It’s always exciting when a new hotel opens, especially in a relatively small city like Doha. The talk of the town at the moment is the new Grand Hyatt located in West Bay Lagoon. It boasts 249 guest rooms and suites and 93 villas, available for short or long term rent. The hotel also features a 400 metre beach and indoor and outdoor pools.
This month I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to dine at The Grill restaurant. The Grill is located on the lower ground floor overlooking the Grand Hyatt’s gardens and offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon and evening dining, with either indoor or outdoor seating. Although open plan it maintains an intimate atmosphere with subdued lighting, coupled with understated mellow jazz tunes, which add to the overall ambience. The dining area is surrounded by three cooking stations, one for the meat, one for fish and one for desserts. It’s fascinating watching chefs at work but I couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed that there were no kitchen tantrums as seen on a most ‘fly on the wall’ kitchen programs! Ever the professionals the chefs seemed in complete control and worked silently and efficiently, they were a pleasure to watch at work.
The Grill offers a varied menu but predominantly focuses on steak and fish options, with added daily specials. I started with the most popular dish of sautéed tiger prawns in lemon garlic sauce, which I have to say was exquisite. The freshly baked crusty bread was perfect for dipping in the sauce (which I was encouraged to do by the very friendly and knowledgeable Manager, Sven). The portion sizes were very generous, with 5 large prawns in a delicious light sauce. My husband opted for the Tasmanian Salmon tartare with egg, chives and sour cream, which had a medley of delicate flavours which combined together perfectly.
The wine menu was also extremely impressive, a comprehensive wine list from around the world with an array of wines to suit every palate. There were some very reasonably priced wines, which is a pleasant surprise to find in a restaurant in a quality hotel in Doha.
The main course was a difficult choice as there seemed so many delicious options and I am notoriously indecive and always end up wishing I had ordered the meal on the plate opposite me! With the help of the manager Sven I finally decided on a special of the day which was the rack of lamb, with a side order of green beans in extra virgin olive oil and lemon and roasted potatoes with garlic and thyme. The lamb was so tender and juicy that it truly melted in my mouth and the potatoes were crispy but light and complimented the al dente green beans. Steak is one of the specialties of The Grill and the choice is extensive. My husband selected the grain fed yearling tenderloin with steak fries and cauliflower in a cheese sauce. The steak was cooked exactly to order and was a more than sufficient cut and also came with the choice of six sauces. The side orders were each served in individual bowls and were each enough for two. At the recommendation of the waiter we opted for a very palatable red Chilean Baron Philippe De Rothschild Mapu (2007) which really did compliment the meat selection, and at 150 QR a bottle it was very reasonable.
However The Grill outdid themselves when it came to dessert. At this point, already quite full, I was hesitant in our dessert choices which prompted them to bring practically the entire dessert selection to try! This included a delicious array of mango tart, strawberry pavlova, strawberry’s in warm butterscotch sauce, apricot trifle and an indulgent chocolate mousse with mixed berries. All of these were delicious but I must admit my favourite was the mango tart which was absolutely superb. I am a die hard chocoholic but having tried the mango tart I am converted! It had the most delicious crisp biscuit base topped with cream, mangos and then flaked white chocolate..truly a dessert worth saving room for.
The staff at The Grill were very knowledgeable and went through the specials and the menu in detail and answered all our questions with an easy going but informative style. There was a sense of enthusiasm about the food which really was infectious. They were attentive but not overly intrusive and our charming waiter Franco was always on hand just when you needed him.
I really would recommend The Grill as we had a thoroughly enjoyable and excellent dining experience. Thanks to Sven and all his team for a very pleasurable evening. You can make a reservation by calling the hotel on 4481234.