2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003
The Shakshooka nomadic farmers market is taking place tonight from 6PM to 7PM at the Tilal Gallery. If you don’t know where the place is, here it is on [Google Maps]
Don’t forget to bring cash and a carrying bag if you will be buying stuff.
Photo above by @faisalthef
I don’t really have that much information on this other than a friend of mine accidentally revealing to me in a conversation that a friend of theirs is getting Chipotle to Kuwait. I couldn’t dig out any more information so take this news with a grain of salt. Chipotle if you aren’t aware is a chain of restaurants specializing in burritos and tacos. I’ve personally never tried it before but everyone who has says they’re ridiculously good. If I find out anything more I’ll let you know.
It’s like KD6 for just milk…
Joe’s Cafe is now open at The Prestige in Avenues from 4PM to 10PM.
The Shakshooka nomadic farmers market is taking place tonight from 5:30PM to 7PM at the historic Amricani Hospital. If you don’t know where the place is, here it is on [Google Maps]
Don’t forget to bring cash and a carrying bag if you will be buying stuff.
Photo above by @faisalthef
The website The Richest has put together a list of “10 Countries With The Highest Cost Of Food” and Kuwait is featured on that list prominently at #5. It’s the only Arab country on the list and The Richest used lettuce and eggs as an example of expensive food. I actually found that odd since even though imported products (like Coco Puffs or scallops) can be expensive, I never considered local eggs and lettuce expensive at all. Check out the top 10 list [Here]
Gia is a new small restaurant that opened up near my place in Salmiya. I passed by today for lunch and I’ll now probably be passing by there more often. I had the white fish with quinoa salad and it was both healthy and good. The fish wasn’t very exciting flavor wise but the quinoa on the other hand I was tempted to order again because it was that good. Glad there’s another healthy option available near me now. Here is a picture I took of their [Menu]
They’re open from noon onwards and they’re located in Salmiya. Here is their location on [Google Maps]
I had lunch earlier today at Katsuya, the new Japanese fusion restaurant that was brought to Kuwait from Los Angeles by Alshaya. The restaurant isn’t open yet but I was lucky enough to get invited for a sneak peek so I headed there with a few friends of mine to try it out.
What originally got me interested in Katsuya is the partnership with product and interior designer Philippe Starck. I’m a huge fan of his work and was actually hoping he would be coming to Kuwait for the opening but that’s sadly not happening. Katsuya is currently only open in California and Florida and their first international branch is opening up here in Kuwait followed shortly by Dubai. According to the Vice President of Katsuya who I had the pleasure of meeting, Philippe Starck had to reinvent the interior design for the Middle East. Their US locations use feminine beauty in the design, mostly the eyes and lips so for the Middle East they wanted something more appropriate and fitting with the local culture so Philippe Starck went back to the drawing board and reworked the brand with the future in mind. The result is a fusion of Japanese samurais and art resulting in a design full of colors and movement.
We sat down and ordered their cocktails first. I originally ordered the Strawberry Fields but after trying my friends drink called Burning Mandarin I decided to swap mine for that. It’s a bit spicy but worked really well with the starters. For our dishes we let the waitress make most of the choices for us while me and my friends chose a few dishes we were interested in trying. The result? We ended up with a ton of food, so much that I actually made them email me the list since I wasn’t able to track everything. This is what we had:
– Sautéed Shishito Peppers
– Edamame Humus
– Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño
– Spicy Albacore Sashimi with Crispy Onion
– Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna
– Stuffed Eggplant
– Creamy Rock Shrimp
– Wagyu Filet with Foie Gras
– Miso-Marinated Black Cod
– Japanese Mushroom BOP
– Sashimi Sampler
– Special Katsuya Roll
– Kiwi Scallops
– Double Chocolate Lava Cake
– Mochi
– Espresso Brownie Bar
I found the food style very similar to Zuma and Australasia which is great since there isn’t anything similar to that here in Kuwait. From the items I tried the ones I would highly recommend are:
– Edamame Humus
– Stuffed Eggplant
– Miso-Marinated Black Cod
– Japanese Mushroom BOP
If there is one dish you NEED to try its the Stuffed Eggplant. I know I know it doesn’t sound like much and I honestly HATE eggplant, I can’t stand it but this is so different. The eggplant is stuffed with tuna and almonds covered in a sweet miso glaze. It’s actually not a top seller in the States but my guess is it’s going to be a big hit here.
The dishes aren’t that expensive. We didn’t pay for our meal but I do have a PDF of the menu which you can download at the end of this post and really most of the dishes are priced pretty fairly. The black cod dish is around KD14 but it was also the largest piece of black cod I had ever been served. I actually asked the waitress if this was their regular serving size or a large portion just for us, that’s how big it was. The Edamame Humus (genius idea btw) is KD2.950, the Stuffed Eggplant KD3.950 and the Mushroom BOP which is a fairly large portion is priced at KD5.450.
If you’re interested in trying the place out, Katsuya is officially opening this coming Wednesday from 12 noon at Avenues Phase III near Cheesecake Factory. You can download and check out their menu below and make sure you try the Stuffed Eggplant, that’s the dish that’s going to make me keep going back.
Qout Market is a new farmers market (not to be confused with the Shakshooka pop-up farmers market) that will be launching this Saturday November 2nd. Qout Market will take place on the first Saturday of every month starting with this month and it’s going to be located in the large space between the Arraya parking lot and the Arraya mall in Kuwait City (picture below) across from Hamra Tower [Map].
The Qout Market will have stands selling crafts, street food, fresh flowers, jarred items, artisanal products, baked goods and local produce. The market will be open all day long from 10AM to 10PM. I’m sadly not going to be in Kuwait to check it out but if you are then you should. For more information you can check them out on [Facebook] or follow them on [Instagram]
The international falafel chain Just Falafel that originated in Abu Dhabi is opening their first branch in Kuwait soon. I spotted the Just Falafel hoarding next to DoDo on Baghdad Street where Kibbeh w Bass used to be located.
Sultan Center just stocked up on small pumpkins for halloween.
This isn’t a law post but I asked Mark if I could post it and he was ok with it. I was grocery shopping at Sultan Center last year when I found a farmers market stand and what caught my attention were the Alban Dairy products. I fell in love with the brand and I wanted to see the farm for myself but due to my tight schedule I only got to do so last week. It took us around an hour to get to Yasmin Farms where Alban Dairy operates from. As soon as we walked into the farm we spotted a cute little shop that sells a wide range of dairy products, spices, dried fruits and baked goods. Their prices are good too and their banana muffin was delicious.
Their business development executive (Bader) was hospital enough to takes us on a lovely tour around the farm. Our first stop was the cow barn as it was milking time. The cows are milked daily at 6AM and 4PM and the milking has to be done in those times as cows are used to schedules, otherwise they get annoyed and wont produce as much the next day.
The cows walked in a line to be taken into a room where they stood to be milked. Bader explained to us the importance of hygiene at Yasmin Farms and therefore we weren’t allowed to walk anywhere where the cows would pass so that our shoes didn’t carry anything foreign into their territory. After the cows we visited the goats who unlike the cows needed to be lured by food to be milked as they aren’t as obedient. After the goats we went and saw the free range chickens. Free range is when the chickens can roam around freely and the chickens on Yasmin Farms are allowed to roam inside or outside the barn as they wish. Our final stop were the vegetables. I found the cabbage and lettuce fascinating since they were all being grown on little sponges.
Even though I found the farm impressive I was actually more impressed with Bader. His determination to have a clean farm producing all natural products is just amazing, he really makes me proud as a Kuwaiti. He knew the names of every employee we passed by and he is also humble enough to serve random visitors himself. Personally, after touring the farm I will now always prefer to buy their products over others.
The farm was amazing and you can go and visit it yourself every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8AM to 5PM [Map]. All their products are found at Sultan Center and you can also order online. Also make sure you check out their instagram account @albandairy
Post by Fajer Ahmed
I posted about Gia back in August when the place was still closed but according to their instagram account they’ve now opened up. I’m outside Kuwait right now so I’m not able to pass by but based on the photos, it looks like a cozy cafe serving pastries, salads and sandwiches.
They’ve opened in my neighborhood and in Al Khalid Complex which is why I’m so interested in the place. As I previously mentioned, I think Al Khalid Complex can turn into an amazing place. Check out Gia on Instagram [Here]
Photo on top from @sumayabb
If you’re still in London then you should stop by Scalini before you get back to Kuwait. Scalini is supposedly Signor Sassi’s direct competitor here in London and it’s also supposed to be better. I tried both out and even though I preferred Scalini they’re both really very similar. Scalini have a great seating area with a skylight which I loved since it brought in a lot of natural daylight into the place.I also enjoyed the food at Scalini a bit more than at Signor Sassi. I had the fresh clams linguini at Scalini and the spaghetti lobster at Signor Sassi and between the two I preferred the fresh clams linguini just because I hadn’t had clams in years and thought the dish was delicious.
Price wise Scalini and Signor Sassi are very similar. The bill at Scalini for three people came out to just over 200 pounds but nearly half that was for the wine. So, it’s around KD15-20 per person without the wine but including two shared starters, three main dishes and three different desserts. Scalini is located walking distance from Harrods at 1-3 Walton St. You need to call and book in advance.
Princi is a beautiful bakery and restaurant located in the Soho area of London. A large section of the place is dedicated to the bakery which displays freshly baked goods and you buy what you want and eat it in a large cafeteria-like dining area where everyone sits down on the same long tables. On the other hand, they also have the pizzeria with its own private dining area and à la carte menu. Since we got there early we decided to sit in the dining area which usually has a long waiting list. We ordered the heritage tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella to start with, 3 different pizzas and the wild mushroom linguini. We then followed lunch with dessert from the bakery which included tiramisu and a pear and chocolate cake.
Everything was delicious even though the pizzas were a bit on the heavy side. My favorite item was the pear and chocolate cake which I thought would be a strange combo at first only to be surprised by how moist and yummy it was. Pizzas cost around 10 pounds each which like everything else in London is not cheap.
Princi is located on 135, Wardour Street. Get there really early if you don’t want to wait. [Link]
