Faced with a menu full of Lebanese classics, Sirine Boudjadi does the only logical thing at Al Nafourah Garden in Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha: order a little bit of everything and let the sharing begin.

Finding a terrace in Doha that actually feels like a little escape isn’t always easy, especially during summer. But Al Nafourah Garden somehow makes it work. Hidden inside Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha, it’s all palm trees wrapped in fairy lights, water features and cosy cabanas that make you forget you’re in a hotel. If you’re not brave enough for the heat (fair), there’s a lovely indoor dining room too. Either way, the menu is built around Lebanese sharing plates, so come hungry.

Made For Sharing

Lebanese food is one of those cuisines where ordering just one or two dishes never really makes sense, so our table fills up pretty quickly. Warm Arabic bread lands beside bowls of creamy hummus, silky enough to scoop up generously and finished with plenty of olive oil. We keep going back and forth between that and the muhammara which brings extra punch. It’s slightly sweet from the roasted peppers, crunchy thanks to the walnuts, while the pomegranate molasses adds a subtle tangy kick.

A couple of salads soon join the spread. Fatoush is topped with one large crisp sheet of toasted bread, ready to be cracked over the salad before digging in. Underneath, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onions and plenty of fresh herbs are lifted by a punchy sumac dressing. Alongside it sits the Beetroot Rocca Salad, packed with beetroot, mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes, walnuts and fresh herbs, all lightly dressed with lemon and olive oil.

It starts getting difficult to decide what to go back to first when the hot mezze make their appearance. The Eggs with Kawarma arrive in a hot skillet, the sunny-side-up eggs sitting over savoury minced lamb. For something with a little more spice, we move on to the Sujuk, where spicy beef sausages and sautéed vegetables bring a bit more heat to the table. By then, the Lahem bil Ajin has already been picked apart, its crisp flatbread topped with spiced minced beef, tomatoes and pomegranate molasses disappearing almost as quickly as it’s served.

It’s now time for the mains and we’re convinced the team ordered far too much… but we’re here for it!  The Mixed Grill Platter feels right at home among the mezze. Chicken, kofta, lamb and lamb chops are arranged on one huge platter with bread on the side, ready for wrapping. Sitting alongside it is the restaurant’s signature Orfali & Orzo Rice, and it’s easily our favourite dish of the night. Beautifully presented, it delivers just as much on flavour with thick slices of beef and lamb roulade resting on creamy orzo. Cutting into the roulade reveals just how tender it is, while the creamy orzo brings another layer of texture to every bite.

Sweet Ending

Even after all that, dessert still sounds like a good idea. First up, the Charcoal-Grilled Kunafa, still warm, golden on top and served in the pan. As soon as we cut into it, the crisp kataifi pastry reveals soft, stretchy cheese underneath, with just enough syrup to bring everything together. It’s easy to see why kunafa is such a classic!

We round things off with the Baklava Plate, an assortment of bite-sized pastries filled with different nuts and finished with a light coating of honey. It gives us the perfect excuse to keep chatting over tea and coffee instead of calling it a night. We’ll deal with the scales tomorrow. For now, we’ll just say Al Nafourah Garden gets everything right: a gorgeous garden setting, Lebanese classics designed for the middle of the table and portions generous enough that ordering ‘too much’ feels like part of the experience

GO: Call 6608 5806 for more information or to make a booking.