(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Ayeni Olusegun |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Hidden around Qatar are small restaurants and eateries serving authentic dishes and pastries – some for decades. These places, though, sadly have become challenging to spot.
With rapid development, modern buildings and infrastructure, Doha has welcomed some of the world's top and most popular restaurants and food chains in recent years, offering a multicultural food scene – which accentuates the significance of the dining and food in the country. Food is fundamental to Qatari culture and the teeming expatriate population.
“I have seen a change in the food scene here. It's all mostly fancy nowadays; the street food has greatly reduced. Now they are making streets for food, but there are so many places in Qatar for good and affordable food if you know where to look,” Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, a medical practitioner and an avid food influencer, told The Peninsula.
“Right now, I'm trying to focus on hidden gems. When I find a small restaurant, they don't even know me, and I end up doing a lot of videos. Growing up in Qatar, there were so many places that we used to go to, and those places are not mentioned a lot nowadays. Now it's all about the new restaurants. So what I do right now is every weekend, I try to focus on one hidden gem,” Dr. Iqbal, who grew up around the Msheireb area as a kid, added.
According to Dr. Iqbal, who goes by the name 'Wayward Gourmet' on social media and has over one million followers on social media, since he started highlighting these small and 'legendary' restaurants, as he calls them, many people have gravitated to his content and nostalgic emotions have resonated from these experiences.
Sharing an example, he noted the South Madinat Khalifa Bakery, which had been at its location for years but had been almost swallowed up by other fancier and newer restaurants. After his video went viral, the bakery that sells“really good za'atar” for QR1 and QR2 has seen more patronage. Many residents who had grown up around the shop were encouraged to patronize again.
“Another example is one Istanbul Bakery behind the Turkish Hospital on C-ring Road. The shop has a sign, but it's faded, which makes it difficult to spot. They have been at that spot for over 25 years – the shop smells of fresh bread because they roll the dough and make it right before you.
“They also have several pizza options, and the fresh fatayer's delicious,” Dr. Iqbal quipped.
He added that since posting the video about the bake shop three months ago, he had received positive feedback from several residents, including the owners and citizens who were regular customers while going to school in the area.
“I went to the shop a few weeks after posting the video, and the owner couldn't stop talking about the impact the video has had on the once-dwindling shop. People had forgotten about the place, and the sales were down. With the video, they suddenly got all the customers back, and the food is good. They have regular customers again. I feel good about that because I'm trying to bring these 'legendary' places back to life,” he added.
Since starting his food blogging adventures five years ago, Dr. Iqbal said the prize range of almost all the places he shares is within the QR1 to QR45 range, depending on the restaurant's menu. While he does the high-end joints occasionally, he noted that social media and food bloggers significantly impact the dining scene and people's food choices.
“As influencers, when we post about a particular food or restaurant, people look forward to going to these places and trying the food. Undoubtedly, our food cravings are determined by what influencers post. It is not always good because many influencers promote expensive and fancy food, which doesn't resonate with regular people.
“I want people to enjoy what they eat and get value for what they spend. Food is a big thing here, and I hope the 'legendary' places that have been here for decades get more visibility,” he stressed.
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