Category: Personal

I’ve been looking forward to Munch for a while now since I’ve been hearing a lot of good stuff about them. Sadly, my burger experience with them wasn’t that good.

I passed by Munch today for lunch and the whole Dar Al-Awadhi mall where Munch is located was empty. It was nice and peaceful and since the mall was empty so was Munch which was great since we ended up sitting in a very cozy corner. The interior of Munch is simple yet trendy and I like their color combination of white and green. We sat down and I flipped through the menu to find a choice of two burgers, the Kobe Beef Burger and the Classic Cheese Burger. I decided to go with the Kobe since someone had posted that I should try it.

I ordered my Kobe burger with swiss cheese and portobello mushrooms. The burger arrived 10 minutes later and at first glance it was disappointing. The burger looked like something I could have prepared at home. Looks aside the patty also tasted like a cheap COOP burger, if they had used the frozen Kobe burgers available at Sultan Center it would have been wayyy better. The bun also looked like the new burger buns from Kuwait Flour Mills which is very unexciting. I ate it but I wouldn’t have it again.

On a positive note the fries were great, the service was good and as I mentioned earlier the interior of the place was pretty cool. Actually service was not that good, I ordered my burger with a side order of fries and the waiter didn’t think to inform me that my burger actually came with fries. But anyway neither of these things can have an effect on the final score which is 1.5 out of 5. There really wasn’t anything great in the burger, it was also very small and just felt too home made. That can be a good thing but not when I can make a better burger myself.

Munch is located in Dar Al-Awadhi.
The cost of the Kobe Beef Burger is KD3.950

If anyone is interested in a Apple MacBook I am selling mine in the Forum. I started the bidding at KD180 but if no one bids higher I am willing to sell it at that price. If you are interested click [Here]

Update: MacBook no longer available, sold it for KD210

I was planning on having a burger at Applebee’s today when in the last minute plans changed and I ended up at Fuddruckers. Thats a good thing of course since Fuddruckers is one of my favorite burger places in Kuwait and they actually have my favorite burger, the Triple Cheeseburger. When I first decided on this burger challenge I had a winner already figured out in my head, it was going to be Fuddruckers. Things have changed though.

As I said my favorite burger is the Triple Cheeseburger so thats what I went ahead and ordered. At Fudd’s you can choose the thickness of your patty, I went with the half pounder cooked medium well. I’ve tried all the thicknesses and found the half pounder to be the perfect size for their bun. More places need to offer different thickness patties, especially the burger joints. Anyway the burger arrived open bun without any garnish, you then have to go up to the garnish bar and manually put whatever you want on your burger. I usually put just ketchup on my burger and hot melted cheddar cheese on the potato wedges which is what I did.

I think Fuddruckers might have the best classical burger and even though I had figured before this challenge that it would score the highest, I don’t think thats going to happen. I don’t think its exciting enough, I love it, I think its my favorite burger and although this doesn’t make sense I don’t think its THE best burger. I prefer the Black Widow for example and I also really like the Little Oven burger, two burgers which I hadn’t tried before this challenge. I also have a whole list of burgers I still need to try and I am expecting some really great ones. I really like the Fuddruckers burger bun and I think the beef patty is the perfect thickness although its pretty fatty. The size of the burger is also huge which is why it easily fills me. All this wasn’t enough to earn it the highest score. I am being super tough with these burger reviews so thats why I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5.

I still have the following burgers I need to try, am I missing anything?
Gaucho Grill, Sheraton, Applebees, Chilis, Ruby Tuesday, Burger Hub, Burger Bar, Burger Boutique, Munch, GBK and Hashi.

Fuddruckers is located on the Gulf Road, their telephone number is 2460110
The cost of the 1/2lb Triple Cheese Burger is KD2.950

When someone mentioned in one my previous burger posts about a KD12 burger at Slider Station I knew I had to try it. Thats why I was really looking forward for having lunch today with my two friends at Slider Station. Once I got the menu I just flipped through it looking at the prices until I found what I was looking for, the Black Widow priced strategically at KD11.750. On paper the Black Widow sounded delicious; Wagyu beef patty topped with wild mushrooms, melted Brie cheese, black truffle mayo on a dark poppy seed bun and served with goose fat fries on the side. It was just mouth watering to read which led to a friend of mine ordering it too.

Now someone had posted that they deliver the Black Widow on a boat so I was expecting some kind of miniature pirate ship to set sail on the Slider Station bar conveyor belt and head towards my seat (don’t ask why). Instead the Black Widow rolled out on a regular plate which was long like a ship but thats were the similarities ended. No pirate ship, big disappointment, minus three stars! Seriously though the presentation of the burger was good, not as dramatic as the Prime & Toast burger but the Black Widow did look more sinister, kinda like the burger that Darth Vader would have. I took the plate off the belt, set it in front of me then quickly grabbed the burger and took my first bite. I am a huge fan of Brie and this was my first time having it with a burger and it was just really unusual in a very good way. It wasn’t the cheese alone but the mayo and the wild mushrooms, all combined it gave it this slightly sweet delicious flavor. The bread was perfect and patty was great although to be honest I don’t think I could tell the difference between a Wagyu patty and regular patty. Now the thing that really annoyed me with the burger was how messy the it was to eat. This has to be the messiest burger I have ever eaten in my life! With the first bite half the burger slid out of the bun and all the cheese and mayo ended up covering my hand. Even after readjusting it the patty kept trying to slide out. It was extremely annoying and all the toppings kept falling into the plate. With a KD12 burger every topping that falls amounts to around half a dinar so of course I had to keep picking up the mushrooms and sauce and pasting it back on top of the burger. It was ridiculous!

The burger was amazing though, the best I’ve had in this burger challenge so far. But, it was too messy to eat and it could have been slightly bigger. If it wasn’t for the fries I don’t think it would have filled me. I would also be interested to try the same burger just with a regular beef patty and for half the price. Now price as I mentioned won’t have an effect on the final rating but that doesn’t mean I can’t talk about it. KD12 for a burger is not cheap, its not even expensive, its super expensive. I imagine the cost is high because of the ingredients but its just too expensive (at least for me) to have it again. Value for money, I think I would have felt more comfortable paying around KD8, just having it priced under KD10 psychologically seems reasonable. Great burger though and final score is a 4 out of 5, the highest so far in this review and a really high score.

Slider Station have a website which you can check [Here]
The cost of the Black Widow Burger is KD11.750

I am expecting this to be my most controversial review because it involves one of the most popular burger places in Kuwait and to many readers, their favorite burger place in Kuwait. So before I continue let me make something clear. I love Johnny Rockets. I’ve been a customer since the first week they opened (I think it was 1996) and me and my friends used to go and hang out there on weekends with the half of Kuwait. It was like the “it” place to be back then and even though there are A LOT more restaurants open now (back then it was just Johnny and Fuddruckers) they’re still doing really well. Personally I have Johnny Rockets at least once a week and I’ve tried everything on their menu, all their appetizers, all their burgers and all their desserts. So when you read this review please keep an open mind to what I have to say.

So let me begin. Today I had Johnny Rockets for lunch. I went to the branch near my office which is the one in front of Salhiya. It was tough choosing which burger I would have for the review, they’re all my favorites and I just keep shuffling between them. In the end I decided to go with the #12 since its their most popular burger.

The #12 is a cult classic which means if I say anything negative about the burger I am most probably going to get a wave of attacks from an army of fans. To those die hards, my credibility will crumble and they won’t believe any of what I am about to say. The #12 burger is not the best burger in Kuwait! In fact, I am predicting it won’t even have a spot in the top 3. As I mentioned before, I am a huge fan of Johnny Rockets but its not just because of their burgers. A lot of things come into play for example they have a lot of branches which makes them very accessible. Their prices are very good, their appetizers are amazing their milkshakes are the ultimate and even their desserts are not bad. When you combine all the above you end up with one of the best burger places in Kuwait. But this burger challenge is about the best burger and not the price of the burger, the location of the restaurant or anything else. When it comes down to just the burger I find it above average. I love their bun, I love their meat but in the case of the #12 for example I think there is just wayyy too much lettuce for the thickness of the patty and the thickness of the patty is actually one of my biggest issues. I really wish their patties were thicker, like double the thickness. The meat tastes good but in a burger like the #12 its M.I.A. And the special red tangy sauce? It tastes like ketchup, its over hyped.

The problem with blogs is the reader interaction. Sounds bad I know since reader interaction is what makes blogs great but not in this case when the writer of the post is going to get bashed by his readers. I’m giving the #12 at Johnny Rockets a 3 out of 5. Its a great burger, one that I have a lot of respect for but, if this is the best of what Kuwait has to offer then I might as well stop trying any more burgers and go back to my shawerma reviews. I still think I can find the ultimate burger somewhere else and I will continue my search.

My favorite Johnny Rockets is in Salmiya near Fanar.
The cost of the #12 Burger is KD2.050

Since this is a burger challenge I should be reviewing burgers from the popular burger joints in Kuwait like Burger Hub and Slider Station yet so far I haven’t done that. I guess its because I know what to expect from them and I’m more interested to see whats available elsewhere. I will be reviewing the popular burger restaurants of course but maybe towards the end of the challenge. For now I’m enjoying trying out burgers at non burger places and todays review is no exception.

I passed by Bredz in Souk Sharq for lunch and fumbling through their ugly menu I found the page which included the burgers. With only two options to choose from the decision wasn’t too hard. It was either the regular Bredz Burger or the Bredz Mushroom Burger, not wanting an experience like yesterdays I decided to go with the regular Bredz Burger. The Bredz Burger is a beef burger grilled on an open flame, topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce and Dijonaise mayonnaise sauce on a chipotle bread.

Once the burger arrived I got a big grin on my face. This is what a burger is supposed to look like, big fucking patty covered with a lot of cheese on a plate full of fries. Finally a burger that looked like a burger and I was hoping tasted like one. With the bun top on, the burger looked gigantic and getting my first big bite into it wasn’t easy. After my first mouthful I was relieved, it tasted like a burger! Now it wasn’t really great but it was pretty good. The bun was fantastic, the beef tasted good and the dressing although slightly over powering wasn’t annoying. I think without the salad like dressing the burger might be even better plus they really had too much lettuce on the thing. The burger was also messy to eat specially near the end when the bun started falling apart but it is a burger so some messiness is to be expected.

Now as I said previously, I am going to be tough with these reviews because I am looking for something really special. This burger although good wasn’t extraordinary and thats why I’m giving it a 3 out of 5 which is still a really good score. I would definitely go back again for lunch.

Bredz is located in Souk Sharq, their telephone number is 2407707
The cost of the Bredz Burger is KD2.750

I am planning to lift my Wrangler and install larger 33″ tires on it. Late last month I got the tires which I expected would be the hardest thing to get until recently I realized getting new black steel wheels are even harder. I wanted either American Racing or Cragar black steel wheels. I found an American Racing dealer in Kuwait but they didn’t have anything I was interested in and if I wanted to place an order for wheels they would only be delivered in August or September. So I decided to check and see what I could find in Dubai, I gave Icon Auto a call and they didn’t have what I wanted either. The only option I had left was to order the wheels from the US and ship them to Kuwait but 5 steel tires would weigh a ton.

Each wheel weighs 12KG and five wheels would mean a total weight of 60KG. Shipping them with Aramex or USWS would cost me around KD200 which is a ridiculous amount to pay specially when my five wheels combined would cost me only KD50. Surprisingly though it turns out its a lot cheaper to have the stuff shipped directly from the supplier in the US to Kuwait. I just ended up ordering five Cragar 342’s (pictured above on the Wrangler) for $215 from Quadratec and shipping them to Kuwait will cost me only $353 with Fed Ex. Thats not really bad at all and I am extremely surprised. Once my wheels get here the third and final thing I need to do is order the lift kit.

Update: Added more pictures of the same rims on other Wranglers which you can check out by clicking on continue.

Today I decided to pass by Prime & Toast and try their burger since it was recommended by a few readers. It was my first time there and I was eager to see what they had to offer. It was 3PM, I was hungry and a good burger is exactly what I needed.

They only had one burger on the menu so I ordered it medium well. Twenty minutes later my burger arrived looking pretty cool. The presentation of the burger was impressive, it was big, came on a small wooden plank and had a good amount of fries on the side. I quickly dug into the burger really expecting to be stunned by the flavor but instead I was greeted with a messy burger that just tasted too complicated.

The Prime Burger as its called on their menu is made up of the bun, cherry tomatoes, rocket lettuce, mushrooms, cheese and a meat patty with some kind of red colored spice covering it. The problem I had was that I couldn’t really taste the burger. The mushrooms and baby tomatoes were cut up into large chunks so their taste was overpowering the patty. If that wasn’t bad enough the strange spice that was part of the burger really just confused things. The burger just felt fake, like they tried really hard to make it special. I was very disappointed, I had just plunked down KD5.750 for a burger that didn’t taste like a burger.

I really wanted to give the burger a good score, it had everything needed to be a great burger. It looked good and was pretty big in size but the taste let it down. I wanted to at least give it a 3.5 or even a 3 but the thing is, I wouldn’t have the burger ever again, even if it was for half the price that still wouldn’t be enough to entice me into having it again. Not that price is playing a role in these burger reviews but its just something I was thinking to myself to see if it was the price that was putting me off. The burger wasn’t exciting and I really wanted a thicker patty just so that I could at least taste the meat. And whats with their red powdery spice they cover everything with? It was on my burger and all over the fries. Pretty weird. The final score for their burger is a 2.5 out of 5. The place is nice and cozy but I wouldn’t go back for their burger.

Prime & Toast is located on the Gulf Road opposite the Seef Palace
The cost of the Prime Burger is KD5.750

The last time I had Wimpy was pre Gulf War and even back then it wasn’t a really popular place. Today I think they only have one branch in Kuwait which is in Nouzha and thank God for that.

Nibaq recommended I pass by and try their burgers which I happily did yesterday during my lunch break. The place looks shabby on the outside but since their burgers came highly recommended I decided to still go ahead and give them a shot. I ordered the two most popular burgers according to the cashier, the Quarter Cheese and the King Size. One’s a rip off of McD’s Quarter Pounder while the other the Big Mac. I picked up the burgers and went across the street to Shrimpy where my friends were having lunch.

Once I sat down and opened the bag the first thing I noticed was the smell, it was horrendous. It smelled like a cat thats been dead for a week in a public bathroom. Even my friends sitting next to me asked me what that awful smell was. Even with the terrible smell I still went ahead and tried the burgers because they were recommended by my so called good friend Nibaq.

Just yesterday I mentioned that its impossible to go wrong with a burger yet Wimpy have managed to prove me wrong with just a day into this burger challenge. These had to be the worst burgers I ever had. Now I’m a big fan of cheapo burgers so don’t think I am a burger snob or anything of that sort. My favorite burger place in Lebanon was called Gringo and was one of those shipping containers turned into a eat and die place with a large orange mexican looking horse painted on the side. But the Whimpy burgers were really nasty, like really bad. I honestly thought I would get food poisoning and thats why I waited till the next day to post the review. Their burgers are so bad that I decided if I got food poisoning they would get zero stars but if I survived unharmed I would give them a half a star and thats what they got. Its been nearly 24 hours since I had the burgers and I am still walking and talking without any side effects. It’s a good thing I didn’t listen to Nibaq and order the Quarter Cheese with Eggs thats for sure. I am going to end this post with an advice to everyone, stay away from Wimpy!

Wimpy’s telephone number is 2531372/4
The cost of the Quarter Cheese burger is 750fils
The cost of the King Size burger is also 750fils

I am going to start “The Best Burger in Kuwait” challenge with a burger review from a place that many haven’t heard of. The Little Oven is a take out and delivery restaurant located in Bneid Algar. In the office we usually order sandwiches and maneesh from them but a friend recommended I should also try their “Famous House Burger”.

The Little Oven burger is made using homemade patty, caramelized onions, emmental cheese and grilled mushrooms. It arrived inside a rectangular box which made me expect to find fries on the side but it turned out to just contain the burger which came cut in half.

Visually the burger looked appetizing and the bun felt soft and wasn’t covered in sesame seeds just the way I like it. The general size of the burger wasn’t very big but the beef patty itself was pretty thick. I could easily devour two burgers and very possibly a third if I was really hungry so its not really a filling burger. The burger was surprisingly good considering it wasn’t a proper restaurant nor a burger place. It was delicious and the caramelized onions didn’t over power the burger with flavor while the bun was pretty good although I highly doubt they bake the bread themselves. When done I felt like the burger was a bit dry and might have used some Heinz ketchup but it was too late for that plus they didn’t provide any ketchup packets.

It was a really good burger, one that I am craving for right this minute but I am going to be hard with these burger reviews because really I can’t imagine any burger being really bad. Its very hard to fuck up a burger unless you’re really an idiot. When reviewing these burgers I am NOT going to take into consideration anything except the burgers. Location, service, price and quantity will not matter since its not a restaurant review its a pure and simple best burger review. I am hovering between a 3.5 and a 4 for the rating but I am leaning more towards a 3.5 because I truly believe when it comes to burgers in Kuwait its going to be a really tough competition. We have a ton of places here and I am expecting to be truly impressed. So the final score is a 3.5 out of 5.

The Little Oven telephone number is 2517899/8
The cost of the burger is KD2.400

I was talking to a friend of mine two weeks ago and he pointed out to me an article in TimeOut Dubai magazine on the best burgers in Dubai. Their winner? Johnny Rockets. I thought that was very sad since although Johnny Rockets burgers are great they’re no where near being the best burgers in Kuwait. Thats why I decided to start my own “The Best Burger in Kuwait” competition. I will hopefully be having at least two burgers a week from places you might or might not have heard of and once I decide I have enough burger reviews (maybe after 15 reviews?) I will crown a champion.

If anyone has a place they want me to try out, please leave a comment below with the name and location of the restaurant and I will try to make sure I check it out.

Update: Here are the burgers I have reviewed so far…
Applebee’s
Bredz
Burger Boutique
Eighty 6 Bistro
Fauchon
Fuddruckers
Hashi
Gaucho Gril
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Johnny Rockets
Munch
Napket
Nino
Papa John’s Burgers
Prime & Toast
Ruby Tuesday
Slider Station
Sheraton Hotel
Smoke House
The Burger Hub
The Butcher Shop
The Little Oven
The Meat Co.
Wimpy

Something weird happened to me today. I arrived to the office thinking it was 10AM and I was late but it turned out it was only 9 and that my phone, watch and car clock all were one hour ahead. It didn’t make any sense, how could three of my watches all be an hour ahead??? This is how it happened:

Phone Clock
I was in Fujaihrah last week and I moved my phone’s clock an hour ahead to match Fujaihrah time. When I got back I forgot to put the clock an hour back.

My Watch
I took off my watch Friday and left it on my dresser. My watch is an automatic meaning it works with hand movement and when you leave it still for 48 hours it stops. The clock must have stopped yesterday at 9PM because today morning when I put my watch on at around 8AM it was an hour ahead.

Car Clock
Yesterday morning I was working on my car stereo and disconnected it resetting the clock. When I plugged it back in at around 11AM the radio clock started at 12:00, an hour ahead.

Thats why my morning today got really confusing. When I thought my watch was wrong, both my car stereo and phone confirmed to me it was right. Everywhere I looked it was an hour ahead. What are the chances of something like this happening!

Radiant Guy emailed me to tell me that my blog was mentioned in the new brownbook urban city guide on Kuwait. brownbook is an urban lifestyle magazine focusing on middle eastern lifestyle agendas, events and developments. The magazine is available internationally (even on Amazon) and the city guides should be available everywhere soon. This is what the article says about the blog:

This is a kind of strange selection for shopping, but when doing our research we found out that mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com offer an aerial perspective towards the shopping as well as the social development in Kuwait. With the blog constantly updated by Mark and Nat, a couple who are living in Kuwait offer an in depth perspective towards Kuwait.

248am.com

The brownbook magazine is very stylish and trendy and the guide is also designed beautifully so its a really cool thing that I am in it. I am also the only blog in there. Here is a larger scan of my page from the guide. [Picture]

Thanks Radiant Guy!

Last week I got a pack of frozen edamame from Sultan Center and tonight I decided to have it for dinner. As I mentioned previously the instructions for cooking the edamame are in Japanese but a lot of users helped me out by telling me how they prepare edamame.

I decided to boil some water in a large pot first. Once the water started boiling I dropped the edamame inside and let it boil for 6 minutes. I then removed the pot from the cooker and drained all the water. I placed the edamame in a large bowl and then sprayed a lot of salt all over it.

Result? Restaurant perfect. It tasted exactly like the edamame I have at Maki and Wasabi. The only problem is you need to eat them before they cool down and since Nat is in Beirut I had to eat the whole pack as quickly as I could before the edmame got cold. Took me 14 minutes to finish the whole pack and I think I’ve overdosed on the edamame, but it was worth it.

Does anyone know how I can make the spicy sauce Maki use with their fried edamame?

I am at the Dubai Airport waiting for my Emirates flight back to Kuwait. The drive from Fujaihrah was exhausting even though it was only an hour and a half drive. There is free WiFI at the Dubai Airport so I am just killing time now surfing the web although the Internet Connection is kinda slow.