2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

The Kuwait National Planetarium has reopened again after being closed since 2016 for renovations.

The planetarium was one of the first in the Gulf Region and originally opened back in 1986. The technology at the planetarium has been fully upgraded with a new system consisting of nine 4K video projectors, new computer technology and the modernization of the sound system. But, at the heart of it all is the Zeiss STARMASTER projection system. Only 19 of these STARMASTER projection systems are installed worldwide and they’re known for their high level of brightness, pinpoint sharpness, and providing a realistic starry sky.

The planetarium is open from Monday to Thursday with five shows playing daily at 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, 5:30PM and the last one at 6:30PM. Check out the current schedule and whats playing below. Entrance to the planetarium is free.

If you’ve never been to the planetarium before, it’s located on the Gulf Road, opposite Seef Palace and is part of the Kuwait National Museum. Here is the location on Google Maps.

Note: Just one thing to point out, this past week they’ve been having issues with the AC and have had to cancel some shows.

Update: I was given this number by the staff so that people can call and check ahead of time if they’re having AC issues or not 22408496

The Red Fort (also called the Red Palace) is one of my favorite historical sites in Kuwait. The fort was built in 1897 with the primary purpose to defend the agriculture farms in Jahra. In 1920 it was also the location of the famous Battle of Jahra.

Not a lot of people know about the fort, and most people who do haven’t been there. I’ve always found the fort to be very photogenic and visually interesting since we don’t have anywhere else in Kuwait that looks like it. I’ve also always loved how the fort was open to explore, you could enter any room you wanted, walk up any steps and just wander around the place enjoying the outdoors.

However, the fort needed some TLC. Last year, a team of local experts were assigned to revive and restore it, and they’ve been hard at work ever since.

The project has multiple stages, with the final stage being the complete restoration of the fort to its original state. However, the road to this goal is long, so the team began by enhancing the current visitor experience. For example, they added aesthetically pleasing lighting throughout the fort, making it more nighttime-friendly, which is important since the fort is open until 8PM. They also constructed new raised pathways to allow visitors to explore the main courtyard without having to walk in the dirt. But the most significant addition to the Red Fort is the brand-new ‘Arms & Armory Museum’.

The team took over an existing building right outside the walls of the fort and repurposed it into a new museum that will house more than two centuries of artifacts. The new Arms & Armory Museum will reflect the Kuwaiti society’s complex relationship with arms, serving as tools for self-defense, aiding in hunting, symbols of status and wealth, and ornate works of art to be admired.

I was given an early sneak peek of the museum and was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully it was coming together. The team managed to procure artifacts from the National Museum and private collectors but, since the display cases were only recently installed, the exhibit is still a work in progress. The aim is to have it ready to open by the end of summer, around the time schools start again so that students will be able to explore the museum when they visit.

The Red Fort is currently closed to the public while it’s being worked on. Once the museum is ready and the fort reopens, I’ll let you know or follow @kw_nccal for updates.

This post is for my Lebanese readers, Malak Al Tawouk is opening in Kuwait right next to Johnny Rockets in Salmiya.

Malak Al Tawouk and another similar place called HaJal were my goto restaurant when I was studying in Lebanon during my university days in the late 90s. They served HUGE tawouk sandwiches for super cheap, like 600fils cheap. The sandwiches were usually filled with coleslaw, tawouk, fries and ketchup. Very budget friendly, very filling and tasted delicious which is why it was one of my favorites places.

Since they first opened in 1996, they’ve grown and opened multiple of locations in Lebanon, as well as locations around the world, mostly where Lebanese reside so Montreal, Paris, Dubai etc. I’m not to sure about their choice in their first location in Kuwait though, that strip where they’re opening has a pretty long history of restaurants failing. Only Johnny Rockets has survived there and nothing else.

Note: I found an old post of mine from 2006 where I mentioned Malak Al Tawouk was opening in Kuwait. Not sure what happened back then but they’re finally opening now. I also found a photo from 2006 of the sandwich next to my phone back then (pre-iPhone). I tried to find the original photo in my archive but I just wasted an hour of my life looking for it and eventually gave up since I have a more important post I’m working on.

Nvidia has signed a deal to deploy its artificial intelligence technology at data centres owned by Qatari telecoms group Ooredoo in five Middle Eastern countries, Ooredoo’s CEO told Reuters.

…

It will make Ooredoo the first company in the region able to give clients of its data centers in Qatar, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait and the Maldives direct access to Nvidia’s AI and graphics processing technology, Ooredoo said in a statement.

Providing the technology will allow Ooredoo to better help its customers deploy generative AI applications, Nvidia’s senior vice president of telecom Ronnie Vasishta said.

Basically what that means, companies in Kuwait who use Ooredoo data centers can now provide their customers with AI features. So for example if a company currently uses a dumb bot to handle initial customer support communication, with this new Nvidia tech they would be able to have AI take over that job from the bots. Obviously they’ll be able to do a lot more with AI than just talk to customers. Link

Fashion Way, the complex right across the street from Fanar Mall in Salmiya is getting demolished. I personally don’t have much attachment to it but I know a lot of people do.

Construction on that building started in the late 80s and it was rumored to be Safeway the supermarket chain opening there, right next to Sultan Center. The building wasn’t covered in the ugly grey alucobond panels like today, I think I remember it being white ribbed metal panels. But then the 1990 invasion happened and the main Safeway store in Farwaniya got burnt down and they never reopened in Kuwait again. I also just realized while digging up old photos of Safeway that Americana owned it in Kuwait. I never knew that even though it clearly says Americana right next to Safeway on their sign. It now makes sense why Americana had their fast food brands there 90s onwards.

The building eventually finished construction and opened in the mid 90s I think. I remember Sbarro Pizza opening there, it occupied the whole area where Americana was today, but back then it was just Sbarro and it was a dine in experience. Hardees was located in a blue and white colored standalone building next door where Starbucks is right now. When that Hardees building got demolished, they eventually moved in with Sbarro and KFC into Fashion Way.

Inside Fashion Way was Mothercare with their huge animated tree inside. Mothercare was still there until they closed down a couple of months ago as well.

I just tried finding out when Sbarro opened in Kuwait but couldn’t find anything. I found an article from 1995 in the New York Times which mentions Gennaro (Jerry) Sbarro being 29 years old when he came to Kuwait to open Sbarro. I tried to find his date of birth online and I found multiple Jerry’s but the closest one might be 1966 which means Sbarro opened in 1994-1995. I contacted Jerry to find out and see if he has any photos, will see if he responds.

Anyway, the building is getting demolished. Not sure what the plan is, but my guess is they’re going to build an office tower in its place.

If you work at Americana, get in touch with me since I’d love to dig up old stuff with you together. I previously got in touch with the Wimpy social media team because I was working on a post about the history of Wimpy in Kuwait and they were a disaster. Firstly they replied saying they would get in touch with me if there was a potential for future collaborations. I told them they misunderstood and I wasn’t looking for them to advertise with me or send me free food. I explained that I just needed some information for a post I was working on. So then they gave me a phone number to call.. the Wimpy delivery phone number. I called them out on that move and they just copy pasted the same information all over again about how they would get in touch with me in the future if there is potential for a collaboration.

The Soph Spot is a local merch store with a commitment towards helping a variety of causes, from injured children in Palestine, to animal welfare and ongoing regional challenges.

The idea came to Haya (not sharing her last name since she wants anonymity) because she was always helping animals and harassing everyone around her to do the same. But, she hated the idea of begging for donations, so she thought there must be another way to get people to donate and that’s when she came up with the idea for a merch shop (named after her dog Sophie who passed away) where all proceeds from the sales would go towards helping animals.

While in the process of creating The Soph Spot, Haya realized that her idea could also help a variety of causes, and since she’s half Palestinian, she decided to create a a line of Palestinian merch where proceeds would go to @heal.palestine. Recently, she also added a collection drawn by children, with proceeds of those sales going towards the Red Crescent Society, specifically for families who can’t afford medical care.

It’s a pretty smart, feel good concept, and one that works since people tend to like buying merch that supports a cause they care about. As of this post Haya is supporting three causes, but hopes to keep adding more as she goes. Her merch is actually really cool and I love some of the designs.

You can see some of the items above, but if you want to buy something or just show your support, the instagram is @thesophspot and the website is thesophspot.com

This past week I watched the film “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” starring Nicholas Cage (as himself) and Pedro Pascal (from The Last of Us and Mandalorian). The film was really entertaining, hilarious and my favorite Nicholas Cage film since Face Off and Con Air. I had to rent it on AppleTV but was totally worth it. Nicholas Cage is such a great actor, but we tend to forget that since he’s in tooooo many b-rated films.

Other than that I started watching Presumed Innocent, I’m only one episode in (started last night) and although it started off a bit slow it picked up right at the end and I now am looking forward to watch the next episode. I also got to finally watch the last episode of Under the Bridge, a show that should have ended two episodes ago. I haven’t started on House of Dragons yet, I’m going to start this weekend along with season 4 of The Boys.

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Breathe (3.8)
The Bikeriders (7.3)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Classic) (9.0)

Other Movies Showing:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (6.8)
Dragonkeeper (5.8)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (8.1)
IF (6.8)
Inside Out 2 (8.2)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (7.4)
Tarot (4.9)
The Garfield Movie (6.0)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Classic/2002) (8.8)
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (4.7)
The Watchers (5.7)

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

There is a rumor going around that Lana Del Rey is planning to come to Kuwait and perform as part of her Middle East tour. Turns out the rumor originated from a couple of popular instagram accounts that posted an audio file where Lana supposedly mentions she will be performing in Kuwait and Qatar. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s not true.

The audio file is actually from a really old Lana Del Rey interview with an Australian radio station from back in 2015. The funny thing is, Lana doesn’t even say she is coming to Kuwait. During the interview Lana mentions that if she was going to do another real tour, Australia would be one of the first places she would think of, other than the Middle East. When the host asks where she would like to tour in the Middle East, Lana then mentions she’d like to perform in Kuwait and Qatar.

You can hear the audio snippet that has been going around above. Don’t believe everything you read online, even if they have over 100,000 followers.

Last year the MOI purchased and installed new smarter cameras and looks like they’ve been having success with them since they just ordered more than 100 new ones. The smart cameras are made by Jenoptik and can detect red light, speeding and moving vehicle offenses, such as illegal turns. The cameras are expected to be delivered third quarter of this year but no word if they will be replacing old cameras, or if they’re going to be installed in new locations.

Jenoptik has been involved in a variety of traffic safety projects in Kuwait since the 1990s. source

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

Shandiz, one of the best (might be the best) Persian restaurant in Kuwait is opening a new location in the city. On my way home I spotted their signs up in the same building as where ALOHA is in the city (Google Maps).

The current Shandiz store next to Muthana Complex is pretty small, so I’m guessing they’re either opening a second location to cater to more customers, or the building they’re currently in is getting demolished and so they needed to find a new spot.

Although this new location is near my office, it’s actually a terrible location due to the parking situation (there isn’t any, well there is just not close to being enough). The whole block is heavily congested and at night people just double park on the main road.

Update: A reader pointed out it says seafood on the sign, so it looks like it’s going to be a different kind of Shandiz.

Marks & Spencer are opening a new location at The Avenues. They currently have a small store in Phase I (small for an M&S) but they recently took over the Baroue location and surrounding shops in Phase II, which is a pretty huge area. I think it might be bigger than their 360 Mall location.

No idea when they’re opening but hoarding is up.

This week I started watching the new Star Wars series The Acolyte. It has a 4.1 rating on IMDB and I have no idea why because it wasn’t bad at all. I also watched the movie Godzilla Minus One. I found it on Netflix and started watching it not realizing it was actually a Japanese movie dubbed in English. But something about the way it was shot caught my attention, it was a really beautiful looking film and it’s why I continued watching it. Turned out to be pretty good so glad I watched it.

This long weekend I’m going to watch Presumed Innocent which just got released on AppleTV+ and I need to start the new season of The Boys and finish up Clarkson’s Farm and Palm Royale (have like 2 episodes left I think). I might also watch Bad Boys at the theater, but need to find out first if anything is cut or not.

Oh and Netflix just announced “CHESTNUT VS. KOBAYASHI: UNFINISHED BEEF”. I’ve been following their story since before Kobayashi got banned from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, and this past week there was a lot of drama because Chestnut was also banned this year because he signed a deal with Nathan’s rival, Impossible Food. In my head yesterday I was thinking both should team up and do their own thing and I woke up this morning to find out Netflix is doing exactly that. It’s going to be such an exciting face-off!

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Inside Out 2 (8.2)
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (4.7)

Other Movies Showing:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (6.8)
Dragonkeeper (5.8)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (8.1)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (6.5)
IF (6.8)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (7.4)
Kung Fu Panda 4 (6.4)
Tarot (4.9)
The Garfield Movie (6.0)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Classic/2002) (8.8)
The Watchers (5.7)

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

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

Yesterday in the comments, I was having a discussion with a reader about the whole practicality of flying to UAE and back just to use the pool there and I found out from him that a return flight to Abu Dhabi is now just 6.750 KD!

Turns out Wizz Air are having a summer sale right now and if your dates are flexible, you can get tickets as cheap at 6.750 KD this summer. I tried it now and it’s real. As long as you don’t add any options like checked-in luggage and other extras, you can get your ticket for $21.98.

I’ve never flown Wizz Air but I have heard both positive and negative comments about it. As long as you manage your expectations it seems like an OK experience. wizzair.com