Categories
Food

Chili’s Kuwait Towers Not Closing Down… For Now

On Friday I had lunch at Chili’s next to the Kuwait Towers since it was meant to be their last day before closing down for good. Chili’s lost the bid for their Kuwait Towers location and so they were having a goodbye week of a sort. When Chili’s opened up on the Gulf Road 20 years ago, there really weren’t that many restaurant options which is why it was an extremely popular place with a long waiting list on weekends.

On Friday Chili’s posted on their instagram account that they would extend their operations for one more day to give more people time to come by for one last time. Something must have happened though since a few moments ago, Chili’s posted on their instagram account that due to a decision by the Ministry, they’re going to remain open until further notice.

Not sure what Ministry decision they’re talking about but if you didn’t have a chance to pass by and say goodbye, you’ve got a bit more time now.




Categories
Food

San Sebastian Cheesecakes

When I posted about Japanese Cheesecakes last month, a friend made me aware of another kind of popular cheesecake called the San Sebastian. From what I gathered online, the San Sebastian cheesecake is actually a burnt basque cheesecake that was made popular by a bakery restaurant in San Sebastian called La Viña (I could be wrong so don’t quote me).

I ended up trying the cake from two places, and although they were both really good, I don’t think I’ll be having it again since it’s just too sweet for my taste.

Bread Talk
I heard their Japanese cheesecake was good but I ended up picking up a San Sebastian cake instead. They’ve got a lot of branches around so it’s super convinient to pick one up before heading to a dinner for example. Their cheesecake had an extremely creamy center and was super sweet but delicious.

Price: KD11.250

Burn
Burn is an online bakery that makes only one thing, San Sebastian cheesecakes. They’re not available on Carriage or anywhere else though so the only way to get a cake would be to WhatsApp them. This is not the most practical option. Their cheesecake also had a creamy center albeit not as creamy as the Bread Talk one.

Price: KD13

If you have a favorite San Sebastian cheesecake place let us know in the comments!




Categories
50s to 90s Kuwait Videos

Rain of ’97

If you don’t read the title you could easily think this video was shot just a couple of weeks back (skip to 2:24). [YouTube]




Categories
Kuwait

Kuwait City in the Fog II

Since you guys liked the photo from yesterday, here is another beautiful shot of Kuwait City covered with fog. This photo was taken by the photographer Nasser AlQattan and you can check out his Instagram for more photos [Here]




Categories
Automotive

PASS App – Ticketless and Cashless Parking

PASS App is a new app and service that recently launched and it has me excited because it’s a service I would so definitely use. I don’t like carrying around cash but I tend to do so mostly because I need cash to pay for parking. PASS App solves that issue by allowing me to pay for parking without the need to have cash.

The way it works is simple. You download the PASS App and set up an account. I added my two cars to the account and also added some money. Next time I visit 360 Mall (the only location where PASS App works right now), a camera that is installed at the gate will read my car plates and recognize me as a PASS App user. When I’m done shopping, I head to the exit and another camera will read my license plate and open the gate for me. The parking fee gets automatically deducted from the funds I have in my PASS App.

Such a simple idea but one that is so useful. Right now PASS App only works at 360 Mall, but once it gets installed in more places this is going to be such a practical service. If you want to try PASS App you can download it from [Here]

Also, check out their instagram account since they have videos explaining how the service works @get.pass




Categories
Automotive

Build the New 2019 Porsche 911

Last week Porsche launched the all-new Porsche 911 and the Porsche Kuwait website already has been updated with the ability to build and price one out.

The new 911 Carrera S starts from KWD 37,300 while the Carrera 4S starts from KWD 39,600.

I really wish more car dealers in Kuwait allowed us to build and price cars on their local websites like Porsche does. I know I love building and pricing cars just for fun and I know other car guys love doing it as well. If you want to build and price the new Porsche 911 then click [Here]




Categories
Kuwait Photography

Kuwait City in the Fog

The beautiful picture above was shot by photographer Fahad Al Enezi over the weekend. The photo made me realize now that the weather is great I really should take out my drone for a shoot although I wish my DJI Spark had a better camera on it . Anyway, check out Fahad’s instagram for more photos [Here]

via @kuwaitup2date




Categories
Events Things to do

Things to do in Kuwait this Weekend

The weather is great and this weekend is packed with fun things to do. Qout Market is starting the season again this weekend in an all new location. You also have The Photographer’s Bazaar and The Big Christmas Bazaar taking place this weekend. Check out the full list of events below:

Thursday
Musical: Grease
The Poetry Night
Movie Night: DisneyNature Earth

Friday
Musical: Grease
Kuwait Track Attack
The Big Christmas Bazaar
Modern Heritage Festival – Crew Percussion

Saturday
Musical: Grease
Qout Market
Guided Tour – The Grand Mosque
TEDxKuwaitCity
Photographer’s Bazaar
Festival of Arts and Dance: Timmy and the CATDAWGS

If you’d like to share an event on the blog [Email Me]
For a full list of upcoming events click [Here]

Sometimes events get canceled or have details changed so always double check with the organizers.




Categories
Movies

Movies Showing in Kuwait this Weekend


Screenshot from The Girl in the Spider’s Web

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas, Sky Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
10×10 (4.9)
Beautiful Boy (7.3)
Creed II (8.0)
Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer (6.2)
Guardians (4.0)
Instant Family (7.6)
Incident in a Ghostland (6.4)
The Girl in the Spider’s Web (6.1)

Other Movies Showing Now:
Cinderella and Secret Prince (5.7)
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (7.1)
Hunter Killer (6.6)
Johnny English Strikes Again (6.7)
Malicious (5.0)
Overlord (6.9)
Ralph Breaks the Internet (8.1)
Robin Hood (5.8)
The Grinch (6.1)
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (5.4)

The movies below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

Amazon Adventure 3D (6.6)
Amazing Mighty Micro Monsters 3D (7.4)
Oceans: Our Blue Planet (7.4)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.




Categories
Food

Pizzas are the New Burgers

Looks like the next big thing foodwise in Kuwait could be pizzas! This past year a number of local pizza concepts have popped up and I think more and more places will be popping up soon as well. I’m trying to compile a list of these local concepts (not franchises) similar to how I did with my coffee list and below is what I’ve come up with so far:

BARBA.
Brooklyn
Doppio
Feynman’s
Flame
Ovenly
Piccola Milano
Pinocchio’s Pizza
SOLO Pizza
Super Slice
Table Otto
The Tiny Table
Trapani
YELO!

I’m sure I’ve missed out on a bunch so if you know of any that should be on this list, let me know in the comments below!

Picture on top taken from @solopn




Categories
Video Games

Pre-Order the PlayStation Classic in Kuwait

Sony is launching the PlayStation Classic in Kuwait on December 3rd. If you haven’t heard about this, Sony is releasing a mini version of the original PlayStation with 20 built-in games that include:

Battle Arena Toshinden
Cool Boarders 2
Destruction Derby
Final Fantasy VII
Grand Theft Auto
Intelligent Qube
Jumping Flash!
Metal Gear Solid
Mr. Driller
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
R4: Ridge Racer Type 4
Rayman
Resident Evil: Director’s Cut
Revelations: Persona
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Syphon Filter
Tekken 3
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Twisted Metal
Wild Arms

The console will plug into your TV using HDMI and will run over USB power. I’m a bit disappointed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night isn’t included in the Classic since it was my favorite game on the PlayStation, so I haven’t’ decided yet if I am going to pick one up. But, if you’re interested in a bit of nostalgia, the official price for the PlayStation Classic is going to be KD35 in Kuwait and you can secure a copy by pre-ordering one from the GamesQ8 website [Here]

Update: It’s now available on the Xcite website [Here]




Categories
Events

Niqashna – Do you support censorship on books?

Niqashna is a platform for open debates that was launched early last year. Every few weeks they discuss an interesting subject and tomorrow night they’re debating the subject of censorship on books. The debate is in Arabic but the Q&A will be in both Arabic and English. If you’re interested in attending (its free), you can get more details [Here]




Categories
Promoted

Sponsored: SRVME – A solution for all your maintenance needs

SRVME is not your ordinary maintenance app. SRVME is planning to change how the service industry works.

SRVME, an on-demand service app is here to get rid of all of the inconveniences of maintenance work and make your life so much easier. Instead of asking your friends for an electrician that they know, waiting for their reply, then waiting to see if they even have the guy’s number saved, SRVME connects you – in less than 5 minutes! – to the most trusted service providers.

With SRVME, we can ensure that you will receive reliable, trustworthy and high-quality service as all of the SRVME service providers have undergone a thorough assessment process.

Apps promise a lot these days. We know. All kinds of services can be received at the click of a button. BUT, have you heard of something similar to this – SRVME’s price per hour approach.

Price per hour approach
Usually, maintenance businesses in Kuwait operate by charging a fee “per item”. So the more the items fixed, the bigger the invoice. At SRVME we found a solution to this. We charge all of our services at a set “price per hour”. Try it yourself and see the difference.

Let us give you an example, assume you do an annual maintenance for your A/C unit which costs you around 10-15 KD per unit, five units would cost you 50-75 KD. But, with the “price per hour” approach you would only pay per hour worked! Five units would take three hours to clean, leaving you with a cost of only 27KD.

Love it already? We’ve got more.

Trackable Handyman
You are able to track the service provider through the app. So, you can check his exact location (just like Uber)

Online payment
Flexibility in the payment method, you can pay by KNET, Credit Card or Cash. You can also save your Credit Card information.

Warranty Included
Something went wrong? Claim your warranty through the app within 30 days.

Rating Provided
Do you like the work of the technician? Give him 5 stars and he’ll be the first to get the notification for your next order.

Saved History
No need to keep hold of printed receipts, all your receipts are saved on the app.

How to use the app?

So, let’s say you wanted to fix your A/C or satellite, all you need to do is:

– Share your location
– Choose your required service
– Book a date and time at your convenience
– Select your preferred online payment method (cash/Knet/credit card)
– Confirm the service and we’ll be ready to serve you!

What services do we offer you?
A/C maintenance
Satellite maintenance
Plumbing services
Electrical maintenance
NEW! Interior painting
NEW! Carpentry
We will be adding additional services every month.

Loved it? Download SRVME [Here]

To know what’s new to SRVME and what prizes and offers we have please follow our Instagram account @srvme.kuwait

For all 248AM readers, here is a code for you guys, use the code “248AM” and get your 8KD voucher. Code only available for KNET & Credit card users.




Categories
Automotive Information Kuwait Offers

GoCity – A New Cab Booking App

The local CityVan service by CityBus rebranded and relaunched a few days ago as GoCity. GoCity now has two services that fall under it, the first is GoCity Van which is what CityVan used to be while the second service is new and called GoCity Cab.

GoCity Cab is basically our local version of Uber and allows you to book a cab via the app. I haven’t used them yet but I did download and set up the app just to get a feel for how it works and so far my first impressions are good. The app is well designed, easy to use and easy to set up. I’m home now so I set my location in Salmiya and then put my destination as Avenues and got an estimate of KD2.800 as the ride fee and 6 minutes as the wait time for a cab. The app had options for an SUV and Premium car but both weren’t available for me when I was testing the app out.

I don’t know whats the hold up with Uber coming to Kuwait, there has been talk about them entering the market for years but nothing has come of it. I personally use Q8 Grand Limo whenever I need a cab and I really like the service and experience. But, Q8 Grand Limo is pricey and only makes sense for me since I don’t take cabs often. If I had to use cabs all the time then GoCity would make more sense.

Right now they have two promos running, one is a 25% discount if you use the code “GO25” while the other one is a 100% cash back as credit into your account if use the code “JUSTGO”. If you end up using the service let us know in the comments what you thought of it and also what were the conditions of the cars.

To download the app click [Here]

Update: iOS users can find the app in the Apple Store, just search for GoCity




Categories
Automotive

The Brand New Ferrari Portofino

In the past month I’ve taken three generations of Ferrari convertibles out, the Ferrari California, the Ferrari California T and most recently, the brand new Ferrari Portofino. I loved the experience except for the fact that I had to give the cars back at the end of the day. The Portofino was the best of the bunch but its also newer and more refined so giving it back was also the hardest. I don’t know why I do this to myself, I should test drive cars I dislike that way I don’t feel upset when I have to give them back.

The Ferrari Portofino was launched earlier this year as a replacement to the California T which I test drove a couple of weeks back. Like the previous two California’s, the Portofino is a hardtop convertible which makes it extremely suitable for Kuwait’s weather. After driving and loving the California T, I was really curious to see how much further Ferrari would be able to improve on such a great car. Turns out quite a bit.

When I parked my car at the dealership and spotted the Portofino outside waiting for me I got super excited. The car looked incredible and I couldn’t wait to get the keys and drive off. The lines on the car are very sharp, the front lights now resemble the latest Ferraris and the rear end I think had the biggest improvement with a much more aggressive look. The interior also got a major facelift and now looks very similar to the GTC4Lusso which I also test drove a few months ago. Like the GTC4Lusso the center screen is now huge and uses Ferrari’s updated infotainment system that also includes Apple CarPlay. It’s very slick looking and gives the interior a very futuristic feel.

Since there was rain in the forecast and the sky was getting darker, I decided to get some photos of the car before the storm hit. The dark clouds ended up adding a lot of drama to the shots and because the car was so photogenic, it didn’t take me long to get my photos before I got back out on the road. I had some errands to run in Shuwaikh again and one of the things that keeps surprising me about these new Ferraris is how well they handle the inner streets with all the potholes and imperfections. They’re so good I actually ended up googling information on them and turned out Ferrari uses “magnetorheological dampers” which is a suspension system that’s controlled by magnets and software. It’s very impressive in real-world use because on flat roads at high speeds, the suspension is fairly stiff, but then a few minutes later you’re in Shuwaikh traveling over bumpy horrible roads and the suspension eats up all the imperfections giving you a super comfy ride. Their software controlling all this is super smart and makes me wish I had a similar setup in my violently rough Lotus.

Once I was done with my errands I headed to the Gulf Road. The weather was still good at that point so I was enjoying the drive and the much-improved sound system. The Portofino felt considerably faster than the California T even though on paper that shouldn’t have been the case since performance-wise, they’re supposed to be pretty close. My theory is the Portofino feels a lot faster because the exhaust note is now louder and more aggressive sounding while the gearbox is more responsive. Even when it started raining later in the day and I had to close the roof I still continued to enjoy the car since it was easy to drive and didn’t mind the road legal speeds we were traveling at.

The only two negatives with the car I could think of is that I had to give it back, and that I can’t afford one even though the starting price is a very reasonable (in Ferrari standards) KD 68,000. That price can quickly go up depending on the options you add, but even with the base model, it’s not like you’re getting any less of a car. If you can afford it and are looking for a convertible that’s fast, extremely comfortable and great looking, you need to check the Portofino out if you haven’t already done so. It really is one of the best looking convertibles on the market.

The local Ferrari dealer is located on Instagram @ferrarialzayanikuwait and their website is alzayani.com/ferrari

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