And even though I eat it at the beginning of this paragraph (yes I do write as I eat) I can still taste it vividly even now.
Next, I asked Chef Nicolas Di Virgilio to recommend a pasta dish for me. And without hesitation he said he would prepare a lasagne Bolognese and a Ravioli stuffed with Veal Cheek for me. Both were the real deal. You will not experience these dishes (or similar) from any fast food brand I know of.
Without requesting it, chef then appeared at my table and prepared the best linguini I have ever had. Ever!! He had a wheel of parmesan cheese, he placed freshly cooked tagliatelle on top (still piping hot) and he stirred it on top of the cheese while simultaneously shaving off flakes of parmesan with the spoon. And then he added oodles of truffle paste, which he stirred in before serving. Mama Mia! Divine! By the way this was not preferential treatment, he moved around the room preparing the same for every other table as well. Come and visit the Glass House and bring your camera with you, this is something you will want to tease everyone you know with.
I now have a full belly. But there is an amazing cheese board and a dessert section to attack yet. And those breads look so good. What to do?
I decided that I did not want to eat so much that I would become uncomfortable. And as such decided to go straight to dessert. There was a Crème Brûlée with my name on it, and I’m on my way to get it.
A couple of minuets later…. That’s it… I’m done! No more room. Well maybe enough to squeeze in a Cappuccino. Crème Brûlée is my favourite dessert, and this one had a nice thick caramelised sugar crust on top that had that amazing crack when I smashed through it.
Am I coming back here? Absolutely! Would I recommend it? Without a doubt, and especially to Italians. And at QAR250 for adults and QAR100 for kids ages 6 to 12 years, this is a bargain. Tell Chef Nicolas, Brian sent you.
Fridays, 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm
For reservations and more details, call 4445 5555 / 35
Author: Brian Candy
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