The JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha has utterly transformed it’s lobby lounge in to a lavish, European-inspired café! So, of course, we had to take a look and experience it for ourselves!

This wonderful space was once an ordinary lobby lounge, but has since been elevated to La Maison Martinez – a European and French inspired eatery serving sweet treat and delicious tea and coffee.

The first thing you notice is the fabulous new décor. The walls are plastered floor to ceiling in an intricate blue wallpaper that gives new life to the space. The floors have also been completely transfigured with elegant new carpets, and even the curtains are new! The old lounge chairs have been replaced with colourful, baroque chaise lounges, ottomans and refined chairs. This new social hub emits a timeless design reminiscent of historic Europe where guests can immerse themselves in an authentic European culinary experience.

A selection of curated dining experiences offered includes an Afternoon Tea crafted with a French flair- infused with a regional twist, designer cakes, pastries and a wonderful selection of beverages. To begin our afternoon tea experience, we were brought a small crystal glass of distilled water infused with lemon, mint and strawberry.

Quickly afterwards, the tier of delicacies appeared at our table. the waitress told us that each afternoon tea serving is prepared fresh that day so pre-booking is essential if you want to be sure to have all these tantalising sweets available to you.

Tier 1 – Savouries:

With so many bites sized delicacies on show, the only way to decide what to try first was to start from the bottom and work your way up! The most intriguing conocotion on the savoury menu was the Green Apple & Chicken sandwich with Granny Smith apples, frisee, and Dijonnaise, served on cereal bread. Another that caught my eye was the Smoked Salmon Crepe which was tightly rolled to reveal a pink spiral. The other savouries included Pan Bagnat with tuna, a quail egg, olives, and scalions, the Cecine & Manchego sandwich with a herb ricotta, and finally the Truffle Egg Brioche with creamy scrambled egg with black truffle oil and chives.

Tier 2 – Sweet treats!

On the tray above were more intricately designed cakes. Small details like the white chocolate feathers and the honey comb with bees elevate this afternoon tea above the rest. The Gateau aux Abeilles or layered honey cake with sour cream frosting was crunchy and sweet, while the Pomme au caramel  which was apple tatin, salty butter caramel, and milk chocolate mousse was soft and tart. For chocolate lovers like me the Choux Surprise is sure to be your favourite. With dark chocolate choux, milk chocolate cream, and a puff rice crunch this dessert has outstanding flavour. Finally, the Tarte Citron was wonderfully tangy with grapefruit and orange, in a crème patissiere.

Tier 3 – The cream of the crop:

On this final tray perched three different morsels; the first was a Meringue Framboise with raspberry cremeux, almond sable,  and burnt meringue. The second was a Le Petit Antoine which was an almond & hazelnut dacquoise, with chocolate cremeux, croquantine, and chocolate chantilly. The third was a Fraise Pistache which was a bed of pistachio biscuit, with a dollop of strawberry gel and compressed fresh strawberry on top. There was oodles of sugar and flavour in every bite – bring your friends with a sweet tooth!

Baked Scones:

No afternoon tea is complete without buttery, freshly baked scones to wash down with a piping hot cup of tea. And this afternoon tea did not disappoint. The scones were crumbly and soft and they were served with the traditional clotted cream, strawberry jam and orange marmalade.

This afternoon tea is a really showstopper. It’s the perfect place to take a few friends, sit and drink tea, nibble on some sweet and savoury bites and chat. Of course, the new décor and atmosphere provide the perfect setting, and the intricately designed cake and sweet are perfect to glamourise your Instagram story!

The afternoon tea at La Maison Martinez in the JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha is available for QAR240 for two people. La Maison Martinez is open every day from 8 am to 10 pm. Please call 4429 5295 for more information or to book your reservation.


Author: Charlotte Wright

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