Category: Food & Drinks

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, the San Francisco bakery that went viral in 2017 with the invention of the cruffin, is now a Kuwaiti-owned concept. Mr. Holmes is now owned by Nejoud, the same company that owns the brands % Arabica, Eighty Six, Le Relais de l’Entrecote and Marble Slab in Kuwait.

Nejoud and Mr.Holmes Bakehouse have been in franchise talks since 2018, but Mr.Holmes got hit badly during the pandemic and ended up filing for bankruptcy, which is how Nejoud ended up buying them out.

This past weekend Mr. Holmes popped up at Qout Market, and in case you missed them, they’ll be back at the next Qout Market on February 18th. Their first branch will be located in Kuwait City, right next to Eighty Six, and soft open right after the next Qout Market.

Bonjiri, the Yakitori bar by Chef Maryam Alnusif (Mimi) last night became the second restaurant from Kuwait to make it to the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Bonjiri came in the No.50 spot, a few spots behind White Robata which came in 42nd but still an amazing accomplishment considering all the competition in the region.

If you’ve never been to Bonjiri before, check out my review here. For the full top 50 list, check out @theworlds50best

The annual list of the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants was revealed last night and for the second year running, White Robata won the award for The Best Restaurant in Kuwait for 2023. They came in 42nd place overall in the Middle East & North Africa, one spot higher than last year.

The best restaurant this year was Dubai’s Orfali Bros Bistro. For the full top 50 list, check out @theworlds50best

For the past couple of months, I’ve been forcing myself to try a new place every week. I had gotten a bit too comfortable just eating at the places I liked but also there were very few new places I was interested in trying anyway.

Ode is one of the spots that did get my attention. I knew all the talented people behind the project and loved their work so I had been meaning to pass by it ever since it opened.

The menu isn’t very large, most of the sweet and savory items are out on display but there are a handful of other items that are prepared in the kitchen. The display is visually very appetizing so it’s pretty hard to pick what to eat. Go in a larger group so you could order a wider range of items. The prices are slightly on the expensive side but the portions are fairly large so it does balance out.

I went with a friend so we didn’t order too many items. We had mama’s zaatar rolls with whipped feta, the avocado on sourdough with scrambled eggs (I didn’t pick this), and the flan tart with tonka and kumquat compote. From the three I wouldn’t order the avocado and scrambled eggs again since it turned out to be too basic, but the zaatar roll and specifically the flan tart were both delicious. Add a coffee to the order and our bill came out to 13KD.

If you’re looking for a small trendy brunch spot with a variety of interesting and unique dishes, they’re located in Salmiya near Pet Zone and are open from 10AM to 7PM daily except for Sundays. Here is their location Google Maps and they’re on Instagram @ode.eatery

Shakir just launched the chicken shawarma a couple of days ago and it made me realize just how strange it was that they didn’t have chicken as an option to begin with. If it was me opening a shawarma place and someone suggested to me to only sell meat I’d be like wtf? The number 1 rule of a shawarma place is the fact that you have chicken and meat, that’s basic Shawarma 101. But that’s the power of Shakir, since the start they’ve been doing things differently and it’s worked out really well for them.

I passed by their Salmiya location yesterday which tends to be fairly quiet, but when I got there it was really busy with delivery drivers and people waiting to order the new chicken shawarma. I’m a big fan of Shakir but had recently gotten bored of it, the fact they have chicken now has re-sparked my interest in the brand and I’m guessing it’s done the same with other people.

Was it worth the wait?

So their chicken shawarma is actually pretty good, better than I was expecting it to be, not that I was thinking it was going to be bad. I think it’s their nicely balanced garlic sauce combined with the freshly baked bread that gives it a slight edge over my other favorite places like Ebn 3my and Shawarma Arabi. The only issue is the ratio of chicken to bread, they’re pretty stingy with the filling. After having two sandwiches, I went back for a third and asked for extra chicken (it’s an option with the meat shawarma for an extra fee if you didn’t know). But, according to the cashier, the IT guys hadn’t set up that option yet on their system. When it does become an option, that’s how I’d recommend you have it, order the sandwich with extra chicken or else it will mostly feel like you’re eating bread as you can see in my photo.

Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The price of the chicken shawarma is 750fils similar to their meat. They also have the platter for 2.750KD. I had my sandwich with just garlic inside because that’s how I like it but it usually comes with greens, sweet potato chips, and pickles.

Kei, the first and oldest Japanese restaurant in Kuwait is reopening next week on January 23rd. The new Kei will be called Kei Downtown to differentiate it from the Kei Restaurant that will eventually reopen again at the JW Marriott once the hotel renovation is complete.

I just got back from a private lunch at Kei and it was great to see the old staff again, many of which I’ve known for close to two decades.

The new Kei Downtown location is at Assima Mall but located on the outside right next door to Pick. They’ll be opening from 7PM on January 23rd but will start opening for lunch the following day. To stay posted on their opening you can follow them on Instagram @kei_downtown

Teta’s is a new breakfast and brunch spot that just opened today in Kuwait City. The place is super cute with a rustic-looking interior and a menu to match.

The restaurant was full when I dropped by but they did have a lot of to-go items on display. The interior is somewhat of a bakery/coffeeshop while the main dining area is outdoors.

They currently open from 9AM to 6PM and are located across the street from Behbahani Complex, where Lunch Room used to be (Google Maps).

If you want to check out the menu, click here and here.

There’s a new fish and chips spot that just opened up in the city called The Fishery. They opened next to where Lunch Room used to be in T21 Tower, right across from Behbehani Complex. Their main menu consists of three items:

Fish Fillet Burger KD3.950
Fish and Chips (dory or cod fish) KD5.950
Shrimp Roll KD4.500

I haven’t passed by yet since my cheat day is on Friday (new year new me!) but it looks promising from the photos. They’re currently in their soft-opening phase but operate a full day from 2PM to 11PM. If you’re interested, they’re on Instagram @thefisherykuwait

My favorite breakfast spot in Istanbul @namligurme is opening here in Kuwait in Avenues Phase 1. Namlı Gurme is a deli-style restaurant in Istanbul which I love because it’s super casual and serves a delicious Turkish breakfast.

The way it works in Istanbul is when you first walk into the place you stand in line at the deli counter and when it’s your turn, you order whatever you want from their fridge displays (cheeses, cold cuts, olives, jams, etc) as well as eggs with whatever you want with it. When your food is ready the waiter will bring it over to your table and I always get a jug of Turkish tea to have with it. It’s my favorite kind of breakfast.

When I say it’s my favorite breakfast spot in Istanbul I’m also not exaggerating, I literally have breakfast there every day, that’s how great this place is. I’m pretty surprised they’re opening in Kuwait because the concept is based of their local produce, but while prepping for this post I found out they’re actually also open in Bahrain (@namlibahrain) so if the concept works there it should work here. @namligurmekuwait

Below is a list of places I found that offer Christmas-themed lunches & dinners as well as cakes. If there is a place you know I haven’t listed, let me know so I can add it:

Dine-In
Courtyard by Marriott @courtyardkuwait
Crowne Plaza @crowneplazakuwaitatc
Hilton Garden Inn @hiltongardeninn_kuwait
Hilton Kuwait Resort @hiltonkuwaitresort
Jumeirah Messilah @jumeirahmessilahbeach
Radisson Blu Hotel @radissonblukuwait
Vigonovo @vigonovo_kw

Take Away
Crowne Plaza @crowneplazakuwaitatc
Dean & Deluca @deandelucame
Little Deli @littledeli
Madison & Heig @madisonandheig

Xmas Cakes
BreadTalk @breadtalkkuwait
J’s Bakery @js_bakery
Madison & Heig @madisonandheig
Mr Baker @mrbakerkwt
November & Co @novemberandco
Sable @sable.kw

Earlier this month I posted that MEI LI was opening sometime this month, there is now an official date and its December 31st.

MEI LI is a new Pan Asian fine dining concept that is located inside the Grand Hyatt. They’re launching with a six-course special dinner for New Year’s Eve but then will start regular operations and bookings from January 1st onwards.

If you’re interested in the special NYE dinner, it’s 90KD per person and you have to call the hotel to book. @mei_likw @grandhyattkuwait

Basil Alsalem (@pepperlab), the same person behind our favorite places like Cocoa Room, White Robata and Milk Bun is officially launching his revamped OFK restaurant next week.

OFK located in Al Hamra Tower will officially open on December 15th and reservations will be available through their website ofkkuwait.com

Jahez, the Saudi equivalent of Talabat launched silently in Kuwait this week.

I know what you’re thinking, why do we need any more food delivery apps? We don’t, but, the more apps there are to compete against one another, the better it is for us because we’ll get better prices, deals, and services. @jahezapp

Last month during the rainstorm storm, the roof of the restaurant ROTO in Avenues collapsed. It was all over the news because of the eye-catching photos.

Luckily, no one got seriously injured but the restaurant was forced to close for repairs. This past weekend, they reopened again for business. I think it’s fair that if you gained traffic to your account with photos of their roof collapse, that you should at least return the favor now and let everyone know they’re open again. But that’s just me. @ontheroto

MEI LI is a new Pan Asian fine dining restaurant that is opening at the end of this month at the Grand Hyatt.

I briefly posted about MEI LI in my Grand Hyatt sneak peek post. Back then I wasn’t able to show too many photos of the space but now that they’re getting ready I wanted to share the photos I had taken because it really is a beautiful-looking restaurant.

The restaurant is located near the main lobby of the hotel and their Instagram account is @mei_likw although as of this post there isn’t anything there.