Category: Information

The new True Value location opened up today and I passed by to check it out. I didn’t like it, I actually hated it. The old True Value never really was that great but at least it felt cozy which now it lacks. The location of the new True Value is Al-Rai. If you’re on the 4th ring road and Lexus and Toyota are on your right hand side, keep going straight and take the right turn before Alghanim Electronics. Then, keep going straight until you see True Value on the left.

Back when I was taking pictures for my Miskan project I passed by the Kuwait Stock Exchange and ended up taking some cool pictures. Since the stock market is a popular topic at the moment I figured I would upload all the pictures I had taken that day so people can download them and use them. I’ve gotten a lot of emails from magazines and newspapers asking for the hi-res pictures so here they are all compressed into one zip file.

Download stock market pictures (4.8MB)

In return, please credit the blog if you end up using any of the photos.

After having lunch at Quiznos yesterday in Baitak Tower I found this cool place called The Nut Tree. Unlike regular nut shops in Kuwait The Nut Tree had flavored nuts like glazed, honey dipped and more. They even had some dipped in chocolate, I ended up getting dried banana dipped in chocolate and also hazelnut dipped in chocolate. Both were REALLY good. When I got back home I googled them and it turned out they’re a small British chain, you can check their website [Here]

I am lazy, super lazy and there is no way I am going to drive all the way to a gym and work out there for an hour or two when I could be home watching my favorite shows on television. Thats why I decided the only way I would consider working out is if I brought the gym to me.

I went to every place in Kuwait which I knew of that sold home gyms and here is what I found:

Go Sport
They have a handful of treadmills, found a very decent Pro-Form treadmill for KD215. They also carried Weider and Vectra brands of multi-gyms. They only had two small Weider’s gyms with the exact same features, one for KD74 and the other for KD115. What I was interested in was the Vectra gym. Vectra make some of the best home gyms in the world but they are expensive. The Vectra gym they had on display costs KD1,300. Overall I thought their prices were pretty decent specially considering the fact that they’re located in the Avenues.

Sears
Loads of treadmills (Pro-Form and other brands). They had a good selection of multi-gyms (mostly Weider brand) but all of them except for one worked using resistance instead of weights. The only one that worked with weights was the Nordictrack 360. It looked cool but after watching the demonstration video I realized it was just too complicated to work. I also felt their prices were pretty expensive.

Ace Hardware
Not much selection there. I think they had only two treadmills which were over priced and they had like three multi-gyms made by an unknown Chinese brand and the prices were also expensive.

Nasser Sports
I heard they had a building next to their Avenues branch that was dedicated to home gyms so I was expecting to find the holy grail… I didn’t. They had a bunch of treadmills, nothing that stuck out and they had a few multi-gyms of some unknown cheap brand. I didn’t find anything interesting.

Sports Corner
They’re located in the old Salmiya where Boushahri used to be. I found the best collection of Treadmills there, they carry around three different brands but in the end I went with a Reebok Series 3 treadmill. They had a 20% discount promo going on but I was able to haggle and get a 25% discount which brought the price down to KD285. They only had one multi-gym which was of some unknown brand, looked pretty flimsy and was already sold out.

Sportsman
They have two branches, one next to the old Video Club in Salmiya opposite Zahra Complex while the other is across the street in the building where Hald Rock Cafe used to be next to NBK. They had maybe three treadmills and I found them all too expensive. No multi-gym.

Wataniya Mall
I found two stores in this small mall which is also located in Salmiya but opposite NBK and Eureka. If you go down to the basement there is a store on right corner and one on the left. The one on the right caters mostly to gyms and not homes. The cheapest multi-gym they had was for like 4000KD or something. They also are the dealers for Everlast and CCM brands. The store on the left side had maybe two treadmills, one multi gym and a few other items. They carry the Carl Lewis brand you need to definitely haggle with them. The same Carl Lewis boxing bag available at Go Sport for KD90 they were selling for KD150. I managed to bring them down to KD100 and probably could have brought them down to KD90 to match Go Sport. Same with the home gym, they had it for KD150 and I brought them down to KD100. I was actually going to get it until I spotted the gym I really wanted at Sultan Center.

Sultan Center
I first went to the Sultan Center in Al-Rai and really didn’t find anything there. I don’t remember seeing a treadmill and they had one multi-gym that was in terrible condition from the brand Body Sculpt or something. Then by chance I was at the Souk Sharq branch when I spotted the Weider 4870 (pictured at the top of this post). It was pretty full featured and I right away knew this was the gym I wanted. I asked a salesman there how much the price was and he told me 300KD which is less than I had expected. A couple of days later I went back to buy the gym and I noticed they had a price tag of 230KD stuck on the gym which was even better! I quickly purchased it and they are now actually installing it for me while I am writing this post.

So, in case anyone is looking for a multi-gym my recommendation is to hit Go Sport unless you want the gym I got which is only available at Sultan Center. For treadmills I think the Reebok’s were really good value for money and they’re available at Sports Corner who had a very nice collection and their prices are negotiable. The Pro-Form treadmill at Go Sport for KD215 is also a really good value.

Quiznos, the American franchise opened up recently at the Baitak Tower (weird name). I passed by for lunch and it was pretty good (I had “the traditional” sandwich). The staff seemed a bit lost and they have a serious ventilation problem but as long as you sit outside the store its not a problem. 7inch subs were around KD1, 12inch subs around KD1.600 and to upgrade to a combo (fries+coke) its 500fils. Baitak Tower is in Kuwait City, next to the ABK tower where KFH and Alghanim X-Cite are located.

According to the blog Kuwait Black Market, Slider Station will be opening up at the Avenues. Their new location will be much bigger than the current one and which is pretty tiny. No mention of a launch date though. [Link]

Update: Ok I spoke to the owner and this is not true. Slider Station is not opening at the Avenues only 360 Mall. But, it seems they are planning something for the Avenues, my guess is a new project which is good news for us.

Picture taken by Dakdoka

I took my car yesterday to the Al Falah car wash to get it detailed by their Showhine service since everyone I know takes their car there. Marzouq posted about them before and last year it was the official Gulf Run car wash so it was a no-brainer choosing them to do the detailing.

I took an appointment on Saturday to drop off the car on Monday but I got lucky since someone canceled their appointment and I ended up dropping my car off on Sunday instead. The whole detailing process took 24 hours and when I went to pick up the car they told me to take all the time I wanted and to go over every inch of the car to try and find a spec of dust which as expected I didn’t find. They then told me to remove this small tape from the seats which revealed a dark red spot. Turns out that was the color of the seats when I brought it in and they were able to return it to the original red color. The exterior of the car got polished, the rims got polished, the seats got conditioned and the whole car was just sparkling.

They were really great and very professional but the best part is they aren’t an international franchise but a local business. The detailing cost me KD40, originally they quoted me KD50 but since the Z4 is like half a car I was able to negotiate the price down a bit. I would definitely recommend them so try them out if you need detailing done.. They’re located in Kuwait City (if Tri-Star is on your right, keep going straight past where Al-Mulla used to be, past the first traffic light and then take a right on the second traffic light where you will find them on the right corner). You can call them on 22452432 for an appointment.

Marzouq has just posted a review of his experience at Atlantis in Dubai. In summary he doesn’t think the hotel is currently ready to handle a large amount of visitors, its also over priced and the quality of the rooms wasn’t up to par. The fact that you can hear through walls gives the impression the hotel was put together on a tight budget with all the money going towards the entertainment. [Link]

Dear All,
The fire caused a partial damage to the exterior structure of the building. thanks god that the interior of both Burj Al Hamam and Seven Seas was not damaged by the fire. Therefore, for safety purposes, the restaurant will be closed today ONLY and will be back in business by TOMORROW morning.

We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused… and the necessary actions will be taken to solve the Issue ASAP. For more info, don’t hesitate to contact KOUT FOOD GROUP.

Regards,
Kout Food Group

I passed by Napket tonight at the Avenues for dinner although I was hesitant at first. Over the weekend when I found the place open and I tried to take a picture of the place from the outside the manager of Napket wouldn’t let me which pissed me off and then I read a lot of negative stuff about their service on the Kuwait & Food Facebook group so that also put me off. But I decided to put that all aside and try the place myself.

The place looks really great, probably one of my favorite restaurant interiors in Kuwait and they definitely have my favorite outdoor terrace. I started checking their sandwiches, Nataly their salad when we were approached by a waiter who asked us what we wanted to have. I decided to go with The NY Thing which was kinda like a club sandwich while Nataly decided to go with this wrap I forgot what it was called but it had shrimps and watercress. We then went and sat down outside near their small fountain which overlooks the big Avenues one.

The food arrived shortly there after and they came on really cool wooden plank like plates. Both the sandwiches were great and I would definitely have them again. Their bread I am guessing is baked in house and was probably the highlight of the sandwiches. I really couldn’t find anything negative except probably for the price. Its not cheap. Two sandwiches and a coke cost KD8.200 which is more expensive than a proper 3 course meal at my favorite Chinese restaurant Ceasars. Still, I would definitely go back.

Pictures above are of Napket Kuwait and was provided by them.

Aramex just delivered my D90 camera. I ordered it once it got released late last month as a replacement for my Nikon D70 which had started showing its age. I originally purchased the D70 for my Miskan project back in November 2004 to replace my aging Sony F717. I still love my D70 and it still performs really great but its developed a problem that’s common to the D70’s where it has trouble reading the memory card. Although I hate zoom lenses I ordered the D90 with the kit lens. Since I will be trying to shoot short movies I figured a zoom lens would definitely come in handy. I still have my eyes on the Nikon 20mm f2.8 lens and the Nikon 85mm 1.8f lens. Maybe for Christmas…

Note: The Nikon D90 w/ kit lens is available on Amazon for KD350 [Link]

Louis Vuitton have reopened in Salhiya after shutting down for expansion.

I just found out about this today so I guess it’s better late than never. Shrimpy which is one of my favorite fast food joints has an incredible offer going on at the moment. For KD2,950 you get 4 pieces of fish, 30 pieces of shrimps, 2 tartar sauce, 2 pieces of bread and french fries. If only it came with a large coke it would be perfect. To find out where there is a Shrimpy near you visit their website. [Link]

According to Falantan the blogger who first told us about YouTube getting block, the order to block YouTube was cancelled today morning. YouTube is here to stay for now.

A reader called Omar emailed me a very startling email about his experience with Sultan Center. Now I can’t verify if this is true or not because I don’t know Omar but the pictures look pretty legit to me. This is what he had to say:

I bought two After Eight dark chocolate bars from Sultan Center last week. I opened one and after taking my first bite I almost puked. I checked the expiry date on the sticker and it said 31/10/08. I then decided to peel that sticker only to realize that Sultan had covered up the real expiry date! The chocolate had expired on June 2008! I am heading there right now to make a big scene about this, but I doubt I will get very far.

Who prints and sticks these labels, is it Sultan Center or another company does anyone know?

Update: Omar passed by Sultan Center and it seems the labels are printed by the American supplier, this is what he had to say:

Thanks for posting this Mark. After I sent you the pictures I went to Sultan and asked to meet the manager. A pleasant Indian guy came over to talk to me. He is the floor manager (working in Sultan for 9 years). I showed him the expiry date and the real expiry date underneath. He was truly shocked and not feigning. I can usually tell when people are faking. After the initial shock set in, he got extremely apologetic, saying that he�s worked here for 9 years and never came across something like this. He agreed that this is not an honest mistake and is FRAUD!

We then went to check the rest of the stock, unfortunately it was all sold out (so sadly a few more people are gonna experience moldy chocolate at its finest). The floor manager took my details and promised that the “big” manager will call me soon.

30 mins after leaving Sultan I get a call from a very apologetic, sweet talking Lebanese guy who identified himself as The Manager. He apologized a million times, and also admitted that this was not an honest mistake. However, Sultan is not the source of the fraud. Apparently the �ministry of something� here in Kuwait insists that food products come with that Arabic sticker from the source, and should be tagged before clearing customs. So the “American Food Supplies Inc. ” which provided Sultan with the chocolate (already with the sticker) is the one to blame. They have been using that company for over 10 years and are truly shocked. To prove to me they are serious they will keep me updated of the proceedings with the American supplier. He also asked me to come back so they can compensate me for my troubles (whatever that means). I will go see him tomorrow.

I must say, I was expecting complete indifference by the management, but I am pleasantly surprised that they took the matter very seriously. If the stickers really are applied by the supplier, before they reach customs, then Sultan is not the source of the Fraud. Can anyone confirm that those stickers are in fact applied before they reach customs?