2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

Four years ago while in Los Angeles, I stayed at my cousin’s place in an area called Sun Valley. It’s just a random area, nothing special about it but one day I found out about a small pizza place in his neighborhood called 786 Degrees. I ended up trying it out and loving it, not only because the pizza was so great but also because of the excellent customer service. I ended up leaving the Yelp review below:

Since I last visited the place they’ve won a number of awards and even opened a second location. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, I get a totally random message from the chef and owner on Instagram telling me he’s coming to Kuwait for a pop-up event.

I ended up finding out the chef (Ali Haider) actually grew up in Kuwait and lived here until he graduated high school and then moved to the States for university. Over the years he stayed in touch by following various Instagram accounts and eventually met the owner of a local Italian restaurant called Grano and now he’s going to be having a pop-up over two days. Like how random is that? The chef from a tiny little pizza place I tried 4 years ago in Sun Valley is coming to Kuwait for a pop-up?

I’m hoping he’ll be using his own dough recipe and tomato sauce since I’ve had the pizza at Grano before and it wasn’t that special. The pop-up is on May 20 and 21 and I’m trying to find out what the plan is exactly since Grano is pretty tiny so can’t fit that many people. Once I get anymore details I’ll update this post but for now you can check out the Instagram account of @786degrees and the Instagram of Grano @grano.restaurant.

Deliveroo Kuwait, the leading food-delivery company, has announced it is launching Deliveroo’s annual Restaurant Awards for the first time in Kuwait, revealing a list of many amazing local restaurants that have been long-listed across 19 award categories.

The awards, which Deliveroo (global) first launched in 2019, were created to celebrate the best restaurants around. As of today, the Kuwaiti public can vote for their favorite local restaurants and help crown 19 restaurants as winners.

Deliveroo has identified 19 award categories to showcase the best food delivery available to customers on the platform including Best Burger, Best Asian, Best Pizza, Best Middle Eastern, Best Fried Chicken, Best Dessert, Best Italian, Best Plant Based, Most Loved Chain, Best Newcomer on Deliveroo, Best Coffee, Best Fine Dining, Best Healthy Restaurant, Best Family Restaurant, Best Value Eats, Best Delivery Only Brand, Best Japanese, Best Poke, and Restaurant of The Year.

For The Restaurant of the Year Award, customers will be able to vote for their favorite restaurants meaning any brand on the platform has a chance to win, no matter how big or small.

After a week from the launch, Deliveroo Kuwait will reveal the top restaurants that have been shortlisted in each category, as voted for by customers. Voting will re-open again for one final chance to vote for the winners of each category, which will be announced online on 9 June during the virtual Deliveroo Kuwait Restaurant Awards 2022 held on Deliveroo’s Instagram and Twitter channels.

Seham AlHusaini, general manager at Deliveroo Kuwait, said: “In keeping with an annual and beloved global Deliveroo tradition, we are incredibly excited to be launching Deliveroo’s annual Restaurant Awards for the first time in Kuwait! It’s no secret that Kuwait has some of the best flavors and most unique restaurant concepts in the region, and we can’t wait for our restaurant, and coffee, partners to get the recognition and accolades they deserve.”

The food delivery company is encouraging restaurants, and customers to vote and tune in to see who will take home the 19 trophies, including the coveted “Restaurant of the Year” Award. The Restaurant Awards have become one of Deliveroo’s most anticipated annual global events, and for the first time in Kuwait, customers are going to be able to take part and vote for their favorite local restaurants and more.

The first round of voting is open from 12 May. The shortlist will be revealed on 24 May. To vote, click here.

The 3rd GCC Games started yesterday and the dust storm didn’t stop them. You can check out some pictures from yesterday’s events on the @kuwaitolympic twitter account. Currently, Bahrain is leading the games with 6 gold medals while Kuwait is in fifth place with 2.

The games are being broadcasted on KTV3 so if you can’t attend the games you can still watch it on TV or online via the MOI website. If you want to stream the games online, click here.

The Contemporary Art Platform is opening four different exhibitions tonight featuring:

I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
DIVA! – Organized by the Italian Embassy

The opening is at 7:00PM and is free to attend. Here is the location on Google Maps

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) a comedy show is taking place at AUK with a celebrity line-up from LA, featuring Tacarra Williams, Melinda Hill and Nina Kharoufeh. Local artist Zahra Al-Mahdi will also make an appearance as a special guest. Tickets start at 25KD and they’re selling fast, so if you want to go you need to book right now.

To stay up to date on the 3rd GCC Games which are being held in Kuwait, make sure you follow @kuwaitolympic and visit the website kuwait2022.org

If you want to check the schedule, click here.

Last year I bought the Fujifilm X100V to use as my compact camera when taking photos for my blog and for when I travel. I just loved the way the camera looked and so convinced myself that my Sony A7 III was too big and bulky for traveling and I needed the X100v. I wasn’t really exaggerating much, the A7 was actually a bit big and heavy, even with a compact lens. I had tried taking the Sony with me on a few trips and I just ended up leaving it in the hotel room most of the time. I was hoping I’d carry the lighter and more compact X100V more and after having now taken it on three different trips, I can easily say this is the best travel camera I’ve ever had.

Most cameras nowadays can take great quality photos, but what sets aside the Fuji for me is the way it looks, the way it feels, and most importantly, the weight. Walking around a city for hours with the X100V hung across my shoulder was never an issue at all. When I traveled with the Fuji I always had it on me and rarely ever left it in the hotel. It was never annoying to carry no matter how long I was out of the hotel for. On trips that required me to wear a heavy jacket because of the cold, I could barely even tell I had the camera on me.

The battery life was also great, I’d go for days without having to recharge the camera and when I had to it used USB-C which is what I carry with me because of my MacBook. So I didn’t need to pack an extra cable or charger with me. The camera is also really well built and weather-sealed so I didn’t have to worry about knocking it around or being stuck in the rain with it. I think one thing I liked about the camera was how it made me want to take more photos, especially when it came to capturing moments I came across. No hassle, no having to think about anything, I’d just see a moment and quickly grab the camera from my side, turn it on and by the time it’s up at my eye it was ready to shoot. The simplicity and speed allowed me to capture a lot more moments compared to any of my previous cameras I traveled with.

The only issue I had with the Fuji was related to the transfer of the images from the camera to the phone. It’s all done wirelessly which is great but the Fuji software can be a bit buggy sometimes and I’d have to quit the software or turn on and off the camera a few times to get things working.

At around 400KD the camera isn’t cheap but it’s half the price of my Sony A7 III and so I felt a lot more comfortable taking it with me on trips. It really is such a great camera, I love it and can’t recommend it enough.

Registration for the first race of the stand-up paddleboarding race series is now open. The series is organized by the Kuwait Sailing School and will take place this coming Friday, May 20th. If you don’t have a paddleboard you can still take part by renting one from them.

There will be prizes for winners including a KD100 cash prize for first place while every participant will also leave with a medal. After the race, there will be food, drinks, and lots of socializing. Here are some more details:

Registration Fees: KD15
Equipment Required: SUP board not longer than 12’6″
SUP Board Rental: If you don’t have a board you can rent one for KD6

Friday’s race is part of a four-part series that will take place throughout this summer. For more information and to register, click here.

It’s been a while since I last posted a restaurant review, but there really hasn’t been any that interested me until now. Midar is a new Kuwaiti restaurant opened by the team behind some of our favorite places like Burger Boutique, White Robata and Slider Station. I passed by Friday for lunch and left wanting to go back.

Midar opened during Eid a couple of weeks ago in The Gardens area of Avenues phase 4. I had seen pictures of the space ahead of time and it looked really pretty but in person, it looks even better. The restaurant was smaller than I imagined it being but I liked it more this way since it felt cozy. I had a reservation that I had made a couple of weeks earlier so I was seated as soon as I arrived. We were given a choice of either sitting inside or in their outdoor space, I chose inside and that’s what I would recommend. The outdoor space is pretty generic and so you’d miss out on the beautiful interior.

Once seated it took a pretty long time to be attended to by a waiter. Service was actually the only issue I had with the place, not because the service was bad or the waiters were not any good, they were just not attentive. Their menu like most places today was digital and you can check it out by going to midar-me.com/menu. Midar is a Kuwaiti seafood concept so all their dishes are seafood related and you won’t find any chicken or beef on their menu. I ended up ordering Jahra St. Hummus to start with and then a Grilled Medium-sized Seabass and Fresh Shrimp Mumawash for our mains, followed by the Sticky Date Cake for dessert. Oh and we also ordered their super spicy Special Mabooch on the side.

The food all looked great, the portions were fairly big, and everything we had ended up being delicious. The fish was brought next to our table and then cut open and plated, it reminded me of the one I have at Shemam except this one was obviously elevated and better. The Mumawash when mixed with the special mabooch and the sauce they bring with it on the side was my favorite thing (and really spicy). Finally the dessert, I mean it’s such a basic thing, a sticky date cake, but it was easily the best one I’ve ever had, it actually caught me off guard since I’m not really a sticky date cake guy. Once the meal was done we had a choice of complimentary regular or lumi tea which is a nice touch.

The final bill, including a mocktail, soft drink and water came out to around 35KD which is pretty reasonable for a place like this. Really the only odd thing was the service. The waiters just never seemed to be around even though the place isn’t that big. But, they also just opened and the whole restaurant industry is suffering with a lack of staff so it’s understandable and I’m sure they’ll work out the kinks quickly (their concepts tend to have the best service in the industry). I’d definitely go back and I actually have a to-do list of things I want to try next time.

Since Midar just opened they’re going to be really busy during prime hours, so even though they do accept walk-ins, you’ll have a better chance of getting a table if you reserve through their website midar-me.com

Yesterday a cute billboard popped up with an apology printed on it and the initial F and H. The billboard translates to the following:

I’m really sorry,
I hope you can forgive me…

F.H.

Not sure what the guy did but looks like he must have messed up badly and she’s probably blocked his number so he had to get the message to her another way.

The billboard was later taken down after an MP complained about it for being inappropriate.

Update: According to Shrimpy it was a teaser for an upcoming new item. That makes the whole situation with politicians getting upset with the billboard hilarious and sad at the same time.

Carol Souki is a Venezuelan singer-songwriter of Lebanese descent living in Kuwait. OLA is her newest single and features her brother Mazz who debuts for the first time. If you’re into salsa/reggaeton then check out the video above.

You can also follow Carol on Instagram @carolsoukimusic or visit her website carolsoukimusic.com

Below are various events that are taking place this weekend. If I missed anything let me know.

Thursday
Music: Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Exhibition: ‘Graduation ceremony’ by Aseel AlYaqoub (extended)
Glow City

Friday
Music: Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Workshop: Make your own Dinosaur
Glow City
3rd GCC Games

Saturday
Grand Mosque Tour
Workshop: Make your own Dino Mask
La Caro Designs Open Studio
Glow City
3rd GCC Games
Trash Hero: Free Trade Zone Beach Cleanup

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

New This Weekend:
Downton Abbey: A New Era (7.6)
Firestarter (N/A)
Operation Mincemeat (6.8)
The King’s Daughter (5.0)
The Twin (5.0)
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (7.5)

Other Movies Showing:
Fireheart (6.1)
Memory (5.6)
Morbius (5.1)
Samsam (5.0)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (6.9)
The Bad Guys (7.0)
The Batman (8.1)
The Lost City (6.6)

Classic Movies Showing:
Braveheart (8.4)
Gladiator (8.5)

The films below are also showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

IMAX Movies Showing:
Antarctica
Asteroid Hunters 3D
Ocean Odyssey
Turtle Odyssey

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

Fresh, a cafe that has been around since the 90s at Al-Khalid Complex in Salmiya has closed down. I’ve never been to it, I don’t even know how it managed to last for so long but I do know it’s one of those places a lot of people went to back when there was very little to do in Kuwait.

As I mentioned in another post, Al-Khalid Complex recently went through a major refurbishment and new places are opening up including Boost coffee shop. Another place similar to Fresh that also is surprisingly still open is Astra Lounge. I guess old-school places like these still have a cult-like following helping them stay afloat.

If you follow Whole Latte Love on YouTube you probably know they’re big fans of Profitec coffee machines and constantly give them high scores. So while window shopping for a new machine recently, I was surprised to find out we have a distributor for Profitec in Kuwait. Rawi Coffee is the local exclusive distributor and their prices are considerably lower than prices online even when compared to Whole Latte Love:

Profitec 700
Rawi Coffee: KD 880
Whole Latte Love: KD 736 (not including tax and shipping)

Profitec 600
Rawi Coffee: KD 680
Whole Latte Love: KD 914 (not including tax and shipping)

Profitec 500
Rawi Coffee: KD 580
Whole Latte Love: KD 613 (not including tax and shipping)

If you’re looking to get a new prosumer coffee machine you should probably consider checking out these Profitec ones. Link