Doha’s NusrEt restaurant, famous for selling gilded meat, had to wait about half an hour before the BrazilKorea game yesterday and its tables were packed with Brazilians. “I love Brazilians and Brazilians love me even more,” said chef Nusret Gökçe as he walked from table to table. “Everyone is enjoying it. It’s a fantastic time.”
A display case separating the kitchen from the living room displayed a wide variety of vegetables on one side and raw cuts of meat on the other, including tomahawk steaks (a generous cutlet) already covered in gold leaf. “The meat is very good, the environment is cool as hell,” said a Brazilian who introduced himself as Wilson. “I came because I wanted to eat some meat, and here in Qatar you don’t find it anywhere.” He said he didn’t have a golden steak, but he said the simpler version he tried lived up to expectations. “I think it was silver,” he joked.
In addition to the Brazilians identified with the uniforms of the selection, the tables were occupied by many Mexicans. Former defender Rafa Marques, one of the greatest Mexicanborn soccer players, was having lunch with friends.
The Turkish restaurant chain has been internationally known since at least 2017, when videos of Nusret Gökçe serving customers in a very private manner went viral. Yesterday, he walked around the tables, threw performative pinches of rock salt at meat, and sometimes took food straight into people’s mouths with a knife. The chain has branches in other cities such as London, New York, Miami and Dubai.
On the menu, the 24karat goldplated “Golden Ottoman Steak” costs the equivalent of R$3,335. For those wanting gold in the mouth, there are other cheaper options (although gold has no taste, as the chef himself has admitted): the gold hamburger costs the equivalent of R$715 fries come with it.
Located in front of a luxury hotel in Doha, NusrEt has become the scene of the latest controversy for the Brazil team in Qatar. Last week, Vinicius Jr., Eder Militão and Gabriel Jesus were filmed eating the main course on the menu at the invitation of former player Ronaldo. Critics saw the scene as a distasteful display given the economic plight of most of Brazil’s population.
“The players came and were very happy,” said chef Nusret about the visit of the Brazilians, probably also pleased about the involuntary advertising of the athletes.
Display case shows cuts of meat at NusrEt, a restaurant in Doha that serves gilded meat
Image: Adriano Wilkson/UOL