Sirine Boudjadi went looking for a taste of France in Qatar, and found it in the pink glow of Fauchon Paris at Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha.
We don’t expect to stumble upon a slice of Paris in the middle of Doha, but that’s exactly what Fauchon at Marsa Malaz Kempinski delivers. Everything here feels deliberate and composed. That unmistakable Fauchon pink, deep raspberry and a little decadent, runs across the velvet banquettes, climbs the walls, even into the flowers on each table. Around it, black marble tables edged in gold, houndstooth chairs, rounded cream armchairs that could have come straight out of a boulevard café. One wall shows vintage delivery trucks in black and white; another, a close-up of pastel macarons lined up like jewels. At the far end, a large arched window frames the sea. This is where we choose to sit. Beyond the glass, palm trees sway gently, rows of sunbeds stretch toward the horizon and a pale blue light softens the whole scene. Inside, the air is cool, the music low, the whole room moving at a slower rhythm. It could be Paris, if only Paris had a beach view!
Our waiter glides over in that Fauchon way: polite, rehearsed, just enough accent to make ‘bonjour’ sound like a compliment. We’re here for the Plat du Jour, the chef’s daily three-part menu: salad, a main to choose from chicken, beef or king prawn, and dessert. Whatever’s coming from that kitchen already smells promising.
Settling Into the French Pace
Our experience starts the way all proper French lunches should, with a basket of bread landing on the table, warm enough to fog the butter. We can’t resist, it disappears fast. The Chef’s Salad follows quickly: layers of crisp greens, ribbons of smoked turkey, slivers of beef bacon and soft-boiled quail eggs perched on top. Pine nuts and croutons add crunch, and a creamy dressing that ties it all together without drowning the freshness.
Next comes the first main: the Chicken Mushroom Roulade. The plate is impeccably arranged: golden slices resting in a pool of mushroom sauce, a swirl of violet mash catching the light and slender batons of carrot and courgette. The knife slides through with barely any effort. Inside, the filling is tender and glistening, mushrooms sautéed just enough to hold their texture. The sauce is buttery and savoury, deeply comforting, yet never heavy. It’s French home cooking that’s gone to finishing school: familiar, refined, never boring.
If you’re more of a meat person, the Beef Brisket Roulade steps in for you with the same elegant setup, though the aroma shifts the mood entirely. It’s deeper, slower, the kind of smell that tells you this one took its time. The roulade is perfectly seared, the sauce, a dark, glossy glaze that clings to the meat like it was made for it. We cut through and find it impossibly tender, layers coming apart instantly. Inside, a hint of finely chopped nuts adds crunch, unexpected but exactly right. The violet mash makes a return, balancing the richness with its faint sweetness.
After that, it takes something special to follow the brisket, and the King Prawn Risotto more than earns its place. It’s beautiful without even trying: three perfectly pink prawns resting on top, a scatter of parmesan shards and that faint buttery scent that gives everything away before the first bite. One spoonful in and it’s clear why this one steals the show. The rice still has texture, the sauce is rich yet light on its feet, and the prawns are sweet with a gentle hint of smoke. We keep going back for more and more, until there’s nothing left but the shine of the plate!
Paris, Served in Miniature
By the time we reach dessert, we already know what we’re in for. If there’s one thing the French never get wrong, it’s pastry, and Fauchon has spent decades perfecting that truth. The name carries its own promise: precision, polish, a little indulgence that never feels accidental.
For the Plat du Jour, we get to choose one macaron among six tempting options and I immediately fall in love with the chocolate-passionfruit. My partner goes for the coffee, because it smells like the end of a proper lunch. Both deliver exactly what they promise: crisp shells that give way to soft, chewy centres, the flavours vivid and sure of themselves.
Dessert doesn’t end there. It also comes with the Cake Petits Fours, a lineup that reads like a love letter to French pastry: Mini Bisou Caramel, Mini Bisou Vanilla, Mini Bisou Raspberry, Mini Paris-Brest, Mini Éclair Fig, Mini Lemon Tart, and the house favourite, Mini Gianduja Tart.
Among them, the Lemon Tart takes the spotlight: built on a vanilla biscuit base, crisp and barely sweet, topped with a swirl of lemon curd so smooth it feels almost whipped. A touch of condensed milk underneath rounds out the acidity without muting it, while a tiny crown of meringue on top is torched just enough to smell faintly of caramel. The first bite snaps, then softens — a perfect contrast of textures and tastes: bright, sharp, creamy, gone too fast. The Gianduja Tart, meanwhile, plays on the opposite side of the spectrum: darker, slower, unapologetically rich. It starts with a hazelnut base that gives way to a layer of velvety hazelnut cream, then a thick ganache that tastes like liquid praline. Each spoonful lands differently: crunch, melt, warmth, repeat. It lingers, like good butter and better memories. D
GO: CALL 7479 0864 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO MAKE A BOOKING.
