Category: Food & Drinks

Surprise surprise, yes the Burger Challenge is still on. I’ve got a few places I still need to try out before I end this but I’ve been very busy (i.e. lazy) so I haven’t been able to get around to it. Anyway two people previously commented that I should try out this burger place in Al Manshar mall so I decided to pass by today and see what it was about.

First lets get the weird part out of the way. The place doesn’t have a name. I don’t know how that’s even legally possible! How could a place not have a name? I asked the employee what the place was called and her reply was that they don’t have a name but that it belongs to the same owners of Papa Johns Pizza. I think that’s very strange but I have a theory on why it doesn’t have a name which I will share later on in this post. For now though I’ve decided to call the place “Papa John’s Burgers”. Cheesy I know but its there fault for not coming up with one themselves and I need a name for this post.

Their burger surprisingly turned out to be really good. I had a cheeseburger combo with an extra cheeseburger on the side and although I wasn’t expecting to like it I actually ended up loving it. Their beef patties are ground fresh every morning and their buns are very McDonalds Fillet-O-Fish like so the end result is pretty similar to Johnny Rockets except for one thing, the sauce. The sauce they put with the burger is wayy better than anything I’ve had at Johnny Rockets, its kinda like the Rocket Single sauce except better.

Now the bad news. Their patties are pretty thin and I think that has to do with the price since their cheeseburger costs only 650fils. The result is too little meat for the bun, it looks kinda ok in the picture above but thats because I actually pulled the meat out so it would show in the picture. If it had double the patty it might have been a strong competitor for best burger in Kuwait but its not so I rate this burger a 3.5 out of 5.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way I can talk about other things not related to the review. First of all the price, its unbelievably cheap! Imagine a Johnny Rockets burger for only 650fils because that’s exactly what this is! A combo consisting of cheeseburger, fries and coke is only KD1.100! Thats cheaper than McDonalds and even cheaper than Naif! Their location really sucks, they’re located on the mezzanine floor of Fun Ahoy (an arcade/themepark) right next to Papa John’s Pizza. Which brings me to my theory on why the place doesn’t have a name. The owners of Papa John’s also own Fuddruckers so my theory is they needed a cheap burger place to serve the kids at Fun Ahoy so they probably use the same meat that they use at Fuddruckers and also have Fudds make their buns. Now legally I don’t think they can own another burger brand since they have Fudds so they just opened this random place that serves burgers and doesn’t have a name. Its only a theory of course so don’t take my word for it. If you do end up passing by which you should, be sure to do so in the middle of the week when there won’t be much kids around.

Papa John’s Burger is located in Al Manshar Mall in Fahaheel.
The cost of the Cheese Burger is KD0.650

Here are the burger places I’ve reviewed so far:
Applebee’s
Bredz
Burger Boutique
Fuddruckers
Hashi
Gaucho Gril
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Johnny Rockets
Munch
Prime & Toast
Ruby Tuesday
Slider Station
Sheraton Hotel
The Burger Hub
The Little Oven
Wimpy

Back in September I posted the logo Nataly designed for the Choowy Goowy New Yorker Cheesecake. Well the packages are now also finally done and printed and they’ve started delivering the cakes in them. So if you haven’t tried the New Yorker yet now is the perfect time. It’s KD11.5 for a full cake and you get to choose any crust you want, my favorite is the brownie crust.

To order a cake call them on 22620011 or 22626559.

I am sooo hungry right now! [Link]

I just got an email from a reader saying he saw a Schlotzsky’s opening soon sign at opposite Alraya Mall in Kuwait City. I used to LOVE Schlotzsky’s back when they were open in Lebanon. They make the best sandwiches ever!

Thanks Aliman!

This looks like an interesting place to try out. Amaya Seafood as you can guess from the name is a seafood restaurant which is located at the Mishref Coop. I haven’t been there but judging by the picture above it looks like a cozy place. Amaya also seems very affordable, KD1.900 for sweet & sour prawns or prawn curry is actually really cheap. They have a website with more details on what they offer including the prices. I am going to try and pass by this weekend. [Link]

Thanks miss ghesquiere!

Looks like Burger King is trying to get on board the sliders train with their new offering, Burger Buddies. Was Burger Boutique the first to offer sliders in Kuwait or was there another place before?

Update: Just had it today and it wasn’t bad at all. The bun was very soft, the patty was juicy although as some people have mentioned slightly dry. My only negative would be the fact that each patty is shared among two buns which means you need to rip them apart and sometimes that results in one bun having more patty then the other. Six sliders is for KD1.300 while the combo is for KD1.750

A new Italian restaurant opened up right next to Maki at Marina Waves. The owner of it is supposedly the same owner as Pomodoro. I just got invited to their Pasta Tuesday but not sure if I can go yet, if I do I will post my review here. For now you can check out their website for more details. [Link]

I don’t like the Ruby Tuesday on the Gulf Road for numerous reasons so when I saw the one at Avenues opening I didn’t think much of it. That is until I heard that the Ruby Tuesday in Avenues was owned by someone else. Turns out there is a new owner of Ruby Tuesday in Kuwait and the previous owner is not letting go of the brand which makes things a bit of a mess. Anyway the Ruby Tuesday at the Avenues is the first location opened up by the new owner and I passed by and had dinner there tonight and I liked it.

Ruby Tuesday is located in the food court but its a big location and has an amazing view of the 5th ring road. The decoration was very cozy, the service was very friendly and the food was great. Overall it was a huge contrast over the Gulf Road version and I would definitely go back.

Update: According to a reader both the previous owners and the new owners are legit Ruby Tuesday franchise holders. If that is the case or not, it doesn’t change the fact that the new Ruby Tuesday at the Avenues follows the original US franchise a lot closer in my view. So far the menu seems to be exactly the same as the US one which you can view [Here]

Update2: I got the following in my email today…

Dear Mark,

National Arabic Company holds the master franchise in the middle east, they gave Sultan group a sub-licance to operate in the avenues. NAC is monitoring the Avenues Branch. The menu MUST be the same. There are no options regarding that.

thanks

This is definitely definitely definitely one of my favorite ad campaigns ever. Burger King hired independent researchers to travel to remote places around the world and find people who have no clue what a McDonalds or Burger King is and who have never eaten a burger and then have them try both the Whopper and the Big Mac and see which one they preferred. Its pure GENIUS! Its a very short touching and entertaining documentary which you can watch on the Whopper Virgins site and although I hate Burger King in Kuwait I think I am going to go have a Whopper for lunch tomorrow.

I LOVE IT so watch it! [Link]

The process of making a hot dog is incredible, although some people will definitely find it gross. Not for the faint of heart! [YouTube]

I’ve had this cookie recipe ever since I was in university and when used with proper ingredients it never failed me. Problem is I can’t find good chocolate chips in Kuwait. My favorite used to be Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks but all I can find in Kuwait are the Nestle and Hershey ones which suck. Anyway I baked some cookies today (used the Hershey chocolate chip) and I think they came out a 2.5 out of 5. I might be able to score a 3 if I use better brown sugar next time but it would still be a hopeless case without the proper chocolate. Maybe I should just order packs from Amazon..

My favorite cookie recipe

1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 grams) white sugar

1 1/4 cups (270 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 3/4 cups (525 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups (375 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 165 degrees celsius. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper (or use non stick cookie pans).

In a mixing bowl cream the butter. Add the sugars and beat until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time making sure to beat well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using. The cookie mixture will be moist and hold together.

Using two tablespoons, drop about 2 tablespoons of dough (38 grams) on the prepared baking sheets. Do not flatten cookies. Bake on the center rack of oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown and still soft when gently pressed.

Makes about 48 cookies.

Here is more proof that Arby’s is going to open up at The Avenues. If you check the map at The Avenues various entrances, Arby’s is listed under restaurants. Don’t know how I missed that! Its going to open in front of Starbucks at the food court.

Don’t watch this if you’ve just eaten. [YouTube]

Sultan Center have introduced some new milk products which I spotted yesterday. They now have Mars, Starburst, Maltesers and Nesquik flavored milk. Their prices though are outrageous, the Mars milk costs KD2.150, the Starburst KD1.950, the Nesquik KD1.550 and finally the cheapest was Maltesers at KD1.450.

Food wise there were only two things that stuck out for me in Cairo. The first is the burger at the Four Seasons, the second is the spicy chicken fillet at McDonalds.

When I first had the burger at the Four Seasons tea lounge in Cairo (opposite the Zoo), it came with blue cheese which I thought overpowered the burger. So when I went to have it the second time I asked them to replace the blue cheese with cheddar and it made a world of difference. The burger turned out to be great and if I was to rate it I would probably give it anywhere between 3.5 and a 4 out of a 5. Highly recommended. (Burger picture above)

The spicy chicken fillet at McDonalds was another surprise. I don’t know why we don’t have it here in Kuwait but we should since we’re missing out on a great chicken sandwich. Unlike the McChicken, the spicy chicken fillet kinda looks like Burger King’s Chicken Royale but tastes like KFC’s chicken Zinger. So basically its the best of both worlds and honestly everything else I had in McDonalds in Cairo tasted terrible so the chicken fillet is the only way to go.

And that’s about it, there wasn’t anything else I had in Cairo that stuck out.