2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

This idea is so absurd but so great at the same time. For a limited time only, Johnny Rockets in Salmiya have what they’re calling a “Truffle Table Experience”. It’s a set menu that you need to pre-book ahead of time and includes your choice of truffle fries or onion rings, a Wagyu truffle burger or a truffle portobello burger, a luxury shake, and a cookie for dessert. I booked it and went last night with a couple of friends and we had a blast

My first date ever was at Johnny Rockets back in 1996 and I wish they had this setup back then since I might have been able to impress my date. The table was covered with a white tablecloth and set with a pink cloth napkin, plates, and cutlery. There was even a flower and a candle that further added to the romantic vibe. Obviously, you’re not supposed to take all of this very seriously and everyone else there who had booked this dinner looked like they were also having fun with it.

The burger itself is more elevated than the usual offering and they got a legit chef (@chef_ak) to develop it. Even the onion rings weren’t their usual frozen ones but instead freshly hand battered with sourdough crumble. Honestly, if they had stuck with their usual items I wouldn’t have been disappointed since I was there to have a bit of fun, but the fact they went all out to elevate the food just for this occasion is impressive.

As I mentioned earlier, this fine dining experience is for a limited time only, it started a few days ago and lasts till April 17th. It’s 10KD per person and you need to pre-book using this link.

Walking around malls is a great way to hit your steps goal, especially if it’s too hot outside or if you don’t live near any walking tracks. But how many steps is each lap of a mall, and how many calories do you burn? To find out, I visited various malls around Kuwait and completed one lap of each while tracking my steps and calorie burn using my Apple Watch.

While my data isn’t scientific, I established some rules to ensure consistency. I did one lap only and I started and ended my walk in the same spot. I did not travel up or down escalators, but I did travel to the different phases and extensions if I could do so without changing floors. I also tried to walk at the same brisk pace. Your data might differ from mine, but it should be good enough to give you a rough idea of what to expect.

I’ve ranked my top six favorite malls based on a number of factors, including steps per lap, parking availability, overall convenience, the width of the mall floor, and visual stimulation during the walk. Here are my top 6:

#1 The Avenues
3,211 steps
33min 5sec
2.52km
174cal

#2 360 Mall
1464 steps
16min 14sec
1.19km
85cal

#3 Assima
569 steps
5min 51sec
0.43km
30cal

#4 Souq Sharq
706 steps
6min 25sec
0.48km
35cal

#5 Al Kout Mall
549 steps
5min 29sec
0.40km
27cal

#6 Marina Mall
664 steps
7min 58sec
0.56km
38cal

Last week, Kuwait Airways launched the Electronic Boarding Pass feature, but oddly, not for Kuwait. It’s pretty strange, I thought it might be because the immigration department needed a physical boarding pass to stamp, but even if you’re just transiting, Kuwait Airways is requiring a physical pass.

On the bright side, it does mean I can now fly out of Dubai a lot more conveniently. One of the disadvantages of flying with Kuwait Airways over Emirates was the fact I had to wait in a queue at the Kuwait Airways check-in desk to get my boarding pass. Now I can just get the digital one when I check in online and then zip through the E-gate as soon as I get to the airport. No waiting in line to check in, and no waiting in line for immigration.

To find out which airports accept the Kuwait Airways E-Pass, click here.

Amorino, the popular French chain of gelato ice cream boutiques is coming to Kuwait and they’re planning to open their first location in The Avenues. I like their gelato and usually go with a strawberry chocolate mix but I’m also a big fan of their sorbets.

They’re planning to open their location this coming July and the store will be located in the rear passageway of Avenues Phase III, where the English Tea Lounge used to be located.

After a quiet couple of weekends, events are starting to pick up again. Below are all the ones I found taking place this weekend. If I missed anything, let me know in the comments:

Thursday, April 6
The Outlet Expo
Astronomers Diwaniya
Bugsha Ramadan Nights
Ramadan Kits Activities
Al Sheyab Show
Gergean AlHamra
Murouj Gergean
Red Bull Doodle Art Final

Friday, April 7
The Outlet Expo
Zain Ramadan Kids Run
Ultimate Frisbee Tournament
Bugsha Ramadan Nights
Ramadan Kits Activities
Ramadan Art & Gergeian Adventure
Murouj Gergean
All Sports Gathering
Drift Championship
Puppet Show

Saturday, April 8
The Outlet Expo
Al Shaheed Park’s Gergi’an
Sailing: Saturday Sunset Cruising
Storytelling & Food with Rashid AlSaif
Bugsha Ramadan Nights
Ramadan Art & Gergeian Adventure
Murouj Gergean
Storytime at Amricani
Special Afternoon for Kids
All Sports Gathering
Drift Championship
Puppet Show
Easter Eggs Painting

Exhibitions
A&F Fashion Exhibition
Alexander The Great in Kuwait
Between Two Worlds

I’m a fan of the post-apocalyptic television series “The Last of Us” so when I stumbled into this area by accident, the first thing I did was shoot a video and send it over to a couple of friends who I knew watched the show as well. I felt like I had walked onto the set of the show with the only thing missing being the zombies.

The area is deserted with shrubs growing unchecked and walls covered with graffiti. All the buildings are crumbling because they’ve been neglected for decades, just like on the show. It was also eerily quiet except for the chirping of the birds.

If you want to film a short TikTok zombie flick or something, the area is located behind the abandoned buildings on Fahed Al Salem Street, next to Salhiya Complex. Google Maps

Are you an expat in Kuwait looking to own a car but don’t want to put a large down payment? Or maybe you’re struggling to buy a car because you don’t have a guarantor? If you answered yes to any of these then a lease-to-own program is a great option.

With Autocapital, anyone can lease a car since the only requirements are ID, a salary certificate, and a bank statement.

Purchasing a car through an Autocapital lease-to-own program has a number of benefits including:

• Select the car you want including the specifications and color.

• Option to purchase the car after the rental period is up.

• You don’t have to worry about maintenance costs since it’s covered under the lease.

• Full insurance and roadside assistance are included as part of the lease.

With high-interest rates and the cost of cars getting higher, lease-to-own makes a lot more sense than traditional financing, and you don’t need to go through the bank either. Autocapital are also partners with all the car brands which is why you get to choose to lease whatever car you want. And because they work hand in hand with the dealers, they also get better price options.

Autocapital is a one-stop shop, they buy, sell, lease, lease-to-own and rent cars. They’re located at the Sirbb Circuit in Shuwaikh and to find out more about their Lease-To-Own program, you can visit their website autocapitalkw.com or check out their Instagram @autocapital.kuwait

Back in February, I got a tour of a 2,000KD-a-night hotel room but a friend told me there was a more luxurious 4,500KD-a-night room at the St.Regis. So I got in touch with them and after a bit of back and forth getting all the approvals, yesterday I finally got a tour of their 4,500KD-a-night Amiri Suite.

The 400sqm suite was designed to be a luxurious home away from home for royalty, diplomats, and celebrities. The suite can’t be booked online only by phone. It has a beautiful view of JACC and a lot of features including:

• Master Bedroom
• Barber Area
• Meeting Room
• Video Conference Room
• Large Dining Area
• Massage Room
• Fitness Area
• Sauna and Steam Room

Unless someone proves me wrong, I believe this has to be the most expensive hotel room in Kuwait. If you want to see some nicer photos of the room, they a few on the @stregiskuwait website. Link

It’s a do you remember this kind of morning. There used to be a huge tree inside Fashion Way (Mothercare) next to Sultan Center in Salmiya. I never thought much of it until a reader asked me if I had any photos of it since he couldn’t find any. I thought it was weird he wasn’t able to find any photos so I look myself but I also couldn’t find any.

Luckily another reader had a photo of it and sent it to me. I don’t know the story behind the tree but I do remember it was animated, and thinking about it now while looking at the photo, it was actually pretty impressive.

Thanks @janna_xxx

There used to be a pool hall in Salmiya behind Hungry Bunny called Shark or Sharx, not really sure. I can’t seem to find any information about it online or that it even existed. But a reader sent me the snippet above from a Russian news channel that had filmed a short report in the place and you can watch it above.

If you remember anything about it let me know.

Thanks Janna

Update: Turns out it wasn’t behind Hungry Bunny but instead next to Zahra Complex. Here is a photo of the building that was in taken from msmooretravels.com

Update2: Here is a photo of the entrance but taken after it had shut down

I’m not really sure how I initially found out about this specific yellow pages directory from the American Women’s League of Kuwait, but it was on my watch list for some time and one eventually popped up for sale a few weeks ago. I tend to find out about random books and then add them to my watch list and wait patiently, usually, years before a copy eventually/hopefully pops up somewhere online and I get a notification. When this book popped up on eBay and knowing how difficult it is to find because it really isn’t a book you’d generally save, I quickly purchased it without even trying to negotiate on the price. I like directories because they usually help me connect various things together.

For example, on the Salmiya map on one of the pages it showed a “Camping Area” which confused me, how did Salmiya have a camping area? Then a follower on Instagram helped me figure out where that area was (Google Maps) and I realized that was the location of the Salmiya Youth Hostel which was supposedly run by the Kuwait Boy Scouts.

Then under the grocery store section, it listed various supermarkets, many I actually need to research especially New Supermarket because I remember the Salmiya location from the early 80s. But one of the supermarkets listed was Khalaf, which last year I happened to find photos of their Salmiya location.

Since I felt this was worth sharing, I took photos of the most significant pages and turned them into a 44MB PDF. You can download it here.

A couple of days ago I got to visit the studios of Beyond Dreams, the entertainment company behind the local Netflix show, The Exchange. I was asked not to reveal the location of the studio but I can describe the location. It’s an old abandoned school that was repurposed as a studio (think Warner Bros or Universal Studios). A large part of the outdoor area of the school was turned into an old Kuwaiti village (used for a different show), while the classrooms around the school were turned into various sets for different shows. I was only given permission to shoot the sets of The Exchange, but I’m going to try and get permission to take pictures of the village set for another post since it looked very realistic and I think would surprise a lot of people that a film set like that exists in Kuwait.

After getting a tour of the studio grounds, we started visiting the different sets of The Exchange. I wasn’t aware they had shot all the home scenes in a studio so I was a bit surprised when I walked into the first set. All the home shots in The Exchange were filmed at this studio location where they built everything down to the very minute details. I was walking around the rooms checking out all the different items on the shelves since there were so many props from the 80s all laid out, many of which wouldn’t be even noticeable on TV but were still there for realism.

I also visited the set of the “Bank of Tomorrow” offices including the conference room where some key parts of the show took place in. I couldn’t visit the set of Hungry Bunny since it was being repurposed for another show, but the main thing I wanted to see anyway was the stock exchange.

I had heard that a stock exchange was built for the show, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought they might have built various small parts of the exchange but not all of it. You should have seen my face when I walked into the hall and realized they had actually built the whole thing including an upper floor. The stock exchange set was HUGE! I tried to capture how big it was with my video so I hope I managed to get the size of it across.

Netflix hasn’t announced a second season of the show but hopefully, it’s going to get another season because it was actually really good. If you haven’t watched the show, it’s currently streaming on Netflix.

Below is the annual list of Ramadan buffets in Kuwait. This year I tried to cover a broader spectrum of prices and cuisines, so you’ll see options that aren’t just Arabic food and prices that start at KD1.950 all the way up to KD28 per person. The KD1.950 buffet which is the most affordable on the list belongs to IKEA, while the most expensive KD28 buffet is at the St Regis. As usual, I’ve also highlighted the price variation from the previous year if applicable. You’ll find the variation in brackets after the price.

Below is the full list divided into two parts, hotels and restaurants. If I missed a place let me know in the comments.

HOTELS

Al Jahra Copthorne Hotel & Resort – Taima’a Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD9.9 (-2.100)
Telephone: 24590000

Courtyard by Marriott – Atrium
Buffet Price: KD15
Telephone: 22997000

Crowne Plaza – Al Ahmadi Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD18 (+2.000)
Telephone: 1848111

Crowne Plaza – Al Noukhaza Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD19 (+3.000)
Telephone: 1848111

Four Seasons – Jawaher Tent
Buffet Price: KD25 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22006000

Grand Hyatt – Stambul
Buffet Price: KD15
Telephone: 22007698

Hilton Garden Inn – The Avenues
Buffet Price: KD20
Telephone: 22262000

Hilton Resort – Teatro Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD19.9 (+0.900)
Telephone: 22256222

Inn & GO Hotel – Al Dallah Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD6.5 (+0.500)
Telephone: 22436686

Jumeirah Messilah Beach – Badria Tent
Buffet Price: KD21 (-3.000)
Telephone: 22269600

Marina Hotel
Buffet Price: KD16
Telephone: 22230030

Millennium Hotel – Lamar International Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22050505

Movenpick – Free Zone – Bays Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD12 (-0.500)
Telephone: 24610033

Movenpick – Al Bida’a – Breeze Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15
Telephone: 22253100

Radisson Blu – Al Bustan Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD18.5 (+2.500)
Telephone: 25673000

Safir Hotel – Fintas
Buffet Price: KD12.9 (-2.000)
Telephone: 25455555

St Regis – Diamond Ballroom Tent
Buffet Price: KD28 (+3.000)
Telephone: 22422055

Symphony Style Hotel
Buffet Price: KD14
Telephone: 25770000

The Regency Kuwait – Silk Road Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD23 (+1.000)
Telephone: 25766666

Waldorf Astoria – Al Kubbar
Buffet Price: KD26
Telephone: 24774414

RESTAURANTS

Assaha Lebanese Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD13 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22533377

Dar Hamad
Buffet Price: KD18 (+2.000)
Telephone: 22275555

Em Sherif
Set Menu Buffet Price: KD25
Telephone: 90977997

Gulf Royal Chinese
Buffet Price: KD8.5
Telephone: 22622770

IKEA
Buffet Price: KD1.95 (-1.000)
Telephone: 1840408

Jihan Khanah
Buffet Price: KD10
Telephone: 1819991

Joori Min Beirut
Buffet Price: KD14 (+2.000)
Telephone: 22062068

Kuwait Towers
Buffet Price: KD14 (+1.000)
Telephone: 24965500

Mughal Mahal – Hawally
Buffet Price: KD7.45
Telephone: 22626782

Naranj
Buffet Price: KD12 (+1.050)
Telephone: 22268666

Palm Palace
Buffet Price: KD11
Telephone: 67009575

Saraya Palace
Buffet Price: KD9.5 (+2.500)
Telephone: 25711101

Villa Fayrouz
Buffet Price: KD12
Telephone: 22650052

Wok and Grill
Buffet Price: KD3.5
Telephone: 64440089

Spotted this at Monoprix.

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

Prebook (Releasing April 22):
John Wick: Chapter 4 (8.7)

Now Showing:
65 (5.7)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (6.7)
Avatar: The Way of Water (7.8)
Creed III (7.4)
Guardians of Time (3.5)
Missing (7.3)
Moonbound (4.8)
Mummies (6.2)
Plane (6.9)
Play Dead (5.1)
Savage Salvation (4.6)
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (7.1)

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