CLASSIC WARMTH

Despite the emergence of new hip and trendy hotels mothballing around Qatar, going to the Radisson Blu Hotel Doha is like paying a visit to an old friend. This is how FACT’s Craig Ferriman felt when he dined at Bentley’s Grill. It was like the warm embrace of an older, trusted chum.

There’s something quintessentially old school Doha about a visit to the Radisson Blu Hotel. It’s been there for what feels like forever and that’s probably because you’ll struggle to find an expat that can remember a time when it wasn’t there. Another fun fact: this hotel boasts more outlets to eat and/or drink in than any other hotel in the country.

Melanie the maître-d warmly greeted us on arrival with complimentary sparkly beverages to loosen up the joyous task of perusing their menu. It’s rather long but who’s complaining? The daily amuse bouche whetted the palate and we were into our Alaskan crab cake appetisers. Smoked paprika, salmon roe and herb aioli round off the simple starter. The paprika is sprinkled on the plate to create an artistic impression of crab tentacles and with the layered cakes in the middle, the plate was presented in the shape of a giant crab. Cute but classy I thought!

I also tried duck liver on a bed of mash which was nice and I can also vouch for the Earl Grey tea cured salmon. You really can taste the tea in the salmon – it’s one of those very innovative dining moments.

You’ll read the menu and actually understand what is on it. Seriously, how often do you go to restaurants and wonder what half the stuff on there is? It sounds delightful but ordering any of it is a bit of a stab in the dark. At the Bentley’s Grill, you can order a T-bone steak and you know that this is exactly what you’ll get, cooked to order and guaranteed to satisfy.

There is an extensive range of cuts to choose from. I tried their waygu beef fillet mignon which I had medium rare and it was just the right amount of pink and exquisite to taste. Though served on a potato bed that didn’t work for me personally, feeling rather like a giant hash brown, I couldn’t fault them on much else. In a spirit of diversifying, I tried their pan fried duck breasts which were gorgeou  and neatly served with potato and duck meat croquettes garnished with grilled wedges. Highly recommended.

The dessert was better than I expected it to be assuming that all attention was focused on the meat. On the contrary, our rhubarb crumble was almost a pudding of its own but had a basket of vanilla ice cream and sticky toffee sauce. SO good.

Ambience is classic and understated. Despite the chandeliers hanging above our table, the place didn’t feel obdurately ostentatious. Paintings adorned the walls and the candles and low lighting gave the venue intimacy. The arm chairs, are so heavy an Olympic weight lifter could struggle to move them but fortunately Melanie’s team tucked us in and we were as comfortable as anything until the moment we reluctantly left. ✤