Fy Cafe, Doha, Qatar
Barwa Towers (Al Saad Neighborhood), Doha, Qatar
If there is one thing that Doha does, it is over the top and sometimes excessive elegance. The city is studded with stunning hotels that all seem to boast their own unique restaurant and spa. The lobbies are decked with marble or unique stone and often topped off with glass chandeliers. The contrast of the area sometimes makes me forget that I’m in the middle of a desert on a peninsula. One weekend, a few friends and I headed to the Sharq, a Ritz Carlton Hotel on the water which has an unbeatable outdoor pool area.
We matched the vibe of the day by going to the elaborate and highly picturesque Fy Cafe for a coffee pick-up. Little did we know that we’d be tempted by fabulous menu items that would keep us at Fy a little longer.
Fy Cafe
Fy Cafe is situated in an outdoor rotunda along a busy street-way with very little to no public parking nearby, quite possibly the greatest negative about this restaurant. We ended up paying a nearby shop owner, who apparently had exclusive parking just to his restaurant. We ended up paying him about $10 so we park in what felt like a bribe instead of an actual transcation. Insert eye roll here.
After we walked in, we quickly forgot about the parking. The inside of the cafe was gorgeous. A welcoming crew beckoned us in and we discovered this isn’t the type of place you just come to pick up coffee. Fy Cafe has an expansive menu list, to include dishes large and small. It was about 1030 AM , so we were most interested in the breakfast/brunch menu items. But first, coffee.
I’d been drinking single-origin pour-overs at work, so I was ready for an espresso based option. I’m fairly predictable, meaning I went for my favorite: a flat white. Being that this is primarily a restaurant, I wasn’t expecting the coffee to be that good. But friends, it was actually really good! It was quality made with the right milk/espresso ratio and was properly micro-foamed. Never judge a book by its cover I suppose!
I really wanted to get the Rose Late, because I’d seen one already that looked so pretty. However, I’d had my fill of sugary coffee… So instead, I convinced a friend to order one and let me take a picture (the first one at the top). Go ahead and judge me. It’s okay. I probably would too.
After our meals, I wanted to get my hands on some espresso to ease my food belly. I opted for a Middle Eastern treat, Karak, but this time tried it iced. Reference the write-up on another coffee shop Flat White, to read more about Karak. It wasn’t bad, but I think I’d recommend sticking to drinking Karak in its hot form.
Okay, now let’s discuss the main event. Food.
The food menu really takes primacy in Fy Cafe. If you look at most reviews online, they’ll talk about the expansive dessert menu. The cakes are all served is such a pleasing aesthetic manner. You really feel like you’re getting something crafted and unique. The brunch menu boasted a number of unique dishes, most of them were spins on known dishes, but they were made to the nth degree. The ones we couldn’t resist are below. From top to bottom: Avocado Toast, Shakshuka, Nutella and Pistachio Pancakes topped with cotton candy. All of them were excellent. I was the odd ball who ordered the pancakes, because they looked so inedible, yet delicious with the hair-like cotton candy on top!
After tasting my friends food, I’d recommend the Shakshuka first because it’s unique and this was made fairly spicy and thus well. Next, I’d say the Avocado toast. It had everything! Thick bread, avo, arugula, pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds, parmesan and a poached egg. Pretty much avo perfection. The pancakes were yummy but so incredibly sweet I couldn’t finish it all. You could almost call it candy. I think the pancakes were in fact made from cake batter. It was pretty next-sugar-level type stuff.
The interior was like a boutique in itself. The wild sticks on the ceilings and the flower bouquets, mixed with the elegant white crown molding and chic plastic chairs were a neat combination. I almost felt underdressed in myT-shirt dress. I could completely see me and my girlfriends coming to this place on a Saturday. There was a group of four women in the full Abaya’s meeting each right next to us, laughing and enjoying their brunch together. It reminds me of a quote by Maya Angelou that “we are more alike than we are unalike.’ It’s neat to see that women gather around breakfast all over the world.
