Note: This is a long-overdue post. Some images may be offensive to other readers. 

Damien Hirst is a controversial English artist known for his fondness to dead animals which are the main theme for most of his famous works. Let me just make it clear that I do not support and favor this artist in particular.



We visited his first ever exhibit here in the Middle East, which was held at the Al Riwaq Gallery last January 2014. The exhibit was free of charge but you will be asked to surrender your cameras (phones are allowed).




Hanging skeletons greet you at the Main entrance to the Gallery.

For the Love of God Platinum skull cast set with diamonds and real human teeth

MENTAL ESCAPOLOGY

The History of Pain MDF, steel, steel knife blades, air blower and beach ball

ASHTRAY

Horror at Home 2.4 x 2.4 meter fiberglass ashtray with cigarettes, cigarette packing, matches, etc.

This room smells really bad with all that cigarette butts and tobacco trimmings.

KALEIDOSCOPE PAINTINGS

Believer Butterflies and household gloss on canvass

It's Great To Be Alive Butterflies and household gloss on canvass

Doorways to the Kingdom of Heaven Butterflies and household gloss on canvass

Butterfly Kaleidoscope Painting detail

See how he made invisible but visible lines?

CABINETS

Love's Secret Diamond Cabinet with Cubic Zirconia

The Abyss Cigarette Cabinet with cigarette, cigars and ash

NATURAL HISTORY

Leviathan 6.8 meter long basking shark in formaldehyde solution

Leviathan detail

The Immortal 4 meter shark in formaldehyde solution

Black Sheep Sheep in formaldehyde solution

There are also some pieces that I chose not to post because of the gruesome conditions of most of them. There were installations showing the insides of a cow and a sheep, some cows were beheaded and some had blood spill on the base, other glass boxes were infested with live flies and skinned cow's head.

All the pieces in his Natural History collection were commissioned with the assistance of London's Natural History Museum. No live animals were harmed during the process.
I won't lie, there were moments when I really wanted to puke or faint, some of his artworks are
quite gruesome for normal people (i.e. ME). I seriously DID NOT enjoy every moment of this gallery, except for the butterfly kaleidoscope paintings.

You can check out his website here:
Damien Hirst

And his Qatar Exhibit here:
Relics: Damien Hirst

I'd like to share with you guys the two bundles of fluff that became part of our family this 2014.

It was Christmas day, and another one of those days when we just walk around a mall and come dinner time, we try to find somewhere to eat. As we were going about, we stumbled upon The One Restaurant.

The One is originally a furniture gallery which sell retail home furnishings but eventually ventured into food. Some of their branches through-out the Middle East have cafes or restaurants inside.

The ambiance is quite relaxing with the peaceful surroundings and dark interior colors. I love the industrial look of the ceiling. The mixed-and-matched furniture also gives a beautifully eclectic impression to the place. You might also notice some price tags on those furnishings in the dining area, that's because they use the same furniture they have in their gallery.




For this holiday season, they are offering a festive set menu with choices for a 2-course (QR85) and 3-course (QR99) meal.



We went with the 3-course feast, it was Christmas after all. The meal came with Mulled Punch and a cup of coffee of your choice.

Mulled Punch

ACT 1: SEASONAL STARTERS

ROASTED BUTTERNUT & CARROT SOUP Topped with a dollop of spiced cream served with homemade focaccia bread and a feta-walnut spread

TANGY ASIAN-STYLE TUNA TARTARE Layered with avocado and served with wasabi mayo, lumpfish caviar and sumac strawberries

ACT 2: MAGICAL MAINS

THE ONE TURKEY AND TRIMMINGS Featuring a chicken sausage wrapped in turkey bacon, roast potatoes, honey-roasted parsnips, sprouts with turkey ham lardons, buttered carrots and chestnut stuffing

OSSO BUCO Cross-cut veal shanks braised with cranberries, mixed spices and jalapeño, served with rich veal jus and green pea, mushroom and quinoa risotto

ACT 3: FESTIVE FINALES

TRADITIONAL FESTIVE PUDDING

COFFEE BONET Chocolate coffee custard set with almod cookies and served with caramel sauce and berries

The food was great and very neatly prepared with beautiful plating (with the exemption of the turkey).

The staff was very accommodating and the dining area was very neat. I love the fact that there is huge window between the dining area and the kitchen. You can see that they are very clean and organized in preparing the food, which is an ultimate plus for me. Though, I think they could use a little bit more effort on table settings, they are after all a furniture gallery.

You'll find them on the upper floor of The  One Gallery in Landmark Mall, Al Duhail, Doha.

You can also check their regular menu here:
THE ONE Restaurant Menu

This is NOT a sponsored post.

Right after our Yacht Cruise, which ended at noon, of course an all out lunch was in order. Although, half the group had somewhere else to be, the other half, stayed at The Pearl for some walking and photo ops. A walk in The Pearl in the morning meant a heavy lunch for us because one simply cannot walk the length of Porto Arabia without getting hungry. We were opting to reach Novo Cinemas at the other end of Porto Arabia but our feet could only take us so far.

BEST OF LONGHORN SAMPLER QR 49 Wild West Shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and Texas Tonion

Since there was four of us, we decided to get the Longhorn Sampler for our starter. God knows we cannot finish this plate if it were just me and Raymond.

The Wild West Shrimp (battered shrimp tossed with sliced cherry peppers and garlic butter) is a Longhorn Steakhouse original and so is the Texas Tonion (Spanish onion petals, battered and seasoned, drizzled with sour cream and served with tangy dipping sauce).

GRILLED TROUT WITH SHRIMP AND LOBSTER QR 85 Grilled Rainbow Trout with shrimp, lobster, beef bacon and roasted corn

This dish comes with a choice of side and salad. I chose baked potato as my side. This was quite heavy, I only finished less than half of the fish. I don't know if it's because of the appetizer we had or this plate was just too big for me. Note: There are two grilled trout fillets and sandwiched in between them were shrimp and lobster.

SHAVED PRIME RIB SANDWICH QR 55 Served with onion, mushroom and swiss

LONGHORN PORTERHOUSE QR 139 Fire-grilled USDA choice bone-in porterhouse - a NY Strip and fillet in one juicy cut. 565 gr.