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A Portuguese Delicacy in Kuwait

alnata

Three really good friends of mine recently launched a brand of Portuguese tart pastries called Al Nata. It’s not a home business, it’s a legit operation with a proper setup (I’m in love with their kitchen). The tarts are called pastel de nata and are very common in Portugal, since one the guys is Portuguese he started making them and bringing them during gatherings and they were always a huge hit. They have a delicious custard filling and I could have them all day long if I didn’t put a limit on myself. And I’m not saying that because they’re my friends, the tarts are actually delicious.

They’re currently being sold exclusively at Sultan Center where they are being baked on site. My friends are also visiting different Sultan Center locations where they’re offering visitors free samples to try out. Today they’re going to be in Al Kout and Salmiya and then Jabriya over the next two days. But, a box of 6 freshly baked natas costs KD3.600 so just pick up a box the next time you’re at Sultan Center. They’re available right now in Salmiya, Shaab, Souk Sharq and Al Kout branches and you can add Jabriya to the list starting from tomorrow. Here is a link to their instagram page where they have a ton of mouth watering pics [@al_nata]

38 replies on “A Portuguese Delicacy in Kuwait”

They look me right back to Belem !

What you guys have done is amazing and I am so proud of what you do and how you go about doing it.

If you keep this up, I see you becoming very big indeed.

Like I always say, THE WORLD NEEDS NATA !

Cheers and love,
Ed

Aaaaahhhhh!!!

That is the best compliment we can receive. Though ours is decidedly different, we have regularly had people telling us it took them back to Belem and even though ours does taste different, they simply meant that the quality was there … and that is what we are striving for, quality above all else.

We’re extremely proud to count you among our customers and dare we say it, fans ;p

I don’t think you understand how happy this makes us feel. I screenshotted this last night when you typed it up and sent it to my partners. We were over the moon.

We just need to continue the hard work and ensure we spread the love and the message.

THE WORLD NEEDS NATA! Tell em Ed, Tell em.

Much love,
Al Nata Team

They’re truly amazing.

I had a few and what I loved about them is that they had this subtle sweetness to them that wasn’t overpowering at all.

The men selling them are pretty sweet guys too.

Boa sorte.

Dear Enthusiastic Thumbs Up 😀

We are so so, oh so honored that you are giving us two thumbs up and calling them amazing. We are very proud of the recipe we’ve been able to come up with and have pain stakingly created it over the course of the past years all the while sharing the different iterations along the way. Once we arrived at this recipe, we felt like we had a winner and just had to create a business to introduce this beautiful delicacy to Kuwait and hopefully the region soon after!

We also appreciate that you enjoyed our founding team’s promotional period. We take pride in everything we do and enjoy talking about our product, Portugal and generally, everything really.

Thank you for the well wishes. Do let us know if you ever have any concerns or comments!

Yours Truly,
Al Nata Team

Crap, I actually saw these last night in Salmiya. Didn’t know what they were then.
Ended up buying the usual Chocolate Eclairs.

Dear BraveArc,

They are a tad bit inconspicuous. Unfortunately, we are still a small team and hiring bakers at the moment. As a result, we cannot always be on location to promote the product as we roll out across various Sultan locations. However, we are extremely glad that Mr. Mark enjoyed them enough to make this post so more people can find out about these beauties.

Just pop in and have one the next time you’re in Sultan Salmiya. We promise, you won’t regret the decision.

In the mean time, Enjoy those Chocolate Ecalirs (I’m a sucker for those too 😛 )!!

All the best,
Al Nata Team

I had it on Thursday, Friday and now I’m having a couple for breakfast. Guess you can see where I’m going with this.
AWESOMNESSSSSSSS

P.S. Can I have the recipe so when I move back to India I don’t have to go into depression. 😛

Hahahahah, that’s how we normally have them too!

You should have seen us in the kitchen when we were finalizing the recipe 😛

Really happy you enjoyed them!

As you may well know, it wouldn’t be possible for us to provide you with our recipe. However, perhaps if you find us a buyer in India, we can come to some sort of agreement with them out there to supply your beautiful habit 😛

I cannot wait to have some. I am of Portuguese background. I have missed Food from home so badly… Now if we can only find some proper bacalhau. 🙂

Dear Luis,

Let us know what you think once you’ve tried them.

Bacalhau is a little more difficult to have people accept out here…can’t say it would be as easy to get people convinced ;p

Let us know if you find some though! Haha.

Regards,
Al Nata Team

I Tried it and it was great. remind me of portuguese one same delicious taste.
We just need some Peri Peri Dishes now 😀

Aaaahh.. I miss Algarve. I miss Portugal

Dear BeeJay,

That brings so much joy to hear you say our pastries reminded you of Portugal!! We really wanted to make sure they tasted like Home, which is why we originally had the recipe tested in Lisbon, the birthplace of these pastels! Only after receiving the locals’ seal of approval did we think to come back and bake the product in Kuwait!

And so far it seems like we need Bacalhau and Peri Peri to sate all the wonderful Portuguese appetites!

Anyone else got more suggestions 😛 ?

PS – We miss Portugal too…

All the best,
Al Nata Team

Hahahahah oh really?

I never knew that. Only been to Nandos a couple times a few years back but never saw pasteis de nata on the menu.

Well, I hope you enjoy our version on the classic 😀

We are working on home delivery/talabat. We just need a bit more time. We honestly just launched two weeks ago.

Best Regards,
Al Nata Team

Thank you so much for your well thought out suggestions!

We are eagerly working on both those options, but as you can imagine, being a start up and having only launched for two weeks…we are still hiring staff members and building out our capabilities.

We will be sure to let you know via a cheeky post here or through Social Media (follow us!) about our ability to do home deliveries and Talabat.

Cheers,
Al Nata Team

That is so sweet of you.

We take a lot of pride in the effort we put into this product. We wanted the entire experience to be just right, from the font to the logo to the packaging itself…all the way down to that last crunch from the puff pastry.

We are so happy people’s reactions to our attention to detail has been noted. It warrants all that effort and keeps us on our toes as we think of new ways to impress our customers.

All the best,
Al Nata Team

Well the moment I saw the ad for the natas .. I had to run over to the the Sultan Center to taste them … I have been to Portugal n tasted these natas n m in love with it since then .. It took me rite back to Belem … Even though I am on a diet there was no chance I cud give up on these natas…i actually ate 4 of them :p n since its gonna be here forever .. its gonna be on my weekend cheat list .. well done guys … I actually thought it was imported all the way from Portugal .. I know crazy me..but thks a lot … u will always bring a smile on my face when I eat these ..

We don’t think you’re crazy. We think you’re just as enamored with these beautiful delicacies as we are. Imagine what it was like for us as we created the recipe and went through all the different iterations….at one point we were having 10 natas a day 😛 hahahahahah, forgot all about the word diet.

We’re so happy that you had tried them before and believe in our product as much as we do. I know I’ve said this multiple times before, but it really does bring the biggest smile to our faces when we hear, see or read people’s reactions – especially those that have tried the originals and say ours are as good as the ones they’ve had back there.

Glad you found your best cheat list goodie! We will, if God wills it, be here forever. We are working as hard as possible to find our pastries homes in multiple locations and get delivery going but it takes time. We’re still finding our feet, but with support like yours we hope to be flying high quite soon!

And a lot of people asked us if we imported them, because they were amazed with how well we did it ourselves. But to be quite honest, our Chief Creative Officer, Miguel Costa, has been working on this recipe for the better part of the past couple of years. So this isn’t something he just saw on the internet or discovered on a whim. We’ve gone through countless recipes to settle on ours. We’re glad people can taste that quality in the pastry.

Keep on smiling and spread the message.

Nata is here to stay, FOREVER!

Have a beautiful day and weekend, Sharon.

Best Regards,
Al Nata Team

After reading this post yesterday in the rainy weather, my hubby n I went from sharq to shaab to salmiya n then back to sharq as a fresh batch of natas had arrived. The sharq staff was the most polite!!! Loved the packaging, the instructions to heat in the oven as well as the natas on the whole were delicious. After 3mins in the oven they get more flakey n crunchy. I got my money’s worth… Gud luck.. wud lov to hv a full fledged portuguese cuisine and bakery outlet someday : )

Dearest Mel,

We can’t believe you had to trek all over Kuwait to get your hands on a batch of our delicacies. We are so honored to hear that you enjoyed them; we are even more pleased to know that you believe you got your money’s and time’s worth.

We took great care in designing everything that goes into our product and continue to be thankful for the feedback received.

We will work on doing home deliveries and a Talabat link soon. As a startup with only three founders and a driver working right now, we have our hands full. But we’ll try our best to make sure you never have to drive all around Kuwait for a batch again in the coming month or two.

Thank you for your well wishes. We hope to have a full fledged bakery of Portuguese and other European pastries soon too. Stay tuned for that. Perhaps follow us on Instagram or Facebook to keep abreast with any and all developments on those fronts.

Instagram: @al_nata
Facebook: Al Nata

Much love and happiness beaming your way,
Al Nata Team

Bought the last 3 boxes on the shelf from TSC Sharq last nite.. You should have seen the look on the lady’s face who I beat to them. 😉 If looks could kill I wouldn’t be writing this comment. lol.. I am usually very courteous and probably would let one go but for pastel de nata all bets are off 🙂 To say I love them is an
understatement.

My wife is Portuguese and she introduced me to them. I know I should have been good and waited till I got home to toast them in the oven, but I couldn’t help my self.. shamelessly yet unregretfully polished off an entire box before I reached home 🙂

Thank you NATA for the taste of Heaven in puff pastry .. I am now not only a confirmed customer for life but a devotee. 🙂

Also I would like to say that live in Riggai and would drive to the ends of Kuwait for anything you guys would bake But,would really appreciate it if you guys could set up in TSC Al Rai or better yet open up an outlet in Riggai itself. ;-)That way I can stop in on my way home..

Less distance from TSC to Home = Less Temptation to devour tarts cold in car and more time to sit at home, drool and savor 🙂

Once again Nata .. Thank You

Dear Security Adviser,

Yes, we start almost all our responses with Dear and write them in a lettered format. We believe in the institutionalized approach and love paying attention to every detail, including responses to customer inquiries.

Anyways, hooplah aside, We’re really glad looks couldn’t kill and that you’re still very much alive and able to write this beautiful story for us to read and enjoy!

God bless you and your wife for falling in love with these delicacies and for enjoying our version of them. We actually had people take a box at Sultan and come back with it empty and ask for another….So you could say we’re used to these stories of people being a little naughty and not waiting until they got home to polish off an entire box (or two or three).

We are so happy to have you as a convert and as a wonderful devotee to our pastry. We hope you will trust our brand in the future as we continue to roll out even more delicate pastries for everyone to enjoy and revel in.

We understand that at the moment we are located in very few areas and don’t have a delivery service. Unfortunately, we are also a startup with only three founders, a driver, a central kitchen and a very big dream. We’re trying our hardest to launch a delivery service and to make sure we can ensure the quality stays throughout the logistics process. We hope you understand that.

The other issue we have is that TSC Al Rai does not have a bakery. As a result, to supply them, TSC would have to bake them at another location and deliver to Al Rai. At the moment, we are still rolling out the product line. Perhaps in a month or two, TSC will start sending these delicacies across all their locations. If they don’t, rest assured that we will launch our own delivery service to ensure no Nata goes untasted by a potential devotee such as yourself.

We’re in love with your story and can’t wait to hear others as they roll in.

Thank you so much for your patronage.

Love and happiness and joyful tastings,
Al Nata Team

Parabéns!! Just got back from Portugal last week and I surely am glad to know I can get my hands on some pasteis de nata out here!
Muito Obrigada!! 🙂

De nada 🙂 ora essa!!

So happy that more and more people are visiting Portugal from Kuwait and being introduced to these beauties. We are also happy to see Portuguese people living in Kuwait tell us about how much they enjoy our pasteis too!

Please do let us know what you think and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for all the latest updates.

Instagram: @al_nata
Facebook: Al Nata

Best Regards,
Al Nata Team

A general note to anyone reading through the responses:

We’d like to thank you all for your comments, suggestions and well thought out responses.

We assure you that we will strive to deliver only the highest quality pasteis de nata in Kuwait. We are committed to this country and this region.

We are also a small business with only a few people working. So we would appreciate any and all awareness as we have a limited marketing budget. We would also appreciate that you all patiently wait for us to set up the delivery business to ensure we can meet all your demands at any time during the course of an afternoon or evening.

Thank you once more for trusting us with your beautiful thoughts and taste buds.

All the best,
Al Nata Team

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