idam by alain ducasse - ادام

located in the heart of doha in the museum of islamic art , restaurant offers stunning panoramic views of the city skyline. the interior design is really exquisite and elegant, i would say luxurious and comfortable ambiance at the same time.
i had a chance to visit the restaurant for business lunch and had the bestdininglunch experience in town. exquisite and good quality food, amazing cocktails, attentive staff and impeccable service.
will definitely visit them for dinner or special occasion.  worth to experience truly finediningin doha.

have had the pleasure ofdining3 times now at idam by alain ducasse; twice for lunch and once for a sohour last ramadan and each occasion has been a delight!
the restaurant is located in the beautiful museum of islamic art here in doha, with the fabulous interior designed by world-renowned french designer, philippe starck. guests can avail of fantastic views of the doha skyline through the floor to ceiling windows, while they dine.
the first time i dined at idam was to sample the ramadan sohour menu that commenced with a selection of 3 mezze; saffron cromesquis, baby leave and green samboussek, fattouche salad, rabbit and foie gras pate, summer flower and vegetable salad and french snails.
the starter consisted of delicate "harira" soup or chilled tomato "consomme" minestrone. i chose the consomme and it was was very good.
a crockpot of lightly spiced vegetables or a cumin zucchini crockpot, flower and sage followed. i chose the first option and again, it was excellent.
our mains consisted of free range chicken, coco-curry and basmati rice or roasted wild hammour with soft and crunchy egyptian rice. i had the chicken, which was perfectly cooked.
a plate-cleanser of poached peach with redcurrant granite or roasted apricots and iran pistachio followed and then our dessert of date souffle with laban sorbet (which was fantastic and a stand-out dish for me!). idam always follows their meals by offering guests a great selection of chocolates, meringues and other sweets (and arabic pastries in ramadan) and offers a great selection of fresh juices and mocktails.
on my second visit to idam, i had lunch there, which consisted of: mrouzia lamb risolles, winter white vegetable and black truffle salad, marinated bonite fish from the arabian gulf with lemon gold caviar, kabssa free range chicken with cereals and lemon and soft, crunchy and iced iranian pistachio to finish. again, it was a great experience.
on my last visit, we partook in a healthy lunch as part of a healthy eating initiative at qiff 2016. chef alain ducasse was in attendance too, which made the meal even more special. we started with chickpeas and lentils in harira vinegrette, vegetable and flower salad with a black truffle condiment, marinated wild red prawns with gold caviar, crockpot of tiny spelt, seasonal vegetables and herb pesto and roasted and confit citrus. the meal was very light, fresh and tasty (and healthy!).
in summary, the food at idam is always innovative, fresh and extremely tasty. staff are very well trained and knowledgeable and the location is fantastic. prices are high, but the food is of extremely high quality. they do, however, offer a 3 course business lunch on wed, thurs and sat from 12.30-3pm for qr 200, which would be a great way to check out this great restaurant, but not break the bank.

indulging ourselves in a finediningafternoon tea in the first day of the year while overlooking the westbay skyline.

definitely a once in a lifetime experience. thank you @idambyalainducasse

idam has its own atmosphere, all the way from the kitchen to the very welcoming and hospitable service. it's a unique experience, from the chairs and tables to the giant rug that carries a lovely story in every line, the mesmerizing view, the simply beautiful chairs, and the amazing humor that gets thrown around to lighten the overwhelming luxury of thediningarea, the chefs are absolutely delightful, each and every one of the crew is an interesting character to pick, i definitely recommend this place, strongly.

dining here is definitely an experience. alain ducasse stirs up some culinary marvels and each dish is better than the other. i love the soup here and lamb with rice is excellent although slightly salty. i have mixed feelings about the ambience. although it's finediningthere is something industrialish about the interiors and it doesn't work for me. and this is the only reason i'm giving it a 3.5. unparalleled view of the ocean from here.

idam was a delicious experience. there is a table on the ground floor where a host escorts you to an elevator for the restaurant. the host asked us if we had a reservation which we indeed had, she looked at a list as though they were fully booked only for us to see we were the only 2diningthere at 1pm for lunch.

the decorations are beautiful and simplistic due to the highlight being the gorgeous view of doha outside the large window. the waiter took good care of us giving advice on what to pick.

we ordered 3 mezze: blue crab and coco-curry bourek along with 2 others that are not on the menu anymore. the crab was scrumptious, i highly suggest it, perfectly crisp on the outside not oily and bountiful amounts of fresh blue crab. i think for the price these were the perfect size.

for main course we got the two ways ‘bresse’ duckling, local dates and my parter got the speciality tender camel, duck foie gras-black truffle, souffléed potatoes. the speciality got me jealous as my measly two way duckling was surely delicious however not on the level of the tenderness and succulent-ness of the camel with the foie gras. what i dont understand is why only that dish gets the potatoes? my dish felt incomplete and left me hungry. after kidding to the waiter that my boyfriend got a special treatment, they served me a free drink!

overall i would suggest the restaurant, scrumptious food, great service, at a reasonable price.

by far the most extraordinary food in doha. alain ducasse's menu showcases local ingredients cooked using classical french cooking techniques... the signature being a braised camel with foie gras a la rossini. i prefer the lunch setting when sunlight streams in and illuminates the cavernousdiningroom. plus the set lunch is a mega deal compared with the evening ala carte.

this is by far and large the bestdiningexperience i've ever had in doha, and that includesdiningin the recently closed qusine by guy savoy. alain duccasse truely did this region justice with his artful use of fresh local ingredients in truly explosive ways! now, i've been eating almost everything on the menu since i was a kid (yes, that also includes camel meat which is usually served for special occasions such as weddings and eid in our culture), and even with that it was definitely a spectacular journey to my palette.

a few notes:
- this place is crazy expensive even compared to other finediningvenues around the world, better save up for a special occasion.

- i remember i came here for a friend's birthday once and i took my family out here when i graduated. both times i got the experience menu which was 700+qr each and both times i was not disappointed!

- did i mention i spotted football legend rauldininghere with his wife once?

- sometimes they have live music which was a wonderful addition to an already spectacular venue (the i.m. pei designed museum of islamic art is also my favorite building in qatar)

- make sure you reserve your table in advance. they will receive you like royalty from the moment you hop off your car right by the museum's door until the (surprise which i won't spoil) at the end.

- get the camel! even if you think it would taste strange and you want to play it safe. i assure you it's the star of the restaurant and you will not be disappointed! also get alain's signature cookpot!

- they don't serve alcohol. but wait! while i know many many many expats would consider this a deal breaker i've actually heard from a couple of my alcohol drinking colleagues that they were not disappointed with the creative ways in which this challenge pushed alain to create some of the finest drinks they've had!

my one (and only) criticism of this place is that at times it can be quite empty. one time we were actually the only table at the whole restaurant! felt like we rented the whole place to ourselves. but that is understandable due to the nature of this restaurant and their prices.

lastly, they do have a reasonably priced lunch menu but i haven't tried it yet so i won't comment on that.

do note that the whole museum is closed on tuesdays and some holidays, so again, do book before you go! (tel: 44224488)