Category: Food

If you’re a guacamole fan I think I’ve found the best one in Kuwait. The guac at the new restaurant MANA I think is one of the best I’ve had anywhere and easily the best being served in Kuwait right now. The guacamole is made fresh at your table and even the accompanying chips are really delicious too. Everything else I had on the menu was pretty average so far, but I would keep going back just for the guac (and I did two days in a row).

MANA is located in Argan Square in Salmiya and you can check them out on instagram @explore.mana

Coucou and Tiger Tiger are two new restaurants that are opening next week. Coucou is a breakfast and brunch spot while Tiger Tiger is a Pan-Asian restaurant. They’ll both be operating from the same location in Kuwait City, with one brand running in the morning while the other in the evening.

I tried both places yesterday and they visually looked like two very different restaurants even though it’s just the lighting that changes. While Coucou is bright and colorful during the day, Tiger Tiger has a completely different look at night with red ambient lighting and louder music playing.

Coucou is a breakfast and brunch spot but will also have a grab and go aspect to it for employees working in the area that don’t have time to sit and eat. Their menu consists of a variety of egg-based dishes including interesting ones like breakfast quesadillas, croque madame and spicy sausage shakshuka. Their opening hours will be from 8AM to 2PM.

Tiger Tiger isn’t a new brand, they’ve had a couple of pop-up events before and they’ve been on Carriage since last year. But they’re now going to have dine-in and a lot more new items on the menu. I loved the space at night with the moody red lights, good music and the night view of the street outside. It didn’t feel like I was in Kuwait while having dinner, and then when I walked out of the place, it felt like I was walking out of a pub or club. Such an odd feeling to get in Kuwait. Tiger Tiger’s opening hours will be from 4PM to 11PM.

I love the location of the restaurant, it’s located in the same building as Habra and Joa, but it’s right at the start of the building with large windows that overlook the busy road. Both restaurants close on Sundays and they’re both having trials this week with the aim of opening by next Monday. So if you’re looking for a breakfast spot in the city or a Chinese restaurant that is a step up from your average hole in the wall, it’s worth checking the place out. You can check them out on instagram @coucou.kw @tigertiger.kw

Here is their location on [Google Maps]

Late last year, Burger & Lobster closed down their location in the Avenues and relocated to a new spot in the city. Over the weekend, that new spot opened up and I really like the location. The new Burger & Lobster is located near Arabica where Cereal Killer used to be, so it’s a convenient location to pop in for a quick lunch or dinner.

Burger & Lobster is open from 8AM to 11PM on weekdays, and 8AM to 12AM on weekends. You can follow them on instagram @burgerandlobsterkuwait

Last year I posted about my favorite zaatar fatayer which was from a place called JS Foods located inside Sultan Center Shaab. But then Sultan Center Shaab closed down and JS Foods closed down which sucked for me. But, I recently found out they had moved and opened up a new location also in Shaab.

It’s a tiny place that’s fairly hidden, their map link on instagram wasn’t working so it actually took me two trips to find the place. JS Foods is a vegan restaurant that serves gluten and sugar-free food items. I picked up a box of freshly baked zaatar fatayer and they were as delicious as I remember them being. They also have a lot of other items on their menu like pancakes, acai bowls, granola bars, bread and more.

So if you’re interested in passing by them, here is their location on [Google Maps]. They have a cute seating area and they’re open from 8AM to 5PM. They also have delivery. For more info, check them out on instagram @jsfoodskwt

Duckling is a new little restaurant that opened up a couple of days ago that specializes in duck. The place is pretty tiny with just 4 tables, but that’s because their main focus is going to be on delivery once they get on Carriage sometime within the coming week.

I visited with a friend and we ordered nearly everything on the menu but my favorites were probably the Dizzy Dough, which are homemade dumplings stuffed with duck meat, and the Quackola which is a pulled duck sandwich. This isn’t a fancy duck restaurant, it’s a small fast casual place run by a couple of guys who wanted to open a restaurant but didn’t want to open another burger joint. Prices are pretty reasonable but you’re going to need more than a sandwich to fill you up.

They’re not on Carriage yet but they will be soon. If you want to pass by them they’re open from 2PM to 11PM and they’re located right next to Kipco Tower in the city [Google Maps]. To stay posted on their delivery launch, just follow them on Instagram @duckling_kw

I was talking to a friend last night who doesn’t drive and has to walk or take a cab to go get her groceries. So I was like why don’t you just order your groceries online?

We actually have a lot of options to choose from, so I decided to put together a list. Here are all the websites I’m aware of that deliver groceries:

Baqal
Baqala
Blue Passion
Dukkan
E-baqala
FAME
Fresh Mozzarella
Gourmet Me
Gourmet Shelf
Healthy Shop
InstaSalla (Only App)
OnCost
Lulu
Natureland
Prime Cuts
SaveCo
Taw9eel
The Approved Market
The Sultan Center
Tons (Only App)

If I missed anything let me know!

Lavan is a new Indian restaurant that opened up in the city last month. When I first got invited to Lavan I didn’t really have high expectations. Lots of Indian restaurants pop up all the time and most tend to be average so I wasn’t expecting Lavan to be any different. When I got to the place I realized my expectations might be right, the interior was bland, so much so that I wasn’t even sure I had walked into the right restaurant. There was nothing Indian about the interior and the fact the restaurant didn’t have a sign outside didn’t help either. We definitely didn’t start off on the right foot.

But once the food started coming out my view of completely changed. Every single dish we had ordered was just delicious. I left so impressed that first time, I went back three more times since then. I’ve now practically tried every dish on the menu and it’s my favorite Indian spot at the moment. Here are some of my favorite dishes:

Starters
Sweet Potato Chat
Prawns Amritsari

Tandoor
Humour Tikka
Tiger Prawns
Lamb Tikka

Biryani
Chicken
Mutton
Lavan Special (Goat)

Pricing is on par with the likes of Asha’s and Copper Chimney which I think is very reasonable. You can get a better idea by checking their menu which I’ve uploaded [Here]

Like I mentioned earlier, Lavan is currently my favorite Indian restaurant. I still find the interior bland and lacking charm, but the food makes up for it which is why I keep going back. For a map of the location as well as more photos, you can check out their instagram account @houseoflavan

RAW originally opened up back in 2016 in the industrial area of Shuwaikh but recently closed that location down. It was one of my favorite sushi places, but a lot of people had an issue with the location since at night the area around was super dark and creepy. So they closed that space down and moved to the city where they just officially reopened this past weekend across the street from Hamra Tower [Map]

Along with the new location, they revamped their menu by adding a lot of interesting and delicious new dishes that go beyond what you’d find at your typical Japanese restaurant. You can check out the full menu [Here].

I’ve been there three times so far (two tastings and a dinner), and really love the food. You really can’t go wrong by choosing any of the 20+ items on the menu.

RAW is currently only open for dinner, so you should call and reserve ahead of time just in case they’re busy. For more information check out their instagram @eatrawkwt

Note: Make sure you try the Koji Glazed Thigh (pictured above), the Tofu Croquettes, Sablefish and the Yuzu Yogurt dessert.

Jeans Grill was a pretty popular restaurant back in the 90s, and the one on the top floor of Sultan Center Salmiya was probably the most popular location since it was open 24/7. Back in the 90s, there were barely any restaurants that opened 24/7, so if you wanted to hang out somewhere late at night, you’d always end up at Jeans Grill. I even went there after my prom with a bunch of friends, so I’m sure other people have memories of the place as well.

I don’t recall the last time I ate at Jeans Grill, but I used to walk by it often while shopping and always admired the fact that it still looked exactly the same. But it clearly wasn’t doing as well as it used to, and recently the Sultan Center Salmiya location was closed down. I originally thought they were revamping it but instead, they opened a coffee shop in its place. Now I kinda regret not having one last dinner there.

Last month I posted a sneak peek of the new ORA and mentioned that it was opening this month. Well, it’s opening this month, tomorrow in fact.

If you were a fan of the old ORA then you’re gonna love the new space and their updated menu. If you weren’t a fan of the old ORA, or maybe thought their prices were too high, then you’re gonna have to give the new ORA another chance since they’ve added a ton of new items to the menu and also reduced their prices.

The new ORA is located in Kuwait City, here is a link to [Google Maps] and you can also follow them on instagram @ora.kw

Açaí is starting to look like the new frozen yogurt craze with more and more places starting to pop up offering it. I had my first bowl a couple of months back and now its something I have whenever I feel like having a treat. Açaí is a berry and is said to contain a high level of antioxidants, similar to cranberries, so it’s pretty good for you. If you’re looking to grab a bowl, below is a list of some açaí places I’m aware of:

Be Cafe
Be have my favorite açaí bowl in Kuwait, but they’re more of a dine-in place and they’re pretty out of my daily routine so I don’t have it that often. But its really good with quality toppings especially the granola (pictured on top).

Bowl’d
Not my favorite place but definitely the most convenient since their location in Salmiya is pretty close to where I live. They’re also open all day so whenever I feel like having a dessert I know I can pass by and grab a bowl from them.

Liquid
Liquid is the new kid on the block since they just recently opened up. They’re located in the city near Vol.1, so I usually pass by them whenever I’m in the city. It’s a cute little place with a nice quiet seating area upstairs. I’ve heard their smoothies are great but I haven’t tried any yet.

The Foundry
I haven’t tried their açaí yet but they’re the only ones that deliver via Carriage that I am aware of.

If you’ve got a favorite açaí place that I didn’t mention, let me know in the comments.

Even though the popular Italian restaurant Vigonovo closed down back in September, Chef Marco hasn’t really stopped cooking. He’s been holding various pop-ups around town and he’s got one coming up this weekend. I went to the last one that was held in one of the old Behbehani houses in the city and had a great time, this time it’s being held on a rooftop under the stars.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, book a table before they sell out. For more details, click [Here]

ReQueue is a local app that allows you to add yourself to a restaurants waiting list. I found out about it a couple of days ago so I haven’t been able to try it out yet, but going through the list of restaurants in the app, I don’t think you need to wait for most of them. The only reason I got the app is because Table Otto is on it, and they do get crazy busy on Saturday for brunches.

The app seems fairly simple to use and even lets you know if a place has a waiting list or if you can just walk in and get a table. It’s available for both [iOS] and [Android] devices.

If you’ve used ReQueue before, let me know how it worked out for you.

White Robata, the new Japanese restaurant I recently posted about is opening up at JACC this coming Wednesday. I’ve been there twice so far (they’ve been holding private tastings) and been loving the food and the great service. I know a lot of people are curious to try it out, and if you’re one of those people, then you should know that they won’t be accepting walk-ins (if you want a table). To get a table at White you’re going to have to reserve one online.

Right now with their other restaurants (OFK, Burger Boutique, Cocoa Room etc..) they’re using a regular waiting list where you put your name and number down and they’ll call you when a table is available. But if you’re going out to a nice dinner, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour walking around the fountain at JACC killing time till a table frees up. With the reservation system, you can book your table online at an available time slot, and then just show up. I’ve already booked a table for two nights and found the experience pretty easy.

In case you don’t have a table booked, you can walk-in, but you’ll only be able to sit at the bar and that’s limited to just 12 chairs.

If you’re interested in trying the place out, you can reserve a table by visiting their website whiterobata.com