Search: “kuwait”

Recently, I noticed the Thunayan Al Ghanim Building at the Sheraton roundabout had been vacated and looked like it might be getting demolished. That worried me because of its historical importance, so I reached out to the family, and it turns out the building is actually going to be restored.

When the building was constructed in the 1950s, it was considered one of the most advanced in Kuwait. In the photo above the building is under construction while surrounded by traditional Kuwaiti houses, a very noticeable contrast at the time.

The Thunayan Al Ghanim Building was also the first building in Kuwait to have an elevator. There are stories of Bedouins coming in from the desert just to watch what they called “the flying horse” that can go up and down. Over the years, the building housed the original Kuwait Oil Company offices, the British Consulate, Kuwait’s first English bookshop (later opened in the basement of Al Muthana Complex), and the original Sultan Gallery.

Because of its historical value, the family plans to preserve the building.

Recently I picked up the Canon Selphy CP1500, it’s a small photo printer which surprisingly turned out to be pretty good. I say surprisingly because it wasn’t that expensive and neither were the photo papers needed for it.

My wife wanted to print her digital photos so she asked me to look for a good printer she could get. There were a few brands available locally but I decided to go with Canon because the reviews were great and it’s not HP. The printer doesn’t use ink cartridges and instead uses a ribbon system to print. Each pack of paper comes with the ribbon required to print on those sheets. So for example the photo paper packet includes 108 sheets, and two sets of ribbons, each good for 54 prints. I like this system.

So far it’s been pretty good. I have an iPhone so I use Air Print to send photos from my phone to print on the printer over my home network. There is also a Selphy app which gives you more options like if you want borders around the photos or if you want to make a collage etc, but it doesn’t work with Air Print. Instead you need to connect to the printers wifi hotspot and send photos to it directly which I guess is fine, but Air Print is just simpler.

The printer comes in three colors, black, white and pink. I wanted white which Xcite had available but they were selling it for KD50 while Lulu were selling it for KD37. Lulu didn’t have white so I got the black instead. But, I was just checking out Xcite’s website and it looks like they’ve now dropped the price of the printer to KD37 as well. Lulu on the other hand have now increased the price to KD53.

The photo paper and ribbon sells for KD13.5 for 108 prints. So thats 125 fils per print. But I found them on noon.com for like KD7.5 so next time I’ll just order a few packs from there.

Ever since Nando’s reopened in Kuwait, I’ve been a regular, usually ordering my go-to dish, the Espetada with the hot peri-peri sauce. If you’ve never been to Nando’s, the best way to describe the Espetada is that it’s their version of taouk. It’s flame-grilled boneless PERi-PERi chicken thighs served to your table on a skewer hanging from a stand. It’s pretty eye-catching, and you’ll usually notice people glancing your way when it arrives.

Recently, Nando’s launched their most epic Espetada to date, the Espetada A Torre Dukkah Lima, which was created to feel a bit more special than the usual lineup. The dish still features flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken thighs, but this time they’re stuffed with a spiced PERi-dukkah and cream cheese filling, layered with yellow pepper, red onion, and lime, then finished with a PERi and herb tahini pour-over sauce. You also get to choose your sides, and my favorites are the corn on the cob and coleslaw.

It’s a good excuse to try the Espetada if you’ve never had it before. It’s available for dine-in at The Marina Crescent, Assima Mall, The Warehouse Mall, and Al Kout Mall. If you don’t feel like leaving the house, their menu is also available on Talabat. If you want to check out the full menu and prices, they have it linked in their profile @nandos.kw

Similar to last year, I put together a year in review highlighting some of the most popular posts from the past year.

Last year I had one post that went viral internationally, and that was my Gaza Cola post. I still don’t really understand why it took off the way it did, and honestly it brought a lot of unwanted noise with it. I ended up closing the comments and repeatedly hiding and unhiding the post until things finally quieted down. In the end that post got over 2 million views and over 160,000 likes.

I generally don’t like posts going viral since they tend to attract followers outside my usual audience. I love it when a post does really well, but once it goes past around 5,000 likes, things start to get really weird.

When it comes to ads, the most liked ad last year was my post on HBR opening in London which got over 5,600 likes. The runner up posts were for OffTheCoal and Aseer Time. The income I generated last year from ads actually allowed me to quit my job to blog full time. My previous job not paying salaries definitely helped push that decision, but either way, I blog for a living now. The last time I quit my job to blog full time was back in 2012, but back then I still took on a part time job back for the extra income.

Since quitting my job I now live in gym gear, with pants reserved for special occasions. I also don’t play as many video games as I hoped I would, but on the other hand, I think my dog is happy that I now hang out with him all day. Although most of the time he’s just sleeping while I’m working on my Mac.

Other random info: the most shared post for 2025 was my Primark post, which is interesting since the most shared post for 2024 was also Primark related. That shows just how much interest there is around Primark. The most controversial subject last year was gym pricing, with two of the top three most commented posts being gym related.

Finally, I ended 2025 with around 96K followers, compared to 55K at the end of 2024. It’s not double, but I do spend a lot of time removing fake followers, so at least it’s real.

Check out the most popular posts below.

Posts with Highest Views

Gaza Cola is Now Available in Kuwait
2,295,025 views

Primark Kuwait Prices Compared to the UK
598,661 views

Bella Hadid is Coming to Kuwait
417,638 views

Posts with the Most Likes

Gaza Cola is Now Available in Kuwait
160,721 likes

It’s Official – Wingstop is Opening in Kuwait
12,442 likes

More Old Kuwaiti Houses from the 1960s
11,766 likes

Posts with the Most Comments

5 Reasons Women’s Gyms in Kuwait Cost More
433 comments

The Drama Behind the 750s Latte
378 comments

Men vs Women: Gym Prices in Kuwait
372 comments

Posts with the Most Shares

Primark Kuwait Prices Compared to the UK
22,952 shares

It’s Official – Wingstop is Opening in Kuwait
20,434 shares

Bella Hadid is Coming to Kuwait
20,268 shares

Best Performing Ads

Kuwaiti Burger Brand HBR Opens in London
5,608 likes

This Might be the Most Unique Spot in Kuwait
4,488 likes

Aseer Time Just Opened in China
4,112 likes

Last summer I posted that Spinneys, the popular supermarket chain, might be coming to Kuwait in partnership with Alshaya. That turned out to be true, and now I’m being told their first location could be the recently vacated West Elm store in The Avenues.

The West Elm location didn’t make much sense to me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The space is pretty big, probably double the size of the old Dean & Deluca location, so size shouldn’t be an issue. It’s also right next to the escalators leading up to the valet area outside Harvey Nichols, and they’d definitely add elevators or even escalators down to the basement parking, similar to what Carrefour has, so access shouldn’t be a problem either. Spinneys is also considered a premium supermarket, so a Grand Avenues location would reinforce that.

Neither my contacts at The Avenues nor Alshaya have been able to confirm this news, so this remains a rumor for now.

This morning I posted about different fireworks displays taking place around Kuwait, but one by one they were canceled. A short while ago, the Ministry of Interior issued an explanation, saying the cancellations were due to violations by the organizers.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the decision to cancel fireworks displays was due to public safety after authorities uncovered serious violations during inspections. These violations included companies operating fireworks without the required security approvals, using unsuitable storage locations, and failing to follow approved procedures for importing and storing fireworks. Due to the risks these violations posed to lives and property, the MOI decided to prohibit fireworks unless the necessary security approvals are obtained from the competent authorities. It seems many organizers didn’t manage to get the required permits in time.

If you want to read the full announcement (in Arabic), you can check it on @moi_kuw

In my previous post about OffTheCoal, I talked about how the restaurant felt more like a passion project than a typical restaurant. From the steampunk and art deco inspired interior to the fire driven cooking, everything felt intentional. That same approach now carries into a new menu called “The Flame Within.”

That new menu was shaped under the direction of a new Culinary Director, Chef Sebastiano Campanelli, whose background includes time in Michelin starred kitchens such as Noma in Copenhagen and Maaemo in Oslo. He was also Head Chef at Savage in Oslo, where he played a key role in the restaurant earning its first Michelin star just six months after opening. He’s now using that experience at OffTheCoal, without turning it into a fine dining restaurant.

The goal by bringing Chef Sebastiano on board wasn’t smaller plates or a formal dining experience. OffTheCoal is still an upper casual restaurant made for the Kuwait market. Portions are big, dishes are meant for sharing, and the atmosphere is relaxed. What has changed is the level of precision in the food, with Michelin level techniques being applied to familiar flavors.

“The Flame Within” is a new menu focused on clearer structure, better consistency, and more controlled use of fire. It keeps the restaurant’s confident and playful feel while improving how the dishes come together.

OffTheCoal’s new menu officially launches tomorrow, Sunday, December 21. Kuwait still doesn’t have a Michelin star restaurant, so this is about as close as it gets for now. If you want to book, head over to @offthecoal

Before purchasing this cover for my Ranger I couldn’t find a lot of pictures of info on it for the Ranger, so figured I’d write up a post in case anyone else online is looking to get one as well.

I ordered the cover from Amazon, they don’t ship to Kuwait so had to send it to my Shop&Ship and then have them send it to Kuwait. Luckily I had a 25% discount code they had given me after they messed up the packaging of my vintage Philips walkman. Been saving it for a heavy shipment and this was the one.

There is one place in Kuwait selling the BAKFlip MX4 but for KD525 with installation. I got mine for KD322 from Amazon during their Black Friday sale plus paid KD75 for shipping after the discount. So around KD400 which is a good amount of savings.

Installation was really easy since they have a step by step guide video on YouTube on how to install it. Took around 30 minutes and I only needed a Philips screwdriver and a T30 Torx bit.

I think the cover looks really great. It has a very low profile and looks pretty OEM. On the Hilux I had a roll cover but over time with our dusty weather the rolling mechanism kept getting stiffer and stiffer. This new cover I got won’t have that problem since it flips open in three parts. Also it doesn’t take up any space inside the bed while with the roll cover the box that cover rolled into took space inside the bed. Finally if I need to remove it for so reason it’s super easy, there are two knobs I can loosen up with my hands and then pull off the cover.

So first impressions, I really like it. Now just need to see how good it still looks a year or two from now after dealing with our hot summer and dusty weather.

Last night, a new exhibit opened at the Amricani Cultural Center titled “Between Two Art Objects: The Emergence of the Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah.” It’s an especially moving one, since it tells the story of the founding of Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah by the late Sheikh Nasser Sabah al Ahmad through two objects: the first piece he acquired for the collection, and the last piece added before his passing. Both objects are on display and serve as the exhibition’s anchor. From there, it takes you through a timeline, highlighting key moments along the way and sharing photos and old exhibition posters.

While “Between Two Art Objects” is on the ground floor, there are two other exhibits located on the first floor of Amricani that you should also check out. The first is called “Art of Ancient Arabia: Heritage of Our Ancestors,” and the second is “Distant and Close: Chinese Art in Kuwait.” I did find Art of Ancient Arabia interesting, but it was the Chinese exhibit that I liked the most.

“Distant and Close” celebrates the individual talent of artisans from both China and the Islamic world, and highlights the impact of shared ideas, technologies, trade, and cultures. If you’re a fan of ceramics, I highly recommend this exhibit. There were a number of pieces I found interesting, but my favorite was a stack of porcelain dishes fused with coral and excavated from a shipwreck. I liked it so much it actually sent me down a rabbit hole into a category of ceramics I hadn’t really paid attention to before, shipwreck porcelain. Since visiting the exhibit I’ve been doing a lot of random research on shipwreck porcelain and even trying to find a similar piece to add to my own collection.

Speaking of shipwrecks and porcelain, does anyone remember an exhibit in Kuwait sometime in the mid to late 1980s that featured ceramic pieces recovered from a shipwreck? I have a vague memory of it, but I can’t find any information about it online.

Anyway, if you want to pass by and check out the three exhibits, Amricani is open Saturday to Thursday from 10 AM to 7 PM, and Friday from 2 PM to 7 PM. It’s closed on Sundays, and there’s no entry fee.

The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) recently opened the first phase of its Eco Park project, a government initiative aimed at supporting urban greening and promoting sustainability in Kuwait. The Eco Park focuses on improving green spaces in urban areas while also supporting research related to desert development and urban planning.

The park officially opened earlier in the month but I kept postponing my visit because of the weather. But, on Friday when I saw the sun was out I decided to pass by and check the park out and take some photos.

It’s fairly big, depending on what you’re comparing it to. It’s much smaller than Shaheed Park and Shuwaikh Park, but bigger and more interesting than most neighborhood parks.

When you first walk in, you’re greeted with a list of rules, including a no pets allowed notice. I’m actually fine with that. I walk my dog in that area and although I always pick up after him, I know a lot of people don’t. I’d rather have a dog free park than constantly worrying about stepping in poop. Inside the park there are plants and flowers everywhere (but no grass), and two artificial lakes, one large open air lake and a smaller shaded one. On the other end of the park is a large open space that looks like it could be used to host events or activities like yoga sessions or outdoor workouts. There’s also a pathway marked with no entry signs that leads toward the second phase of the park.

I couldn’t find the park’s opening hours listed anywhere, and I didn’t see any security or staff on site to ask about the timings. I reached out to KISR on Thursday to check, but I haven’t heard back yet. That said, I drive by the park daily and haven’t seen the gate closed so far.

If you want to pass by, the park is in Salmiya, facing the Gulf Road, in front of the Cliffs Tower and just before Dar Hamad. Here is the location on Google Maps.

Update: KISR replied, the opening hours are Sat to Wed 6am–6pm and Thu to Sat 6am–9pm

On Friday, I woke up to a notice from Instagram saying they had removed one of my posts for violating community standards. Apparently, their AI misread my post about Ozempic prices in Kuwait versus other countries and thought I was “selling prescription weight-loss injections.”

I was given the option to appeal the decision, which I did. A couple of minutes later, I received a message saying my appeal was rejected. I’m guessing the appeal was also reviewed by AI, because I was then given the option to submit the post to an “Oversight Board” for review. I did that, and I’m now waiting for a response.

The issue is that my account now has some restrictions. Most of them don’t really affect me, except for one important one, I can no longer mark my ads on Instagram as a “Paid Partnership.”

I always mark paid posts as paid partnerships and also add my own “Promoted” badge so there’s no confusion to what content is paid for and what isn’t. Yesterday, while posting an ad, I found out about this new limitation, so I ended up added the hashtag #paidpartnership at the bottom. I think that’s a fair compromise for now until Instagram sorts this out.

It’s pretty scary knowing that Instagram’s AI can misinterpret a post and automatically limit your account, or even shut it down. I understand using AI to flag content for a human to review, but I didn’t realize it had this much power. A lot of people rely on Instagram for their livelihood, me included. In this case I was lucky AI didn’t suspend my account or something and just restricted some features. In my previous job Instagram suspended one of our restaurants accounts because AI thought we were pretending to be a pharmacy which went by the same name. Took us forever to get it back online.

It’s one of the reasons I prefer my blog here, I’m in control and if something happens my hosting provider Wavai are a WhatsApp message away. And it’s happened before where the blog went down or I messed something up, I’d just contact them and they sort out the issue for me. When I contacted Instagram support and spoke to a real person about my issue, they couldn’t do anything about this since they told me they didn’t have the authority and I needed to wait for the Oversight Board’s decision.

Hopefully the Oversight Board are real people who will see the mistake and get my account restrictions removed.

Kim Kardashian’s fashion brand Skims is popping up in Kuwait starting today. The pop up is organized by Ounass, the luxury fashion and lifestyle retailer, and is located at 360 Mall. It will be running until December 20.

The way the pop up works is that you can check out the Skims collection on display, but if you want to purchase anything you’ll need to scan the QR code on the price tag. The QR code takes you to the Ounass app where you can complete the purchase and have the item delivered to you.

Skims has been surrounded by controversy recently regarding new store openings which from what I understand was based on fake news. But for those interested, the pop up is located in the original phase of 360 Mall near Bloomingdale’s.

Earlier this year Dean & Deluca closed down in The Avenues. They’d been open since January 2009, and I remember posting about it back then and loving the grocery section. But the café was always the most popular part of Dean & Deluca, which is why they’ve now kinda brought it back.

D&D Cafe is an Alshaya home-brew concept that’s based on the Dean & Deluca Café. D&D doesn’t actually stand for Dean & Deluca, but it’s more of a homage to the brand it’s replacing and makes it easier for previous customers to connect with. The menu brings back all the popular dishes from the old café, but in what I think is a better location with a much nicer interior.

The new café is located across from Abercrombie & Fitch, in the space where Bouchon Bakery used to be. It’s a corner spot in the Grand Avenue which gets a lot more daylight than the old location.

Since the café is still closed at the moment I was given a sneak peek ahead of their opening which is next Monday, December 15. If you want to follow them, their official Instagram account is @ddcafekw

I’m sure you’ve heard of UPayments by now. If you’re starting a business or already running one, their name has probably come up more than once.

What makes UPayments interesting is how much they’ve transformed over the years. They started off as a simple payment solution, but today they’ve become a full ecosystem that a lot of businesses rely on. And now, as a subsidiary of NBK, they’ve grown into one of the most trusted and regulated payment providers in Kuwait. That alone gives a lot of confidence to anyone trying to build a serious business.

When you’re choosing a payments partner, there are plenty of options out there. But reliability, security, and long-term stability are things you can’t compromise on. That’s where UPayments really stands out. They’ve gone from being “another payment solution” to becoming a solid growth partner for businesses of all sizes.

Only after that transformation does it make sense to look at what they actually offer today. Their services cover pretty much everything a business might need:

• Online invoicing and payment links for instant collection

• A full e-commerce platform to help you launch and run an online store

• Payment gateway APIs and plugins for easy website and app integration

• Smart point-of-sale devices for in-store payments

• A property management and rent collection system for landlords

If you’re running a small business or planning to start one soon, UPayments is definitely worth checking out. You can find more information on their website upayments.com

Last year around this time I posted about the then-newly opened Gourmet Grocers, a premium grocery boutique at the Nasco building in Shuwaikh. Since then they’ve brought in even more brands and have become a go-to spot for anyone looking for premium essentials and interesting finds you don’t usually come across elsewhere.

Gourmet Grocers recently expanded their lineup with new gourmet brands like Ortiz, Greenomic, and Bornibus, while still carrying popular favorites such as Bjorg, Lune de Miel, Nicolas Alziari, and Nina’s Marie-Antoinette. It’s a mix of everyday essentials and those rare items you end up buying the moment you see them. Ortiz, by the way, is my favorite canned tuna brand, and if you’ve never tried it, you really should.

Gourmet Grocers also puts together seasonal collections throughout the year for occasions like Ramadan, Valentine’s Day, and other key events. For the holidays they’ve brought in Panettone, Panforte, festive sweets, and a new range of Gift Hampers and Gift Boxes. They regularly share curated hamper ideas on Instagram, or you can build your own by picking items directly from the store. Everything is packaged really nicely with a lot of attention to detail, so the gifts end up feeling thoughtful and premium.

They offer online ordering as well with complimentary delivery anywhere in Kuwait, and if you place your order before 2 p.m. you get same-day delivery through gourmet-grocers.com.

If you prefer passing by in person, the boutique is located in Shuwaikh (Google Maps). For updates and product highlights, check out @gourmetgrocers on Instagram or browse their website.