Category: Promoted

The Sunshine School first opened its doors in 1978 and has been a pioneer in early childhood education since then. For many of us, it’s where our early memories of school life began and it is where I spent my nursery and kindergarten days in the early 80s. You can check out some old photos I had previously scanned and shared by clicking here.

The Sunshine School has now evolved into The Sunshine Kindergarten (TSK), continuing its long-standing tradition of pioneering early childhood education. Today, TSK remains true to its roots in leading the way with a holistic curriculum that makes learning feel like an adventure for every child who walks through its doors.

Recently, the school went through an incredible transformation of its campus. In partnership with talented architects and educational experts from Edge Hill University in the UK they have worked to create an extraordinary child-centred learning environment. The result? An incredible nurturing environment that sparks curiosity, encourages exploration and makes social interactions feel as natural as playtime.

Some of the cool innovative areas in the redevelopment include:

• Active play spaces, including a climbing wall
• A beautiful and cosy library curated to ignite a love of reading
• A specialist music room where future musicians can get creative
• Quiet spaces like a sensory pod for times of relaxation and sensory exploration
• Free-flowing indoor and outdoor areas, perfect for playing and gardening

On top of all this, TSK is putting a big focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), making sure children develop a lifelong love for learning and innovation. Following their time at TSK, students move on to their partner school, The British School of Kuwait, where they’ll continue their education and benefit from special partnerships such as their unique curriculum collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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A post shared by The Sunshine Kindergarten (TSK) (@tsk.edu.kw)

Registration is now open for the new school year, starting in September 2024, for children from 19 months to 4 years. You can apply through their website tsk.edu.kw or reach out via WhatsApp at +965 9300 0504. Also, check them out on Instagram at @tsk.edu.kw

Arabia is a new local brand aiming to represent culture and heritage through a product line that includes perfumes, room and linen sprays, and artworks. Having opened in March, they hope to capture people’s hearts with a collection that embodies both nostalgia and luxury.

Gifting plays a huge role in the local culture, and Arabia hopes to eventually become a premier destination for elegant gifts. They are starting off with a fragrance line and artworks but will add more items as they continue to grow.

Their fragrances come in beautiful packaging and bottles that represent heritage in a modern way, but they also pride themselves on the quality of oils and ingredients they use.

The flagship Arabia store is located in Kuwait City on Ahmad Al Jaber Street, but they also have an online shop that delivers worldwide. This is perfect for those who used to live in the region and feel nostalgic, or for those planning to gift to people living abroad. With their different themed bottles, you can gift based on either the scent or the artwork.They even offer a discovery set with all their scents, but for the summer, they recommend trying Al Hambra or the Noble perfume.

Arabia is also open to collaborations with local talents to create products and stories together that feature cultural richness.

To find out more about Arabia, head to @by.arabia or shop-arabia.com to shop.

One of my favorite indoor activities with friends is mini-golf. It’s fun, it’s chill and it’s something we can do during the hot summer months. But, for some reason, the sport never caught on in Kuwait. I used to play mini-golf at Discovery Mall, but that place shut down years ago. For the longest time, there wasn’t any mini-golf in Kuwait until Venue 56 opened up.

Venue 56 is an adult arcade with lots of different entertainment options including mini-golf which is what I usually go for. Their golf course is one of a kind since it was designed specifically for them by a specialized UK-based company.

The owners of Venue 56 decided to open the arcade after noticing the lack of entertainment options for young adults to socialize. So, they decided to fill this gap by opening an arcade filled with a variety of social and electronic games not found anywhere else in Kuwait.

Other than mini-golf they also have racing simulators, interactive bowling with 3D projection, arcade games, VR games, tabletop games, and classics like billiards and darts.

Their prices are very reasonable, and they often have weekly offers, including a happy hour currently running throughout the summer from Monday to Thursday, where games are 30% off from 1 PM to 6 PM. They also have different packages for birthdays and team building corporate events.

Venue 56 is located in Salmiya, right across the street from Johnny Rockets (Google Maps). If you’d like to check them out, you can find them on Instagram at @venue56.kw

I’m a huge fan of flavored toothpaste and have been enjoying Marvis for the past two years so when HiSmile reached out and offered to send me some of their products, I didn’t have high expectations. But then I tried it.

HiSmile sent over a bunch of flavors for me to try, but the one that caught my attention first was the watermelon-flavored toothpaste. After using it the first time, I haven’t gone back to my Marvis. I liked it so much that I even asked HiSmile if I could focus this post on their toothpaste instead of their other products, since I really did like it.

There are two main reasons I’m now a huge fan of HiSmile. The first is the flavor, which I already mentioned I love, mostly because of how natural it tastes. The second reason is that I’m generally sensitive to most toothpaste. I tend to cough after brushing because of my sensitivity to one of the ingredients. This happens with Marvis as well as my previous toothpaste, Sensodyne. I don’t have that issue with HiSmile. I’m not sure why, but it’s a huge benefit for me.

Besides toothpaste, HiSmile also have a Whitening Pen which uses their innovative whitening formula PAP+. You can carry it with you and use to whiten your teeth instantly when needed. They also have traditional Whitening Strips that also uses PAP+ and are sensitivity and pain-free. Finally, in addition to the Watermelon flavored toothpaste, they also have Coconut Whip Cream, Mango Sorbet, Peach Iced Tea, Red Velvet, and Smooth Mint.

All the products are available to purchase now either from the dealers website Ultramedgcc.com, through Talabat, or you can pick them up from Sultan Center. For more details, check out @ultramedgcc and @hismile.kw

Kings of Maillard is one of those hidden gems that not many people know about, but it offers really great food. This fairly new concept opened this past February and is a chef-driven fire bistro created by the same team behind one of my favorite restaurants in Kuwait, Oak & Smoke. I’ve visited a few times since their opening, and this past week, I was invited to try their new summer menu.

One of the things I really like about Kings of Maillard is how they manage to blend flavors and influences from different cultures. It’s always interesting having dinner there since I tend to experience new flavors, or at the very least different flavors from my usual. You’re not going to find any sort of maple shrimp or popular pasta on their menu, that’s not what they’re about. Instead, they believe that food should excite, surprise, and delight customers and I think it works. Their long term goal is to eventually get a Michelin Star so that should give you an idea of how dedicated they are to this.

When I passed by earlier this week I got to try a few items from their set menu and ended up leaving with some favorites including the following:

Beef Tartare
nori crisp, green almand, arabic seven spice, shallot, red yuzu koshu

Wood Fire Roasted Cabbage
blue cheese emulsion, brown butter miso hollandaise, pickled apples and shallots, pistachio gremolata

Wagyu Picanha
truffle potato espuma, squid ink butter & dashi emulsion, fried enoki mushrooms

But I’d honestly go back just for the delicious complimentary bread with their pistachio flavored butter on the side.

If you’re looking for a new place to try, Kings of Maillard is open for lunch and dinner and they just launched their summer menu. They’re located in Shuwaikh right next door to Oak & Smoke. Check them out on @kingsofmaillard

Bentoyaki is a new and interesting local concept that brings the Korean BBQ experience to your home. The concept revolves around box kits that include everything you need to have your very own Korean BBQ wherever you are.

The owner, a fan of Korean BBQ, wanted to open a restaurant but also wanted to offer something different from the typical burger joint or other readily available options. Bentoyaki is a simple yet fun idea where people can order a kit containing all the items needed to replicate the authentic Korean BBQ experience at home.

The Bentoyaki Boxes come with the following items:
250g Sukiyaki beef (Angus or Wagyu)
150g White rice
Teriyaki Sauce
Garlic Sauce
Kimchi

In addition to those items, the box also includes a grill, instant lighting charcoal, and tongs. They sent me a box to try, and it was very easy and quick to set up. You just need to light the charcoal, and you can start grilling your beef right away. Once you’re done grilling, simply empty the small pouch filled with water (included) into the grill to extinguish the charcoal. That’s it, super easy.

Other than their boxes, Bentoyaki also have other Asian dishes you can order including plenty of appetizers and sides to pick from. They’re currently available for delivery only from 1PM to 10PM. You can order their boxes straight from their website orderbentoyaki.com or through the delivery app Cari. For more information you can check out their instagram account @bentoyaki.kw

I’ve never signed up to a meal plan because I really disliked the idea of pre-planning meals ahead of time. I never know what I want to eat until I actually want to eat. I also don’t like the idea of getting all my food in the morning, and then having to reheat them whenever it’s time to eat. Forevermore is a meal plan that solved both those issues for me.
 

Instead of having to pre-plan your meals, with Forevermore you just order the food you want when you want it, and you’ll get it within 45 minutes, just like ordering from a restaurant. But, their app is what makes them really special.

Imagine if the MyFitnessPal app also had a built-in restaurant, that’s basically what Forevermore is. When you first create a Forevermore account, the app will ask you a few questions about yourself,  like how much you weigh, how much you’d like to lose, and how quickly. Based on your answers, the app will calculate an optimum daily calorie intake for you which then becomes your daily target. Whenever you order anything from Forevermore, the app deducts the calories from your daily intake and lets you keep track of how much more you have left. It’s all visually displayed and updated throughout the day, and it can even connect to your phone’s health info to know if you worked out and how many calories you burned.

I’ve actually been enjoying the experience so much that after I finished consuming the one month trial package they had hooked me up with, I signed myself up for another month so I could continue ordering. I already have a lot of favorite items including their murabyan, mushroom steak bowl, butter chicken, fish & chips, katsu curry and their short ribs & mash.

If you’re looking for a new meal plan and want to try Forevermore out, they have a new summer package that goes live today called FM Bite where you can sign up for their meal plan at just 75KD. But, they also have a special trial package for my readers right now. Contact their call center on 22909427 and let them you heard about them through 248AM and they’ll give you a 25KD trial package that is valid for 1 week. Check them out on @forevermore.fm or download the app from this link.

Boutiqaat, the largest online fashion and cosmetics platform in the region just launched a very cool campaign where you could win one of three Hermes bags.

Every 30KD spent on their website enters you into the special draw for a chance to win a bag. So for example, if you spend 100KD you get three entries for the draw. The more you spend the more chances you get. What’s funny is that you probably have a higher chance of winning a Hermes bag with Boutiqaat than trying to buy one from a Hermes store. These bags are incredibly hard to come by!

This campaign is applicable across the Gulf as well as Iraq and for both men and women. For more info and to stay posted on future campaigns, follow @boutiqaat or shop by visiting Boutiqaat.com

Fable is a chocolate story that’s been in the making for over three years and they’re finally launching today. It’s a locally created chocolate bar concept launching with 7 Fable flavors including Qurs Egaily, Strawberry Cheesecake, Caramel Popcorn, Coffee Crunch (Protein), Peanut Butter (Vegan), Birthday Cake, and Hazelnut.

The first thing that caught my attention were the colorful illustrations and branding on all the chocolate bars. The owner loves telling stories and so he wanted all his chocolate bars to tell their own individual stories as well. That’s why the flavors aren’t listed on the front of the packaging. Instead, illustrations are used, so customers have to interpret them to identify the flavors.

Fable will constantly be rotating flavors and have 67 different ones in the pipeline right now. They’ll also be releasing a different influencer flavor every month that will be done in collaboration with various local influencers and feature them illustrated on the chocolate bars.

If you’re interested in trying their chocolate bars, you can get them from their website fablechocolates.com or head over to their instagram account for the link or more details. @fablechocolates

At some point over the past few weeks, you’ve likely encountered Instagram ads about BIGGIE finally being in Kuwait. At least I did, and when I clicked on the ad to find out who BIGGIE was, there wasn’t much information, just a guy holding a banner. Well, last week the mystery was finally revealed: BIGGIE turned out to be a new burger concept and it just opened.

I know what you’re thinking: “Another burger joint?” When the owners (2 brothers) reached out to me, I asked them about this, and they had a pretty good response. Burgers are extremely popular in Kuwait, and no matter how many burger joints open up, there’s always demand for more. Plus, it’s always been their dream to open a burger joint and build a company specializing in F&B concepts, and BIGGIE is their first step. Btw, it’s BIGGIE like the rapper since they’re fans, but they also chose the name because it refers to the size of their burgers.

The menu at BIGGIE is straightforward: five kinds of burgers and five kinds of fries, and that’s pretty much it. They use the highest quality beef, bread, and cheese. Despite the higher costs, one of the brothers is a chef and so his background drives him to maintain high standards without compromising on ingredients. They wants their customers to enjoy a clean, feel-good burger that offers the best value for their money.

So if you like burgers and want to try a new spot out, BIGGIE is now available on all the major delivery platforms including Talabat, Deliveroo, Jahez and Cari. They’re open from 2PM till midnight and you can check them out on instagram @biggie.kuwait

Santa Nata, renowned for their delicious pastries and baked goods, has just expanded its dine-in options with a brand-new breakfast menu.

Alongside their popular pastries they now have a wide selection of breakfast dishes composed of classics like Eggs Florentine, Eggs Benedict and Avocado on Toast, but also favorites like Turkish Eggs and Acai Bowls. They also have two special breakfast desserts on the menu, a Creme Brûlée French Toast, and a banana bread with mixed berries.

Santa Nata is named after the home of the original Pastéis de Nata pastry from Portugal. The founder grew up in a family of bakers and left Portugal and moved to London where he opened his first location. He quickly gained a loyal fan base and eventually grew to become an international brand famed for its Portuguese delicacies.

Other than their signature product and breakfast items, Santa Nata also have sandwiches, baked goodies, and a large selection of pastries.

If you’re bored of your usual breakfast spots and want to try something new, Santa Nata are located on the M2 floor of Al Hamra Tower (Google Maps) and are open daily from 8AM to 10PM except on weekends when they open at 9AM. @santanata.kw

Taw9eel, the biggest online retailer in Kuwait recently launched a new store called Taw9eel FAST. It’s their 30-minute delivery service accessible in over 100+ areas around Kuwait and includes various items such as groceries, home accessories, electronics, makeup, video games and more.

To kick off this new 30-minute delivery service, 30 heavily discounted items will go on sale everyday for just 500 fils. I actually ordered a bunch of things before I traveled when I wanted to try out the service including a case of ALSI Cola Zero, 2 packs of bottled water, a travel adapter, USB-C cable, and a few other items. It took them less than 30 minutes to deliver which was convenient since I was midway packing for my trip and needed to pack the travel adapter and USB-C cable to take with me. But really the highlight for me were the deals I got on some of the items like the ALSI Cola. It’s a Saudi soft drink brand I recently tried and liked, so now is my alternative to Coke Zero and Diet Pepsi.

In addition to the above, Taw9eel are also offering free delivery all summer long if you use the code “FST”. But, as a special offer to my readers, they created a second code “248” which you can use to get 15% off your cart total. You can only use one of these codes at a time so use the code FST if you want free delivery, or 248 for 15% off on your cart total.

To try it out, get the Taw9eel App or head to taw9eel.com and click on the department Taw9eel FAST.

I’ve been ordering from Bite Club ever since they opened back in December. As a cheesesteak fan, I tried Bite Club on a friend’s recommendation and was instantly hooked. Since then, I’ve become a regular customer.

When the Bite Club team briefed me for this post, they mentioned they believed they had one of the best cheesesteaks in Kuwait. Interestingly, (they don’t know this) but before they reached out to me I had been working on a list of the top cheesesteaks in Kuwait, and Bite Club was #1 on my list. I don’t think it’s just one of the best; I think it IS the best cheesesteak in Kuwait.

Bite Club was created by a group of friends who are very passionate about food. One of the reasons I love their Philly Cheesesteak, besides the incredible flavor, is the high-quality meat they use. This commitment to quality ingredients extends across their entire menu, they even make their sauces in-house from scratch so they can control every ingredient.

They have three different cheesesteaks on their menu, but the only one I’ve tried and usually order is their regular “Rib-Eye Cheesesteak”. In addition to the cheesesteaks they also have smashed burgers and fried chicken burgers on their menu, as well as a variety of sides that includes both normal and sweet potato fries, and “chickies”.

If you want to try my favorite cheesesteak in Kuwait, they’re available on Talabat, Deliveroo and Jahez. They also offer V-Thru pick up from their location in Hawally. Check them out @eatatbiteclub

YISWA is an interesting local auction app where it works the other way around, prices go down instead of going up. It’s a new way to shop where the longer you wait, the better the price gets. But, wait too long and someone else might snatch the item up.

The way YISWA works is items go on sale one at a time in the app. They first get listed with the retail price, and then quickly start dropping down in price. The price keeps dropping until people buy the item and it gets sold out. Because there is no way to tell how many pieces are left in stock or how many people are interested in it, you want to set a price that is both reasonable for you and ensures you don’t miss out on the item.

So for example, starting tomorrow (Tuesday), YISWA will be selling pairs of VIP tickets for the Bassem Yousef and Maz Jobrani comedy show that’s taking place later this month. The retail price for the tickets is 140KD which is how much they will go on sale for. But, once the auction starts, the price will start dropping until the tickets get purchased by someone. The longer you wait, the cheaper the price will get but the higher the chance of someone else buying it.

YISWA have also included some features in the app to make the shopping experience easier. For example, you can preview upcoming auctions and ask the app to notify you when they start. You can also set a buy it now price for the items, so for example, you could set your buy it now price for the 2 VIP tickets at 100KD. If the price drops to your set price, the app will automatically purchase the tickets for you.

If you want to check the app out and just browse, you can do that without needing to sign up. Just download the app and check it out. For the download link, head over to their website yiswaapp.com

Amer Zahr, the popular Palestinian American comedian is coming to Kuwait to perform his hilarious stand-up show, “The Truth”.

Amer has previously headlined at New York City’s world-famous Carnegie Hall and John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. He also served as a national surrogate for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders back in 2016. His comedy tends to draw on his experiences growing up as a child of Palestinian refugees, performing on topics like politics, society, culture, Palestine, and more.

If you’re looking for a night out full of laughter, he’ll be performing in Kuwait on April 23rd at 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm. The show will take place at the American University in Kuwait Theater in Salmiya and tickets start at KD15.

Amer is proud to partner with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

To get your tickets head over to tktfox.com