2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

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

This past week I managed to watch two good movies, A Different Man and Juror #2. A Different Man was such a strange beautifully shot film, it was something really different to watch and like The Substance, it was a great change from the usual.

Juror #2 on the other hand was a good film as well, with an interesting story, but not the kind of film that will stick with you or you’d remember a week later.

Finally, I started watching Dexter: Original Sin. Wasn’t sure I’d like it but it stars Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar so hard not to like. This Dexter is the origin story and takes place in the 90s. I’m three episodes in and liking it so far. Christian Slater is so good, I really miss watching him.

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:
A Complete Unknown (7.7)
Dog Man (8.4)
Flight Risk (5.6)
The Last Ronin (6.1)
The Prosecutor (7.2)
Werewolves (4.4)

Other Movies Showing:
Alarum (N/A)
Buffalo Kids (6.6)
Den of Thieves 2 (6.6)
Home Alone (classic) (7.7)
Into the Deep (4.2)
Moana 2 (7.1)
Mufasa: The Lion King (6.7)
Nosferatu (7.8)
Paddington in Peru (6.8)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (7.5)
The Damned (6.1)
Wicked (8.1)
Wolf Man (5.9)

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

Here are my favorite events taking place this weekend.

Thursday January 30
Winter Garden at Al Shaheed Park
Disney’s Dumbo DAI’s Family Film Night
Murouj Market
Buksha Market at Boulevard
Al-Farsi Desert Kite Display
International show jumping 2025

Friday January 31
Winter Garden at Al Shaheed Park
Murouj Market
Thrf at Solelab
Buksha Market at Boulevard
Al-Farsi Desert Kite Display
International show jumping 2025
Vision Board Workshop at Sluggish
Palama A night of Fire & Music

Saturday February 1
Winter Garden at Al Shaheed Park
Murouj Market
Thrf at Solelab
Bodega & Thrift Party
Buksha Market at Boulevard
Urban Sketchers at MOMA
International show jumping 2025

According to a contact of mine, Alshaya is bringing Ulta Beauty, one of the most popular beauty retailers in the U.S., to Kuwait and the region.

Ulta Beauty is known for offering a mix of luxury, drugstore, and indie brands all under one roof. Unlike Sephora, which focuses mainly on high-end products, Ulta carries everything from Dior and MAC to NYX and Maybelline. Another major draw is its in-store salons, offering services like haircuts, styling, facials, and brow treatments—something unique for a beauty retailer.

If this story turns out to be true, then it will be Ulta Beauty’s first location outside the U.S., as the brand currently operates only in its home market.

I’ve reached out to Alshaya for confirmation on this rumor but haven’t heard back from them yet.

Note: I was close to not posting this since I’d never heard of the brand and didn’t think people would care but in less than 25 minutes it’s already gotten over 1,000 likes on Instagram.

Update: It’s official, first location expected to open end of the year.

There have been a lot of brand collaborations recently, and this is another unexpected one. Lean, the clean-eating brand, has teamed up with the 70-year-old Almunayes Tea to launch Karak Pro, their healthier take on the traditional drink.

Karak Pro combines Lean’s emphasis on nutritional benefits with the traditional flavors of Almunayes Arrow Tea. The result is a protein-enriched Karak tea without added sugars.

Each serving of Karak Pro delivers a balanced nutritional profile, providing 139 calories, 3 grams of fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, and 9 grams of protein.

I had them send a jug to my office since I love Karak and wanted to know what their healthier version would taste like. Their Karak is flavored with cardamom and ginger, and instead of sugar they’ve used a natural sweetener. The result is a very flavorful Karak that doesn’t require any sugar to be added. It’s actually really good and I ended up having a second serving without feeling guilty.

Karak Pro is currently only available at the new Lean location in Jahra (Google Maps). To stay updated on when it will be available in their other branches, follow them at @lean.kw

The British boy band Blue, who had a number of hits in the early 2000s like All Rise, One Love, and Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, is coming to Kuwait. Blue rose to fame as one of the top boy bands of their era, selling over 15 million records worldwide. I honestly didn’t know who they were, but that’s probably because I come from an era when New Kids on the Block and Take That were the popular boy bands.

Blue will be performing live on April 10 & 11 at the National Theater at JACC. Tickets are going on sale next Monday.

Last week the Environment Public Authority (EPA) shared some cool photos they captured of the Arabian Red Fox. Locally the foxes are known as “Al-Husni,” and they were observed in North Salmi and Mutlaa, as well as the southern desert regions and natural reserves such as Al-Jahra Natural Reserve and Sabah Al-Ahmad Natural Reserve.

Wildlife camera traps and drones were used to study the foxes and capture the photos. According to the EPA the Arabian red fox can live in a variety of environments and can endure Kuwait’s summer heat. They also tend to be drawn to areas near camps and human settlements in search for food.

While the Arabian Red Fox is not considered endangered, it is still protected through international agreements and local efforts to ensure its survival and prevent illegal trade.