Dean & Deluca Doha

This gourmet deli recently opened in the Villagio mall and is fast becoming a popular lunch spot for the ladies who lunch. The food counter prepares fresh sandwiches and hearty salads or even berry pancakes for an indulgent breakfast. All at premium of course but portions looked generous. Sandwiches set you back about 45 riyals and soups between 30-45 riyals. We lusted after the platters of beautiful meals and opted to allow ourselves a little treat to takeaway.

The choices were endless but we picked something that we had not seen or heard before. Golden globes of something with toasted almonds caught our eye. A Syrian dish called Ouzi. The chef explained it as a spiced lamb and rice mixture wrapped in phyllo pastry.

It was about size of my palm and we bunged it in the microwave to heat it up slightly before tucking in.

The filling was extremely tasty with almonds, pistachios and the rice sweet and perfumed with cinnamon. I loved it and wolfed it down too quickly. It reminded me of chinese banana leaf wrapped Ba Zhang.

I found the recipe online and am keen to try it one day. Well have a great weekend everyone !