Sunday Brunch Episode 6: Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge – À La Carte Dining

I can’t believe it’s almost two years since Kevy and I had an adventure in Jordan. This trip wasn’t in our initial plan, but due to the Gulf Blockade, we had to reroute the return portion of our Qatar Airways ticket elsewhere because all Qatar Airways flights from/to Egypt were banned.

We decided to rebook our flight from Philadelphia to Amman via Doha. In theory, it was a business class ticket, but since the last segment was marketed as first-class, we had access to one of the best and most exclusive lounges in the world, Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge.

Our flight landed in Doha on Christmas Eve. We headed to the lounge, showered, and get ready for brunch. To our surprise, the server told us that they had a special Christmas menu. Yes, Christmas is celebrated in the Middle East. Sometimes, it’s even more festive there than it is here.

The menu reads as follows:

SOUP
Potato and leek

French onion

SALAD
Balik salmon

Calamari

Chicken corden bleu

Green pea tart

MAINS
Risotto

Traditional turkey roulade

Herb crusted lamb rack

Ribeye steak

Halibut fillet

Lobster thermidor

DESSERT
Hazelnut chocolate truffle bomb

Fully loaded chocolate and marshmallow pizza slice

Festive pudding

Appaliki

Assorted oriental petit fours

I ordered balik salmon served with a small serving of caviar, cucumber, I ordered Balik salmon served with a small serving of caviar, cucumber, fennel salad with orange dressing. It was yummy! I think cured salmon is a classic dish that is hard to mess up.

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For starter, Kevy ordered french onion soup, served with herb cheese and crouton. I think he enjoyed it, but it was too basic for me. 😉

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As you might guess, we both ordered lobster thermidor — creamy lobster stew served with bundled Kenya beans and garlic parsley whipped potatoes. It was delicious!

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Finally, we decided to share desserts. We ordered Hazelnut chocolate truffle bomb — chocolate truffle, hazelnut croquant with hot chocolate sauce; Festive pudding — accompanied with crème anglaise and redcurrants; and Appaliki — green apple, celery mousse with leek jam, cinnamon gel and toasted berries.

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Thoughts

Having brunch at a proper sit-down restaurant inside Al Safwa First Class Lounge was such a nice treat. The dining experience was elevated even more with the holiday menu offering. I can’t wait for my next opportunity to revisit the lounge, hopefully soon!