2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

Third Steep is a new tea house that opened this past week. And yes, tea, this isn’t just another matcha spot.

The owner of Third Steep has always been a tea lover, and even took courses and workshops to deepen her knowledge. Last year she decided to quit her job and open her own tea spot after noticing a gap in the market. While there are plenty of places for coffee and matcha, she found it difficult to find a good tea-focused spot. Since she already worked in the food and beverage field, she decided to use that experience to create her own space.

I passed by a couple of days ago and found the spot really cute. It’s small but feels trendy without looking too Pinteresty. The colors and materials are mostly earth tones, with pops of green and mustard yellow that bring the space to life and give it a bit of a twist. There are also some nice material details that help give it a unique look.

The menu has a large selection of tea drinks without feeling overwhelming. There are currently 8 artisanal teas, two cold brews, and the option to build your own latte. There’s no coffee on the menu, and just one matcha drink. I was actually surprised that cold brew tea was a thing since I was only familiar with cold brew coffee before. In addition to the drinks, there are a few cakes and sandos to choose from.

From what I tried, I really liked the Milk Oolong Cold Brew, the Egg Mayo Sando and the Olive Oil Lemon Zest cake. Next time I’d try the build my own latte option and order the Banana Choco Mousse cake since I want to try that as well.

If you’re into tea or just want to try a new spot, Third Steep is located in Ahmadi Tower in Kuwait City on Sour Street (Google Maps). There’s plenty of parking across the street, and they’re currently open from 10AM to 10PM, daily except Sundays. @third.steep

Service Hero recently revealed the results of their 2025 Customer Satisfaction Index, and the top brands in Kuwait have been named, based entirely on you.

Service Hero is the region’s only consumer powered index, measuring how happy people are with the service they receive across different industries. It’s been running in Kuwait since 2010 and follows strict international research standards, so the results are credible and transparent.

Over 28,800 assessments were collected from customers across Kuwait, rating brands in categories like satisfaction, complaint resolution, loyalty, and more. This isn’t a popularity contest, it’s a data driven reflection of how brands are actually performing. Here are the winners:

Islamic Banks: Boubyan Bank
Retail Banks: National Bank of Kuwait
Car Sales: Lexus
Car Service: MG Motor
Private Hospitals: Royale Hayat Hospital
Apps: Keeta
Dining: Mais Alghanim
Fast Food: Pick Yo!
Clothes: Al Nasser Sports
Electronics: X-Cite
Home Furniture: IKEA
Internet Providers: Zain
Mobile Operators: Zain
Cafes: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Airlines: Emirates
Supermarkets: City Hypermarket

Compared to last year, there are a few changes. Two categories are missing this year, Entertainment and Health Clubs. I asked them why and I was told it was due to not having a large enough sample size across at least three brands to determine a winner.

Update: Service Hero reached out to let me know there was an error on their website. The Cafes category winner is actually The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, not Caribou Coffee.

Around 10 years ago I was invited to visit the Gulf Cooperation Council Joint Program Production Institution, or GCC JPPI for short. It’s a super long name, but if you grew up in Kuwait during the 80s, all it takes is one look at their logo to recognize who they are. They were behind some of the most memorable and iconic shows on television back then from popular Arabized cartoons to their own shows like Salamatak (سلامتك), Quff (قف) and of course, the Middle East version of Sesame Street, Iftah Ya Simsim (افتح ياسمسم).

The GCC JJPPI was created to strengthen the cultural, historical, and traditional connections between the GCC member states. They also wanted to create shows that reflected the Gulf spirit starting in 1977 with the iconic educational children’s program Open Sesame (Iftah Ya Simsim).

Before visiting their facilities located in Salmiya, I had assumed all their archive had been lost during the 1990 invasion, but turned out they still had copies of everything. When I visited back then they had just started digitizing their whole archive, and I recently found out that their archive was now mostly all online and available to stream for free.

If you go to YouTube and search for the user “Barameji”, you’ll find that they’ve uploaded over 3,000 videos. Thankfully, they’ve also organized them into different playlists and include the following shows:

Bombo (بومبو)
Flona (فلونة)
Jazora (جازورا)
Iftah Ya Simsim (افتح ياسمسم)
Quff (قف)
Tom Sawyer (توم سوير)
Salamatak (سلامتك)

For me, Salamatak and Quff were probably the most impactful shows growing up. They were public information programs for both children and adults, teaching things like not littering, not smoking while filling up fuel, or not talking while eating. Random educational lessons that have mostly stuck with me, and I’m sure with others as well. I mean even the opening theme songs are still stuck in my head to this day.

If you want to check all the playlists, here is the link.

After being open since the early 80s, last year Al Muthana Complex closed down and all the tenants and residents were asked to vacate so the building could be renovated. Multiple design firms submitted proposals, and a couple of months ago PACE won the project and will be leading the redevelopment of the complex.

Although the project is still in the early stages and the design hasn’t been finalized yet, I managed to find renders from the initial proposals by PACE, as well as two other firms, DKEC and Bernard Khoury (DW5). Bernard Khoury caught me by surprise since he’s based in Lebanon and I’m a fan of his work. I’m not sure how many firms pitched for the project, but these are the three I was able to find.

The ones above are the directions PACE proposed while the ones below are from Bernard Khoury.

I’ve been meaning to check out Farida’s breakfast menu for a while now, and I finally got the chance to try it a few days ago. If you don’t already know it, Farida is a small Persian restaurant with a cozy, home-like feel. It’s named after the owner, Farida (@faridah88), a Kuwaiti nutritionist with a passion for cooking.

I usually sit inside when I have lunch at Farida. The interior feels like an old family home, with nostalgic diamond-shaped ceiling moldings and crochet tablecloths with grandma-style dinnerware. This time I ended up sitting outside since the weather was nice and I wanted the sunlight for my breakfast shots.

Similar to the all day menu, Farida’s breakfast menu is made up of some of her favorite things she likes to cook for her family. The food is casual and welcoming, but still manages to look beautifully put together. Farida also focuses on using locally sourced ingredients, supporting local producers whenever possible. I ended up eating a lot of good food since, besides the set menu, I also had a couple of other dishes.

My favorite items were the whipped rose butter and jam, the khameh asal (cream and honey), the Omelette Irani, which is scrambled eggs with tomato paste and turmeric, and finally the Persian Love Toast, which is similar to French toast but with a Persian twist.

Overall, it’s a really nice breakfast experience, especially if you’re looking for something a bit different. The outdoor seating is also great, with shaded tables and greenery all around, giving it a nice, tucked away feel. Farida is located in Al Khalid Complex in Salmiya, and breakfast is served daily from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM. For more photos, head over to @farida.kwt

In January I posted that the Thunayan Al Ghanim building was being restored, and yesterday I was able to find out a lot more about the project. The building is considered an important part of Kuwait’s architectural history since when it was constructed in the 1950s, it was one of the most advanced buildings in the country with a lot of firsts. It was designed by the renowned architect Sayed Karim, who later worked on other projects in Kuwait including the Ahmadi Cinema.

Yesterday I got a walkthrough of the building, where they took me through the restoration process and explained the plan. Spoiler, it’s all good news.

The thing I was most concerned about was the facade. I was worried they might cover it with alucobond panels or modernize it with glass, but that’s not the plan. In fact, it’s the opposite. The family has been digging through archives, looking for original drawings and plans, and investigating on site to understand how the building originally looked so they can restore it as closely as possible. They’re even trying to match details like the exact color of the window frames and the tiny mosaics that sit under each window.

Over the past 70 years or so, the building has gone through a lot of changes. Some were destructive, but most were superficial, like painting over original mosaics or covering walls with plasterboard. Once restoration began, they started uncovering remnants of the original building hidden beneath, almost like discovering artifacts at an archaeological site.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was hearing about the investigative work they’ve been doing to understand how the building evolved. For example, it was originally meant to have three additional floors, but that plan was canceled late into construction. That ended up working in its favor, since the structure was built to support a taller, heavier building, which likely helped it survive this long. They also found plans showing the building was meant to have adjustable directional louvers on the facade for shading, and even indications that the building may have originally been designed to include residential apartments.

It’s pretty fascinating how much they’ve been able to uncover, and eventually all of their findings will be shared with the public.

I really wish more people cared about restoring old buildings like this. Although, over the past few years I have started to see more old buildings being restored. Some are doing the bare minimum, but at least they aren’t being demolished and replaced with generic, soulless buildings.

Back in October I posted about hitting my Red Bull Mobile internet unlimited limit for the first time. Unlimited limit sounds contradictory but somehow an unlimited internet plan is limited.

I’ve been using Red Bull Mobile for my 5G internet connection at home since they first launched. It’s a great deal, KD63 for 6 months unlimited internet so KD10.5 a month. Back in October my internet stopped working and turned out it was because for the first time I hit the limit of the unlimited plan by consuming 3TB of bandwidth. Thats when I discovered that RBM has a 3TB limit on their unlimited plan. Once you hit the limit the only option is to refill it by paying 5KD for just 50GB. 5KD for 500GB I can understand but for just 50? Wasn’t gonna happen.

As you know I built a new PC this month and so had to download Windows, apps, and games on it. I hit my 3TB limit again with 10 days to go in my month. Last time the only option I had was to get a post paid line from Zain for 500GB at 8KD a month and then cancel it before the month was completed. This time I decided to do the same thing except I’m not canceling it.

Yesterday I went and signed up for a post paid unlimited internet plan for KD16 a month (with no contract, cancel at any time). Zain’s unlimited plan is limited to 10TB a month which is a lot more reasonable than Red Bull’s 3TB. I don’t really download a lot of things, most of my bandwidth is used streaming 4K on my Apple TV, but the thought of having to worry about hitting my limit every month with Red Bull was stress I didn’t need in my life.

The weird thing is I couldn’t transfer my Red Bull Mobile number to Zain. I have a premium RBM number since I picked it out myself and Zain don’t allow the transfer of RBM numbers to Zain because RBM is Zain but not really. The only option they gave me was to transfer my number from Red Bull to a competitor like Ooredoo or STC, and then transfer it back to Zain. I wasn’t gonna do that so now I need to keep my RBM number alive every month. 🤦🏼‍♂️

I was at Sultan yesterday picking up a few things when I spotted different shelves that had Japanese products and a label saying “Flavors from Japan”. They mostly look like products that weren’t available in Kuwait previously.

I think they even tried to make the store background music sound like something you’d hear in a Japanese supermarket.

Other than the Pocky and Meiji products I didn’t recognize anything else, but I also wasn’t going through all the aisles looking for any of the Japanese stuff.

According to their instagram the items are available at their Salmiya, Mishref, Salwa, Adailiya and Jabriya branches.

This is going to be a new series where I highlight beautifully designed spaces in Kuwait that are no longer around. I figured I’d start with one I really loved and that still holds up today, Octium Jewelry.

The store opened in 360 Mall back in 2009 and was designed by the Spanish artist and designer, Jaime Hayon. Jamie works with different mediums, from design and sculpture to painting, ceramics, glass and installations. I think he’s fairly well known since when I mentioned him to my wife she immediately recognized the name and even pulled out a book she had about his work.

Jaime has an unconventional and playful approach to design. Most of the elements in the Octium store were custom made, with each piece of jewelry placed in its own unique display environment within this fantasy-like interior. The result was a space that felt more like an art installation than a typical jewelry store, and it helped put Octium on the map internationally. In 2013, the Spanish edition of Vogue listed it as one of the 12 most beautiful jewelry boutiques in the world.

In one of Jaime’s recent Instagram posts, he mentions his passion for designing beautiful doors. He’s fascinated by the idea of entering a space in a special way, that first point of contact. Looking back at the Octium door, you can tell this is something he’s been obsessed with from the very beginning.

I’m not sure exactly when the Octium store closed down, but their website is still online and feels like a time capsule that probably hasn’t been updated since. Check out more photos below taken from Jaime’s hayonstudio.com

Yesterday I passed by the new Banta location in Dajeej, and I was pretty impressed with the space. The new location opened up late last year, and one thing I really liked was the amount of natural daylight coming in through the mostly glass roof. It was really bright and inviting but I guess the main advantage is that it makes it easier to properly see the fabrics and colors.

The showroom is spacious and laid out in a way that lets you comfortably walk through different setups without feeling overwhelmed. It feels more like you’re walking through actual living spaces, and the natural light helps give the space a calm feel.

Banta are currently offering a 20% discount for those on the frontlines as a small gesture of appreciation. On top of that, they now have a home service where their team can come to you and design your space based on your needs, whether it’s a living room, walk-in closet, kitchen, or even a full diwaniya setup.

If you want to check them out, their new location is in Dajeej facing the 6th Ring Road (Google Maps), and you can find them on Instagram @banta_kw

Squatwolf, the Dubai based performance wear brand, has just opened its first store in Kuwait.

The brand started in 2016 from a small apartment when its founders saw a gap in the market for affordable, high quality gym wear designed specifically for the Middle East. Back then, most fitness apparel options available in the region were either expensive international brands or lower quality alternatives. Since then, the brand has grown into a popular regional and global name.

The new store is located in an alleyway in the Electra district at The Avenues Phase 4, behind The Body Shop and in front of Intersport.

A few days ago I decided since I now have a proper gaming PC, I might as well take advantage of it and not just use it for my racing rig. I figured I’d get a small desk, monitor, keyboard and mouse and set it up right next to my rig. Trying to find these simple things turned out to be a lot more difficult than I expected.

Finding a monitor was probably the hardest mostly due to the costs involved. Keyboard and mouse if you make a mistake you’re not out much, but with a monitor you’re stuck with it. I flip flopped a lot from budget to premium, from IPS to OLED and in the end, after a lot of research I narrowed it down to two options not he opposite end of the spectrum:

Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27UCDMG 27″ 4K QD-OLED, 240 Hz
Price: KD 311

LG 27G810A-B 27″ UltraGear™ 4K UHD IPS 180Hz
Price: KD 135

At one point I was looking at 32″ screens but based on the size of table I was looking to get it would have been too big. Plus they’re more expensive.

In the end I decided to go with the Asus. I figured I spent all this money getting a high end gaming PC it didn’t make sense to cheapen out on the screen now. The fact I only found one piece in the market helped create a sense of urgency to get it as well. The only place that still had one left from all the online stores was Blink, so I ordered it from them and it got delivered a few hours later.

Next step was picking a mouse and keyboard. 25 years ago picking a keyboard and mouse was pretty easy, you just went Microsoft or Logitech. My favorite used to be the ergonomic keyboard pictured above my Microsoft, it was ground breaking when it was released. Now the number of options is crazy. especially if you search for gaming gear. Suddenly new terms started popping up like hall effect, rapid trigger, DPI, polling rate etc.. when back then all I had to pick from was either a trackball or optical mouse and either use a random keyboard I had or get a Microsoft one. The fact that people also care if the mouse weighs 60g or 84g or whatever is also such a new concept to me. But it goes to show how seriously gaming is being taken, it’s fascinating, I love it, but it’s also so overwhelming.

I’m still trying to figure out what keyboard and mouse to go with. I think with the keyboard I’m going to go with looks. I found the Redragon K681 Cyrus PRO locally which looks good, is mechanical and should be good for casual gaming. It’s wireless and costs KD22, plus I might swap out the AWSD keys with some pink ones to give it a 90s vibe. Game Store also have some cute stuff, but most are out of stock.

The last time I passed by Blink they had keyboards on display so might pass by and check them out as well. It needs to be a keyboard with no Arabic, so Keychron or Ducky our out of the question since the ones in Kuwait are bilingual.

For the mouse I’m also thinking of going with the HyperX PulseFire Haste 2 Core because of the color combination that gives it a 90s vibe. It’s KD15 so not expensive and should be ok for casual gaming. Second option is possibly the white colored Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro since it’s a bit larger and so I think better for my wrists. But looks a bit too boring.

Back in the 90s Case Logic used to make these really great mouse pads that had a gel wrist rest and similar one for keyboards. They were life savers. I noticed some brands have similar ones now and mouse/desktops pads are a big thing as well. So might pick up a SteelSeries desk pad with RGB while I’m at it.

If you guys have any recommendations on keyboards and mice you’ve used let me know. Oh and if there is a store you know of that has a large selection also let me know. At the moment I’ve just been searching online but I’m sure there are a few shops that don’t have a website but have a good selection of stuff.

Yesterday, in a now deleted video posted on @jazeeraairways, their CEO Barathan Pasupathi shared that his team had been working hard to get their terminal ready (T5), and as of 3PM yesterday, the terminal would be ready to operate as soon as Kuwait’s airspace reopens.

I posted that on instagram since it was a nice feel good story. But, either people didn’t watch the video till the end, or maybe due to a language issue, it turned out a lot understood the video as Jazeera was opening the airport and flights would be resuming. That was obviously not true so the Civil Aviation had to issue a statement stating that the rumors of the airspace reopening was not true.

Again, either people didn’t read the statement right, or maybe due to a language issue, but they started accusing Jazeera of fake news and obviously me as well because I posted Jazeera’s story as well. Jazeera Airways must have gotten a lot of heat for their video because they ended up removing it, even though they didn’t state anything untrue or wrong or even misleading. There was meant to be a Jazeera Airways online media briefing yesterday to discuss their readiness to operate flights from Kuwait, but even that got postponed till next week. So much drama.

It seems there’s a local graffiti artist inspired by Banksy since there are at least two pieces in South Surra that resemble his work. I found out about them from a friend who lives in the area and shared the locations with me. I’m not sure if there are more, I drove around looking for others but South Surra is big so it’s not easy to cover it all while also keeping an eye out for graffiti.

The piece with the tap is on a wall outside a transformer station in front of Ahmed Mohammed Al-Mansour Mosque (Google Maps), while the second is on an electric box outside Al Zahra Coop (Google Maps). Both pieces seem to share the same theme, children in distress. If you know of any others, let me know.

I’d heard about this beautiful rooftop pool from a few friends who had been to it, and I knew which building had it, but until now I hadn’t actually seen any photos of it.

The pool is located on the rooftop of an unassuming building in Jabriya. The building and rooftop were designed by the architecture and interior design firm ARCHJS and is part of a private residence. The view looks incredible and even though it’s in Jabriya, it wouldn’t look out of place in Palm Jumeirah.

For more photos of the building, check their instagram @arch_js