So Habra is officially my new favorite restaurant in Kuwait alongside Table Otto. I’ve been going to both on a weekly basis now but realized Habra needed a dedicated post with some tips so here it goes.
Getting a Table
Get there early! If you’ve been holding out on Habra until it starts dying down, well good luck with that. So far the least amount of time I’ve waited was 1h 15min, while the longest I’ve waited was last night which was 2h 45min. I haven’t even tried going there on a weekend. They only have 5 tables, 2 of them fit 4 people, 2 fit 2 people (or 3 really squeezed), and the last one is a communal table that holds around 12. The place is tiny and the host currently has the most dangerous job in the world, seriously the amount of people who get into fights with him on a daily basis, I’d hate to have his job. So get there early, put your name on the list and then head over to Coffee Boulevard and go coffeeshop hopping.
Ordering
Order what you want when you want it. The food doesn’t take long to be prepared and served so they have a habit of bringing you a large number of your dishes all at once. Last week I got into an argument with the waiter because they served me and my friend all 5 of our starters and 3 of our mains at the same time. We literally had no room on the table to put all the items and it’s just physically impossible to eat everything at once. So this is the best tip I can give you, order the first few dishes you want to have first, like all your starters. Once you’re done with your starters, order your mains. Nothing takes long to be served, I think 6 minutes is the longest you have to wait for a dish to get served. Trust me, you’ll have a better experience this way.
What to Order
I always order different things but the items below are staples that will always be included:
– Bone marrow (I can’t say this enough, don’t share! Everyone order your own)
– Four and a half hour braised rib
– Three-way Kalbi
– Foil-baked mushrooms
What Not to Order
Resist the urge to order their charred cantaloupe dessert. It sounds good but there is no way on earth you can eat it. I’ve ordered it twice and twice I was just going to take the cantaloupe and hit someone with it. It’s nearly impossible to eat which is a shame because it has potential. My tip for them is to remove the cantaloupe from the shell by chopping it up, then put it back in the shell, top if off with the rest of the ingredients and serve it like that. Or just remove it from the menu completely.
Vegetarians/Vegans
lol
Bathroom
They don’t have one, you’re meant to use the one in the parking lot a few stories above them. Takes forever to get up there and the bathrooms are super gross. So if you need to use the bathroom, get it done somewhere else before your dinner or after. The bathroom in the basement of Crystal Tower is the closest nicest bathroom, while the bathroom at Arabica is the coolest because of their high-tech toilet. Be nice and order coffee if you’re gonna use that one (they have decaf).
Parking
I hate the parking lot in the Habra building since leaving it takes forever and the elevators are the slowest. Personally, I like to park behind Arabica and head to Habra walking. The walk back after a big meal is always appreciated and there is no long queue when leaving the parking.
So these are my tips, if you’d like to read my previous post on Habra then click [Here]
30 replies on “Tips for Eating at Habra Beef Canteen”
This blog is starting to get boring. The topics feel forced, I miss the old posts:)
Then stop checking the blog easy
What is Coffee Boulevard?
Something I made up for which Mark has not given me credit LOL
It’s the block near with more coffee houses than you shake a stick at
hahaha yeah sorry not sorry
Ah something he hopes it catches on.
Vegetarians/Vegans
lol
HAHAHHAHAHAHAH +1
Or do what I did and get there at 5:45, they’re open and will let you sit wherever.
yeah but then thats either a super late lunch or a super early dinner, like just awkward.
How is that awkward? You will not lose life points if you have a late/early lunch/dinner.
Early dinners aren’t that awkward, I usually have lunch at 1 so I’m hungry by the time 6pm comes around.
That’s more tea than lunch
i saw your datsun yesterday behind arabica parking and i kept telling my friends that was Mark but they didn’t know who you are haha.. just want to make sure.. that was you?
yup that was me
Why do people get into fights with the chef??
Host not chef
Maybe I missed a post on this – but what’s so great about this place? I mean, is it popular cause its new and is still in that honeymoon phase?
Read the last line of the post
What dish would you recommend if you’re going alone? I’m thinking Three-way Kalbi, would that be enough for one?
Order the 4 dishes I’ve listed, it’s enough for one
Can you do a similar post about table otto please?…Ive been there 3 times ordered completely different things every time and nothing and i mean nothing was even remotely good enough that would warrant a repeat order
NY Fried Quail and the sous-vide sirloin steak.
Khaled I had the same experience both times I was there, everything I ordered I disliked so I guess i’ll give it a 3rd try and go by Mark’s recommendation.
there’s also the Mozzarella Croquettas which is really good.
If you want my opinion, I think you like Table Otto so much cuz your friends with the guy and its his new restaurant, but honestly, I love street makan. But table Otto is a fail on many levels. I’ve been to a bunch of restaurants and you can explore and experiment but they have to work for your target market. That is not done with table Otto.
I like Table Otto because I like the space and I like the food (at least the dishes I have). I wouldn’t say I like anything unless I like it and everyone knows that by now. If the chef was a friend of mine I would have stated that in my posts. I know the chef but he’s not a friend and I don’t even have his number or email. I always disclose my relationships with the business owners in my posts if there is a relationship. I’m not an Instagram fashionista…
You mention that table Otto is a fail could you elaborate how?
Gladly. While aesthetically it’s a beautiful space, but service was horrible. we waited 30 mins just for someone to take our order and whats funny is we were standing right next to the kitchen door and no one bothered to come over and take our order. now, when it comes to the food itself, they’re lacking. Let’s talk about your two favorite dishes. For example, NY fried quail has really poor and flavorless breading that needs to be saved by a sauce and the quail itself is not soaked enough to get rid of the gaminess. while the sous-vide sirloin steak is done poorly by the cut of meat itself. Top sirloin is great cut of meat and I can understand why people would assume its good for sous-vide but it actually depends on what kind of sirloin you’re getting and how marbled it is. Besides, i’m curious to know what temp he is cooking it on as I ordered mine medium rare and it felt and looked like a medium. when you torch a sous vide steak please don’t burn the outside this isn’t a brisket( this aint no bark) now their sides are so bland with the greens and potatoes. thats all i need to say about so yeah. but my REAL problem with it is that it tries too hard and that’s not what made street makan so popular. it was just really good food done in a creative way. table otto is average food trying to be creative.
*tenderloin not sirloin as far as I remember? It is one of the best meat dishes around Kuwait
Been there mid week and couldn’t get a table. Still not convinced its worth a second chance. Kuwait is filled with great restaurants. They should have strched their budget a bit and gotva proper location, but logic is not common anymore
PS can you add a like button for comments?
i think i tried adding a like but the theme is so outdated nothing works right.