Category: Food & Drinks

The New York Times has an article about Shake Shack and their expansion plans and this is the first time that I know of where Shake Shack themselves confirm the fact that they’re opening up in Kuwait. Previously when Shake Shacks PR department was asked regarding the Kuwait launch they wouldn’t confirm it. As I mentioned before in one of my previous posts, Shake Shack will be opening early next year at The Avenues mall. My personal opinion is that they will open up in the location where the Debenhams home store just closed. [Link]

Note: My fingers are still crossed for someone to bring back A&W, Wendy’s and most importantly, Arby’s.

Update: Big Moe sent me the link to this YouTube video of an interview with the Shake Shack guys. Kuwait of course is mentioned since the journalist wanted to know “why Kuwait???”

[YouTube]

This whole week I was extremely sick from food poisoning. It all started on Friday, I had lunch at one of my favorite places (won’t say which for now) and then that evening I started getting the chills and after that it just got really bad. It was a horrible experience and I can’t recall ever getting that sick from food. I sadly won’t be ever going back there again. It’s not like I have a ton of places I visit on a regular basis so it’s disappointing I now have one less.

The picture above is of one of my favorite places in Lebanon called Canadian Burger. I eat there very frequently, last time I was in Lebanon I actually ate there daily and not once did I ever get food poisoned in the 20 years or so I’ve been going there. It’s a tiny store located in one of the slums where sweaty guys with no gloves work over the food all day and where their special burger costs only 300fils. So how do I get food poisoned at an international franchise that’s open in the best mall in Kuwait?

Some people might find this gross. [YouTube]

Update: If you want to see someone drink real fat here is a [Link]
(forward to 2:50)

Nat got me this chocolate muffin from Sultan Center. They also had a Mars version. I don’t know about the Mars version but the Galaxy one I just had wasn’t that great. It was extremely sweet, I could only have two bites before over dosing. Costs 950fils.

I can’t figure out if this is serious or just a spoof. [YouTube]

via p0ach

If you’re wondering what the picture above is, it’s the world’s largest meatball. Here is a link with some more record breaking creations. [Link]

Before I found out someone had broken into my car I was enjoying dinner at P.F. Chang inside the Avenues. They haven’t opened up to the public yet, it’s just by invite since they’re still training and I managed to get one. The first thing that struck me about the restaurant (other than the fact it was packed) was how big it was. According to my friend they’re either the largest or second largest P.F. Chang’s branch in the world. They’re also the 200th P.F. Chang branch to open and only the second to open outside the US. The other international branch is in Mexico.

I had the crab wanton for starters which was amazing and then for my main course I had sweet & sour chicken and this other dish that had prawns, melons and walnuts. The sweet & sour chicken looked nothing like the usual ones I have, it didn’t have the regular red sauce nor any vegetables or fruits but it still tasted really good (I actually always order my sweet & sour without fruits or vegetables anyway). The prawns and melons dish was a very strange but interesting combination, I can’t believe someone actually came up with this mix, very cool.

There was a ton of staff in the restaurant since in addition to the P.F. Chang Kuwait staff they’ve brought in over 20 more staff from the States to help with the training. Paul Fleming the creator of P.F. Chang was even in the kitchen overlooking everything. Our waiter was one of the local staff and was very friendly.

The prices haven’t been finalized yet but they’re supposed to be even cheaper than what was currently on the menu. The sweet & sour chicken was around KD4.400 and the prawns dish I think KD5.450 so if they drop the price it should be pretty affordable. The quantity of the food was too much and I think they know that because they were quick to offer to pack my leftovers to take home. Too much food is always better than too little. While there I also got confirmation that Shake Shack will be opening up in Kuwait early next year and the first branch will be at the Avenues. It was a pretty nice evening overall until the car incident…

This is an interesting event, Genki Sushi who are located at Al Raya want people to try and see how good their sushi is so they’re holding an event at The Exhibition and inviting everyone to come and try their sushi for free. Here are the details:

Genki Sushi Nights @ The Exhibition
Enjoy FREE SUSHI for two nights ONLY!

6PM-10PM
Wednesday and Thursday
December 9-10, 2009

Directions to event: Three shops to the left of Slider Station on ‘The Strip’ – Across from Alseef Palace, Jibla, Kuwait.
Telephone: + (965) 940 662 26

The Genki Sushi restaurant is located in Arraya Mall, Kuwait City. Tel: (+965) 229 979 33

That’s free all you can eat sushi people!

Thanks Hiba

Tonight was the soft launch for The Meat Company so I decided to pass by with Nat and have dinner there. Like Wagamama, I hadn’t been to any other Meat Company before so I didn’t come in with any expectations. The interior of the place is very well done, the lighting, the carpet, the wooden walls all help give the place a very warm and cozy feeling. The staff all seemed to be from South Africa and very friendly. Our waiter was previously based in Dubai and he’s now going to be living and working in Kuwait along with a few other waiters who also moved to here from Dubai.

For starters I ordered the salt & pepper calamari while for my main course I ordered the 300 grams Australian fillet, pepper crusted and medium rare with a side order of mashed potatoes. Nataly ordered the petit fillet which is 200 grams but she ordered hers well done with a side order of salad but also pepper crusted. The calamari was ok but I wouldn’t order it again. The steak on the other hand was probably one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. It was cooked perfectly and the meat was so soft and tender it was just melting effortlessly while I was chewing it. Even Nat’s well done fillet was extremely soft, I was actually surprised since most well done steaks I’ve had end up being dry and tough. I really loved the steak which has put me in a strange position because when I was first checked the menu I spotted some burgers and decided that I would try one on my next visit. Now I don’t think I will because it would be a shame not to have the fillet again.

Price wise the petit fillet for example costs around KD10.5 and comes with a side order. The calamari was KD3 something. Oh I also tried their home made wine (alcohol free). It comes in a nice wine glass and it looks a lot like wine but sadly doesn’t taste like wine. On the bright side I didn’t drive back home drunk.

I really liked the place and would try to make it there once a month at least. The Meat Company is located in the 360 Mall, first floor opposite Coffee Republic.

I passed by The Meat Company earlier today and took some pictures of the interior. The place is huge, seats 200 people and looked very cozy. Turns out they will have wine on the menu, supposedly some really good home made wine but sadly it will be alcohol free wine.

I passed by Wagamama for lunch to try it out. It was my first time trying Wagamama anywhere not just Kuwait so I didn’t know what to expect. At first glance most of their menu seemed to be made up of a lot of noodles and fried food, two things which I don’t eat but after a closer look I did start spotting some grilled dishes. I decided to go with the Negima Yakitori for starters, its grilled chicken and spring onions on skewers which turned out to be very good followed by Chicken Katsu Curry. Some readers had previously recommended I try the Katsu Curry but when I found it on the menu it turned out to contain deep fried chicken which was a let down. BUT, turns out they had an option where you could swap the deep fried chicken for grilled chicken which is the option I went with. When my dish arrived it looked like the chicken was too dry but after mixing it with the rice and curry I tried it and it wasn’t dry at all. The chicken was soft and the curry sauce was pretty good.

When I first went in the place was empty so we got to sit on our own private table. On our way out the place had filled up and you had strangers sitting next to each other on the long shared tables which should theoretically be awkward but wasn’t since even though the tables are connected the benches were far apart.

I had a good experience and would probably go back. The prices were decent with the Negima Yakitori costing KD1.500 and the Katsu Curry KD3.750. You can actually download and view the whole menu with the prices from the local Wagamama website and here is the direct link to it [Link]

A friend of mine sent me this picture of The Meat Company from the outside at 360 Mall. Looks like they’re nearly done with the interior which means they should be opening soon.

Thanks B!

Update: A reader posted a comment that it will be opening this Sunday but I don’t have any official confirmation yet.

Why does Sultan Center in Lebanon carry Cadbury Chocolate Milk and the one in Kuwait doesn’t? It used to be my favorite chocolate milk back when they did carry it. I bought one at first and drank it while still in the supermarket parking lot and then I went back inside and got two more which I also drank on the spot. Still tastes as good I remember it.

It wasn’t very upsetting for me to watch but Nat isn’t going to eat fish ever again so don’t watch this if you get grossed out easily. [YouTube]

I passed by and spoke to the manager today and he told me they were opening on Sunday. He said they “might” open Saturday night but he can’t confirm since they still have some training to do.