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Indian Restaurants are the New Burger Joints

biryani

Looks like opening up an Indian restaurant is going to be the next new thing for small Kuwaiti businesses. After the success of places like Namaste and 12 Chutneys, a lot of people seem to be jumping on the Indian cuisine bandwagon. I know of at least 4 new Indian restaurants that are opening up soon with the one pictured above opening up next to Slider Station (where Atari used to be located).

I find this pretty annoying.

86 replies on “Indian Restaurants are the New Burger Joints”

It’s only annoying because Kuwait is still a young country that’s growing. New restaurants that open in let’s say NYC, London, or LA do not get as much attention as those here because we are still limited to a handful of good ones in each cuisine. Once Kuwait is “complete,” new things (not just restaurants) won’t have as much as an effect on us. Example: the Four Seasons in Kuwait is a big deal because it’s the first and we lack hotels, but if a Four Seasons were to open another hotel in NYC, it wouldn’t be that major since they already have one (or a few).

I hope that made sense but since Kuwait still isn’t “complete” or “finished,” we’re gonna have a lot of this.

Its not annoying that we are getting new restaurants. Its annoying how people jump on a bandwagon instead of trying to come up with something new and original.

I agree, but it also makes sense for people to want some variety and not only a couple of restaurants with the same type of food having a monopoly on the market.

Regardless, if it’s good it’s going to survive. Like the OG of burgers, Slider Station has proved to be the best with competitors that didn’t make the cut closed down, I’m sure the same thing will happen in this case.

Yeah except in this case there are a bit more than just “a couple” of Indian restaurants in Kuwait so don’t think we have anything close to a monopoly to worry about.

I agree Mark but you shouldn’t be annoyed.

The Middle East is a region with a collectivist mindset and the only one in the world that has not contributed anything to the world at large. It simply consumes and regurgitates whatever is in vogue in the West without conceiving of anything on its own. We have no cars of our own, no electronic devices, no major international stores, we don’t even have a film industry (three Nadine Labaki films does not an industry make).

And no, I’m not Indian, people, I’m Arab so LAY OFF.

Why should we be surprised if people jump on this bandwagon too? For fucks sake, half our men started carrying around toiletry bags as fashion accessories because one yutz did it first and everyone started doing the same.

Only gripe I have with these Indian restaurants is that their food is not that great and they’re usually a ploy to seduce rich, naive SoMu types with a cool aesthetic (Indian meets hipster, I call it) and generic Indian names like “Namaste” and “Biryani”.

And they’re almost always North Indian which I love but why can’t we have a decent Central/South or North East restaurant here? People who haven’t been to India almost always associate Indian food with Punjabi food which is not right. India’s cuisine is incredibly rich and varied!

You mean its annoying how everyone here move in a certain trendy-ish pattern and copycat others without originality or effort? Yup, I feel the same way.

It’s all about the Beryani and Butter chicken curry. That’s all what Kuwaitis order from indian restaurants. Like falafel or Kebab joints these will have a very limited menu and they don’t need to import any ingredients, which makes them a more attractive and safer investment than let’s say a steak house or a Vietnamese restaurant.

What is more popular than indian restaurants these days is Kuwaiti cuisine restaurants, again a very safe investment with cheap ingredients which are readily available locally and an increase demand for Kuwaiti food with younger generations not having the time or the knowledge to prepare classic Kuwaiti dishes at their homes.

Instagram has a huge influence in this, with the emergence of popular home cooking businesses. Moms and grandmas – and some retired dads – have really changed the restaurant business in Kuwait 🙂

One more thing, fancy indian restaurants never really worked in Kuwait. Like persian and Lebanese food people here are spoiled with very cheap choices. So not many will pay more than 2 KD for an indian rice dish no matter how good it looks or tastes. This is why we will keep seeing more smaller – food truck style – indian restaurants than Michelin starred ones.

I’m talking about cheaper extremely popular places like Moghul Mahal, which does more business than any other indian place, and always expanding with new branches. Asha’s is popular but if you noticed how their menu changed since opening, they had much fancier and more costly items. But again Asha’s is a franchise run by one of the biggest conglomerates in Kuwait, so they know how to market it. Talking as a Kuwaiti I wouldn’t eat at Asha’s twice a week because I can get my Butter chicken and shrimp Beryani at a lower cost in many other places like Moghul Mahal. Moreover, for the true indian food aficionados the best indian food will always be found in the tiny run down places which are frequented by indians who obviously know their food better than anyone.

I should open up an Indian restaurant in Kuwait and have a competition where all the Indian moms in Kuwait could cook traditional Indian food from their place and hire 7 of them. I could have them cook a day in a week and have the most authentic Indian restaurant in Kuwait ever!

That’s awesome! There goes another one of my “innovative” ideas.

The thing about Indian food is that India is so large, there are so many varieties of cuisine available there. And we have such a large diversity in Kuwait of Indians, the idea could work.

Mughal mahal and Dawat in my opinion serves watered down Indian food,(perhaps to appeal to Kuwaiti taste buds?) .

If you are looking for authentic Indian food try Anjappara( fiery regional cuisine from Tamilnadu), Saravanabhavan(south Indian vegetarian), or Thakkara(malabar cuisine). Only for the food, please do not expect a fine ambience:).

Thakkara is a god-awful representation of Keralite Malabar cuisine. Their Appams are sour AF. Appams are supposed to be sweet and fluffy!Most Malayalis I know say the exact same thing.

I heard their fish dishes are delicious though! And I love the decor there, it’s subtle but very inviting and homely.

If Arabs want to try something other than diluted Punjabi cuisine, they should try:

1) “Gokul” and “Sagar”: delicious Gujurati grub.
2) “Desi Treat”: Rajasthani vegetarian food
3) “Amman Bhalpuri”: The BEST dosas in town by a long shot! They’ve been in business for over thirty years now.
4) “Tabaq Pakistan” – allegedly, the best Pakistani restaurant out there.
5) “Viva Goa” – Goan cuisine

Thanx! I have had a fair share of South Indian and Punjabi food, wanted to try Gujrati food. Do they serve Thali? Ordering individual item is at times cumbersum, you never know what goes with what.

I love Udupi food, nice and light, Mughal Mahal sux especially the Marina Mall one.

They do! But I much prefer Gokul’s weekend Thalis over Sagar’s.

I’ve been to Gujarat so I’ve obviously had real Gujju Thali and the one in Sagar just didn’t do it for me.

Everything else there is delicious though and the owner is a barrel of laughs! Very boisterous fellow.

I don’t know which Gokul You Are referring. If it is the one from abu halifa. no they are not good for anything (they are good with sweets on some occasion ). If yo want good dosa go to sarvana bhavan, go to amman bhalpuri for chat (like bhal puri and all) and wha ji wha for Pakistani food

Should have been more specific.

The Abu Halifa Gokul is not good no, I agree. I only go to the Gokul in Fahaheel behind the Green Tower, next to Red Tag. Their food is delicious. Have yet to venture out to Abu Halifa honestly.

Some people like the Dosas in Sarvana, some like the ones in Amman Bhalpuri. I like the ones in Amman, I find the Dosas in Sarvana bland.

I respectfully disagree brother.

Lebanese and Persian restaurants that offer fine dining are a goldmine here.

Leila is doing a lot of business, so is Ayyame. Four falafels in those restaurant cost KD 3 but people are still going there.

As for Persian, Shabestan, Crimson Rose and Naz are all doing extremely well too.

Leila and Ayyame aren’t fine dining Lebanese restaurants, they’re casual dining. I don’t think we have a fine dinning Lebanese restaurant here, maybe Tarboush in Sheraton but just because it’s in a 5-star hotel. Em Sherif on the other hand at The Address Downtown Dubai is what I would consider fine dinning. We ended up paying like KD70 a person last time we were there.

Mark quick question: if you classify Leila and Ayyame (and maybe villa fairuz) as causal Lebanese dining… What is the best casual one in Kuwait?

If you ask any restaurateur he will tell you that crowded big restaurants don’t really mean they are doing better business than smaller less crowded ones. You can fill a place with people but still lose on food and labor cost, that’s why so many restaurants close down although they were crowded on daily basis. I know for a fact that a small Kebab place like Kabab Al Hujja at Benid Al Qar sells more Kabab and makes more profit than any persian restaurant in Kuwait, I know this from the amount of lamb and take-away containers it consumes monthly, astronomical numbers which other restaurants can only dream of. Anyhow, I’m just commenting on why indian restaurants are opening instead of other cuisines. For the average investor here, specially the Kuwaiti one, it’s not about originality or taking risks, just copy what others are doing and hope for the best.

Worst part? Calling that restaurant ‘Biryani’?!

Mixing rice and meat does not make it biryani. The correct preparation requires a specialized cook from Hyderabad, India to steam (dum) the flavors on wood flames.

Closest to the original version – Man O Salwa in Mirgab and I heard Falak in Salmiya (never tried it though).

Dude, I’m Indian, and you seem to know more about Indian cuisine and culture than I do.
Respect.

Your sense of logic is distorted.

“Oh this person knows a lot about India therefore she must be Indian.”

Well most dictators are also assholes, but that doesn’t mean you’re a dictator.

Fallacies don’t work.

I’m a Palestinian and a dude.

Mark did you try that biryani?. the last time i eat a good biryani one of my Hyderabadi friend made at his home. i never found good biryani in restaurants

Indian food in expensive restaurants doesn’t make sense AT ALL. Plus, every Indian restaurant I have been to in Kuwait doesn’t taste authentic and if you ask any of the Indian kids who grew up in Kuwait, they will tell you that their mothers make more authentic Indian food than the ones in restaurants here.

Some people eat to live and others live to eat! Doesn’t matter which nationality you belong to, food cooked by Mother is always the BESTEST!

Doesn’t matter.. Survival is for the fittest.. More options for ppl who like indian food too. Dunno if its a coincedence or a fad though! And what makes ppl wanna do the same thing!

Btw that restaurant is not very new

Biryani Express has been operating for a few years on Talabat. So I guess they decided to open up a dine in. Been a customer since they opened and their biryani is great ! I don’t think they’re jumping on the bandwagon here ! Not sure why im so defensive towards them lol but I love their food and packaging !!!

You guys will be surprised to hear this, but the best Biryani I’ve had in Kuwait is actually from Lulu. The Salmiya Al-Salam branch to be exact. Just get the Biryani and Chicken 65 side dish. The combination is magic.
Only thing is inconsistency. Out of the 5 times I’ve had it this year. 4 times it was really good. but one time it just didn’t taste right. But that one time I had bought the food at around 10 pm. Other 4 times was for lunch around 12:30-1pm.

There’s great business potential opening a speciality biriyani house in Kuwait. As is people here can’t seem to get enough out of non vegetarian Indian cuisine and biryani sits right up there as número uno ordering choice in Indian diners for most Kuwaitis and GCC nationals who are regulars at restaurants on the Seif palace strip. Hopefully, they will carry biryanis of the Awadhi style from Lucknow as well as the Hyderabadi dum style and the dum pukht biryani from the North Western frontier.

Mughal Mahal has the yuckiest indian food ever..spicy and oily as hell and they use cheap artificial colors to make it look like masala..they color doesnt go off your fingers for 2 days despite washing

+1

You order 2 chicken dishes … chicken tastes the same, only the gravy is different and doesn’t even blend with chicken. Safe bet, if you have no choice, order something that is in front display.

While there’s no dearth of Indian diners in Kuwait today, we still don’t have a speciality biryani house where the only staple they do is the biryani- bit like the Hindi indie version of ‘Burger & Lobster’.

I was kinda hoping there’d be an Ethiopian place in town and soon.

The fuck is a Hindi indie version of “Burger & Lobster”?

Do you know what indie means?

There is an Ethiopian restaurant, I’ve been going there for the last four years, it’s called Habesha and it’s in Ibn Khaldoun St. in Hawally.

Suggestion: ask for the teff injera when you get there, otherwise they’ll serve you the wheat one which pales in comparison.

I wish they would at least consider all the different regional cuisines India has, instead of focusing on the same Mughlai /North Indian fare.

Well actually, Kuwait has never really had good Indian restaurants so if it’s trending, I hope at least a few survive and serve some good food! We don’t even have proper traditional food, whereas contemporary Indian food is all the rage over last few years in western world.

I am totally with K on this. Trendy and smart do not agree too well with Beryani. Given its sleek location and the likely clientele, I would have expected a Wolfgang Puck treatment to the styling and nomenclature, if not the actual food. A ‘Biryani Jasem,’ or a ‘Biryani Noura’ would ave sounded more appealing, in the first place.
However, once open I do believe they will do roaring business as traditionally and from a historical perspective, Beryani is and has always been the numero uno choice of Indian food for most Kuwaitis and GCC nationals.

Since we are currently living the rise of ‘contemporary hip’ Indian cuisine, I am utterly disappointed when I see their offerings due to the expectations I have when I hear a new Indian venture is opening up.
Modern Indian cuisine is having a moment right now in nearby Dubai where places like Tresind and Farzi Cafe are enjoying unparalleled success as compared to the business of other Indian restaurants.
I was really hoping something along those lines or maybe a venture on the fancier side, NYC’s Michelin-starred Junoon.

But this is life and we can just complain or get going…

Give it some time, it is here to stay. Simplest of the simple food I had was Rajasthani Dhaal-Baati, something made out of lentils and flour. Typical nomads food off desert with Baatis cooked in ashes of camp fire and Dhaal carried along as dry ration … as in olden days.

What’s funny is Namaste’s opened before 12 chutney and Beryani.. Namaste’s logo is of an Indian woman… Now both 12 chutney and Beryani’s logo is of an Indian woman.

12 chutney is new.. Even their Instagram account has only 2k followers compared to Namaste followers of 40k. Upon checking, 12 chutney also copied the “Indian street food” from Namaste.
As for Bariyani, they’re just opening their first restaurant.
Again both restaurants have copied Namaste’s logo of an Indian woman.

12 chutney and Namaste both launched early 2015. Just because they have less followers doesn’t mean much. Secondly 12 Chutneys logo is a type face, they don’t have a women icon so your argument is mute. Here is their logo https://instagram.com/p/_rMc0EreR3/

Biryani on the other hand is older than both of them, they started end of 2014. They also don’t use a women icon for their logo, their logo is also just type based.

Me no fond of indian food. I’ve seen them the making..nah..u all guyz enjoy. Not for me

Give me an Indian place for brekkie, any day!
A hip & trendy Indian breakfast place will rev it up like nothing else can.

Just an FYI… Biryani aint no new restaurant, they’ve been on talabat.com for the longest time ever and been doing well. Their central kitchen is in Ardhiya where they do pickups and deliveries only. Because of their success, they now moved on onto opening a restaurant. Dunno whats annoying here? Kuwaiti concepts being successful? Need some motivation here…..

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