Baladna The Farm

http://www.baladna.co/en/home.aspx

Visits: 10 February 2017, 4pm
Taste: 3/5
Cost performance: 2/5
Location: Off of Shamal Road in Al Khor (Exit 40), follow Google Map

Baladna is a sheep farm, located in Al Khor, off of Shamal (North) Road, Exit 40, we followed Google Map to reach here.

It is a huge farm with 20,000 sheeps, equipped with the meat and other product factories, a restaurant, a cafe and shops selling their product.

Visited with a friend for late lunch at 4pm on Friday.
The restaurant was crowded with Arabic people. Initially we were told to come back at 6pm, but somehow we managed to get the table from a group of guest just finished their meal, showing that they were not really organized allocating the tables for waiting guests.

The restaurant was not big, but quite nice, with few unique stations.
There was a station for the popular pot, meat and vegetable stew covered with a pie, and baked in the charcoal stove.
There was also another station for fresh labna (yoghurt), desert, meat meal.
We ordered the pot, the meat meal and labna, and paid QAR 327, not cheap, but we enjoyed the meal, though it was too oily for us.

We also tasted the halawa cheese desert, a chilled desert, and was good. QAR 40 for half kilo, can be kept for 3 days in the fridge.

After the meal, we did a small excursion, provided for free, on a golf car.
The driver answered our questions about the farm.
We saw so many sheeps.
Mainly, they are breeding Syrian sheep for the meat. There were also Syrian goat for the milk.

After the excursion, we visited the cafe which was selling chawpati and drank karak tea (QAR 6).

Our bill:
- Baladna breakfast tray, QAR 149 --> the pot
- Lamb Cutlets 400g, QAR 135
- Americano, QAR 15
- Capuccino, QAR 18
- Fresh Ayran Glass, QAR 10

Green Gate in Al Khor

Last visits: 29 January 2017, dinner
Taste: 3/5
Cost performance: 3/5
Location: Al Khor

This restaurant became less crowded after opening of Panoor Restaurant in the town.
After visiting Panoor these months, we decided to visit Green Gate again, after some Indian colleagues said they preferred Green Gate over Panoor.

For me, Green Gate won over Chicken Lollypop and the bread (Nan) basket, but other gravy items, I prefer Panoor.
I liked the prawn butter masala, but other gravy items were not that good.

We ordered rare duck mappas listed in special of the day (3 duck menu), but I didn't like it.

Our bill:
- Chicken Lollypop, QAR 15
- Duck Mappas, QAR 22
- Prawn Butter Masala, QAR 25
- Hakka Noodles, QAR 15
- Bhindi Masala, QAR 14
- Palak Paneer, QAR 15
- Manchow Soup, Hot n Sour Soup, Lentil Soup, QAR 10
- Tandoori Chicken Full, QAR 28
- Ice cream (2 scoop from Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Mango), QAR 20
- Mineral water (1.5 ltr), QAR 2

Pearl of Beirut in Al Khor

Visit: 25 November 2016, lunch
Taste: 4/5
Cost performance: 5/5
Location: Al Khor, in front of the fish market

Quite a while, didn't come to this restaurant.
Ensured again that this place was good.
My colleague was also happy with this place.
My favorites were Beef Sisig, Mie Goreng, Kangkong.
I didn't like the Nasi Goreng.
The Grilled Salmon was bit too rare, then they replaced with a new one when we reported, and the manager apologized sincerely, wanted to give for free if we hadn't already paid yet.

Batteel, Bakery and Cafe

The cakes werw great.
Our company always order their cakes for celebration.
Several types of cake including Mango Mouse, Capuccino and Honey (my favorite).
Some cakes are always ready and no need advance order.
The ready cake is 1.5 kg, and cost QAR 132.
Candles are charged, the number shape one cost QAR 10 each.

The branch in Al Khor just moved to Al Khor Mall Food Court.
Not only bakery now, they sell also warm food.
Chatted with the staff, the sell was better when they were outside.
And the warm food takes about 20 minutes to prepare, not suitable for food court.

Panoor, Al Khor

Visit: 17 November 2016, dinner
Taste: 4/5
Cost performance: 4/5
Location: Al Khor, nearby the commercial center where McDonald's and Hardees are located


This restaurant has grown to become the most popular Indian restaurant in Al Khor.
I made reservation for a colleague birthday, and they did a "Happy Birthday" small decoration for us. I bought a cake from outside and they help keeping the cake in the refrigerator and provided us plates to eat the cake.
Since some other guests were waiting for our seat, they expedited us to leave the venue though...
 
My favorites are still Chicken Lollypop and Goby Manchurian, but my colleagues ordered Okra Curry and Cheese Spinach Curry and I loved them.
Bamboo Biryani was so so. Tandoor Plater was not good, the meat was not soft.

Here was our order:
- Plater, QAR 40
- Prawns Chowmien, QAR 22
- Chicken Chatti Curry, QAR 34 --> came in a hot pot with fire, but I don't like the taste
- Masala Kulcha, QAR 3
- Butter Chicken Masala, QAR 30
- Mutton Kadai, QAR 32
- Plain Nan, QAR 2
- Chicken Bamboo Biryani, QAR 18
- Palak Paneer Half, QAR 20
- Gobi Manchurian Dry, QAR 26
- Chicken Lollypop, QAR 32
- Bindi Masala Fry, QAR 24 --> Okra Curry
- Porata, QAR 1
- Banana Lassi, Mango Lassi, QAR 10
- Mango Milk Shake, QAR 12
- Pomegranate Regular, QAR 10
- Lemon Mint, QAR 8
- Cocktail Milkshake, QAR 12
- Weight Loss, QAR 16

Rotana @ Al Khor

Last visits: 3 September 2016
Taste: 3/5
Cost performance: 4/5
Location: Al Khor

It is basically an Indian Restaurant, but like other Indian restaurants, they sell also various food like Chinese and Arabic.
I think the taste was average.
It is not expensive, we were 5 and spent QAR 180, but we added desert then it became QAR 228.
My favourite was Gobi Manchurian Dry.
I think I prefer Panoor and Green Gate better.

Here was our bill:
- Golden Fried Prawn, QAR 21 --> tempura of small shrimp
- Mix Pancit, QAR 15 --> fried noodle
- Butter Chicken Masala, QAR 18
- Gobi Manchurian Dry, QAR 13
- Prawns Curry, QAR 21
- Kerala Paratha, QAR 2 per piece --> better than normal paratha
- Avoli Porichu Varati, QAR 35 --> fried curry fish
- Beef Ularthiyathu, QAR 16 --> like Indonesian rendang
- Butter Naan, QAR 3
- Fish Masala, QAR 17
- Rotana Special, QAR 14 --> desert, mixed juice with vanilla ice
- Thabakath, QAR 14 --> mix of 3 layers of juices
- Thalayani small, QAR 6 --> mix juice

Thabakath, 3 layers of juices

Rotana Special

Beef Ularthiyathu

Mix Pancit

Avoli Porichu Varati

Kerala Paratha

Butter Chicken Masala

Golden Fried Prawn

Gobi Manchurian Dry

Royal Tandoor Al Khor

Last visits: 30 August 2016
Taste: 4/5
Cost performance: 2/5
Location: Al Khor Mall upper floor

Indian fine dining in Al Khor Mall.
Expensive.
Though the butter naan and the prawn curry were good.
The garlic naan, too much garlic put inside (between the layer).
The photo and the name of the desert "Karak Chai Tiramisu" were so tempting, but it was disappointing, despite the expensive price, it was not freshly made, just taken from refrigerator.
I don't think I will return.

Here is my bill:
- Prawn curry, QAR 70
- Butter naan, QAR 5
- Lasooni naan, QAR 6
- Karak Chai Tiramisu, QAR 35
- Perrier water, QAR 12