Lovers of Chinese food have been enjoying Qatar International Food Festival, with a special zone celebrating the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture, according to the organisers.
The dedicated Qatar-China Court offers visitors a wealth of Chinese fusion cuisine to enjoy, served alongside traditional Qatari dishes, marking the initiative that aims to create sustainable platforms for collaboration and cultural exchange between civilisations.
Stands from Shangri-La Hotel, Doha Marriott Hotel, Oriental Bowl and Spice Boat are offering special festival menus featuring Peking duck burgers, Shanghai pan fried dumplings, shrimp shumai, chicken dim sum, ginger egg drop soup and many other  oriental delicacies at “special prices, drawing large numbers of visitors to the Qatar-China Court, the organisers have said in a statement.
“It has been a fantastic experience so far; we are happy to be participating in this year’s QIFF and help showcase Chinese cuisine. We feel very confident as a new hotel with the turnout that we have had and I believe the rest of the festival will be wonderful,” said Philip Reyamo, manager of Shanghai Club at Shangri-La Hotel.
Abi Sayed, manager of Cafe Brouk, which serves famous local foods such as balaleet, khanfaroosh and date cheese cake, said: “I believe the incorporation of the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture has really lifted the entire experience of the festival, as it is the first time that Qatar and China have zoned together. We believe that people are very happy with this collaboration and we are proud to be presenting Qatar in this way.”
Visitors to QIFF also have a chance to win two air tickets to any destination in China by sharing their festival stories on social media. In partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Ooredoo, Qatar Airways launched a week-long social media competition, encouraging visitors to submit their videos or photographs that expressed their experiences or memories from this year’s festival.
The most compelling and distinctive entry capturing the true essence of the festival will win two return business tickets to Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong or Shanghai.
Faisal bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi, director of PR and communications at QTA, said: “Now in its seventh edition, QIFF brings together local residents and visitors to experience Qatar’s best culinary and hospitality offerings.
“Events such as QIFF fit into the wider celebration of the Years of Culture, and this year we are delighted with the representations of renowned Chinese chefs at the Live Cooking Theatre, as well as Chinese and Qatari restaurants serving their finest delicacies at the Qatar-China Court.”