New and unique offerings at Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) 2018 have been attracting many visitors since the event’s opening last week.
From a myriad of international and local dishes to fun-filled activities and attractions, organisers said the annual event features a rich mix of culinary delights and entertainment.
Special VIP igloos continue to entice an increasing number of festival-goers, offering six exclusive and one-of-its-kind seating areas for families and ‘groups of friends’.
According to Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), the VIP igloos have been introduced at the festival for the first time and aim to provide visitors with authentic festival experience.
The service includes complimentary coffee and dates and a personal butler who can assist with providing meals from any of the food stalls at QIFF. A VIP igloo costs QR250 for an hour, QR450 for two hours and QR750 for three hours, and can accommodate between eight and 10 people, it is found.  “Many families, professionals and groups come here to relax usually from 5pm onwards,” said a staff.
“We have been very busy since the opening of the festival.”
QIFF’s Live Cooking Theatre has also become a favourite spot for festival-goers, featuring renowned chefs doing live demonstration of a number of dishes. Chef Murat Bozok wowed the audience yesterday with his baked fillet mignon filled with humus and grape leaves and served with spicy bulgur.
It was preceded by plate dressing contest by AbdulAziz al-Ajail who involved young participants at the presentation.
Apart from the cooking competition by BeIN and Food Network, QIFF’s coffee zone and a mini zoo (both are firsts at the annual event) are also attracting a large number of festival-goers since day one.
The coffee zone, which celebrates “the aromatic coffee bean and offers a truly unique experience to visitors”, features an array of coffee shops, as well as games for children.
According to QTA, the ‘Wahab’ for food donation is urging all festival participants to make sure no meal goes to waste.
“At the end of each day, food sellers can take untouched food to the ‘Wahab’ booth located near the children’s play area, where volunteers will repackage then distribute the meals to the less fortunate in Doha,” QTA said.
QIFF, which forms part of Qatar’s strategy to grow and diversify its tourism offering, features 178 participants, including hotels, restaurants and food trucks at an 80,000 sq m area at Hotel Park. It will run until March 25.
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