It was the last Wednesday of 2016, when my friend invited me to meet her over lunch at the Spice Market in W Hotel Doha. We’ve been planning to do this catch up like months ago, but usually ended up being cancelled due to our busy schedules. Reservation is usually a must if you are going to dine in some restaurants here, but we didn’t make any since the time that we chose is not that busy. I arrived a little earlier than her, so after giving my name and the number of guest to the receptionist, I was escorted right away to the table where we will be seated. This was my second time dining at this resto, the first was during a Friday Brunch, which I totally enjoyed.
The waiters were very attentive and accommodating in asking for what I want. The warm welcome that I received, matched the cozy set up of the restaurant. When my friend arrived, we checked out the menu. They are serving mostly authentic south east asian dishes and they have some dining options such as the Bento Box and Sushi Express. There’s also a wide variety of mocktails and cocktails. Since I’ve got an Entertainer Qatar voucher (I will tell you more about this below), and the offer there was free a Bento Box for every Bento Box ordered, then that is what we got.
Whenever I hear the word Bento Box, the first thing that usually comes into my mind is a meal that is inside a box shaped container. But here at Spice Market, it is served in small bowls placed in a wooden tray. For your Bento Box, you have to select one for each variety of soups, salads, appetizers and entrees, which will be served all together; plus one dessert which you will get to enjoy after your meal. If you are not sure on what to select, just ask the waiter for any recommendation, since that’s what we did, and he didn’t failed us.
While waiting for our food, we were given a complimentary snack. It was a chip with a curry dip. I usually don’t like the taste and aroma of curries, but I was surprised that I was able to eat plenty of this, I don’t know why, probably my taste buds have already evolved. When our Bento Box was served, I initially thought that it would not fill me up. The serving size for each dish looks so small, but I was wrong, I felt full after consuming everything on my tray (which only proves I love to eat). But I guess for somebody who got a big appetite, one serving of the Bento is not enough, so might as well order something else. All the dishes served were tasty and delicious, can’t think of other words to describe them.
This is how it looks like.
These were the dishes I chose. Top left: Soup – Chicken and Coconut Soup; Top Right: Salad – Green Papaya Salad; Bottom Right: Appetizer – Salt and Pepper Calamari; Bottom Left: Entree – Pad Thai.
Drinks – Raspberry and Lychee Juice (I forgot the real name) and Ovaltine Kulfi for the dessert.
The ambience of the restaurant is just so calm and relaxing, the South East Asian vibe can be felt all over. You can have your business meetings, night out with friends, family dinner or even a date at this place.Ā We spent almost 2 hours at the resto because of non stop talking and sharing of stories.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant, not just the Bento Box but also their Ala Carte, Friday Brunch and other dining options.
Expense Breakdown:
This is the amount that we paid. It was kinda cheap because of the Entertainer voucher. Aside from this, we also gave a tip, which I already forgot how much.
Entertainer VoucherĀ
Entertainer Voucher is a buy one get one free offers to restaurants, hotels, spas, activities and attractions in Middle East and other countries, valid for the whole year. You can buy it as a book or as an app on your phone.
P.S.:
I know this is a restaurant and food review, but I can’t help not including this on my post. haha..
Maria Ingrid 
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