Category: Food & Drinks

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

ORA used to be one of my favorite sushi places in Kuwait before they closed down their location in Arabella. Now, they’re reopening again and I got a sneak peek of the space earlier today, and I’m in love with it. It actually might have the nicest looking interior of any restaurant in Kuwait, and that’s saying a lot since we’ve got some pretty great looking places here.

The new ORA (or what I like to call ORA 2.0) will be located downtown, on the mezzanine floor of an AGi Architects designed building on Ahmad Al Jaber Street [Map]. As soon as I walked into the new ORA, one of the first things that caught my attention was a golden colored wall lamp and right away I asked if it was by PSLab? (it was). PSLab are lighting consultants based out of Lebanon whom I’ve been obsessed with for years. Like super obsessed, to the point, I recognized the wall lamp as being designed by them even though I had never seen it before. They’re insanely talented and you’ll find their lights all around the world in some of the most beautiful spaces including a bunch of Aesop shops. And the new ORA is no exception, their interior is also stunning.

When it opens, the new ORA will be divided into two main areas, a lunch space, and a dinner space. The dinner area is structured in a way where it could be divided up. It could be either one large room, or two medium-sized rooms or one medium-sized room and two smaller ones. So if you’ve got a private dinner party, you would be able to book a room and not have to interact with the rest of the restaurant. You’ll actually be able to get into your private room through a back door so you don’t even have to walk through the main dining area.

I didn’t get to try any food since tastings haven’t started yet but expect your favorite ORA dishes to make a comeback, along with a bunch of new ones. ORA is expecting to open on January 10th and I’m really looking forward to it. Follow them on instagram @ora.kw

White is a new restaurant by the owner of Cocoa Room, Slider Station and Burger Boutique. It’s an American robata concept that is opening next week at the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre. I passed by the other night for a tasting and loved everything we tried. The menu was pretty huge so we had a whole variety of dishes to try, from nigiris (including chutoro and otoro) to robatas.

You can check out the full menu minus the desserts [Here] and [Here].

Unless something pops up, they’re currently planning to open on December 27th. To stay posted, follow their instagram account @whiterobata

I found out earlier today that Burger & Lobster are opening up in Kuwait City, in place of where Cereal Killer used to be located.

I like this location and I think it should end up doing a lot better than the Avenues one which always felt too out of the way to pass by for a quick meal. The new location is right next to Arabica in downtown, here it is on [Google Maps]

If I was stuck on an island and could choose to have one dessert with me, it would probably be an eclair (or a Kinder Bueno). It’s one of my favorite desserts and I recently found a place in Kuwait that had a good variety of eclairs to choose from as well as millefeuilles. The place is called Millesaveurs and until a few moments ago I thought it was a French franchise. But, while trying to get some information for this post I realized its actually local creation. I haven’t tried anything other than their pastries so can’t recommend the food, but what I can say though is that their eclairs are pretty good and you should try them out if you’re an eclair fan. Their packaging is also pretty premium looking and presentable so it would make a great gift when invited to dinners.

If you’re interested, Millesaveurs is located in the basement of Crystal Towers but they’re also available on Carriage. Their instagram account is @millesaveurskwt

Madison & Heig which I posted about back in September have finally opened up their doors. Madison & Heig is a locally created bistro and bakery with the main menu created by @chefbasmah, and the desserts by @faysbaking, both of whom are super talented chefs. They’re currently in their soft launch phase so they’re only open from 5PM to 11PM.

For photos and the exact address, you can check out the Madison & Heig instagram account [Here]

Watersouq is a website that focuses on just one thing, bottled water, and I like that. It’s very specific but because they’re very focused they do it pretty well. I think they have nearly every water brand that’s available in Kuwait on their website so even if you’re looking for an obscure brand, you’ll probably find it listed there. They also seem to have a bunch of deals going on like buy 10 boxes get 2 free or buy 20 get 6 free which is great if you’re buying in bulk for your office or large home.

It actually makes sense to buy in large quantities because Watersouq charge KD1 for delivery and an additional 400fils service charge. If this seems like something you’re interested in, here a linke to their [Website]