DOHA - June 1st, 2015

MEGU Doha, an upscale New York-based restaurant operating at The Pearl-Qatar has been voted as the 'Best Japanese Restaurant' at the FACT Qatar Dining Awards 2015 in Doha on Monday and also received earlier on May 20th the 'Highly Commended Best Japanese Award' by Time Out Magazine.

Over 150 nominated restaurants competed for various awards during this first FACT Qatar Dining Awards 2015. Each of the 27 categories featured two awards, which were judged through online voting (for Popular Choice Award) and decided by an independent panel of Qatar-based bloggers and industry experts (for the Critics' Choice Award).

The fifth annual Time Out Doha Restaurant Awards 2015 was attended by key industry leaders and dignitaries, in recognition of the best in the hospitality and culinary scene in Qatar. A variety of shortlisted dining outlets were assessed in as many as 20 categories, based on reviews from the past 12 months.

 HDC Operations Manager Karim Zada and Chef Osman Tay accepted the awards on behalf of HDC, which operates and manages the restaurant.

"We are thrilled to receive the Best Japanese Restaurant Award from FACT Qatar and Highly Commended Best Japanese Award from Time Out Magazine," said the HDC representatives. "All our restaurants strive to offer our clientele a memorable experience and these awards are proof that our hard work is being translated into positive reviews and recognition by customers and experts alike."

MEGU Doha won the Best Japanese and Highly Commended Best Japanese Restaurant Awards for its perfect blend of presenting modern Japanese cuisine while using the most traditional Japanese cooking techniques and ingredients; featuring signature dishes such as the original Crispy Asparagus, Salmon Tartare, and Kobe Beef Carpaccio with Basil among others. 

FACT Magazine has held similar award ceremonies before in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, but this was the first time FACT has held an event recognizing local restaurants in Doha. Edward Smith, publishing director of FACT M.E.'s parent company, expressed his pleasure at holding the event in Qatar. He said, "The FACT Dining Awards is our way of giving back to an industry which has given us so much enjoyment over the years. It's a pleasure for us to invite all of these venues to enjoy a night of the same with us and to recognize the tremendous job that they do through the FACT Dining Awards".

An image of high quality environment that delivers outstanding food, brilliant design, and first class service, MEGU Doha is a concept brought to Qatar all the way from New York City by the Hospitality Development Company (HDC) in 2011.

HDC is a subsidiary of The Pearl-Qatar master developer United Development Company (UDC). Since 2007, the company has gradually established itself as the leading hospitality set up in Qatar. To date, HDC manages and operates a number of internationally celebrated and recognized food and beverage concepts, regularly winning industry awards. Its strategy revolves around UDC's vision of creating and managing a diverse portfolio of hospitality related businesses in Qatar and the Middle East by acquiring, developing, and operating world-class hospitality projects and brands including hotels, high-end restaurants and cafés.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
UDC Corporate Communications
communications@udcqatar.com

© Press Release 2015