Al Matbakh brings the best of India to the Souq
The Indian community in Qatar is the largest expat community we have, which is why it is so surprising that foodies still struggle to find authentic North Indian cuisine.
Most Indian restaurants are dominated by the “kerala” effect of South Indian flavours. This understandably has its place, and of course a huge clientele. But often there are times when I’d give my right arm for some good Paani Poori and a refreshing Jaljeera.
Thankfully, the opening of Al Matbakh Rooftop Grill has filled that need to perfection. Located at the Souq Waqif’s Arumaila Boutique Hotel.
Recently the Tivoli group invited Qatar Living to try some items off their menu, and to say we were pleased is happily an understatement.
The colorful layout of the restaurant feels like a departure from the iconic Souq Waqif in which it lay, but looking out the window gives you one of the best views of the Souq (and beyond) you’re likely to find.
The hosts and our well-travelled chef, Pradeep had already prepared their best offerings for us, but allowed us to add a few personal selections to the menu.
For starters came a beloved favourite in the form of Paani Poori, with and option of both spicy tamarind water and a slightly sweeter option. The melt in your mouth semolina puffs set the tone for the evening. This was going to be an authentic experience.
The Samosa Chole Chatt was also another winner, with the chickpea curry perfectly complimenting the veg samosa.
The entrees did not stop with a flow of some of the most tender chicken tikka and Seekh Kebab (lamb). Perhaps the only disappointment was the Amritsari Macchi (batter fried hammour) which in comparision to the other spicy dishes felt a bit bland. The chef took our criticism well and was both passionate and education in his reasoning behind the selection of flavours.
For mains we received three options, the perianal favourite butter chicken of course hit the mark.
Nalli Nahari (lamb shanks braised in old delhi spiced gravy) which had been cooking to perfection for 6 hours prior to our arrival!
And for the less adventurous palates Khumb, Makai, Mattar , which was the vegetarian dish of mushroom, sweet corn and green peas in yellow gravy.
So far everything had been on point in terms of authentic North Indian flavours, very little had been influenced by Arabic fusion, or the need to tone down the spices for expats. This was pure satisfaction. Which also allowed us to be a bit more lenient for dessert.
A trio of desserts in the form of Zafrani Ras Malai, Gajar Ka Halwa and Fruit Salad with Kulfi ice cream.
This was the first sign of fusion, and the carrot halwa tart worked surprisingly well. The biscuit base of the tart brought a whole do taste experience to and already perfect carrot halwa.
The Ras Malai experience however was disappointing. Purely because Ras Malai is just one of those dishes you don’t mess with. The cheese dumplings soaked up all the milk and left the dessert somewhat dry.
As for the fruit salad, well sometimes the simple things are the best. And you can never go wrong with ice cream and fruit salad.
Overall, Al Matbakh is the North Indian experience you’ve been looking for. You will get all the old favourites with a few new items. The menu is simple and effective, and each dish is crafted with passion that translates into the flavour.
Oh, and one more thing…be sure not to leave without trying their Jaljeera!
Who: Al Matbakh Rooftop Grill
Where: Souq Waqif’s Arumaila Boutique Hotel
Time: Open from 6pm
Contact: 44336712
I agree with britexpat.
I agree with Mohdata and acchabaccha
I agree with Mohdata and acchabaccha
I agree with Acchabacha , name doesn't suit the kind food they are offering. As an aside, i still prefer Jamal than these 'cosy' restaurants.
and who on earth sets up a north Indian restaurant and then gives it a name like al matbakh rooftop grill? fellow Indians, is there a single one of you that would see that restaurant, read its name and come to the conclusion that they were serving north Indian or any Indian food inside? thought so... so yes, nice try but if you're going to try and make money off selling India, you are also going to have to call it India :-)
accha: i agree; if you're going to plug a new upscale restaurant and give it a glowing review, you should at least include a link to a menu with prices; in any case and even though allah has blessed me with enough to enjoy as many nice meals as i want, i prefer to steer clear of all these over the top restaurants; It's not about money or being cheap; It's about not wanting to pay for the restaurant's unnecessarily flashy choice of decor, fittings and location; i am willing to bet that even the paani poori or samosa chaat at this place (and others like it) is something like 20-30 rials if not more; we all know paani poori is a cheap as chips street food in India, everyone and their dog eats it freely and you would explode if you ate the amount of paani poori you would get for that price in India; this is what i have a problem with; ridiculous prices in order to recover costs; I'm not paying 30 rials for paani poori even if i was a multimillionaire; because i don't like being ripped off; I've grown up and lived in every gulf country, tried all these new flashy places and even today, the old is better than the new; old places like lebanese shawarma and marmara istanbul still have better shawarma than any 100 rial fancy showy 5 star shawarma and turkey central and other old superstars still are the oldest and best places to gorge on grilled meat; the flashy and new money crowd are welcome to go hand over their cash and humour these new needlessly posh places; I've spent my life here and like the rest of the old money crowd, would rather go to a 40 year old place where i would actually get a world class drool worthy meal at its fair price...rant over...i love food and can talk all day about it and can type some more if that wasn't enough haha :-)
accha: i agree; if you're going to plug a new upscale restaurant and give it a glowing review, you should at least include a link to a menu with prices; in any case and even though allah has blessed me with enough to enjoy as many nice meals as i want, i prefer to steer clear of all these over the top restaurants; It's not about money or being cheap; It's about not wanting to pay for the restaurant's unnecessarily flashy choice of decor, fittings and location; i am willing to bet that even the paani poori or samosa chaat at this place (and others like it) is something like 20-30 rials if not more; we all know paani poori is a cheap as chips street food in India, everyone and their dog eats it freely and you would explode if you ate the amount of paani poori you would get for that price in India; this is what i have a problem with; ridiculous prices in order to recover costs; I'm not paying 30 rials for paani poori even if i was a multimillionaire; because i don't like being ripped off; I've grown up and lived in every gulf country, tried all these new flashy places and even today, the old is better than the new; old places like lebanese shawarma and marmara istanbul still have better shawarma than any 100 rial fancy showy 5 star shawarma and turkey central and other old superstars still are the oldest and best places to gorge on grilled meat; the flashy and new money crowd are welcome to go hand over their cash and humour these new needlessly posh places; I've spent my life here and like the rest of the old money crowd, would rather go to a 40 year old place where i would actually get a world class drool worthy meal at its fair price...rant over...i love food and can talk all day about it and can type some more if that want enough haha :-)
Paani Poori wow i like to try it ASAP....
Two questions come into my mind after seeing the pictures and going through your article. First, for how long does one need to save to meet the costs of a "pait bhar kar" meal? Second, can one lick his fingers freely after a meal without having eyes rolling, or is the restaurant for the upper, sophisticated lot? As you said Indians form the majority of foreigners in Qatar but among this majority, the majority cannot afford to pay more than QR 25 per meal.