2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

I had lunch earlier today at Katsuya, the new Japanese fusion restaurant that was brought to Kuwait from Los Angeles by Alshaya. The restaurant isn’t open yet but I was lucky enough to get invited for a sneak peek so I headed there with a few friends of mine to try it out.

What originally got me interested in Katsuya is the partnership with product and interior designer Philippe Starck. I’m a huge fan of his work and was actually hoping he would be coming to Kuwait for the opening but that’s sadly not happening. Katsuya is currently only open in California and Florida and their first international branch is opening up here in Kuwait followed shortly by Dubai. According to the Vice President of Katsuya who I had the pleasure of meeting, Philippe Starck had to reinvent the interior design for the Middle East. Their US locations use feminine beauty in the design, mostly the eyes and lips so for the Middle East they wanted something more appropriate and fitting with the local culture so Philippe Starck went back to the drawing board and reworked the brand with the future in mind. The result is a fusion of Japanese samurais and art resulting in a design full of colors and movement.

We sat down and ordered their cocktails first. I originally ordered the Strawberry Fields but after trying my friends drink called Burning Mandarin I decided to swap mine for that. It’s a bit spicy but worked really well with the starters. For our dishes we let the waitress make most of the choices for us while me and my friends chose a few dishes we were interested in trying. The result? We ended up with a ton of food, so much that I actually made them email me the list since I wasn’t able to track everything. This is what we had:

– Sautéed Shishito Peppers
– Edamame Humus
– Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeño
– Spicy Albacore Sashimi with Crispy Onion
– Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna
– Stuffed Eggplant
– Creamy Rock Shrimp
– Wagyu Filet with Foie Gras
– Miso-Marinated Black Cod
– Japanese Mushroom BOP
– Sashimi Sampler
– Special Katsuya Roll
– Kiwi Scallops
– Double Chocolate Lava Cake
– Mochi
– Espresso Brownie Bar

I found the food style very similar to Zuma and Australasia which is great since there isn’t anything similar to that here in Kuwait. From the items I tried the ones I would highly recommend are:

– Edamame Humus
– Stuffed Eggplant
– Miso-Marinated Black Cod
– Japanese Mushroom BOP

If there is one dish you NEED to try its the Stuffed Eggplant. I know I know it doesn’t sound like much and I honestly HATE eggplant, I can’t stand it but this is so different. The eggplant is stuffed with tuna and almonds covered in a sweet miso glaze. It’s actually not a top seller in the States but my guess is it’s going to be a big hit here.

The dishes aren’t that expensive. We didn’t pay for our meal but I do have a PDF of the menu which you can download at the end of this post and really most of the dishes are priced pretty fairly. The black cod dish is around KD14 but it was also the largest piece of black cod I had ever been served. I actually asked the waitress if this was their regular serving size or a large portion just for us, that’s how big it was. The Edamame Humus (genius idea btw) is KD2.950, the Stuffed Eggplant KD3.950 and the Mushroom BOP which is a fairly large portion is priced at KD5.450.

If you’re interested in trying the place out, Katsuya is officially opening this coming Wednesday from 12 noon at Avenues Phase III near Cheesecake Factory. You can download and check out their menu below and make sure you try the Stuffed Eggplant, that’s the dish that’s going to make me keep going back.

Katsuya Dinner Menu
Katsuya Drinks and Desserts Menu

Unlike I previously posted, the grass on the Gulf Road is staying real. Last month they started removing the bushes and grass on the Gulf Road opposite McDonalds and it was assumed they would be replacing the real grass with fake grass like they had already done on Plajat Street and some parts of Jabriya. Turns out that’s not the case. The reason the grass and bushes were removed on the Gulf Road is because they installed new water sprinklers. The grass has already started growing back again as you can see in the picture above. This is a huge relief because I use the Gulf Road daily and I love it because it’s so green. I would have really REALLY hated it if it was all fake greenery.

Qout Market is a new farmers market (not to be confused with the Shakshooka pop-up farmers market) that will be launching this Saturday November 2nd. Qout Market will take place on the first Saturday of every month starting with this month and it’s going to be located in the large space between the Arraya parking lot and the Arraya mall in Kuwait City (picture below) across from Hamra Tower [Map].

The Qout Market will have stands selling crafts, street food, fresh flowers, jarred items, artisanal products, baked goods and local produce. The market will be open all day long from 10AM to 10PM. I’m sadly not going to be in Kuwait to check it out but if you are then you should. For more information you can check them out on [Facebook] or follow them on [Instagram]

This is the first time I see this footage which was filmed by the Dutch navy. The video quality is pretty choppy but it still gave me goosebumps. [YouTube]

As Mark mentioned earlier today there is a writing competition taking place at the Q8BookStore on November 1st as part of Spooky Book Night. The writing competition is for all ages, the rules are simple:

1) Story should be max 500 words (that’s like an A4 page)
2) It should be a horror story
3) The story should be based in Kuwait
4) Email the piece to [email protected] by 30th October

The writing club (@q8writingclub) will be judging the story, Kuwait Times will publish the piece and the winner will also get a KD30 store credit as well as a Monstariam tshirt.

Post by Fajer Ahmed

The international falafel chain Just Falafel that originated in Abu Dhabi is opening their first branch in Kuwait soon. I spotted the Just Falafel hoarding next to DoDo on Baghdad Street where Kibbeh w Bass used to be located.

There are two Monstariam events coming up this week, one is a book reading the other a graffiti picnic. Below are the details:

Spooky Book Night
Location: Q8BookStore at Bayt Lothan
Date: Friday, November 1st
Time: 5:00PM
This is for kids of all ages and they should come wearing their halloween costumes.

Monstariam Graffiti Picnic
Location: Bayt Lothan
Date: Friday, November 1st
Time: 5:30PM
There will be food, music and a lot of colors. This is the second graffiti picnic and like the previous one, spray paint and canvases will be provided.

For more information check Monstariam and Q8BookStore on Instagram at @monstariam and @q8bookstore. There is also a writing competition if anyone is interested [Here]

Sultan Center just stocked up on small pumpkins for halloween.

Today (Oct 26) is the final day for the Battle of the East crossfit competition that’s taking place in Kuwait. Athletes from around the world are participating in this event and the setup is world class. Just check out the video above to get an idea of what’s going on. If you’re interested to check it out pass by Marina Crescent, the event is taking place from 8AM to 6PM.

[YouTube]

Last night at the local MMA event GFC 4 a huge fight broke out. The fight started after supporters of a GFC fighter stormed the cage after he got knocked out. The fight initiated in various small cells around the arena but then turned into one large street brawl. According to previous UFC fighter Ray Elbe who was at the arena last night, he’s never seen anything like this ever before and he’s been involved with MMA for over a decade now. You can check out Rays post on this event on his blog [Here]

[YouTube]

Update: Here is another video from a better angle

[YouTube]

[YouTube]

With the Kuwait League match between Al Nasr and Al Arabi deep into extra time, and the home side Al Nasr 1-0 up and nearing victory, the referee Saad Al Fadhi had the temerity to award a stonewall penalty to the visitors. What happened next would lead to the man in black doling out a less legitimate form of justice.

After being surrounded by irate Al Nasr attackers, upset at seeing a win potentially slip from their grasp, the referee let fly with his fists – flooring the Al Nasr No11 Abdulaziz Farraj with a left-hander, kicking him shortly after he had picked himself back up, then dismissing him from the pitch with a prompt red card.

More was to come. After his assistants stepped in to control the melee, Al Fadhi went on a red card rampage, doling out another on the pitch. With matters concluded, he completed the job by wandering over to the bench to wave a red card in the general direction of the assorted sheikhs and substitutes gathered there.

With order apparently restored, Al Arabi buried the penalty and levelled the match – only for Al Nasr’s understandably piqued No9 Zabn Al Enazi to hoof the ball directly at the referee from the re-start. Cue another red, another touchline melee and both teams trooping disconsolately from the pitch.

I found this hilarious. [Source]

Last night I attended “Last Night(s) of the Proms” by the Ahmadi Music Group which was held at the British Embassy. It was my first time attending an event by the Ahmadi Music Group and I left not only impressed but the first thing I did once I got back home was to try to sign up to their mailing list (it’s not working) so I would be informed on all their upcoming events.

The event was held outdoors inside the British Embassy where a stage and seating area were beautifully set up in their garden. The Ahmadi Music Group last night consisted of 46 members of the orchestra performing alongside 79 members of the choir so the stage was pretty packed. The conductor Richard Bushman did an incredible job introducing every piece to the audience before it was played explaining what we were going to hear and why it was important. He was very entertaining to listen to and I think he helped make the event more accessible to people like me who don’t know much about operas or orchestras. My only criticism would have to be with the sound setup. The majority of the sound was coming from one speaker on the right side in back which made the whole thing uncomfortable to watch.

Next year will be the Ahmadi Music Group 60 year anniversary which is an incredible accomplishment. I would have posted about this event ahead of time but a friend got me my ticket while I was in London and I honestly only found out what I was there to watch as I was walking into the embassy. I will be posting about their future events from now on and here is a list of their upcoming events that was listed at the back of yesterdays program:

December 6, 7: Family Seasonal Concert
February 20, 21, 22: George Frideric Handel, Acis and Galatea
April 10, 11, 12: Gloria! Music by Vivaldi, Mozart and Rutter

For more information on the Ahmadi Music Group and their events, check out their website [Here]

Note: No cameras or electronics were allowed into the embassy so the pictures above are from their 2012 performance.

Kuwaiti Runner is a new iPhone app that came out yesterday. It’s a simple side scrolling running game where the aim is to avoid various obstacles while collecting different power-ups. What makes this game interesting is the fact it’s based in Kuwait and features the characters and sound bites of Kuwaiti rappers Sons of Yusuf whom I posted about just the other day.

Not the best game in the world but it’s free and available to download from the Apple Store by searching for “Kuwaiti Runner” or you can download it by clicking this [Link]

It’s at the intersection of Khaldya and the 4th Ring Road. [YouTube]

This isn’t a law post but I asked Mark if I could post it and he was ok with it. I was grocery shopping at Sultan Center last year when I found a farmers market stand and what caught my attention were the Alban Dairy products. I fell in love with the brand and I wanted to see the farm for myself but due to my tight schedule I only got to do so last week. It took us around an hour to get to Yasmin Farms where Alban Dairy operates from. As soon as we walked into the farm we spotted a cute little shop that sells a wide range of dairy products, spices, dried fruits and baked goods. Their prices are good too and their banana muffin was delicious.

Their business development executive (Bader) was hospital enough to takes us on a lovely tour around the farm. Our first stop was the cow barn as it was milking time. The cows are milked daily at 6AM and 4PM and the milking has to be done in those times as cows are used to schedules, otherwise they get annoyed and wont produce as much the next day.

The cows walked in a line to be taken into a room where they stood to be milked. Bader explained to us the importance of hygiene at Yasmin Farms and therefore we weren’t allowed to walk anywhere where the cows would pass so that our shoes didn’t carry anything foreign into their territory. After the cows we visited the goats who unlike the cows needed to be lured by food to be milked as they aren’t as obedient. After the goats we went and saw the free range chickens. Free range is when the chickens can roam around freely and the chickens on Yasmin Farms are allowed to roam inside or outside the barn as they wish. Our final stop were the vegetables. I found the cabbage and lettuce fascinating since they were all being grown on little sponges.

Even though I found the farm impressive I was actually more impressed with Bader. His determination to have a clean farm producing all natural products is just amazing, he really makes me proud as a Kuwaiti. He knew the names of every employee we passed by and he is also humble enough to serve random visitors himself. Personally, after touring the farm I will now always prefer to buy their products over others.

The farm was amazing and you can go and visit it yourself every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8AM to 5PM [Map]. All their products are found at Sultan Center and you can also order online. Also make sure you check out their instagram account @albandairy

Post by Fajer Ahmed