In celebration of the Filipino Food Month in April, the Philippine Embassy in Qatar organised a walking food tour — a two-hour culinary experience strolling through the bustling streets of Doha, where participants discover the diverse flavours of Filipino gastronomy.
For its inaugural edition, the Embassy went to Al Sadd, one of Doha’s municipalities with a big concentration of Filipino residents. The area is also home to several Filipino businesses – restaurants, supermarkets, coffee shops, salons, and barbershops.
The tour began at Joann Metro Station, where the group composed of Embassy officials, invited media representatives, influencers, and non-Filipino guests gathered before taking their epicurean quest.
FIRST STOP – Season Restaurant and Bakery
For the first stop, the group took the street across Exit A of Joann Metro and sampled Filipino favourite pastries from Season Restaurant and Bakery such as pan de sal (staple bread roll), and bicho bicho (fried donuts), partnered with popular afternoon snacks like guisadong pancit (stir-fried noodles) and barbecues (chicken and intestines).
Established in 2016 in Bin Mahmoud then transferred to their current location in 2019, patrons flock to Season Restaurant and Bakery due to the taste, affordability, and accessibility of its freshly baked bread and street food.
One of the owners, Jannah Lucido, said that one of the reasons why clients keep on coming back to Season Restaurant and Bakery is because of the taste of lutong bahay (or home-cooked meals), which transports diners to the comfort of their homes.
Tip: Watch out for the queues in the mornings when patrons drop by for their daily dose of freshly baked bread.
SECOND STOP – Sisig Corner Express
A few metres away from Season Restaurant and Bakery is Sisig Corner Express, a branch of Sisig Corner Restaurant. Upon arrival, guests were ushered to their second-floor dining area where they were greeted with a table full of the restaurant’s specialties. As the weather was starting to get hot, the traditional sago gulaman (sweet tapioca pearl and jelly) drink was a refreshing treat for everyone.
Owned by Filipino entrepreneurs July and Francis Dela Cruz, the restaurant vows to serve classic Filipino food that brings back memories from home. Established in 2021, Sisig Corner has emerged as a go-to destination for gatherings and celebrations, offering their specialties – the crispy chicken sisig (finely chopped meat and liver with zesty dressing), beef kaldereta (stew in tomato sauce and liver paste), beef kare-kare (stew in thick peanut sauce), and pancit bihon (stir-fried noodles).
Aside from items in their a la carte menu, Sisig Corner also offers affordable group meals in bilao (basket tray) sets.
THIRD STOP – Maharlika Cuisine
A stone’s throw away is the third stop of the Filipino Food Tour – the newly opened Maharlika Cuisine with its cheerful ambiance and colorful portraits. In a true Filipino fashion, Maharlika Cuisine managed to squeeze in a corner a mini-stage for karaoke sessions.
With the tagline, ‘lasa ay sigurado’ (taste is assured), Maharlika Cuisine proudly showcases traditional flavours and regional specialties through its prized dishes such as chicken and fish pastil (packed rice dish wrapped in banana leaves), chicken menudo (stew with small bits of meat and vegetables), and suman fried roll (sweet rice cake with purple yam).
The Chef also introduced the restaurant’s popular group meal, the beef pastil overload consisting of beef pastil, eggplant, gelatin, beef binagoongan (meat in shrimp paste), chicken barbeque, grilled squid, vegetables, and fruits.
FOURTH STOP – Ala Chamba Restaurant
Afterwards, the group had a five-minute walk along Al Difaaf Street towards the tour’s finale, Ala Chamba Restaurant.
With a spacious two-storey dining area, guests were guided to the second floor for a huge spread of Filipino dishes all served in traditional wooden bowls and plates sourced from the Philippines.
With the restaurant’s concept of dining in Filipino family style, the tour participants were treated with huge bowls of kalderetang kambing (goat stew in tomato sauce and liver paste), loming Batangas (thick egg noodle soup), bagnet kare-kare (stew in thick peanut sauce topped with deep fried, crispy beef).
The Embassy thanks Season Restaurant and Bakery, Sisig Corner Express, Maharlika Cuisine, and Ala Chamba Restaurant for participating in the very first Embassy-organised walking food tour.
The event will also not be made possible without the support of the Embassy’s media friends from The Filipino Channel and Papsi TV, Qatar Tribune, Marhaba Qatar, Qatar Living, Balitang Q, and Hazel in Qatar.
As the Embassy celebrates the Filipino Food Month, we again encourage everyone – kababayan and foreign friends – to take part in this initiative, and try out more Filipino restaurants in Qatar.
Halika, kain tayo! (Come, let’s eat!)
For more information, visit dohape.dfa.gov.ph, facebook.com/PHinQatar, or instagram.com/phinqatar.
SOURCE: Phillippine Embassy in Qatar
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