Here There and Everywhere

Turkey Central

Going back to Turkey Central on Merqab Street in Doha, was both like a home coming, and a big surprise. It was the second place AdventureMan took me when I arrived the first time in Doha (Fakr al Din, the first place, is no longer there), and it was a place a lot of people hung out.

Through the years, it has had a roller-coaster reputation, sometimes closed for renovations, sometimes closed for health / sanitation violations, but – when open – packed with people in search of reasonably priced, outstandingly tasty dishes.

It’s not one of AdventureMan’s favorite places, but it is one of mine! 😉 So the night we went to the Doha Clinic to get our blood-types – beginning the endless process of paperwork and hurdles for our residency in Qatar – he agreed to take me to Turkey Central.

Oh, YUM.

In the first place, when we walked in it all looks immaculately clean. Cooks and servers are wearing hats to keep stray hair from falling into food. Tables are now granite, chairs are comfy.

The food is wonderful. The place is packed. Our old friend sees us come in and comes over to greet us. We feel at home.

We decided to try some new mezzes (appetizer / salads) instead of our same old, same old hummous, tabouli, mouttable. We tried the chili salad (made of sweet red peppers, not the hot kind, and excellent), the baba ghannoush (actually, we have had this before at TC and love it ) and the moussaka (no meat moussaka) which we both agreed was THE BEST.

The best part of all is the Turkey Central bread, hot, fresh from the oven, and covered with sesame seeds:

AdventureMan ordered the Mixed Grill:

and I ordered my old favorite, shish taouk (marinated, grilled boneless chicken pieces):

Too much food! I walked out with a big bag of leftovers, enough to cover a week of lunches!

June 7, 2009 - Posted by intlxpatr | Bureaucracy, Doha, Eating Out, ExPat Life, Food, Health Issues, Hygiene, Living Conditions, Qatar