Qatar International Food Festival '13

Yesterday, Doha Diaries went for The Qatar International Food Festival which was held at the MIA Park.  Although a lot of people were complaining (both online and offline) about numerous parking issues, we managed to find comfortable parking spaces for ourselves. As we were hoping, the weather was perfect for good food. There was a light breeze in the air as we walked to the much anticipated food festival. First thought was relief as the place wasn't as crowded as we expected it to be. Lots of space for sitting and walking around. We also spotted the 'Dinner in the Sky' event, and felt even more relieved that we didn't book a table there. A table was being carried off ground by a large odd-looking crane. It looked inconvenient for the foodies back on ground level as we wondered if they felt comfortable enough to be eating good food up there. Here are a couple of things we liked, and not so liked about the event.

Things we liked

- A good, mixed family crowd

- Lots of seating and space for people to walk around

- We loved the Torch Hotel's stall. It had a Mexican theme and we munched away on the Fajitas and Nachos.

-The winner stalls for the night were the dessert stalls. The stall of Sharq Village & Spa had a signature chocolate dish with chocolate dumplings in bread crumbs served with a berry compote. That dish took us to food heaven. Another winner was the Village Restaurant's Deli Stall. Lots of Canopies, mini sandwiches and cupcakes (with yum frosting!).

- Pricing! The food was very well priced and it let us taste all kinds of food comfortably.

Winner of the day! Chocolate Dumplings from the Sharq Stall

Is that a bird? Is that a plane? It's just a weird looking table!

Things we not-so liked

- The pricing of the vouchers seemed a little off. There was a 10 riyal service charge for every voucher booklet you purchased. Since we just reached and did not know about the pricing of the food, we were not sure how much to buy as well. Every time we purchased additional vouchers, we paid an extra 10 riyals.

- We are not sure why they charged us a service fee when the service wasn't quite there. Dustbins were scarce and we had to walk for a while till we spotted a dustbin.

- Parking woes were a many. Even though we got lucky, a lot of people complained about lack of parking space. This has become a standard problem for every event in Doha, maybe it is time someone stepped up and did something about it?

QIFF had a carnival atmosphere and is rightly being called a 'food festival'. Festivals are all about celebrating occasions and being a foodie who is surrounded by great food is reason enough. 

Doha Diaries recommends not leaving the festival without trying out the dessert options!

Go or not go for the festival?

Doha Diaries says a definite 'Go!'

For more details about the festival and schedule, you can visit: http://www.qatartourism.gov.qa/