We recently visited El Faro restaurant for the Friday Andalusia Brunch – we were excited to taste the best food of the East and West!
The Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha hotel has a number of top-notch dining experiences, including the much-lauded Andalusia brunch that takes place in two of the hotel’s most popular restaurants.
On our way to our table, we walked through the exquisite Sufra restaurant and along the extensive terrace before entering El Faro – there was a lot to whet our appetite on the way, not least the incredibly tempting aroma of food!
We were given a great table, overlooking the terrace and hotel grounds while still being able to soak up the Spanish atmosphere indoors. The restaurant and bar area in El Faro are beautifully decorated in a contemporary style, with lots of murals and ambient lighting to get you in the mood.
The sangria, cocktails and mocktails on offer further enhance this congenial atmosphere, to be enjoyed while listening to the excellent (and not at all intrusive) live music from the house band. It sets the scene for a long, leisurely meal chatting with friends. Just like the Spanish and the Arabs do!
The Andalusia Brunch is based on the diverse Andalusian cuisine from southern Spain. It is here the Arabic and Spanish culinary styles join together, becoming a vivid and tantalising fusion of flavours. There is a simply huge selection of tapas served to the table, where ‘East meets West’ in a most pleasing manner, and includes everyone’s favourite bites from the two cuisines.
For a taste of Arabia, we received an abundance of mezze items: hummus, moutable, fatayer and sambousek, all freshly made and melt-in-the-mouth deliciousness. This was equalled by the taste of Spain, with gazpacho, a splendid charcuterie and cheese platter, tortilla de patatas, croquetas and huevos rotos. And salads galore … thank goodness this brunch is on until 4pm! You can keep it all on your table, should you desire, so you can continue munching, and if you have a favourite, order some more!
You are also invited to browse the live cooking stations on the terrace, so of course that’s what we did. We choose a selection of grills from the barbecue – chicken, beef and shrimp – and roasted lamb leg. Naturally, this being a Spanish-influenced brunch, we made a beeline for the paella – watch the chef as he makes this famous rice dish, which in not very much time at all, you can be savouring. All perfectly cooked, all ‘muy bien’!
The dessert platter was a fun and enjoyable way to end the meal. As it was Hallowe’en weekend, our sweet treats included some ‘fangtastic’ cakes ‘witch’ really hit the spot, alongside Arabic favourites halawat el jibn and muhalabieh.
So next time you’re looking for a fantastic brunch, but can’t decide on cuisine, head straight to the Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha for the brilliant El Faro Andalusia Brunch – it’s the best of both worlds, and reassuringly just as good as it ever was!
Details: Every Friday 12:30 pm – 4 pm
Price: QAR295 including soft beverages; QAR395 including enhanced beverages
Contact: Call 4035 5011, WhatsApp 7479 0864, email [email protected], visit The Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha
Author: Sarah Palmer
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