Author: Mark

Last month I reviewed the Smoke House burger and gave it the highest rating so far which is a 4.5 out of 5. Thing is I went back to Smoke House this weekend and had the burger again but noticed something was different. Other than the presentation the burger looked like it didn’t have the signature BBQ sauce that I thought made the burger the last time. I didn’t think of this much but I just read the post by SOME contrast on Smoke House and it seems I am not the only one who noticed the burger has changed. What the hell happened? Why would anyone mess with that burger?? I thought about changing the score but I am going to try the burger again next week and see if it was just a one time thing or a permanent change.

Oh and you need to check out the argument SOME contrast had with the manager, priceless! [Link]

A lot of new Lebanese restaurants have opened up in Kuwait and so far I’ve tried two and they both had good things about them.

The first one I tried which I could swear I thought I had posted about was Abdel Wahab, the Lebanese restaurant that opened up in place of Fuddruckers on the Gulf Road. The interior looks nice and their taouk is one of the best in Kuwait. Their prices aren’t bad, cheaper than Al Mayas and maybe a bit cheaper than Villa Fayrouz. The worst thing about sitting and eating at Abdel Wahab for me was the fact that the whole time I was expecting to pick up chocolate chip cookies on my way out, something I used to do when the place was Fuddruckers.

The second place I got to try today was Karam Cafe which is located at the Avenues. Although at first I was annoyed by the fact they had shisha indoors their kebab turned out to be really juicy and one that I would go back for again. Price wise their main courses were very cheap, taouk dish was like KD2.550 (but wasn’t as good as Abdel Wahab) while the Kebab dish was for KD2.500.

I still need to try Leil Nhar which is right next to Karam and Snowbar which opened up where Zorba used to be on the Gulf Road.

The Abdel Wahab picture above was taken by SOME contrast who has a ton more pictures [Here]

I have a confession to make, when I see a KFC ad on the street I feel like having KFC, when I see a Hardees flier in the newspaper I feel like having Hardees, when I read about food I want to have whatever I am reading about and thats what happened to me earlier tonight. Although I had a Smoke House burger for lunch, I was reading my favorite hamburger blog called Hamburger America when I read about how ketchup in burgers is for kids and how mustard is the way to go. I am a big fan of ketchup in my burgers but I wanted to try it with just mustard so I decided to pass by Johnny Rockets and ordered a cheese burger with just mustard. Turned out it was really good and I think I might be having my burgers like this more often. No lettuce, no tomato, no onions, just cheese and mustard. If you’re a burger fan check out Hamburger America, he’s got tons of nice burger shots all over the blog. [Link]

Found this t-shirt while in Amsterdam.

I don’t go to the movies here much because of the censorship but yesterday I ended up going to watch Star Trek at the Avenues cinema with Marzouq, Nibaq, k.thekuwaiti and some other friends. It was my first time trying out the VIP theater and I think I might start going to the movies more often because of it. The theater fits around 20 seats all of which can be electronically controlled to recline. The VIP section also has its own munchies bar which means you don’t have to wait in the long lines outside with everyone else. It feels like sitting and watching a movie at home on a very huge screen. All that for just KD6 which is a steal!

Star Trek was a great movie, definitely the best Star Trek yet.

I passed by the Salmiya clinic in the morning to get the H1N1 flu paper I got from the airport signed. It was my first time there and I have to say the place is disgusting. Can’t believe that’s actually a medical center, it looks more like a big kitchen or bathroom. I even found a big dead bug on a dirty and stained floor, gross!

Anyway went to the proper department where this woman with a really large book took down my name and travel information. She asked me if I was sick, I told her no so she told me to come back on Sunday and that was it.

Got this camera for only KD2.5 from Amsterdam. Its a waterproof 35mm camera which I thought would be perfect to take while jet skiing this summer.

Someone in Kuwait is selling a bear, isn’t that illegal? Where are the authorities, I can understand they don’t care about dogs or cats but at least when it comes to bears you would think they would give a damn. [Link]

Thanks GeordieLass!

I got back to Kuwait just over an hour ago and got a shock when I was told I had to fill and sign some medical forms and then be tested for signs of the H1N1 flu! As we exited the plane there was a medical staff waiting for us with infrared thermometers along with some officials and they took a reading of all our temperatures before letting us pass through. Then, before getting to immigration, we had to sign documents and get them stamped stating that within the next 72 hours I would pass by a clinic to be examined or else I could face a 1 month prison sentence or a KD50 fine!

Not everyone coming to Kuwait has to go through this, only selected countries and I am guessing its countries that have had confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu like the Netherlands.

I tried the McKroket today after reading somebody’s comments. I didn’t ask what it was I just ordered it and even after I tried it I still have no clue what a kroket is. I am too lazy to google it at the moment but it tasted mostly of Dijon mustered mustard with something that might have been cheese, meat, fish, chicken, mashed vegetables or tofu… I couldn’t figure it out.

During Queens Day while we were stuck in the crowd I looked up and spotted this sign. You probably think he was joking but when you realize the only other option is the public urinals (pictured below) 5 euros sounds like a good deal for a real bathroom.

The sun goes down around 10PM here in Amsterdam so it always feels like its still early. The picture above was taken at 9:33PM.

We took the train to the Hague in the morning so we could get there at noon when all the shops open up (its Sunday). Once there we decided to pass by the seaside towards the pier where there is a bungee jumping place. Nat ended up bungee jumping and I am trying to upload the video online but the connection here is pretty slow. It was a beautiful sunny day but it was FREEZING cold.

Lots of munchies here in Amsterdam and Chipsy King is one of my favorite places. They just serve fries with the topping of your choice. I always go with ketchup but mayonnaise seems to be the popular sauce here.

Update: Added more pictures!

During the Queens Day celebration I spotted a group of Hare Krishna. I’ve never seen them live before and they are just as colorful and musical as they were in the original Grand Theft Auto. [YouTube]