Breakfast at Zaatar W Zeit

A day begin with me trying to move my butt to the bathroom in order to get ready for a walk at Souq Waqif. It was 9 in the morning, and Tante Rosi and Tante Tika were in the living room, just arrived to pick my Mom and I up. It took me no longer than 15 minutes to get ready, all clean and dressed up, with my camera bag on my right shoulder. With no further ado, the four of us hopped into the car and drove away from Matar Qadeem. 

After a 10-minute-drive, we finally arrived at the heart of Doha. Souq Waqif, a standing market which reminds you of a scene in Disney's Aladdin, where Princess Jasmine strolls around at the market in Agrabah in which was crowded with sellers and products. The thing with Souq Waqif is just that the environment here is a lot more modern, judging from the fact that the place also has numerous cafe and restaurant, instead of just merchants selling traditional Middle eastern goods. They even have a Haägen-Dazs Cafe here!

Fancy some rugs?

Cute Qatar magnets

Fancy some colorful fabric?

A dress or two, maybe?

Police patrols at Souq Waqif

Don't this reminds you of a scene in Aladdin?

Don't these teapots look nice?

ADORABLE CAMMEL PLUSHIES!

The reason why we came to the Souq is to have breakfast at a restaurant named Zaatar W Zeit. Tante Rosi told me that she has dined at the restaurant before, and that the restaurant serves great food in her opinion. It took us a while to find the restaurant because of all the alleys and small streets. When we finally arrived at the restaurant, it was a bit surprising to see the outdoor tables were occupied even though it was still early in the morning.

Zataar W Zeit

We started the day with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. I was going to order myself some Hot Chocolate before, but I was a bit nauseous that morning, so I had to drink something fresh and juicy to make the uneasy feeling go away. It turned out, my decision was right to pick the orange juice, because it really was fresh and thirst-quenching. It was really really sour, the orange juice, but in a good way.

A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to start the day

The Orange Juice was very sour in a refreshing way

We decided to order some dishes and share them, instead of having one dish for each person. For appetizer, we had ourselves a bowl of Simply Caesar Salad, a bowl of fresh and crispy Romaine Lettuce, garnished with Parmesan Cheese and Oven-baked Croutons, coated with delicious mayonnaise. The Italian cheese had a nutty flavor for some reason, while the Croutons were toasty and delicious. The greens were crunchy and juicy, and they made me feel good for consuming them! 

Simply Caesar Salad

Very juicy and crispy leafs 

Our breakfast was then continued with a pan of Traditional Pizza and BBQ Steak Wrapz. Both dishes was delicious as heck! The pizza was thin, yet very stomach-fulling. It was decorated with tomato sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, ham, Oregano, and mushroom. I hardly spotted any Oregano in the pizza, but maybe they were contained under the ham, or under the melted Mozzarella cheese. Cheesy, doughy, floury, and delicious describe the pizza perfectly! The only thing that destroyed the pizza was the mushroom. I seriously tried to love mushroom, but I just can't seem to find anything delicious about it. So, I hereby declare that I dislike mushroom and that it doesn't go well with anything!

BBQ Steak Wrapz is the second thing we had as main course. The tortilla was soft and slightly fluffy, yet also crunchy. Inside, you can find a handful of beef with barbeque sauce, along with red and green bell pepper, and also onion. All in all, the beef wrap was delicious, but I love the pizza more even though it had mushroom on it. I actually ate three slices of pizza and a couple of beef wraps. 

Traditional Pizza

Delicious melted Mozzarella and ham!

BBQ Steak Wrapz

Stuffed with sweet and savory barbequed beef

What's a meal without some dessert, right? The four of us decided to order two kinds of dessert to share with. They were a bowl of Chocolate Chip Brownies and a cup of Strawberry Cheese Cake. 

Chocolate Chip Brownies are three bars of chilly brownies, served with chocolate syrup. I thought I would have an encounter with some sweet chocolate chips, but I stand corrected. The chocolate bars were not fudgy, they were a slightly dry and airy. Them brownies tasted sweet and quite delicious.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

A very nice dessert to begin with

Unfortunately, the Strawberry Cheese Cake was not as delicious as the brownies. They were painfully hard to swallow. The strawberry jam on top was beyond sweet and nauseating, it tasted like cherry-flavored cough syrup. Underneath it was a blob of, what it's supposed to be, cream cheese.. which tasted as excruciating as the jam! It didn't taste like cream cheese at all, it was milky and agonizingly sweet. At the bottom of the cup was very very few cake crumbs, which taste savory and nice, yet the cream completely destroyed it. I do not recommend you this particular dessert at all!

A cup of not delicious Strawberry Cheese Cake

After breakfast has ended, we stroll around the market. Tante Rosi and Tante Tika was planning on buying some Abaya, so we made a few pit stops to some Abaya shop to fit and bargain. It took us a while to find the perfect Abaya, along with the perfect size and price. I have to tell you, some of them were really attractive and beautiful, despite the fact that they only come in one color!

After some fitting and bargaining, Tante Rosi and Tante Tika finally got the Abaya that they love. We had breakfast, we shopped, we took some pictures, and we went home with a big joy. It was a nice morning at the Souq! 

So, for those of you who happen to life in Doha, you should definitely go to the Souq and dine at Zaatar W Zeit. Great food, good service, and free WiFi! But, watch out for the chief-in-charge, he likes to make jokes about toilet at the wrong time. Been there, done that! 

Black Abayas to die for!

Introducing, Mom, who rather shoot some flash than fit some Abayas!

Tante Tika and her Abaya

Tante Rosi and her Abaya

470 Qatar Riyal for one Abaya

Zaatar W Zeit

Souq Waqif, between Musherib and Al Rayyan Road

Doha, Qatar

Phone: +974 4431 5224

Opening Hours:
Monday - Sunday : 24 Hours

Bandar Aden Restaurant

One night, when I was at Doha, I went out for dinner with my parents and my Dad's housemate's family. We went to this dinning place named Bandar Aden Restaurant, a Yemen restaurant that is located at Souq Waqif - a standing market at the heart of Doha, Qatar. There were six of us at that time, and we were lucky that the restaurant was not crowded, so we headed to one of the private dining booths that were provided and ordered some dishes. 

There are two kinds of dining area at Bandar Aden Restaurant, the usual dining area and the private dinning booths. The usual dining area is the one with tables and chairs. Like any other restaurant, you can just pick a table and sit there when you dine. On the other hand, the private dining booths are more isolated and unique compared to the usual dining area. The booth is fenced and decorated with rugs and cushions. If we dine inside one of those booths, the waiter will spread some plastic on the rug to put the dishes at so that the food will not defile the rug. 

This is how we dined at Bandar Aden Restaurant

After we placed our orders, the waiter proceed to cover the rug with plastic. Lucky us, we got some complimentary soup from the restaurant! Dad said that we don't always get free stuff in this restaurant and that we were lucky to be given soup for appetizer. "I have tried this soup once and it's very delicious," said Dad in a very convincing way. 

The soup is dark yellow in color. It is very light and watery, yet spicy and very flavorful. At the bottom of the cup are chunks of shredded chicken and veggies. In my opinion, the soup is best eaten when it is still warm, with rice and some crisps - like roasted peanuts, crackers, or even deep fried chicken.

Complimentary soup for appetizer

Eat the soup while it is still hot

About 15 minutes later, our other dishes arrived - two hot-plates of Beef Ogdat, a portion of Hanid Chicken, and some Yemeni Bread. 

Beef Ogdat here is actually Beef Stew. Cooked with carrot, potato, tomato, and other veggies and herbs, Bandar Aden Restaurant's Beef Ogdat is very delicious! The stock is very tasty and is rich in flavor, not to mention light and throat-warming.

One of the waiters were bringing the dishes to our dining booth

Beef Ogdat

Beef Ogdat is rich in flavor!

The second dish was a basket of half-meter-in-diameter Yemeni Bread fresh from the oven. Yemeni Bread is like the signature dish of Middle East cuisine. Layers and layers of dough simply put into an oven, usually the traditional one that is made out of semen and bricks and cooked with charcoal and fire, and then served on a weaved basket. This bread is very large, has a chewy texture and is deliciously doughy. You can just tear the bread, scoop some Beef Ogdat with it, and indulged. The combination of the plain chewy bread and the flavorful beef stew is amazing!

This is how big the Yemani Bread was

Sprinkled with sesame seeds, then toasted to perfection

Tear the bread to get your share

The third dish was a big plate of Hanid Chicken - a big chicken, nicely boiled with some spices and herbs, served on a bed of rice that was cooked with saffron. The chicken meat was cooked evenly, savory and spicy, and went well with the complimentary soup from the restaurant. The rice on the other hand was plain. The shape of the rice itself was somewhat lanky, thin and tall, and they were broken white, yellow, and orange in color.

Hanid Chicken

One big portion of Hanid Chicken

I personally love the Yemeni Bread the most! Not only the bread tasted fantastic, it went well with pretty much everything. Hanid Chicken, Beef Ogdat, you name it! When you have the chance to visit Bandar Aden Restaurant, you ought to order a basket of those Yemeni Bread. It's a must-try!

If you would like to know more about Bandar Aden Restaurant, you can visit its' website here.


Bandar Aden Restaurant
Souq Waqif, between Musherib and Al Rayyan Road
Doha, Qatar

Phone: (+974) 4437 5503

Opening Hours:
Saturday - Thursday: 8 AM - 11 PM
Friday: 12:30 AM - 11 PM

Al Sadiq Sweets

One day, when I was at Doha - Qatar, my parents and I went to this place named Al Sadiq Sweets. Judging from the name, I bet you can all guess what kind of products that they sell at that place. That's right, sweets. 

I have been to Al Sadiq Sweets quite a lot. Other than the fact that they sell chocolates and candies, they also sell nuts! Almond, chestnuts, green peas, you name it, they have it here at this particular sweet shop that's located at somewhere inside Souq Waqif.

Bags and bags of nuts

Which chocolate do you want?

When you enter the store, you will find glass containers filled with different kinds of chocolates. It's like entering an Arabic version of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Dozens and dozens of chocolates are stored here, and don't forget the candies. All the colorful wrappings would immediately lit up one's heart with joy and excitement. 

Measuring the amount of the mixed nuts

My favorite nuts: Mixed Nuts

My favorite is the mixed nuts! I have no idea what kinds of nuts and crisps contained in that bag. I only know one type of nuts, which is the green pea. My second favorite is Villar's milk chocolate. There are two types of milk chocolate, such as the plain one and the one that has crispy rice inside, I like them both.

Packs of Villars' mixed chocolate

Another favorite of mine: Villars' Milk Chocolate

The thing I like the most about this place is that the seller is kind enough to let us try the chocolate and candy. One time, when I was just browsing through the endless display of chocolates, one of the seller came up to me and allow me to taste one. "Try, try. Just try," he said. I took one wrapping and enjoy the sweet milky texture of one of Villars' milk chocolate. How can you say no to free stuff, right?

Al Sadiq Sweets

Souq Waqif (between Musherib and Al Rayyan Road)

P.O. Box 161

Phone: (+974) 4411379

Nutella Crepe at Souq Waqif

When I was at Doha, Qatar, I visited a rather large traditional shopping area named Souq Waqif. At this particular market, you can find lots of stands that sells clothes, fabric, animals, food, antiquities, accessories, and cosmetics. I was on my way to grab dinner with my parents and we stumbled upon these lovely crepe sellers at the mouth of the market.

These ladies were selling crepes on the ground, unlike your usual crepe scenery that you can find at malls. They were wearing veils and making crepes like a boss. I couldn't help but to want to try at least a bite of the Nutella crepe, so I ordered one.

The choice of crepe were only Nutella Crepe, Honey Crepe, or Savory Crepe. The dough tasted a bit different than those fancy crepe at fancy restaurant. The crepe itself was pretty tasteless, it had this paratha bread flavor, and it was not sweet at all. The Nutella was generously added to the crepe by the veiled lady. She quickly fold the crispy crepe and handed it to me. It taste delicious! Not bad for an early appetizer.

The lady, adding some crepe dough to the frying pan

She quickly spread the crepe dough before it get burnt

When the Nutella is added, then she started to fold the crepe

This one was Honey flavored

Souq Waqif

Located in the heart of Doha,

between Musherib Street and Al Rayyan Road