Monday, November 3, 2014


Eighteen months in, Doha’s Orient Pearl restaurant is drawing the crowds by Moataz al-khayyat


Orient Pearl, the Qatari capital’s largest single restaurant venue, has seen weekend attendances outside of Ramadan max out its combined indoor and outdoor capacity of 1,500 seats


On January 17, the Orient Pearl in Doha officially opened its doors a 1,500-seat outdoor event. Today it is a bustling hive of life and laughter with a warm ambience, live music and great food.

Operations director Maher Abu-Alnaser, who has handled proceeding since November, says the concept was to deliver an upmarket but modestly priced experience, from between 150 to 250 Qatari riyals per person, so that it is accessible and can be visited by all customers .

Abu-Alnaser notes: “We have two different restaurants: Joury, which is a combination of Lebanese and Syrian; and, Nayrabeen, which specialises in shamiyat, so foul, fatteh, hummus, falafel and which has a big outdoor play area unlike any other in Qatar.”

Moataz Al-Khayyat , CEO and founder of the Orient Pearl said: “Due to the scale of the venue, we decided that this would be our signature restaurant. As a landmark on the corniche, we believe this will be the beginning of a bigger franchise to come, not just in Qatar, but in the international market.”

Offering a distinctive difference between Lebanese and Syrian cuisine, the core difference can be found in the method of cooking and the spices. As the largest restaurant in Doha by area, it is still impressively packed out, in particular during the weekends.

Even now, the indoor Joury and Latoscana is bustling, with colourfully-garbed staff offering Tamarind juice and portly waiters ever at hand to keep the seamless experience moving forward.

The basics like the humus are all spot on, the fatteh delicately spiced, the meat tender and specialities like the plump and syrup-drizzled kibbeh are impressively flavoured and presented.

Orient Pearl is also elegantly decked out, with artistic detail visible in every corner, from the patterned gypsum panels in the roof to the marble flooring and crafted furniture. The food then does these surroundings more than adequate justice, and with attentive service to boot.

In the evening, and as stomachs begin to feel the strain, live music also kicks in at 9.00-9:30pm, completing the experience, though in Ramadan the timing begins a little later, at 10.30-11.00pm.

Outside of summer, Khayyat adds, the corniche location enjoys a sea-view, and the outdoor experiences beautiful weather, with the fragrant smells of shisha and live-cooked shawarma mingling on the light breeze. So in fact the perfect place from which to enjoy Doha.





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