FARM TO TABLE

As our mindfulness surrounding sustainability grows, so does the desire to understand and appreciate where our food is coming from – enter Baladna.

The word Baladna literally translates to ‘our country’; and the Baladna restaurant is an anthem to Qatari cuisine and hospitality.

The restaurants’ menu brings innovative local dishes, directly from the farm to your table. As the rise for sustainably sourced produce and meats continues to increase, Baladna is at the forefront with its traditional and unexpected Arabic dishes created with love, passion, and simplicity. Healthy and fresh food is important now more than ever, in a time when we need to take care of bodies and boost our immune system with good food.

Located at Medina Centrale – the Pearl, customers are greeted with an ambience that is bright, airy, and floating on an aroma of warm freshly baked bread from the brick oven. The panelled and brick walls transport us straight to a barn we think would appear in the ever-famous nursery rhyme, “Old McDonald.” Straight out of a storybook, Baladna is the perfect place for picturesque winter afternoons in Doha. We start the afternoon with freshly squeezed orange and pomegranate juices, serving as the perfect way to make the most of nature’s sweet offerings.

Sweet, tangy, and bursting with energy, an ideal way to start an afternoon meal. For appetisers we highly recommend all the salads on the menu, the greens are crisp, perfectly drizzled with dressing and a mouthful full of freshness – but there’s always a favourite. For us, it’s the Rocca Salad, a simple yet beautiful combination of beautiful ingredients mother earth has to offer. Another table favourite is the Hummos Agar Mango, definitely something out of the norm for our palate, but a good one. It’s our first encounter with such a unique spin on Hummos; enchanting our taste buds with a flavour that no words on paper can describe. The mains bring with them a feast. A table adorned with beautiful meats, pies, and bread. We begin our meal by biting into the hot and steamy pies from the oven; warm, flavourful and quite a selection to choose from on the menu;

the variety is seemingly endless. Next up is the flavourful Grilled Chicken, crispy on the outside, and soft and juicy on the inside. Each bite has us admiring the mix of spices and soft texture of the meal. For a lighter version, we recommend the chicken Shish Tawook, equally appetising but lighter on the calories. And don’t disregard the light, soft, minty, and garlic-y bread that these poultry delights are served under. The pull of the bread erupts an aromatic steam of zest that will engulf your senses.

The Mixed Grill is also on our must-order list, with the succulent kebabs being a favourite from the platter. A traditional dish for almost every restaurant in Doha, but what sets this apart besides their tender meat and flavour is the warm toasted flatbread, adorned with fresh tomatoes and parsley – absolutely mouth-watering. To sweeten up this farm-fresh experience we indulge in the renowned Baladna Baghagea. This crispy pastry is engulfed in warm cheese, honey and sprinkled with a scrumptious pistachio crumble. We can’t get enough, and you won’t either.

After wiping down the platter we move on to the delectable bites of Halawet El Jeben, these finger-licking cushioned desserts melt in our mouth, and come with a sweet sugar dip on the side if you like things on the sweeter side of life. The final dessert we indulge in is the White Spring. This hard jelly-like dessert is a first for us, but mouth-watering all the same. The Baladna restaurants are located in three locations around Doha; Medina Centrale – the Pearl, Mall of Qatar, and at the farm in Al Khor. Sure, many restaurants claim that the food is coming from some farm to the table, but here, you can taste the quality of produce in every bite.

The restaurants also offer a unique experience every Thursday with a new dish that is derived from Oriental cuisine with the Chef’s special touch. The Pearl-Qatar branch adds on to that with special Friday offerings as well with its statement Baladna’s Sojouk Shawarma. Overall, Baladna is the epitome of all things Qatar, both in taste and hospitably, as its ever-evolving menu celebrates simplicity and seasonality. ✤