With Levantine favourites, Indian classics and an emphasis on authentic flavours, Silk Road Restaurant at DoubleTree by Hilton Doha – Al Sadd promises a journey across cultures. SD visits to find out whether the experience is as memorable as the menu suggests.

Silk Road Restaurant is the kind of place that quietly flies under the radar. We dine here tonight and wish every Doha resident would make this their go-to for casual dining because the food is the star of the show. There’s no fanfare here, no gimmicks and definitely nobody dropping buttery pieces of steak into your mouth. It’s an unassuming spot where the food does the talking, and turns out a certain Biryani has a lot to say.

Authentic Levantine Starters

After we arrive, we’re immediately served a spread of Oriental classics. True to its name, Silk Road, our table is adorned with a fattoush salad, hummus, kibbeh, Batata Harra and sambousek. A Levantine feast indeed. The silky hummus and the spicy cubed potatoes are a delight. Pair with the piping hot, freshly baked bread. It’s a lot of food and perfect for sharing – it’s no wonder the restaurant is filled with families. These are popular, familiar flavours but what makes the spread special is that each dish lives up to its authenticity. Nothing is unnecessarily reinvented or dressed up (or down for that matter) for the sake of it.

The main course arrives in quick succession, and we see some truly comforting Indian dishes served. The butter chicken looks good. Like any butter chicken. The thing about this dish is that you can go wrong in so many ways. The combinations of bad and average are endless. The saga doesn’t end there. You can still find a good butter chicken that is entirely forgettable (frankly accounting for at least 60% of what we’ve tried in Doha). It takes a really seasoned chef to nail the perfect version. And Chef Karan is just that. Not only does he do a 10/10 dish – we get a subtle, smoky flavour from the chicken which means he’s elevated an already perfect feast. It’s silky, glossy and impossibly delicious. And compliments to the chef – we actually eat this butter chicken plain (without garlic naan or white rice) because we want to savour every spoonful.

Silk Road’s Lamb Biryani Steals the Show

Now the Lamb Biryani is something to talk about. In fact, we think it needs deep discussion. The last place we’d expect to find our favourite comfort food is here because a really good biryani usually is homemade or is very rare to find at the usual Indian haunts. This biryani has impressed us beyond words – it’s one of the best we’ve tried in Doha. Chef Karan needs a medal just for this dish. The rice is incredibly fragrant, the meat is exceptionally tender and the biryani spices are holding everything together. It’s warm, rich, aromatic, comforting… we could be doing this all night.

Sigh – there’s more food on the table. The chef really wants to pamper us tonight. He’ll probably have to wait until this review is published to know he didn’t need to impress us anymore after those two dishes! The meat kofta is our next stop on the comfort train. We’re absolutely stuffed by now and decide to approach this last dish strategically. What if we eat only the protein and ditch the carbs? That would save some space for dessert too. Well planned. We dig into the juicy, lightly charred, smoky kofta. You know what would make this better? A French fry, or two. We try a handful even though we’re deviating from the plan. Something is missing. Could it be that bread sitting below the fries, soaking up all those juices? We wouldn’t know unless we try. Restraint has officially left the table, along with any plans we made. We eat it all. And have zero regret.

There’s no space for dessert, but we feel nothing but joy. We’ve had an excellent meal after a long time. The prices are great, service is efficient (and always smiling) and the experience feels worth the drive to DoubleTree by Hilton Doha – Al Sadd. Silk Road Restaurant at DoubleTree by Hilton Doha – Al Sadd is easily one of the top casual dining picks. And if there’s just one reason to go here, it’s to try the Lamb Biryani. Unforgettable.

GO: Call 3331 2522 for more information or to make a booking.