Category: Food & Drinks

Back in June, I posted about how I was able to order a new espresso machine straight from Italy without having to pay crazy shipping prices. I briefly mention what I ended up buying but since I still hadn’t had the machine for that long, I decided I’d leave the proper review for another time and since it’s now been a few months here is what I think of my setup.

Firstly my coffee machine set up is composed of the following three main parts:
Rocket Appartamento
Rocket Faustino Grinder
Acaia Lunar Scale

These three items along with my leveling tool (instead of a coffee tamper) have proven to be a dream team for me. One of the hardest things to get right is consistent coffee on a daily basis. There are too many factors in play and if just one of the steps changes slightly you end up with a different tasting coffee. This is why people generally have a favorite barista at their favorite coffee place, people want their coffee done the same way every morning. My setup is allowing me to get the same result every time and so I’m loving it.

My previous espresso machine was the Breville Oracle which had basically a fully automated process to make my latte. My Rocket setup is fully manual so I have the following steps I need to take:

• I first fill up my milk jug with milk and place it next to my machine
• I remove the portafilter from the coffee machine
• I place portafilter on my scale and zero it
• I then grind 18g of coffee into the portafilter. My grinder has a timer and I’ve set it to grind for 12.7 seconds which generally grinds around 18g of coffee
• I then place portafilter back on my scale to see if I hit 18g. I’m fine with 18-18.3g of coffee, if its a bit more I remove some, if it’s less I add more
• Using my leveling tool I press it hard on my portafilter and rotate it 8 times
• I then purge the steamer to let out condensation while also purging the group head to stabilize the water temperature
• I mount the portafilter back in the machine, I place my scale under the portafilter and place my coffee cup on it and zero the scale
• I then take my milk jug and start steaming my milk, once the milk gets warm I start the coffee-making process
• My scale can sense when coffee drips into the cup, it then automatically starts a timer while weighing my coffee.
• In the middle of this process, my milk hits the correct temperature (I can now feel it with my hands but I started off using a thermometer) so I turn off the steamer, clean the wand and purge it to clear any milk that might have gotten inside
• I then get back to focusing on my coffee. Once I get 36 grams of coffee in my cup I stop the machine. I try to get 36g of coffee in around 20-24 seconds
• I then take my milk and pour it into my coffee cup attempting latte art which I’m consistently terrible in and then I’m done

It’s a lot of steps but it’s become second nature and I timed the process and from start to finish and it takes just 2 minutes. 2 minutes to make a great latte, that’s really not bad at all. Most importantly is how good my coffee is and it’s always the same. I’m making such good coffee now I’ve stopped having coffee completely outside my house. When I had the Oracle I had consistency issues all the time and used to still have coffee at %Arabica on weekends because their coffee just tasted better than mine at home. But now I’m basically making the same quality at home with my set up so I haven’t had a single coffee outside since I got the machine. Not exaggerating either, not one single coffee outside my home since I got the machine back in May or June (whenever I got my machine). No more inconsistent coffees because of different baristas, no more complaining about the temperature of the milk because they’ve either boiled it too hot or not heated it enough. I have the exact same coffee every single time.

My coffee experience has improved tremendously because of my setup and I’m using the Appartamento model which is the entry-level Rocket machine. There are a lot more sophisticated models with more capabilities, but for my needs, the Appartamento has been more than enough and great value. The only negatives I really have are the following:

• I wish the drip tray was bigger in the Appartamento
• I wish the Appartamento could hold more water
• The Faustino grinder touch screen is great unless your fingers are damp and then it doesn’t work

Honestly, these three issues are very minor and aren’t really issues. So yeah, obviously I would highly recommend my setup especially if you want to make great espresso at home but don’t want to invest crazy money. My setup including accessories which I didn’t list above cost me around KD700 shipped to Kuwait. Sounds a lot but keep in mind it costs me around 500fils to make a latte at home using my favorite beans from %Arabica (Arabica Blend) and with lacto free milk (which is more expensive than normal milk). A regular latte at a coffee shop costs around KD1.750 with regular milk. I have three lattes a day so that’s a saving of 3.750KD a day or 112.500KD a month. So in just seven months of use, I’ll recoup the cost of my setup and you could recoup it even faster by using cheaper beans and milk. So you’re paying this much money upfront, but saving so much more in the long run.

So if you want to now buy a coffee machine online, check out my previous post here.

Back in 2011 KDD dropped the old school names and packaging for some of their ice creams and replaced them with the generic Blitz name and packaging. But, it looks like KDD is bringing back the original names and designs again. The KDD app is now showing Failaka, Burgan and Columbia again as well as some other new items like lolly sticks.

I don’t know if this a temporary marketing thing or not but I hope it stays. I also hope they’re not gonna kill off the lolly pyramids and replace them with these new sticks. Also KDD, why did you close down the KDD store near my place in Salmiya??

via @inspirededibles

BBT, one of my favorite burger places recently moved to a new much larger location. They were previously located in a small hole in the wall (literally) in Daiha but now moved to a new space in Shamiya.

The new location now has indoor seating as well as seating outside the restaurant and in the tiny park right next door. They don’t have drive-thru but they do have a car service which is composed of dedicated parking spots where waiters come and take your order. The whole process is very smooth and for those of you not wanting to dine out yet then this is a good alternative.

The opening time right now is 12:00pm to 11:00pm and here is their new location on Google Maps. They’re also on Instagram @bbtkw

For some odd reason, it’s actually pretty difficult to find a picture of the original Arby’s that opened up in Kuwait back in the 80s. But a follower on twitter managed to find one taken by a US soldier back in 1991 called Keith O’Brien. According to Keith, this photo was taken right after the war. He was assigned as a driver/bodyguard of a Brigade Commander and he wanted to see Kuwait City. Up till then, they had only been in Saudi, Iraq, and Bahrain so they drove around and he took some photos of various places which you can see here.

Two of the most memorable things about this Arby’s for me was the touch screen ordering system which was super way ahead of its time, and the arcade machines in the basement.

Thanks @Alblogy

Just like gyms, restaurants and coffee shops are reopening today but with social distancing rules in place as well as some new safety measures. For example, restaurants can only use disposable cutlery and are required to have a 2 meters gap between tables (amongst other rules).

I’m really curious to see how this plays out because unlike gyms where you’re meant to keep your mask on the whole time, you’re not expected to keep your mask on while eating.

But with all the concerns I have, I’ll probably be dining out, but maybe once the initial rush subsides since I’m expecting the first couple of weeks to be super busy.

This place isn’t new but I only found out about it recently from TikTok (via @ruqiaalmurshed) and since it was a few minutes drive from my place, I decided to check it out. The store is located a few buildings down from Promenade Mall in Hawalli and can easily be missed if you aren’t paying attention.

Like Singarea, Haiso is an Asian market where you can find all sorts of Korean and Japanese food products. The store is small, but every single item there is imported and not items you’d usually find at your regular supermarket. They have all sorts of dry and canned goods but the store also has lots of frozen items as well as a large selection of Asian drinks. Check out this video I found if you want to see more items on their shelves.

I actually think Haiso belongs to the Ginza Market owners who are major importers of Asian food products in Kuwait. Both Ginza and Haiso are located in high traffic areas so just visit the one that’s more convenient for you since both places basically carry the exact same items. Here is their location on Google Maps.

I found out about the Exotic Snax website because a friend of mine bought Lucky Charms from them. Ignore the part where they say they’re the only online candy store in Kuwait since obviously that’s not true but, they do actually have an interesting selection of products. Most of the items can be found in other places in Kuwait if you know where to look but there are also some I haven’t seen anywhere. There is also the convenience factor of having all these products in one place and being able to order them to your home so check out their website exoticsnaxkw.com

I don’t think I’ve seen any KDD ice cream guys yet but the Petra ones are back out on the roads. Going through their products list, I don’t think I’ve ever had Petra in my life, maybe back in the 80s when I was a kid so I don’t remember, but definitely not in my adult life.

I’ve always been a KDD guy.

Vintage KDD shot from @moath9

The original McDonalds location on the Gulf Road is turning into a Burger King and Pizza Hut. The building is looking pretty nice so far and I saw it a few months back at night while they were testing the lighting and all the vertical lines around the structure were lit up by LEDs. I just hope it doesn’t end up looking tacky and ruining the Gulf Road landscape.

As I’ve posted previously, McDonalds has now moved to a new location further up the road next to the Kuwait Towers, where Ruby Tuesday used to be.

Arby’s, one of my favorite fast-food restaurants has closed all their locations in Kuwait. I first heard about this from a reader a couple of days ago but didn’t believe it until I called them up myself to confirm. The employee on the phone said this was permanent but I’m still hoping this is just a temporary thing until the pandemic is over.

If you call them up right now you’ll get Johnny Rockets instead so maybe because of the lack of staff or resources, they’re putting all their focus on their big money maker. I hope that is the case.

Over the weekend I was in Avenues for work (the mall is closed FYI) so I decided to walk around and see if it was true that Alshaya was closing down some of its restaurants. Inspired Edibles had posted a list on Instagram of the brands that were closing which included:

400 Gradi
Alforno
Blaze Pizza
Bridge Water Chocolate
Cafe COCO
Castania
Cleo
Le Pain Quotidien
P.F. Chang’s (Phase 1)
Spontini Pizza
Veranda

Turns out it’s partially true. Other than Blaze Pizza and P.F. Chang’s, all the restaurants listed above had been closed down with their logos removed and the storefronts boarded up. I guess the two I’m gonna miss the most are Alforno and Spontini. When Alforno first opened I used to go there a lot with my family, and Spontini, well I kinda liked their pizzas even though I know a lot didn’t.

But, if a giant like Alshaya has difficulty sustaining a restaurant during this difficult period in a mall they basically own, you can only imagine how other smaller businesses must be doing.

The first day after lockdown I was REALLY craving french fries and burgers. I rarely ever have fries on a regular day but I must have been watching something on YouTube or seen a photo somewhere that made me really want fries (I’m that easy). I was craving Wachamean and although I couldn’t have it on the first day, I finally did yesterday and it was incredible, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed fries as much as I did yesterday.

Wachamean like a lot of places now has introduced a carhop service which I’m a big fan of. I love drive-thru and carhop services, not because I’m lazy, but because I love eating in my car while watching YouTube videos. It’s a habit I picked up from my uni days although we didn’t have YouTube back then, or even internet on our phones. My other favorite burger place BBT (pictured on top) also has carhop so I’m passing by them today for lunch.

The quickest way to get your food during this pandemic is using these car services since delivery platforms are struggling with a shortage of drivers. Getting the food yourself also helps out the restaurants since they don’t have to pay the delivery apps their 20-30% commission fees. So not only is it faster to get the food yourself, but you also help out the restaurant that way so keep that in mind the next time you feel like eating out.

So what did you end up ordering?

Once the lockdown is over and restaurants can reopen again for dine-in, where are you going first? I think for me it’s gotta be Peacock.

Yesterday the Kuwait Municipality announced that starting today you can only get your coffee delivered. Up until yesterday you could still pick up a coffee from your favorite coffee shop or use their drive-thru service. I’m guessing the reason behind this decision is that having your morning coffee isn’t considered essential and so no reason for you to leave the house or wait in a busy line just to get it. On the bright side, most coffee shops are now on the delivery apps and Arabica have started delivering hot coffees as well.

A lot of you don’t know this but for the past two and a half years I’ve been working in the restaurant industry. It’s a really challenging field and I’m working harder than I have ever done but I’m also loving every minute of it. Right now the restaurant industry all over the world is facing a major crisis. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of restaurants have had to stop operating dine-in and those who offer delivery have had their sales drop considerably.

I’m still ordering food in as I usually do and in the rare occasion when I need to get out of the house, I’m going and picking up the food myself. But, a lot of people have stopped ordering and that’s really hurting restaurants (of all sizes). I’m trying to do my part in trying to support local restaurants and with the number of discounts and offers right now it’s a good time to be a customer. Below are some of my favorite places which I’m supporting:

Delivery
Abby Shawaya – Best pulled chicken sandwiches (musa7ab)*
China Kitchen – My favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant
CHKN – Best fried chicken sandwiches in the world* (I’m serious)
Clean Eats – My favorite vegan restaurant
Enab Beirut – They’re one of my favorite Lebanese delivery places
Frankies – One of the hottest breakfast spots in town now delivers
KAU – One of my favorite burger places right now (order the truffle burger)
Lavan – My favorite Indian restaurant now also deliver
Momo Zaa – The Bhutanese dumpling place now deliver
Leila Min Lebnen – My other favorite Lebanese restaurant
Lucky Bun – Another favorite burger place (order the Ooh Mami with an extra patty)
Madison & Heig – Probably the best bakery in town right now
Roto – Delicious wood-fired rotisserie chicken
Rustic Thai Kitchen – Authentic and delicious Thai food
Tampopo – Best Ramen in town easily!
Vigonovo – Still my favorite Italian restaurant in Kuwait
Wachamean – Order the Wacha Burger with an extra patty

Pick up
BBT – I love this tiny burger place
Shawarma Shakir – Their spicy meat shawerma is the best

You can also support your favorite restaurants by following them on instagram and writing reviews about them. If you have a favorite little place you want to support, let us know about them in the comments below and what kind of food they serve.

*One of the brands I work for