La Dolce Vita in Souq Waqif offers an authentic
Italian taste in a charming Qatari house decked
in the colours of Italy, writes Anand Holla
At La Dolce Vita, Giuliana Bisoglio Maouad flits between tables like an omnipresent entity. Any guest who happens by is assured of her hearty welcome, an animated run-through the menu, and even a mini crash-course in Italian cuisine if one wishes so.
In several ways, her affable personality defines the warmth of this restaurant. Complete with intimate interiors and an open seating area on the patio, the authentic Italian joint thrives in a bylane behind the Souq Waqif Art Centre, blissfully cut off from the hubbub of eateries lining the main walkway.
“I prefer explaining our menu so as to help our guests make the best choice,” says Giuliana, owner, manager, food connoisseur, all rolled into one. “I want my guests to feel at home, to feel relaxed.”
Backed by her husband Alain, the sprightly lady micro-manages as compulsively as tackling the big picture of the business. “I don’t feel exhausted at all,” she says and shrugs, when asked whether the running around wears her down.
“Mom can’t help it,” says her daughter Tatiana, as Giuliana jokingly nudges her to stop, “If she sees a table with people, she will rush to attend them, greet them and explain them how we cook our food and what they should expect.”
While Tatiana moved to Doha from Khartoum, Sudan, 14 years ago, she hadn’t discovered the charm of Souq until her mother wandered by, around eight years ago. “She told me that she would love to open an ice cream outlet here, like the one we had in Sudan. But we eventually decided on starting an Italian restaurant,” Tatiana recalls.
Around 2009, Tatiana did some networking and figured that she had to take permission from the Private Engineering Office (PEO), the State’s wing in charge of the Souq, to get started here. They were very supportive, she says.
“When we came across this place, it looked almost forgotten. It was possibly used as a storeroom. This, we were told, was the oldest house in Souq,” Tatiana says, looking up at the ceiling of the restaurant that retains the charm of the traditional Qatari house elements.
Her father Alain, followed up the refurbishing work – only cosmetic changes were allowed since it was a traditional structure – and had it ready, that July. On the second day of that year’s Ramadan, the restaurant opened.
“Initially, we didn’t get enough footfalls as people didn’t know about us and we also happen to be a bit hidden from the main Souq,” Giuliana says, “But we were fortunate to receive excellent word of mouth.”
Now that La Dolce Vita is regarded as one of the finest Italian restaurants in Qatar, Tatiana is dedicated to increasing its reach by using another version of word of mouth – social media. “I promote it a lot over social media,” she says of her family-run restaurant that is usually bustling with patrons across communities.
While for Giuliana, the restaurant name evokes nostalgia surrounding the legendary Federico Fellini’s 1960 classic, Tatiana likes it for what it literally means – the sweet life.
“I like old things,” Giuliana says, “When I first came to Souq Waqif, I was struck by its distinct, timeless beauty. At night, the lights, the kids, and the energy of the people were great to soak in. Fancy five-star hotels are nice but the Souq has warmth that reflects the real Doha. By having it restored to what it was, Souq Waqif continues to celebrate its rich legacy.”
To understand Giuliana’s point of view, a closer look at the restaurant’s interiors would suffice. Since everything “looked beautiful,” almost nothing is altered, save for the superficial decking up. Even that is done tastefully so as to gently amp up the Italian ambience. “So we painted the walls yellow, hung nice lights, put some photos of Italian stars, but it’s mainly the food that we assure is distinctly Italian,” says Giuliana.
“What really makes the place is my mother,” Tatiana says proudly. Giuliana brushes her compliment aside and talks about the food. “I try to keep it as home-made style as possible,” Giuliana says, referring to their veritable list of antipasti, pastas, risottos, meat and fish dishes, “I am lucky because the Italian cuisine has amazing variety.”
She then continues to elaborate with an instance, “In Italy, the food you will find 20 kms North of Torino, the place where I am from, will be different from the one 20 kms South of it. That’s how diverse the Italian palate is.” Tatiana nods along, and says, “In North Italy, Penne Arrabbiatta is a little spicy and is made with fresh tomatoes, while in South it’s very spicy and is made with thick tomato puree.”
Little wonder then that La Dolce Vita is as particular about its flavourful four-cheese gnocchi as it is about its risottos and raviolis. “I love eating and cooking,” says Giuliana, who used to work in the Italian Embassy in Sudan and whipped up all the meals there for years. “I don’t cook here but I sure do taste the sauces and some foods,” she says.
The kitchen is deftly helmed by two Italian chefs, a Moroccan, an Ethiopian and four Sri Lankan cooks. “Whoever the customer is, I want him or her to taste the authentic Italian cuisine. So when the chefs experiment a little, I tell them it is fine but don’t do that again as it won’t catch on,” she points out.
As for desserts, the homemade ice cream from their Gelateria is a smash hit. They have another outlet of only ice creams, by the same name, near Fanaar.
While the ingredients are locally sourced, Giuliana has tasked herself to ensure that they are the finest. “In Italy, you open a restaurant and you have hundreds of providers rushing to offer you vegetables, cheese, meat, water, and so on. But here, we had nobody to source our ingredients from. So I had to scour supermarkets and later make contacts to get the right ones,” Giuliana says.
“I don’t mind buying expensive ingredients because quality is what will keep our patrons coming back,” she adds. However, La Dolce Vita has also earned a name for its impressive portions. “Some time, customers order eight plates when three would do,” Tatiana shares, “My mother will tell them: Guys, have whatever you want, but you won’t be able to finish all that. You can order four first, and then decide if you want more.”
Taking her self-assigned role of food guide seriously, Giuliana says, “Why make them waste food and money? I tell them don’t stuff yourself. In Italy, we say you must leave a tiny space in your stomach so that you feel nice about what you have eaten.”
Often, when the customers have finished eating, Giuliana returns to their table and asks them for honest feedback. “Usually, they are all praises. On the rare occasion that they say it wasn’t what they expected, I ask them what was wrong. Then, I go to the kitchen, taste it and discuss corrections with my chefs.”
While the restaurant began by offering bona fide Italian cuisine, the demand of the patrons for “internationalised Italian cuisine” made Giuliana tweak the menu a little. “But then as more Europeans started coming to Qatar following the European economy crisis, we began getting a lot of European guests. We reverted to offering genuine Italian stuff. Today, Qatar is the bread basket for so many nationalities,” Giuliana says.
Tatiana, who has specialised in hotel administration and management, works as a consultant in various fields like real estate and oil and gas. She gets Europeans down here for work given how the economy there hasn’t yet recovered. “I believe in Qatar. I feel there are big opportunities here.”
Though customers unaccustomed to the real deal still ask questions, Giuliana has no problem explaining. Tatiana says, “We are often asked for Alfredo pasta, which is not even known in Italy.” Giuliana seconds her, “A lot of Americans often ask whether we have pasta with meatballs. Though these aren’t Italian recipes, we try to customise as much as we can.”
The change in customers’ approach is pronounced though. “In the beginning, a lot of people would ask for altered recipes. But my mother’s constant explaining of authentic Italian cuisine has changed their perceptions. So all her talking has certainly paid off,” Tatiana says, smiling.