With the opening of Zengo, the award winning Pan-Asian restaurant by celebrity chef and restaurateur Richard Sandoval, Doha’s gastronomic quotient seems to have earned a major upgrade. From individually crafted sushi, sashimi, and Dim Sum, to specially designed curry dishes, grilled entrees, and wok dishes, Zengo’s menu sets itself apart by offering “a unique spin” on authentic Pan-Asian cuisine.
For Sandoval, Zengo Doha – located on the 61st floor of Kempinski Residences & Suites in West Bay – is his fourth restaurant in Qatar along with Toro Toro, Isla in the Pearl, and Z Lounge, which, too, is on Kempinski’s 61st floor, right next to Zengo. A wide-ranging mix of Asian flavours dominates the menu that is inspired by the world travels of Sandoval and the ancient spice routes from Asia to the Far East. Personally, Sandoval admits being partial to dishes such as Thai ceviche, pumpkin curry, kung pao shrimp, volcano roll, and beef tartar, from the menu.
The restaurant’s vibrant decor fuses modern Asian and inventive design, providing a warm ambience to savour the interesting cuisine. A large door leads guests into the beautiful avian-themed interior that boasts of an open timber slot ceiling, housing origami-style bird sculptures that float above guests. A sushi counter extends along the windows, where the impressive Doha skyline acts as the backdrop, offering an expansive dining experience. 
Zengo has a capacity to seat 160 guests – 120 in the ground floor restaurant, with an additional 40 in the upstairs lounge. The upper floor can be accessed by an elegant staircase encased within an oversized birdcage, leading to the lounge that can accommodate individual guests and even turned private for groups. Among the many finer aspects of decor, antique wooden cabinets along with leather and cotton fabric seats create an open residential atmosphere as well as an added layer of warmth.
Leading the restaurant’s culinary offering, Marko Maric has been appointed Head Chef of Zengo Doha. Community caught up with Sandoval, chef-owner of Richard Sandoval Restaurants, to know more.
 
What sort of new flavours and tastes have you brought to Qatar with your award–winning Pan-Asian restaurant Zengo?
Zengo, meaning ‘give and take’ in Japanese, introduces a myriad of styles and flavours inspired by all the world travels that I made throughout my life and the ancient spice routes from Asia to the Far East. It brings a cross-cultural culinary experience to Doha through its diverse menu, which offers a unique approach to authentic Pan-Asian cuisine. Using the finest ingredients, the menu ranges from individually crafted sushi, sashimi and Dim Sum; to specially designed curry dishes, grilled entrees, and wok dishes, hand-muddled mocktails, with a focus on Asian flavours.
 
Could you elaborate on what you mean by the menu offering a spin on authentic Pan-Asian cuisine?
I grew up in Mexico in the house of my grandmother, who was a truly wonderful cook – and inspired me and taught me so much about food. I learned to respect all the ingredients of the Mexican cuisine. During my travels as a tennis player, I fell in love with Asian cuisine. It has many similarities to Mexican cuisine – the spiciness of the food, the sweet and sour elements, similar ingredients such as grains, chillies, and sweet-and-spicy flavours, and moles are like curries. Due to the similarities between the two types of cuisines, it felt natural to incorporate Asian cuisine into my career as a chef. So we can say that it is the mixture of a cross-cultural cuisine and ingredients that has given Zengo’s menu that Asian spin.

 How do your travels and food experiences on those travels influence your culinary creations? Could you share a specific instance that perhaps might have led to one of the signature dishes at Zengo?
Before choosing cooking as a career, I was a professional tennis player and was touring the world, participating in prestigious matches and tournaments. I always had a passion for food that urged me to have myself enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America. And throughout the past 30 years, I have opened 50 restaurants in various parts of the world. I have always liked to combine authentic Latin ingredients with international flavours and inventive techniques to create new and unexpected concepts and cuisines. I love tom yum soup, for instance, and I wanted to somehow incorporate it into another dish. So, I made a ceviche out of it and that’s how we came up with Thai ceviche.
 
The decor and the ambience seems free-spirited, right down to the bird sculptures suspended from the ceiling. What feelings do you want to
invoke in guests upon them entering Zengo?
I want them to know that the sky is always the limit. I want them to fly like the origami birds that are suspended from the ceiling of the restaurant and are flying away from their cages. I want them to discover new culinary experiences, to go beyond the geographical locations and refresh their taste-buds with the heady blends of wonderful Asian spices.