Bahri Restaurant - Doha

Bahri - Inside Town Center, Opposite Al Ahli Hospital / Civil Services, Bin Omran, Doha

Cuisine: Egyptian

All reviews will be based on the Cuisine and Fare the restaurant/outlet is known for / specialized in.

This review is based on inputs from myself as well as fellow foodies who have accompanied me to this restaurant. 


ALL RATING ARE IN THE SCALE OF 5. A rating of 5 mean Excellent while 1 is Poor.

FOOD: RATING 4 OUT OF 5.

This place only has 3 items where in the Main Star of the show is the Feteer meshaltet (as they are called in Arabic) which is an Egyptian version of a pie that translates roughly to cushioned pies.

Basically it is a square pie in form of a cushion or a pillow that is filled with anything under the moon (Sweet & Savory) along with a genours helping of Mozarella Cheese and some truly Egyptian cheeses like Akawi & Roumy.

The other two main items are Pizza and Pasta along with a few sandwiches and side dishes.

Item 1 – Main Course – Cheese Feteer / Cheese Pies (Savory)

If you are fan of pastry and cheese then you should order one of the Cheese Pies. Mind you! Do not ignore this pastry as a Manakeesh or Pide, this guy here is way more riches and cheesier!!

My top picks are as follows

·         Kiri Cheese & Zaatar – I guess there is no need of an explanation.

·         Kraft Cheese with Honey – This is main ocurse one and not a sweet

Order this and you are richly feed with cheese!!

There is one pastry with the Roumsy Cheese. It has a distinct flavor. A cheese lover should try it.

Item 2 – Main Course – Meat Feteer / Meat Pies (Savory)

The meat pies is the game changer and the SUPER STAR of this joint. SLURP!!

The meat used are of many types including Sausage, Egypian Pastrami, Pepperoni which are all mixed with cheese and veggies.

My go to item is the Meat Pastry – Minced Meat , Mozarella, Roumy Cheese & dash of fresh veggies.

If you are fan of other meats mentioned above, they make pies using those meat only but I am not a use cold cut meats fan hence I stick to the minced meat version.

Meat Pastry / Meat Fateera

Meat Pastry / Meat Fateera

Meat Pastry / Meat Fateera

Item 3 – Main Course – Chicken Feteer / Chicken Pies (Savory)

I haven’t ordered the Chicken Pies but the general consensus among my Egyptian food experts is that Mix Chicken pastry is the good one.

Item 4 – Main Course – Seafood Feteer / Seafood Pies (Savory)

Seafood and Pastry is not something I indulge in especially when you are aware that the seafood may be mostly frozen / packed ones rather than the fresh catch of the day.

The Tuna Pastry has been recommended by some but I have not tried it yet.

Item 5 – Main Course – Sweet Feteer / Sweet Pies (Sweet)

The true Egyptians are lords of sweet (aka SUGAR and HONEY!!) so it comes as no surprise that the largest variety of pies are under the Sweet Pies category. The items listed here covers almost all sweet elements including Arabic sweets.

I am yet to have one from Bahri as I am usual stuffing myself with the Savoury ones!!

But I have ate loads and loads of these sweet pies from other outlets and they are all SUGAR BOMBS!! The ultimate sugar rush is an understatement. Anyways here are my top picks

•  Honey Moon Pastry– Cream, Custard, Sugar, Nuts, Arabic Sweets wrapped in a flaky pie!
• Basbosa Pastry– Basbosa, Cream & Custard
•  Choclate & Banana – Banana & Nutella / Hazelnut Spread.

·          

Item 6 – Main Course – Veggie Feteer / Veggie Pies (Savory)

There is only one LEGEND in this menu list

·         Vegetable Pastry– Falafel, Tomato, Olives, Mushroom & Cheese

Item 7 – Main Course – Pizzas

Choose any of the fillings of the above mentioned savory pies and top it on to a Pizza Base.

Mind You! There Pizzas are not the ones you experience in a typical pizza joint. This a truly Egyptian masterpiece made for the dough of the Egyptian style breads.

I always prefer the Chicken Pizzas that Bahri serves the meat ones are usually the cold cut meats which I mentioned earlier I am not a big fan.

There are two versions of the chicken and both are worth the try

• ·         Chicken Pie – Shredded Chicken, Mozarella, Olives & dash of fresh veggies
• ·         Mixed Chicken Pie – Shredded Chicken, Turkey ham, Mozarella, Olives, Mushroom & dash of fresh veggies

Chicken Pizza

Chicken Pizza

SERVICE – 3.5 OUT OF 5

The place is known of its home delivery and this does take toll on the service during rush hours / peak weekend hours. The main reason is the guy taking the order at the tables also is the delivery coordinator. Hence the priority of orders can get mixed up.

Moreover, there is only one Chef who prepares this magical pastry hence, he may tend to get overloaded with orders.

 LOCATION – 4 OUT 5

The Town Center is dead bang in the middle of Bin Omran, within the vicinity of many landmarks like Bein Tv Studios, Al Ahli Hospital etc hence there is no need of google maps to find this place.

Parking can be an issue at time especially in weekends as this place has one of the largest outlets of McDonalds, Petra & KFC and add to it a big outlet of Rawnaq.

PRICING: 4 out of 5 (5 means cheapest while 1 means expensive)

I rate this place 4 (The wallet may be needed)

The generous portion size, good quantity and the wonderful taste.

A medium sized Pie or Pizza is good for 2 but I suggest you order 2 mediums (1 Pie & 1 Pizza). That should cost you around 55-65 riyals including drinks.

AMBIANCE: 3 OUT 5

This place is fan-favorite among the Egyptian community in Doha so in the weekend / rush hours expect a lot of loud ranter, laughs and noisy kids. The vibe sends you to one of those busy cafes of Egypt.

The Pie Station (including the oven) is a part of the seating area hence when it is crowded and the oven is running on full heat, the air conditioning may take time to cool of the place. Nevertheless, the place is a hole-in-the-wall / down right casual joint so the ambiance has to be a little hectic.

DECOR AND SEATING CAPACITY – 2.5 OUT 5

Simple tables and chairs. There is about 8-9 tables but they are closely packed so expect a few nudges and budges when the occupants of the neighboring table moves about.

There is no separate family section / table and the washroom is okay but can get messy at peak hours.

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5.

The Egyptian community just like the Indian one is a huge fraternity of the Expat community in the Middle East and hence their food culture is rather wide and in a way cluttered by some common / usual suspects that many think is the main food of that nation.

So, if you ever thought that the Egyptian Cuisine is all about livers, sausages, falafel and foul, then I am afraid the foodie in us has been gravely misinformed because Bahri is a restaurant that stays true to its Egyptian roots.

This little restaurant in Bin Omran is a true testimony to the Egyptian fraternity in Doha and is indeed of those unique restaurants where food makes any hungry person happy and content. Bahri is very much imbibed by the Egyptian culture of good rich food with a vibrant overwhelming feel of being in Egypt (i.e when the place is rush hour).

Al Amoor Express - Barsha - Dubai

Al Amoor Express – Next to Al Ansari Exchange, Near Mall of the Emirates, Barsha 1, Dubai

Cuisine: Egyptian

All reviews will be based on the Cuisine and Fare the restaurant/outlet is known for / specialised in.

ALL RATING ARE IN THE SCALE OF 5. A rating of 5 mean Excellent while 1 is Poor.

This review is based on inputs from myself as well as fellow foodies who have accompanied me.

FOOD: RATING 4 OUT OF 5.

Item 1 – Sandwiches – Falafel Sandwiches – The Egyptian Falafel unlike their other Arab Counterparts are bigger and crispier. It is more like the Indian Vada. Big, Crunchy, Moist inside and tasty! Amoor has a variety of Falafel sandwiches but here are my best picks

•         Falafel (Mixed Fried Veg) – Normal Falafel Sandwich. Yum!
•         Falafel (Stuffed) – This is a bomb! A good filler!
•        Falafel (Foul) – This is the stuff of legends. A Whole Meal itself.

Item 2 – Sandwiches – Foul Sandwiches – The Egyptian Fouls (Fava Beans) are to die for and Amoor makes sure you die with a hearty tummy and an irreversible smile!

I am not a huge fan of Sandwiches with a Foul filling (unless they mix falafel with it!). If you are new to Foul and do not know how it tastes, I suggest you try on of the Fouls Sandwiches as a sampler before ordering foul as a main dish / course.

I suggest you try the Alexandrian Foul Sandwich with a tinge of hot sauce.

PS: The word Foul is pronounced as Fo-oul

Item 3 – Dishes – Foul: The Foul dishes that Al Amoor carves out of those Fava beans are the true representation of Amoor’s rich Egyptian heritage. There is quite a few legendary dishes the best are as follows 

•        Alexandria Foul – If you are in for authentic Egyptian then this is must try and is true to its name. The fava beans are mashed to a more creamy texture.
•         Foul With Eggs – This is typical foul dish where you can see the whole cooked fava beans that is topped with boiled egg pieces.
•         Foul with Sauce – Name here is a misnomer, the Sauce here actually mean a Salsa salad which is topped on to the fava beans.



Alexandria Foul

All dishes are served with freshly made bread. There is some olive oil and sauces on each table for you to add as condiments to flavour the dish.

Freshly Made Bread

Item 4 – Dishes - Falafel: This is easy, Just order a plate of Falafel. They in a plate of 5 wonderful falafel accompanied by fresh bread and tahini.

Falafel

Item 5 – Dishes – Others:  Egytpian cuisine is not just about falafel and fouls. They do have some other killer dishes. Al Amoor does its part in getting them in the spotlight but I believe these dishes are so traditional Egyptian that the more orders are from Egyptian expats rather than from expats.

All I can say is the other expats are missing a huge part!

Here is my pick of the lot

• Musa-quaa – I call it the Egyptian Lasagne. Slices of Eggplant with a filling in them baked and topped with cheese. Yum!
• Liver Dishes – Wow! This is a true Egyptian dish. The flavour profile of Liver is very much an acquired one so newbies may have a little difficultly in tasting this dish but it is good.
• Brain Dish – Now this is where Andrew Zimmern makes his entry! Many amongst us may have an eerie feeling about this dish but it is a famous dish. I am not a brain fan, even after the fact that my hometown in South India is famous for this delicacy. But it seems my fellow foodies (aka one who accept brain as a delicacy) says Al Amoor makes a good dish.

Item 6 – Tagines : Tagines is an authentic Moroccan Dish and I do not know how almost all Egyptian restaurants in Dubai landed this dish in their menu.

Hence I dropped the review

Item 7 – Koshari : I am not a Koshari fan but yet all the reviews I have got from my Arab buddies who have eaten from Al Amoor has said the Koshari is worth the visit.

Item 8 – Pie (aka the Egyptian Fatayers) : The art of fatayers are said to be mastered by the Levantine. I totally agree to that but I would like to add to it that the magic of elevating the art of fatatyer to a hearty meal is totally Egyptian.

Al Amoor does try their hand in it but then not all are top drawer stuff. Here is my pick of the lot

Zaatar Pie

•        Chicken Pie – This is the pick of the lot in the meat & seafood varieties. Shredded chicken filling with cheese and olives. Nice but not wow!
•       Thyme (Zaatar) Pie – This is a Zaatar bomb and the zaatar lover in you will love it.
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•        Thyme (Zaatar) and Labneh Pie – This is for the one who loves Zaatar but do not die for it.
•        Labneh with Falafel – This is a wonderful pie for the veggie lover and also for the Falafel Fan. I just loved this.
•        Roumy Cheese Pie – This is a true Egyptian dish with their all time favourite cheese – Roumy cheese. The cheese does have a good salt quotient to it and distinctive smell / flavour. It is a must have for all cheese lovers (people who classify cheeses as Mozarellla, Cheddar ,Puck, Cream Cheese, Kraft etc are excluded)

 

Chicken Pie

Chicken Pie

Chicken Pie

Item 9– The Honeymoon Pies! – What a strange name for pies! Order one of them and you taste buds will hit the moon with that sweetness and dash of honey!

A sweet tooth foodie will love this part of the menu. The best of them all is Kunafa, Basboosa & Cream pie. SLURP!!

Kunafa,Basboosa & Cream Pie

Kunafa,Basboosa & Cream Pie

SERVICE – 1 OUT OF 5

Oh the agony! The service is bad. Really bad. It is more like they stick loyal to serving their regulars and patrons. Why I say this is because, I have experienced the waiter’s attitude changing from “you don’t exist look” on visit one to “Hello Sir” after half a dozen visits.

The only reason I come here is it is an awesome Egyptian food joint and worth the wait.

LOCATION – 2.5 OUT 5
Al Amoor Express is located just next to the Mall of Emirate and quiet easy to find. The parking is big hassle and you may end up doing the merry-go-round.

If it is during off peak hours, you can park in the Ground Floor Parking of the MoE and just cross the road as well.

PRICING: 5 means cheapest while 1 means expensive.

I rate this place 4.5 (Peanuts is a Currrency!!)

Al Amoor keeps their prices almost uniform no matter which branch you visit.

The Quantity you get for that price is quiet large. For example, any Small pie you order is very much a meal for two.

AMBIANCE: 3.5 OUT 5

Nice Ambiance and well set up. There is pie furnace as well as the whole live kitchen that is visible to the customer but this does not make the place uneasy. As a matter of fact, the live kitchen makes us a little more eager to try out the dishes that come out of the furnace.

There is a lot of wall décor and wall art that depicts a lot of Egyptian themes and personalities.

DECOR AND SEATING CAPACITY – 3.5 OUT 5

The place is quite capable of hosting good group of foodies. They also have an outdoor seating but mind you this is dead bang on the busy road of the MoE so can be noisy.

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5.

Al Amoor is an all-out Egyptian Fare maestro that serves their nation’s favourite dishes with pride. I usually hit this place when I am ravishingly hungry and need an Arabic place that does not do the usual fare of grilled chicken and Shawarma.

Yes! Al Amoor has NO SHAWARMA! That is how authentic they are to Egyptian cuisine.

I always suggest this place for cheap and lazy Arabic Weekend brunch.