It’s always a delight when a dining destination takes you on more than just a gastronomical journey, but also devises its ambience to transport you continents away to its origin — enter Chingari

We take a little trip to the subcontinent with our latest dining destination as we enter the mystic and Oriental pathway to Chingari. Diners know they’re in for a unique experience as soon as they approach the restaurant doors.

The exterior at the entryway is adorned with red draping, ornate elephants, and a painted scene of beautiful Indian elements; creating the perfect Instagrammable moment whilst transporting you to the streets of India. The restaurant is deeply embedded in the history of the Radisson Blu Hotel and has become a vital element for the identity of the building. Chingari relies on its history to stay relevant in our food destinations for the future, as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. It has been serving delectable and tasty food since its opening.

The restaurant also relies on stability and reliability, which is the secret to its success. Along with Chingari’s anniversary, it is also celebrating 25 years with head chef, Jograj, and 22 years with the restaurant manager Joy Jorge. These connections and history of commitment truly showcase themselves in the food, ambience, and experience. As you make your way to the restaurant, the aromas of the north Indian menu items waft to the entrance engulfing your senses as you step inside. Upon arrival, your senses might feel overloaded with the amount of red you see but, give it a minute, you’ll get used to it and soon see the appeal the colour has for the dining experience. Our eyes first and foremost wander to the beautiful traditional table situated in the middle of the restaurant, replacing the small stage that used to grace our ears with live traditional music pre-pandemic.

Instead, the melodies played throughout the space are of infamous ghazals (traditional music) that take us back to the Mughal era of India. The walls are adorned with historic paintings, antique swords, and jewellery, to take diners to an ancient Indian palace. We begin our journey to north India with some crunchy and spiced papadum and an assortment of chutneys while we browse the menu. Each papadum gives us a crack that any ASMR video would deem satisfying, while the accompanying chutneys add sweet, spicy, and fresh flavours — the perfect way to begin the meal. For our mains, we bite into the Masala Lamb Chops, Chef Jograj’s Selection platter, and the Biryani Jhinga.

The thick, tender lamb chops are slathered in spices and ooze goodness in every bite, having us cleaning up the bones before we dive onto the next delectable and juicy platter. It comes with a delightful array of tandoori kebabs, consisting of chicken, lamb, fish tikka, and spiced prawns. We pair this selection with the aromatic Dawat Ki Rotiyan, an assortment of the best Indian bread we’ve had in Doha. We also order a bowl of butter chicken gravy to mop up with the rich butter naans that have us engrossed over our table.

Another main course that has our mouths salivating is the biryani with prawns. The spicy aromas, the vibrant colours, the fluffy rice, and those addictive curry flavours have us going back for seconds and thirds, the prawns adding that hint of distinct flavour we crave. We end our meals with a sweet cleanse to our palates with a Malai Pista Kulfi. A sweet Indian take on pistachio ice cream that sees us drowning in its creamy texture and tantalising flavour.

Chingari offers its guests a unique, traditional, and authentic dining experience through flavour and ambience; transporting you to the midst of the Mughal Era in northern India. It takes experiential dining to what it should be. ✤

GO: CALL 4428 1555 FOR RESERVATIONS AND MORE INFORMATION.