One of the foods I have wanted to try, while in the Middle East, is falafels. I’m a fan, and was keen to see how they are prepared and cooked in this part of the world.
A spot of local research suggested an Egyptian Restaurant, the Khan Farouk Tarab Cafe was the place to visit. A hop on Doha’s excellent, state of the art metro, took us there. Having a number of impressive reviews, it certainly lived up to its reputation.
The restaurant is situated in the Katara Cultural Village part of Doha, another modern development impressive in size and quality, and which has clearly been built with a generous budget. It is the only place I can recall visiting where the streets are air conditioned from grilles in the pavements.
The restaurant specialised in Egyptian food. It was busy and doing a good trade, appearing to be popular with the local North African community. One of the upsides of Qatar’s policy of strict control of alcohol is that more restaurants and bars are family friendly, and this was certainly the case here.
I immediately liked the fact that there was a member of staff permanently stationed by a traditional clay oven, baking fresh flatbread that was then served to the tables warm.
It was inside one of these that my meal was served. The sliced falafel had a crunchy and golden coating, with a soft, green and spicy centre. It was mixed with crisp green salad and tahini dressing. Served with pickles, the whole sandwich was delicious (see main photo). Prices were reasonable once again – my meal cost 26 QAR which works out at under £6.
It’s been one of the pleasures of our time in Doha that we have been able to sample some genuine cuisine from across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, prepared and cooked by experts.
Today’s musical choice continues the Middle Eastern theme – here is Thief of Baghdad by The Teardrop Explodes.
A Different Kitchen 