Twisted Olive, Burj Doha

Sesame simit gives breakfast at Twisted Olive a good starting point. The ring-shaped bread becomes a sandwich with eggs and turkey strips, chicken and cheddar, or smoked salmon and labneh. The Mediterranean version brings halloumi, mushrooms and spinach together with herb yoghurt and pistachio pesto. A proper breakfast here can be as simple as one of those sandwiches and coffee.

The room brings some colour to West Bay’s tower district: green banquettes, cane chairs, speckled terrazzo tables and a green-tiled counter beneath hanging lamps. Outside, white tables sit beside the glazed frontage and the restaurant’s white bread cart. Choose the indoor room for an air-conditioned break or an outdoor table when the weather suits.

There is plenty beyond a sandwich. Eggs Benedict, shakshuka and French toast make this a longer brunch stop; an egg-and-cheddar croissant is a smaller order. At lunch, salads, burgers, flatbreads and pasta give the group different ways to eat without booking a formal hotel restaurant. The menu’s larger plates and juices raise the bill quickly, so the breakfast sandwich and the full brunch are different spending choices.

Burj Doha puts the café south of The Gate Mall and City Center. It works as the beginning of a West Bay morning, with a walk through the district afterwards, or simply as breakfast before returning to your hotel. Keep a leisurely two-meal outing for a free day: the café is in Doha, and the circuit journey still takes a separate block of time.