LA VARENNE BUSINESS LUNCH (WHEN THE BLONDE MET DREAM DAYS!)

Tuesday was the day that Rosalyn from Dream Days and I finally met up, over a three course business lunch at La Varenne.

This meet up had been on the cards for quite some time, after months of tweeting and commenting on each others blogs. Rosalyn's blog is one of my very favourite Doha blogs, so it was great finally putting a face to the name.

The business lunch at La Varenne was new to both of us, so I think we were both eager to see what it had to offer.

La Varenne is a French brasserie housed within Tornado Tower, and opposite one of my favourite dinner spots, the Anvil Rooms.

Tornado Tower never ceases to amaze me - it's such a beautiful building.

After a hug and hellos, we settled down to business - chatting and perusing the menu!

The manager came over to greet us, and explained that he had given us the best view in the restaurant so that we could snap some pictures. It was a beautiful, sunny, crisp winter day in Doha, and perfect for doing just that.

They offer two options for their business lunch: 2 courses at QR 85, or 3 courses at QR 95. Needless to say, we opted for 3!

We both went for the 'goats cheese and pea clafoutis' - anything with goats cheese in it and I am sold!

Unfortunately, however, this dish just wasn't for me. I thought it was completely flavourless, which is such a shame as goats cheese has such a distinctive taste. 

Next up was the main course - the 'peppered rump steak' for Rosalyn, which I believe she enjoyed! - and the 'parmesan and thyme gnocchi' for me. As you may well know from previous posts, gnocchi is my absolute favourite!

Again, I didn't get on terribly well with my main course either, which is such a shame as I am by no means a fussy eater! The portion was absolutely tiny (it doesn't even come near to touching the sides of the bowl) and the gnocchi just wasn't what I was expecting, as it seemed to be fried. I suppose I am so used to such generous portions elsewhere in Doha, that this little serving came as a surprise. The creamy, tomato sauce had a nice flavour though.

Onto dessert! Rosalyn got up close and personal with the 'dessert trolley', picking out delicious treats (including amazing icecream!) and snapping some shots with her beautiful Canon camera.

I opted for the 'chocolate pots de creme', which I am very happy to report was delicious! A lovely light chocolate mousse, hidden beneath a white, cream mousse, served up in a teeny little espresso cup.

It was really great getting to know Rosalyn better - it always seems strange when you finally meet someone in person who you already know so much about through the details they share on the blog, but in a way it's lovely, as you can pick up on snippets you already know and chat about them in more detail. I felt so excited for her, hearing about her plans for her upcoming wedding!

We stayed talking for so long that the restaurant had completely cleared out by the time we left.

Despite my first two courses being a little unsuccessful, I had a lovely afternoon and definitely wouldn't rule out returning to La Varenne for dinner, especially as I have heard such good things. The restaurant is lovely, in a fantastic location, and has honey and truffle camembert on the menu - I have to come back just to try that!

Plus it is home to this beautiful piece of artwork.

Have you tried La Varenne?