2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

Looks like the AC issue at the Kuwait National Planetarium is fixed since they reopened to the public again yesterday. Visitors can now watch five daily shows from Monday to Thursday at 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 5:30 PM, and 6:30 PM.

Kuwait’s planetarium was one of the first in the Gulf Region and originally opened back in 1986. The technology at the planetarium has recently been fully upgraded with a new system consisting of nine 4K video projectors, new computer technology and an upgraded sound system. But, at the heart of the planetarium is the unique Zeiss STARMASTER projection system. Only 19 of these STARMASTER projection systems are installed worldwide and they’re known for providing a very realistic starry sky.

The planetarium is located on the Gulf Road, opposite Seef Palace and is part of the Kuwait National Museum.

Entrance to the planetarium is free. For the schedule and info on the shows, click here.

There is a beautiful pop-up taking place starting today until February 25th at the Kuwait National Museum. The Gardenia Pop-up is an outdoor living exhibition and this year they’re holding it inside the National Museum courtyard, a venue I’m totally in love with.

The pop-up features art, design, plants, food and music amongst other things. It’s really well put together and if there was an award for the best market venue of the year, they’d easily win.

Entry is free, there are lots of cafes spread out both inside the museum courtyard and around the museum. Definitely pass by and check it out. They’re open from 10AM to 10PM but I highly recommend visiting during the daytime because of the way the sunlight casts beautiful shadows through the museums floating shade.

For more info on the pop-up, head to @gardenia.popup

Rebels Air Nuts is a new revolutionary snack that just became available in Kuwait. It’s considered revolutionary in the snack industry due to its unique production process and innovative approach to healthy snacking.

Unlike traditional fried or baked snacks, Rebels Air Nuts uses a new air-puffing process that removes the need for added oils and fats while maintaining a crunchy texture. This makes the peanut lighter, crispier, and healthier compared to regular peanuts and other nut-based snacks.

The snack was developed in Spain and comes in three flavors:

Hot Chili: A spicy option for those who enjoy a bit of heat.
Sour Cream: A milder, tangy flavor.
Sal & Pimienta (Salt and Pepper): A classic savory combination.

They sent me all the flavors to try and my favorite was the Hot Chili. Looking at the snacks it’s hard to imagine they started off as regular peanuts, it actually reminds me of popcorn, like they’ve made peanuts pop. The snack isn’t as brittle as popcorn, and it’s also more crunchy. I took some photos of it in my hand so you can see how big they are as well.

The brand is being introduced in Kuwait by the company Dunes of Kuwait who also brought the healthy and popular ‘Greenback’ plant-based protein bars to Kuwait (they also taste really good).

Rebels Air Nuts will initially only be available on the Dunes online store ‘Swap It‘ before becoming available in other stores around Kuwait. So if you want to try these new snacks, head over to @swapit.kw

Season 2 of the Kuwait-based Netflix series The Exchange returns this Thursday, February 13.

‘The Exchange’ is based in Kuwait in the 80s and is inspired by true events. It follows two women who decide to work at the stock exchange, an industry dominated by men at that time. According to Netflix, Season 2 moves beyond the stock market as both main characters, Farida and Munira, face off in a battle to make their mark and claim their space as female bosses.

I really enjoyed the first season so I’m looking forward to binge watch the new season this weekend. A couple of years ago, I got invited by the The Exchange executive producer @Beyond305 to visit the set of the show and was really impressed, especially by the props, many of which you’d never notice on TV. You can check those photos and videos out by clicking here.

Speaking of Netflix, Mo Season 2 recently came out, and it’s really great, definitely worth watching if you haven’t already.

Tim Hortons’ iconic French Vanilla is known for its smooth, creamy texture and sweet, comforting vanilla flavor. Many fans consider it a go-to, especially in colder months, but now there’s an all-new iced version too. If you’re a fan, you can enjoy it hot, iced, or frozen.

If you also want to kick it up a notch, you can add a shot of espresso for an extra boost, balancing the vanilla sweetness with a strong coffee kick. A simple Tim hack that is the ultimate pick-me-up.

Tim Hortons have 12 locations across Kuwait, celebrated for their warm ambiance, 100% premium arabica coffee beans and, of course, their iconic freshly baked and dipped donuts and timbits. Visit @Timhortons.Kuwait and enjoy what ‘always fresh’ stands for.

I just realized today is my 22nd blogging anniversary. I published my first post on February 6th, 2003 on qHate.com which I just realized is currently down. Turns out I changed hosts and forgot to point the domain to the new one.

Super strange that blogger.com is still online it’s the software and host we had used back then to blog from. I just logged in to make sure that Feb 6 was when I first started blogging and was surprised it worked.

22 years, still blogging.

update: qHate is back online and miskan is also online.

This past week I managed to watch two movies, Conclave and Gladiator II. Conclave, was a really great looking film, especially considering it all takes place in one building basically. Super impressive and the story was great as well.

Gladiator II on the other hand, I liked it, but it really didn’t need to be that long. I felt there were a lot of scenes that could have been cut and weren’t really necessary.

Other than these two movies I started watching the new season of Mo on Netflix which has been really funny.

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:
Infested (6.2)
Kayara (5.9)
Love Hurts (N/A)
Old Guy (6.5)
Presence (6.7)
The Bayou (N/A)

Other Movies Showing:
A Complete Unknown (7.7)
Den of Thieves 2 (6.6)
Dog Man (8.4)
Fargo (classic) (8.1)
Flight Risk (5.6)
Moana 2 (7.1)
Mufasa: The Lion King (6.7)
Paddington in Peru (6.8)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (7.5)
The Last Ronin (6.1)
The Prosecutor (7.2)
Werewolves (4.4)
Wicked (8.1)

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

Below are my favorite events taking place this weekend.

Thursday February 6
Auto World Car Show
Astronomers Diwaniya
International Show Jumping 2025
Jazz in Arabic at Al Shaheed Park
TK Outdoor Market at Murouj

Friday February 7
The Importance of Being Earnest
Auto World Car Show
To My Valentine Pop-up
Al Farsi Kite Desert Display
International Show Jumping 2025
TK Outdoor Market at Murouj
Super Run Event

Saturday February 8
The Importance of Being Earnest
Auto World Car Show
To My Valentine Pop-up
Mirror House 11th Art Festival
International Show Jumping 2025
Letters to the Holy Land Pop-up
TK Outdoor Market at Murouj
Movie Premier: The Devil’s Driver

Boutiqaat has inaugurated the YaHala Shopping Festival’s draws, “Ya Hala,” by launching its first-of-its-kind raffle draws. The winners receive a variety of rewards, including 12 luxury cars, $100,000 in cash distributed among 100 winners, and 100 shopping vouchers worth 100 Kuwaiti dinars each, provided by Boutiqaat under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce.

Commenting on this occasion, Ali Al-Tayyar, Public Relations Manager at Boutiqaat, stated: “The strategic partnership between Boutiqaat and YaHala stems from Boutiqaat’s commitment to supporting Kuwait Vision 2035 in achieving comprehensive and integrated development across various sectors of the country.” He highlighted Boutiqaat’s role in boosting the local economy and Kuwait’s tourism sector, emphasizing that the grand draws launched under the Boutiqaat name are only the beginning and that the festival will continue to introduce more exciting draws.

Al-Tayyar further explained: “Boutiqaat’s participation in the region’s largest shopping festival presents an ideal opportunity to strengthen engagement with its customers across the GCC. The “Ya Hala” draws are not limited to customers within Kuwait, but extend to customers across the Gulf, enabling them to seize winning opportunities by taking part in the festival draws.”

The festival’s offers and events have received tremendous engagement and enthusiastic participation from audiences across Kuwait, with positive feedback from customers, who have shown great interest in the festival’s exclusive deals and exceptional discounts.

Additionally, Boutiqaat’s exclusive offers within the “Ya Hala” festival will continue for 70 consecutive days, filled with ongoing draws. The company is hosting various events and discounts in partnership with “Ya Hala” to provide winning opportunities worth over $1 Million in cash prizes, 120 luxury cars, and many other valuable rewards and gifts.

BEAK, the local fried chicken spot, just revealed the Buttermilk sandwich, a new fried chicken burger with an all-new recipe. Featuring an all-new batter and marinade, they’re keeping it classic with just cheese, pickles, and honey mustard.

Founded in 2017, they’re known for using locally sourced, organically fed, never-frozen chicken. Lately, they’ve been on a roll, launching their Kids Meal, Spicy Twister wrap, and chocolate chip cookies.

BEAK currently have two locations, a dine-in location in Al-Masayel, as well as a pick-up location in Hawally. They’re also available on all the popular delivery platforms including Talabat, Deliveroo, Cari and Jahez.

The new Buttermilk sandwich launches tomorrow (Thursday), if you want to try it, head over to @beak.kw

I just bought a ticket to Morocco with Kuwait Airways for 128KD. I’ve been meaning to go back to Marrakech since I went for the first time back in 2015. I kept putting it off, but the other day I got a notification from the Kuwait Airways app that there were discounts for flights in March, probably because no one travels during Ramadan. So out of curiosity I checked how much the flights to Morocco were and they were just 128KD which is pretty crazy considering it’s like a 7-8 hour flight.

Kuwait Airways doesn’t fly to Marrakech, instead they fly to Casablanca but thats fine since I’ll just rent a car and drive to Marrakech which is just over a 2 hour drive.

One super annoying thing I’d like to highlight to Kuwait Airways about their website. In the app when I click on the calendar it shows me the ticket prices for every day, while on the website it doesn’t. Why?

I try not to post too many food posts back to back, but this one couldn’t wait. According to a source of mine, La Petite Maison (LPM), the popular high-end French Mediterranean restaurant, is planning to open in Kuwait. Supposedly, the same company that brought Beefbar, Ferdi, and Philippe by Philippe Chow to Kuwait is now bringing LPM.

Since opening in London in 2007, LPM has expanded to 10 locations worldwide, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Doha.

I reached out to both parties for confirmation. The Kuwait-based company told me they’d update me in a couple of weeks, while LPM said they can’t confirm anything for Kuwait just yet.

“Just yet” sounds promising, so hopefully, an official announcement is coming soon. For now, I’ve filed this under a rumor. @lpmrestaurants

Update: According to a reader who just messaged me, looks like LPM are coming to Kuwait because they were in negotiations for a seaside location.

I’ve been working in the food industry for years now and I haven’t come across a concept similar to this. It literally breaks all the rules for what a restaurant should be.

The owner, Abdullah AlJarallah, comes from a financial background. By day, he manages investment deals and entrepreneurship, but his true passion is actually pizza.

Jars Pizza isn’t a traditional business; it’s a creative space where Abdullah explores the art of pizza making, experiments with techniques, and shares the journey with his small but growing community. He bakes the pizzas himself but doesn’t bake or sell every day, nor does he have a fixed menu. He isn’t even on the delivery platforms and he doesn’t have a store front. Instead, when he plans to make pizzas, he informs his followers about the type of pizza available that day and when. He involves them in the process, from making the dough to baking the pizza. Customers then pick up their orders from the commercial kitchen he operates out of. No delivery since he wants you to taste the pizza fresh.

His focus isn’t on sales, it’s on craftsmanship, fermentation, and the joy of sharing great pizza with those who appreciate it.

The concept began with his deep love for the process and the science of dough fermentation. What started as a personal pursuit evolved into something he wanted to share. His goal is to build a community that appreciates pizza—not just as food, but as an experience. Whether you want to learn, watch, or simply enjoy a well-made slice, Jars Pizza is about bringing people together over something simple yet beautiful.

I’m personally following his account so I can wait for his next drop. If you’re curious to see what it’s all about, you can follow him too at @jarspizza.

Paparazzi is a new Italian restaurant located near the fountain area outside Salhiya. I actually hadn’t been to that area for quite some time so I wasn’t aware that the fountain had actually been removed. I used to visit that corner of Salhiya a lot because of the Lebanese restaurant Leila and Johnny Rockets, but they’re both gone now with both locations taken over by Paparazzi.

When you first enter Paparazzi you’ll walk into their cafe area, a small cozy space with a cocktail bar, a small lounge composed of vintage furniture, around 8 tables with a long bench seating and a mirror above with framed celebrity photos. Paparazzi was designed to feel like an Italian restaurant in Europe that has been around for a long time and frequented by various celebrities over the decades. It worked because that’s exactly the vibe I got.

Walking past the cafe area and through the brown velvet curtains you enter the main restaurant floor, a surprisingly large area that still managed to feel warm and comfortable. I fell in love with it right away especially with all the brown tones. My winter wardrobe has mostly been shades of brown this year and so I blended in perfectly with the interior and furniture. I loved all the interior colors including their kitchen which has mustard yellow cabinets and dark green tiled walls, and the private room which used a shade of a light desaturated blue. It’s all very mid-century.

Paparazzi also has an outdoor terrace with built-in floor vents for AC cooling during the summer. I’m surprised more places haven’t adopted this since it makes the outdoor areas a lot more bearable in the summer months.

I didn’t get to try the food, I will in the next couple of days, but I did get a copy of the menu. Looking at it now, it has a small pizza section, both dry and fresh pastas, mains like steaks, chicken, and seafood, plus a variety of starters, four different carpaccios, salads, and sides. It’s a pretty substantial menu, so I’m looking forward to trying it.

Paparazzi opens tonight and, for now, will only be open for dinner from 7PM. To reserve, click the reserve button on their instagram account @paparazzi.kw

As part of the National Day celebrations this month, a variety of activities will take place at Al Shaheed Park tonight.

The main highlight is a drone show at 7:30 PM, but there will also be events before and after. A parade will take place at 6 PM and again at 8 PM, and a traditional band will perform from 6 PM to 8 PM.

So if you’re looking for something to do tonight this good be fun. The image I’m using for this post was from the Al Shaheed Park “Garden of Lights Festival” that took place a few years ago. To stay posted on the activities tonight, check @alshaheedpark