Explore Doha's culinary scene with Chef Noor al Mazroei

"I was passionate about cooking since my childhood, and I used to share my recipes with family and friends until social media allowed me to share my passion for cooking with the rest of the world. When I developed certain food allergies, I turned into healthy cooking, which provided various options of preparing food; gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian. Then, I worked on transforming traditional Qatari recipes into delicious healthy versions."

Six years ago, I collaborated with MIA café and with IDAM’s Chef, Alain Ducasse. It was an exciting experience; cooking some of the best Qatari dishes and offering an overview of the Qatari ingredients, getting into details about how we mix the spices as well as adding a Qatari touch to the French dishes.

I had the joy of participating in one of the previous editions of the Qatar International Food Festival, where I worked with Chef Morimoto, the Celebrity Chef. We worked together on the fresh tuna dish; I cooked the traditional Qatari Machboos using fresh tuna. It was a significant moment in my career and a vital collaboration, where Chef Morimoto and I joined forces. The Chef cut the fish the Japanese way, and I cooked it the traditional Qatari way.

My first year as a participant in the Qatar International Food Festival was definitely a challenging one; serving healthy food at a Food Festival required using persuasion since most of the times healthy means dull. So, I was urging visitors to try in order to show them that healthy can also be delicious. On the first day, I managed to attract five customers. Then, the second day, I had more than 100 customers, and the rest of the days I was sold out. I believe that I changed people’s mindset around healthy food. I proved that it could be tasty, and I provided Qatari dishes in vegan and gluten-free options.

I had a lovely time working with Qatar National Library to develop a menu for Ramadan and make our breakfast during fasting, healthy and delicious. I provided various recipes and trained the audience to cook healthily during the Holy Month of Ramadan. It was an overall great experience!

To begin your day with a delicious breakfast featuring various vegetarian and vegan options, head over to Basta restaurant. Later on, for lunch, I recommend trying Saasna restaurant in Msheireb Downtown; a restaurant that presents traditional Qatari cuisine with a modern twist. Don’t miss out on Nobu at Four Seasons, to experience the new-style Japanese cuisine with unbeatable dinner views.

Start your day at Rosado Café, at the Pearl, for healthy-made Qatari delights. When it’s time for lunch, I highly recommend a visit at the Mall of Qatar, where besides endless shopping, you’ll find a wide range of restaurants, for all tastes and budgets. Lastly, for dinner, you should definitely pay a visit to the food outlets of Galeries Lafayette. Once the shopping experience ends, a new, culinary one, begins. From a Mediterranean brasserie to French and Russian blends, Galleries Lafayette’s food scene covers all needs.