QAT: Al Mourjan Business Lounge @ Hamad International Airport

Truly delicious vegetable 'korma' to go with long-grain rice!

Describing itself as a lounge that offers "surroundings that rival those of any 5* hotel", Qatar Airways' flagship Business Class lounge is where I spent my 8-hour layover at Hamad International Airport. Overall, I was impressed by the quality of food and beverages served.

Here are some items that we took from the buffet dining area.

Tomato Soup

My rather late dinner began with a bowl of tomato soup that was rather coarse in terms of texture. I could tell that the tomatoes used were fresh, thus it was delicious. The croutons were perfectly crunchy without being stale at all.

Assorted Stuff #1

I took three items from the colourful array of appetiser dishes presented in small bowls. The hummus (Levantine mashed chickpeas) was lovely, just like the one served onboard QR240 shown in the previous post. I also enjoyed the crab meat with shrimp and the fusilli pasta salad that came with chopped bell peppers.

Assorted Stuff #2

I enjoyed the Middle Eastern and Indian cooked food tremendously. The lemon curry chicken was flavourful and spicy enough for my liking, while the braised lamb shank was fork-tender. In addition, the vegetable korma (Indian braised dish with yogurt) was the best I've had thus far as it was perfectly creamy.

Assorted Stuff #3

The European cooked items were less sterling, but not too shabby. The farfalle was al dente, although each piece of the bowtie pasta wasn't coated with enough cream sauce. Despite their appearance, the oven-roasted potatoes were quite buttery, while the vegetables were delectably sweet, especially the carrots.

Sweet Items

I usually have a hard time choosing which cakes and sweets to try, especially when they look so exquisite. The chocolate cake with a layer of coconut cream on top was a good choice, followed by the velvety panna cotta (lit. cooked cream). The rest wasn't particularly memorable. To wash everything down, I had a bowl of fresh, not canned, fruit cocktail served in orange juice.

Beverages

Since I didn't want to have caffeine rush, I went for decaffeinated cappuccino that was decent. The minty lemonade drink was more concentrated compared to the one served onboard QR240, while the cold-pressed carrot juice tasted amazing.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8.5/10

Ambience: 8.5/10

Overall: 8.5/10

The buffet dining area was really quiet at around 9.00pm. Pika's advice: Do note that there's another dining area that serves light a la carte dishes, which are mostly made-to-order sandwiches.

Al Mourjan Lounge @ Hamad International Airport

3/F, Above Duty Free Plaza South

Hamad International Airport

Doha

Qatar

(Twenty Four / Seven)

*No separate price given as lounge access is included in the ticket price.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)