Categories
Funny

Bombay TV Redux

Back in 2006 I posted about a website called Bombay TV where they have short video clips from Indian movies and they let you fill in the subtitles. Well they’ve updated their site now with a slightly better interface and added a ton of new videos to play around with. Holla was kind enough to do videos to post here, the one above has English subtitles and the one below has Arabic ones. If you want to make your own version click [Here]

Update: Here is my first try, click on the link to view it [Video]

Update 2: Here is another video done by my partner at work making fun out of Wataniya [Video]

Update 3: This one’s by K.thekuwaiti [Video]




Categories
Food & Drinks Kuwait Personal Reviews

Burger Review: Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets #12 Kuwait
The Best Burger in Kuwait Challenge
I am expecting this to be my most controversial review because it involves one of the most popular burger places in Kuwait and to many readers, their favorite burger place in Kuwait. So before I continue let me make something clear. I love Johnny Rockets. I’ve been a customer since the first week they opened (I think it was 1996) and me and my friends used to go and hang out there on weekends with the half of Kuwait. It was like the “it” place to be back then and even though there are A LOT more restaurants open now (back then it was just Johnny and Fuddruckers) they’re still doing really well. Personally I have Johnny Rockets at least once a week and I’ve tried everything on their menu, all their appetizers, all their burgers and all their desserts. So when you read this review please keep an open mind to what I have to say.

So let me begin. Today I had Johnny Rockets for lunch. I went to the branch near my office which is the one in front of Salhiya. It was tough choosing which burger I would have for the review, they’re all my favorites and I just keep shuffling between them. In the end I decided to go with the #12 since its their most popular burger.

Johnny Rockets #12 Kuwait

The #12 is a cult classic which means if I say anything negative about the burger I am most probably going to get a wave of attacks from an army of fans. To those die hards, my credibility will crumble and they won’t believe any of what I am about to say. The #12 burger is not the best burger in Kuwait! In fact, I am predicting it won’t even have a spot in the top 3. As I mentioned before, I am a huge fan of Johnny Rockets but its not just because of their burgers. A lot of things come into play for example they have a lot of branches which makes them very accessible. Their prices are very good, their appetizers are amazing their milkshakes are the ultimate and even their desserts are not bad. When you combine all the above you end up with one of the best burger places in Kuwait. But this burger challenge is about the best burger and not the price of the burger, the location of the restaurant or anything else. When it comes down to just the burger I find it above average. I love their bun, I love their meat but in the case of the #12 for example I think there is just wayyy too much lettuce for the thickness of the patty and the thickness of the patty is actually one of my biggest issues. I really wish their patties were thicker, like double the thickness. The meat tastes good but in a burger like the #12 its M.I.A. And the special red tangy sauce? It tastes like ketchup, its over hyped.

The problem with blogs is the reader interaction. Sounds bad I know since reader interaction is what makes blogs great but not in this case when the writer of the post is going to get bashed by his readers. I’m giving the #12 at Johnny Rockets a 3 out of 5. Its a great burger, one that I have a lot of respect for but, if this is the best of what Kuwait has to offer then I might as well stop trying any more burgers and go back to my shawerma reviews. I still think I can find the ultimate burger somewhere else and I will continue my search.

My favorite Johnny Rockets is in Salmiya near Fanar.
The cost of the #12 Burger is KD2.050




Categories
Food & Drinks Kuwait Personal Reviews

Burger Review: Bredz

Bredz Burger
The Best Burger in Kuwait Challenge
Since this is a burger challenge I should be reviewing burgers from the popular burger joints in Kuwait like Burger Hub and Slider Station yet so far I haven’t done that. I guess its because I know what to expect from them and I’m more interested to see whats available elsewhere. I will be reviewing the popular burger restaurants of course but maybe towards the end of the challenge. For now I’m enjoying trying out burgers at non burger places and todays review is no exception.

I passed by Bredz in Souk Sharq for lunch and fumbling through their ugly menu I found the page which included the burgers. With only two options to choose from the decision wasn’t too hard. It was either the regular Bredz Burger or the Bredz Mushroom Burger, not wanting an experience like yesterdays I decided to go with the regular Bredz Burger. The Bredz Burger is a beef burger grilled on an open flame, topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce and Dijonaise mayonnaise sauce on a chipotle bread.

Once the burger arrived I got a big grin on my face. This is what a burger is supposed to look like, big fucking patty covered with a lot of cheese on a plate full of fries. Finally a burger that looked like a burger and I was hoping tasted like one. With the bun top on, the burger looked gigantic and getting my first big bite into it wasn’t easy. After my first mouthful I was relieved, it tasted like a burger! Now it wasn’t really great but it was pretty good. The bun was fantastic, the beef tasted good and the dressing although slightly over powering wasn’t annoying. I think without the salad like dressing the burger might be even better plus they really had too much lettuce on the thing. The burger was also messy to eat specially near the end when the bun started falling apart but it is a burger so some messiness is to be expected.

Now as I said previously, I am going to be tough with these reviews because I am looking for something really special. This burger although good wasn’t extraordinary and thats why I’m giving it a 3 out of 5 which is still a really good score. I would definitely go back again for lunch.

Bredz is located in Souk Sharq, their telephone number is 2407707
The cost of the Bredz Burger is KD2.750




Categories
Automotive Personal Shopping

Wheels for my Wrangler

Cragar

I am planning to lift my Wrangler and install larger 33″ tires on it. Late last month I got the tires which I expected would be the hardest thing to get until recently I realized getting new black steel wheels are even harder. I wanted either American Racing or Cragar black steel wheels. I found an American Racing dealer in Kuwait but they didn’t have anything I was interested in and if I wanted to place an order for wheels they would only be delivered in August or September. So I decided to check and see what I could find in Dubai, I gave Icon Auto a call and they didn’t have what I wanted either. The only option I had left was to order the wheels from the US and ship them to Kuwait but 5 steel tires would weigh a ton.

Each wheel weighs 12KG and five wheels would mean a total weight of 60KG. Shipping them with Aramex or USWS would cost me around KD200 which is a ridiculous amount to pay specially when my five wheels combined would cost me only KD50. Surprisingly though it turns out its a lot cheaper to have the stuff shipped directly from the supplier in the US to Kuwait. I just ended up ordering five Cragar 342’s (pictured above on the Wrangler) for $215 from Quadratec and shipping them to Kuwait will cost me only $353 with Fed Ex. Thats not really bad at all and I am extremely surprised. Once my wheels get here the third and final thing I need to do is order the lift kit.

Update: Added more pictures of the same rims on other Wranglers which you can check out by clicking on continue.




Categories
Food & Drinks Personal Reviews

Burger Review: Prime & Toast

Prime & Toast
The Best Burger in Kuwait Challenge
Today I decided to pass by Prime & Toast and try their burger since it was recommended by a few readers. It was my first time there and I was eager to see what they had to offer. It was 3PM, I was hungry and a good burger is exactly what I needed.

They only had one burger on the menu so I ordered it medium well. Twenty minutes later my burger arrived looking pretty cool. The presentation of the burger was impressive, it was big, came on a small wooden plank and had a good amount of fries on the side. I quickly dug into the burger really expecting to be stunned by the flavor but instead I was greeted with a messy burger that just tasted too complicated.

Prime & Toast

The Prime Burger as its called on their menu is made up of the bun, cherry tomatoes, rocket lettuce, mushrooms, cheese and a meat patty with some kind of red colored spice covering it. The problem I had was that I couldn’t really taste the burger. The mushrooms and baby tomatoes were cut up into large chunks so their taste was overpowering the patty. If that wasn’t bad enough the strange spice that was part of the burger really just confused things. The burger just felt fake, like they tried really hard to make it special. I was very disappointed, I had just plunked down KD5.750 for a burger that didn’t taste like a burger.

I really wanted to give the burger a good score, it had everything needed to be a great burger. It looked good and was pretty big in size but the taste let it down. I wanted to at least give it a 3.5 or even a 3 but the thing is, I wouldn’t have the burger ever again, even if it was for half the price that still wouldn’t be enough to entice me into having it again. Not that price is playing a role in these burger reviews but its just something I was thinking to myself to see if it was the price that was putting me off. The burger wasn’t exciting and I really wanted a thicker patty just so that I could at least taste the meat. And whats with their red powdery spice they cover everything with? It was on my burger and all over the fries. Pretty weird. The final score for their burger is a 2.5 out of 5. The place is nice and cozy but I wouldn’t go back for their burger.

Prime & Toast is located on the Gulf Road opposite the Seef Palace
The cost of the Prime Burger is KD5.750




Categories
Food & Drinks Personal Reviews

Burger Review: Wimpy

Wimpy
The Best Burger in Kuwait Challenge
The last time I had Wimpy was pre Gulf War and even back then it wasn’t a really popular place. Today I think they only have one branch in Kuwait which is in Nouzha and thank God for that.

Nibaq recommended I pass by and try their burgers which I happily did yesterday during my lunch break. The place looks shabby on the outside but since their burgers came highly recommended I decided to still go ahead and give them a shot. I ordered the two most popular burgers according to the cashier, the Quarter Cheese and the King Size. One’s a rip off of McD’s Quarter Pounder while the other the Big Mac. I picked up the burgers and went across the street to Shrimpy where my friends were having lunch.

Wimpy

Once I sat down and opened the bag the first thing I noticed was the smell, it was horrendous. It smelled like a cat thats been dead for a week in a public bathroom. Even my friends sitting next to me asked me what that awful smell was. Even with the terrible smell I still went ahead and tried the burgers because they were recommended by my so called good friend Nibaq.

Just yesterday I mentioned that its impossible to go wrong with a burger yet Wimpy have managed to prove me wrong with just a day into this burger challenge. These had to be the worst burgers I ever had. Now I’m a big fan of cheapo burgers so don’t think I am a burger snob or anything of that sort. My favorite burger place in Lebanon was called Gringo and was one of those shipping containers turned into a eat and die place with a large orange mexican looking horse painted on the side. But the Whimpy burgers were really nasty, like really bad. I honestly thought I would get food poisoning and thats why I waited till the next day to post the review. Their burgers are so bad that I decided if I got food poisoning they would get zero stars but if I survived unharmed I would give them a half a star and thats what they got. Its been nearly 24 hours since I had the burgers and I am still walking and talking without any side effects. It’s a good thing I didn’t listen to Nibaq and order the Quarter Cheese with Eggs thats for sure. I am going to end this post with an advice to everyone, stay away from Wimpy!

Wimpy’s telephone number is 2531372/4
The cost of the Quarter Cheese burger is 750fils
The cost of the King Size burger is also 750fils




Categories
Food & Drinks Personal Reviews

Burger Review: The Little Oven

The Little Oven
The Best Burger in Kuwait Challenge
I am going to start “The Best Burger in Kuwait” challenge with a burger review from a place that many haven’t heard of. The Little Oven is a take out and delivery restaurant located in Bneid Algar. In the office we usually order sandwiches and maneesh from them but a friend recommended I should also try their “Famous House Burger”.

The Little Oven burger is made using homemade patty, caramelized onions, emmental cheese and grilled mushrooms. It arrived inside a rectangular box which made me expect to find fries on the side but it turned out to just contain the burger which came cut in half.

Visually the burger looked appetizing and the bun felt soft and wasn’t covered in sesame seeds just the way I like it. The general size of the burger wasn’t very big but the beef patty itself was pretty thick. I could easily devour two burgers and very possibly a third if I was really hungry so its not really a filling burger. The burger was surprisingly good considering it wasn’t a proper restaurant nor a burger place. It was delicious and the caramelized onions didn’t over power the burger with flavor while the bun was pretty good although I highly doubt they bake the bread themselves. When done I felt like the burger was a bit dry and might have used some Heinz ketchup but it was too late for that plus they didn’t provide any ketchup packets.

It was a really good burger, one that I am craving for right this minute but I am going to be hard with these burger reviews because really I can’t imagine any burger being really bad. Its very hard to fuck up a burger unless you’re really an idiot. When reviewing these burgers I am NOT going to take into consideration anything except the burgers. Location, service, price and quantity will not matter since its not a restaurant review its a pure and simple best burger review. I am hovering between a 3.5 and a 4 for the rating but I am leaning more towards a 3.5 because I truly believe when it comes to burgers in Kuwait its going to be a really tough competition. We have a ton of places here and I am expecting to be truly impressed. So the final score is a 3.5 out of 5.

The Little Oven telephone number is 2517899/8
The cost of the burger is KD2.400




Categories
Automotive Events Guest Bloggers Kuwait

Watch F1 with Renault/Applebees

For those of you following up on this years F1 races; Applebees with Renault, is going to be airing all F1 races at 8.30pm on the day of the race (at all locations). In addition to winning prizes during each race at Applebees Bneid Al-Gar; you can also enter the draw to win a Renault Clio RS.

The first race of the season in Melbourne, Australia will be airing at 8:30 pm at Applebees on Sunday 16th March.

Good to see that local companies are local race-oriented events.

More information at the Facebook group [Here]

Posted by K.




Categories
Food & Drinks Personal

The Best Burger in Kuwait

The Best Burger in Kuwait

I was talking to a friend of mine two weeks ago and he pointed out to me an article in TimeOut Dubai magazine on the best burgers in Dubai. Their winner? Johnny Rockets. I thought that was very sad since although Johnny Rockets burgers are great they’re no where near being the best burgers in Kuwait. Thats why I decided to start my own “The Best Burger in Kuwait” competition. I will hopefully be having at least two burgers a week from places you might or might not have heard of and once I decide I have enough burger reviews (maybe after 15 reviews?) I will crown a champion.

If anyone has a place they want me to try out, please leave a comment below with the name and location of the restaurant and I will try to make sure I check it out.

Update: Here are the burgers I have reviewed so far…
Applebee’s
Bredz
Burger Boutique
Eighty 6 Bistro
Fauchon
Fuddruckers
Hashi
Gaucho Gril
Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Johnny Rockets
Munch
Napket
Nino
Papa John’s Burgers
Prime & Toast
Ruby Tuesday
Slider Station
Sheraton Hotel
Smoke House
The Burger Hub
The Butcher Shop
The Little Oven
The Meat Co.
Wimpy




Categories
Food & Drinks Kuwait Personal

Cooking with Mark

Edamame in the pot

Last week I got a pack of frozen edamame from Sultan Center and tonight I decided to have it for dinner. As I mentioned previously the instructions for cooking the edamame are in Japanese but a lot of users helped me out by telling me how they prepare edamame.

I decided to boil some water in a large pot first. Once the water started boiling I dropped the edamame inside and let it boil for 6 minutes. I then removed the pot from the cooker and drained all the water. I placed the edamame in a large bowl and then sprayed a lot of salt all over it.

Edamame in the bowl

Result? Restaurant perfect. It tasted exactly like the edamame I have at Maki and Wasabi. The only problem is you need to eat them before they cool down and since Nat is in Beirut I had to eat the whole pack as quickly as I could before the edmame got cold. Took me 14 minutes to finish the whole pack and I think I’ve overdosed on the edamame, but it was worth it.

Does anyone know how I can make the spicy sauce Maki use with their fried edamame?




Categories
Electronics Kuwait Personal

Dremel

Dremel 300

I’ve always wanted a Dremel rotary tool but I never had a reason to get one until last night. Awhile back one of my external hard drives died so yesterday I decided instead of getting another external drive I would just swap the damaged drive from inside the case with a new one. I passed by Hawalli, picked up a 500GB SATA drive for KD34 and when I came back and tried installing it into the case I realized I had a problem. The hard drive I got used a different power adapter than the hard drive I was replacing which I was able to solve by using an adapter, problem is the adapter was too big to fit into the case. I needed to cut away some of the plastic to be able to fit the drive so I saw this as an opportunity to finally get a Dremel tool.

Dremel 300

I passed by the Dremel dealer today and got myself a Dremel 300 Series Multi Tool and Flexshaft. It came with 55 accessories which will allow me to use the Dremel to engrave, carve, sharpen, grind, clean, polish, cut and sand. I paid KD22 after discount for this set, there was a cheaper set without the Flexshaft and only 25 accessories for KD16 but I figured I might as well get the better one while I am at it.

Once I got back home I used the Dremel tool on the plastic hard drive case and it worked like a charm. I was able to cut through the thick plastic with very very little trouble. Now my drive is working perfectly although I have a hole in the side. If you are interested in a Dremel tool they sell them at Ace Hardware but the prices at the dealer are cheaper. The dealer is located in Shuwaikh and their phone number is 4810844.

I got some pictures of the hard drive case mod which you can check by clicking on continue.




Categories
Information Kuwait

Abyat NOT open

Abat

I passed by Abyat Megastore awhile ago and it hasn’t opened. Although the soft launch is today no one is allowed into the store. You need to be invited and accompanied by an Abyat employee to be let into the place. So if you are planning on checking out Abyat for the moment it’s not possible, you need to wait for the full launch of the store.




Categories
Funny Strange

Garfield minus Garfield

Who would have thought that removing all trace of Garfield from the Garfield comic strips would result in strips that are actually funnier. [Link]




Categories
Automotive Technology

HornTone

HornTone

If you ever wanted to customize the horn of your car like you customize your phones ringtone you can now do so with the HornTone. Its a $300 device that allows you to replace your generic car horn with an MP3 song of your choice. [Link]

via




Categories
Design Information Kuwait Personal

New Salhia Logo

Salhia

Every now and then a local company revamps their identity and the end result turns out to be great but that doesn’t happen too often. Most of the time the new identity turns out to be crap and it pisses me off. Salhia released a new identity last month and I have to say, I love it! Ever since I saw it I’ve been compelled to write about it but only just now did I manage to find the website with the new logo. When I first saw the logo I didn’t think it matched the atmosphere of the “Salhia Complex” but after reading their press release I realized the new logo replaces the Salhia Real Estate Company logo not the Salhia Complex logo. That makes a lot more sense since Salhia Complex is a lot warmer in reality while the new logo is colder and more corporate. Anyone know the agency behind this rebranding? [Link]