Search: “kuwait”

Anyone who grew up in Kuwait during the 80s will fondly remember Pizza Italia. The owner of Pizza Italia was Mahmoud Alghanim who sadly passed away a couple of years ago. He was a pioneer in the local restaurant industry creating multiple food brands back before it was even a thing. Recently, a person called John Dade got in touch with me and shared with me the story of how Pizza Italia came to be.

John originally moved to the Middle East in the 70s working for Heublein who were the owners of Kentucky Fried Chicken back then. He was in charge of developing Kentucky Fried Chicken internationally and eventually came to Kuwait in 1977 working for Kuwait Food Company (Americana).

Kuwait Food Company initially started off with the brand Wimpy in 1970 which at that time was one of the first if not the first international fast food chains to enter the Middle East. In 1973 they brought KFC which is how John ended up in the region. John later helped Kuwait Food Company acquire the brands Hardees and Pizza Hut before his contract ended and he decided to move back to the States.

Before leaving back to the US, John got introduced to Mahmoud Alghanim through a mutual friend. Mahmoud was looking for help in developing a fast food concept similar to Mcdonald’s but with Arabic food and a mutual friend recommended he meet with John who he eventually hired.

John started work on the Arabic fast food concept but a year later it was still not done. John started to feel bad since he was getting his full salary but the company wasn’t generating any money at that point. So John approached Mahmoud with an idea, he wanted to open a pizza place for him since it would be easy and quick to set up and it would help them generate income while they continued work on the Arabic fast food concept. Mahmoud liked the idea and gave John a budget of $100,000 and a location in Bayan next to the coop which they opened up in 1980. Together they came up with a cool concept, a fixed price for the pizza no matter what toppings you had on it. They called it Pizza Italia.

Back then food delivery wasn’t a thing. Instead, parents would send their children with the driver to pick up the pizza from the store. Having a fixed price turned out to be incredibly convenient to the parents because no matter what toppings the kids chose, the price of the pizza was still the same.

With the success of the pizza, they realized they also needed ice cream to go along with it. So John and Mahmoud went to the US and did a road trip looking for an ice cream brand to bring to Kuwait. They eventually decided on Häagen-Dazs and brought the franchise to Kuwait. Keep in mind Häagen-Dazs had just opened their first store in 1976 and so were still very new and small back then. The novel introduction of banana splits was also very popular. It was almost impossible to keep up with requests on Friday after the noon prayer. Mahmoud and John were way ahead of their time.

Pizza Italia did so well that the Pizza Hut franchise in Kuwait ended up closing down (they were later brought back by Al Homaizi Group). John stayed on with Mahmoud till 1984 before leaving Kuwait for Saudi Arabia.

Pizza Italia continued operating until the mid-2000s before eventually closing down. I remember back in 2005 they were selling their large-sized pizza with all the toppings (the Godfather) for only KD1.500 and it was really good.

Like Hungry Bunny and Showbiz, Pizza Italia is a brand many will never forget.

Another day another new mall, I know we have too many already but this one at least looks visually interesting. The developer Tamdeen describes it as having a “rustic-industrial aesthetic” and it’s like a grittier or industrial-looking version of Avenues Phase III. They used lots of bricks everywhere, and the roof is covered in a steel structure that casts interesting shadows onto the floor. Plenty of daylight everywhere so it does feel like you’re walking down a street.

The largest IKEA in Kuwait and one of the biggest in the region will be opening there as well as Abyat’s second store so that’s a plus. The mall is located off Highway 40, where the old Ahmadi drive-in movie theater used to be. It’s catering to that area so the main competition is Kout Mall and Gate Mall.

They’re expecting to soft open the mall in mid-August with an official opening in September. Here is the location on Google Maps.

Back in 2018, I posted a list of suicide prevention hotlines in Kuwait. I updated the list again in 2020 with more numbers but today I realized those numbers not only no longer work but have rotated back into the public and are now owned by other people. I called the Kuwait Center For Mental Health and asked them if they had a suicide prevention hotline, that call turned out to be a joke.

The guy I spoke to didn’t understand how a hotline would help a suicidal person and told me the person needs to come to them. So after explaining to them the benefits of having a hotline, he said the person should seek help from his family who will then bring them to the center. I thanked him then hung up.

So now I need to update the list of numbers but I’m at a dead end, I think most of the information might be available online but in Arabic. In any case, if you can help me update the list of numbers, get in touch with me.

There are only two sports I watch, Formula 1 and UFC. Years ago I wanted to take mixed martial arts classes so I could have a better understanding of the sport but was very limited in options. Since then things have gotten better with more MMA gyms popping up but they’ve mostly focused on either jujitsu or kickboxing. UFC Gym will hopefully be encompassing all forms of MMA under one roof.

Located on the 5th and 6th floor of Assima Mall, the new UFC Gym is around 5,000sqm2 in size. Since there is a hotel connected to the mall the gym is going to be mixed but they do have a separate ladies-only floor for those who prefer not to train in a mixed environment. There is also a separate children’s area on the opposite end of the gym where children can train in mixed martial arts without disturbing or interacting with the adults.

The UFC Gym is targeting to have classes in multiple combat sports including:
– Boxing
– Kickboxing
– Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
– Judo
– Wrestling

UFC Gyms are meant to introduce combat sports to regular people as a means of exercise, so they’re meant to be similar to regular gyms but also provide MMA classes as an added value. The MMA section includes an official-sized octagon ring, a section with boxing bags and a large open mat area for jiujitsu and combat training. The fitness sections of the gym include a cardio machines area that overlooks the city skyline, resistance machines section filled with the latest equipment from Technogym, a free weights section, an area for HIIT classes, and a room for spinning and other activities like yoga and zumba.

The gym is targeting to soft open by the mid of this month with an official opening by the end of summer. They currently have special pre-opening rates which are 900KD a year for men, and 700KD a year for women. This includes full access to the gym and the classes.

For more information, you can contact them on 65107779 or visit @ufcgymkuwait

Walking around malls is a great way to hit your steps goal, especially if it’s too hot outside or if you don’t live near any walking tracks. But how many steps is each lap of a mall, and how many calories do you burn? To find out, I visited various malls around Kuwait and completed one lap of each while tracking my steps and calorie burn using my Apple Watch.

While my data isn’t scientific, I established some rules to ensure consistency. I did one lap only and I started and ended my walk in the same spot. I did not travel up or down escalators, but I did travel to the different phases and extensions if I could do so without changing floors. I also tried to walk at the same brisk pace. Your data might differ from mine, but it should be good enough to give you a rough idea of what to expect.

I’ve ranked my top six favorite malls based on a number of factors, including steps per lap, parking availability, overall convenience, the width of the mall floor, and visual stimulation during the walk. Here are my top 6:

#1 The Avenues
3,211 steps
33min 5sec
2.52km
174cal

#2 360 Mall
1464 steps
16min 14sec
1.19km
85cal

#3 Assima
569 steps
5min 51sec
0.43km
30cal

#4 Souq Sharq
706 steps
6min 25sec
0.48km
35cal

#5 Al Kout Mall
549 steps
5min 29sec
0.40km
27cal

#6 Marina Mall
664 steps
7min 58sec
0.56km
38cal

Back in February, I got a tour of a 2,000KD-a-night hotel room but a friend told me there was a more luxurious 4,500KD-a-night room at the St.Regis. So I got in touch with them and after a bit of back and forth getting all the approvals, yesterday I finally got a tour of their 4,500KD-a-night Amiri Suite.

The 400sqm suite was designed to be a luxurious home away from home for royalty, diplomats, and celebrities. The suite can’t be booked online only by phone. It has a beautiful view of JACC and a lot of features including:

• Master Bedroom
• Barber Area
• Meeting Room
• Video Conference Room
• Large Dining Area
• Massage Room
• Fitness Area
• Sauna and Steam Room

Unless someone proves me wrong, I believe this has to be the most expensive hotel room in Kuwait. If you want to see some nicer photos of the room, they a few on the @stregiskuwait website. Link

A couple of days ago I got to visit the studios of Beyond Dreams, the entertainment company behind the local Netflix show, The Exchange. I was asked not to reveal the location of the studio but I can describe the location. It’s an old abandoned school that was repurposed as a studio (think Warner Bros or Universal Studios). A large part of the outdoor area of the school was turned into an old Kuwaiti village (used for a different show), while the classrooms around the school were turned into various sets for different shows. I was only given permission to shoot the sets of The Exchange, but I’m going to try and get permission to take pictures of the village set for another post since it looked very realistic and I think would surprise a lot of people that a film set like that exists in Kuwait.

After getting a tour of the studio grounds, we started visiting the different sets of The Exchange. I wasn’t aware they had shot all the home scenes in a studio so I was a bit surprised when I walked into the first set. All the home shots in The Exchange were filmed at this studio location where they built everything down to the very minute details. I was walking around the rooms checking out all the different items on the shelves since there were so many props from the 80s all laid out, many of which wouldn’t be even noticeable on TV but were still there for realism.

I also visited the set of the “Bank of Tomorrow” offices including the conference room where some key parts of the show took place in. I couldn’t visit the set of Hungry Bunny since it was being repurposed for another show, but the main thing I wanted to see anyway was the stock exchange.

I had heard that a stock exchange was built for the show, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought they might have built various small parts of the exchange but not all of it. You should have seen my face when I walked into the hall and realized they had actually built the whole thing including an upper floor. The stock exchange set was HUGE! I tried to capture how big it was with my video so I hope I managed to get the size of it across.

Netflix hasn’t announced a second season of the show but hopefully, it’s going to get another season because it was actually really good. If you haven’t watched the show, it’s currently streaming on Netflix.

A new 1950s themed hotel is opening up in Khiran:

The Kuwaiti people have a nostalgic view of the 1950s and the associated era of timeless cinematic classics. 1954 hotel provides a glimpse into this era by bringing back common elements from this period and linking them to more current trends. The drive-in cinema and food truck park both promote a more casual environment with direct links to the 1950s. The hotel provides architectural references in both form and detailing, while still being a modern example of hospitality.

No opening date was shared but the mall the hotel is connected to is expected to open in May. More info and renders here.

Thanks lovelykuwait & ChaoticTranquility

Pret launched delivery today with Talabat. Everything in the store seemed to be available through the app, although I couldn’t find the soups so maybe those aren’t going to be delivered. Here is the Talabat link.

Update: Pret reached out to me to let me know that soups are available daily but from 11AM onwards.

Give is a local non-profit organization that aims to improve the process of donating to charities. Their online platform connects people with registered Kuwaiti charities in order to make it easier to discover what projects are available and to donate to them all from one place.

The Give website lists different projects in various countries you could donate to not just Kuwait, so if you want to donate to a certain cause that’s not local, you can also do that. As of this post, they have 47 different Kuwait-based projects listed ranging from snacks for low-income workers to sponsoring an orphan child. Navigating the various projects and finding one that is of interest to you is very easy, the whole experience actually is very simple and I really like it.

The process of donating once you find a cause is really fast and you don’t even need to create an account or give them your name or email address. It took me less than a minute from the moment I found a project I wanted to donate to till I checked out and finished paying.

It’s a really impressive project and with Ramadan coming up, I felt it was important to repost about them so download their Apple or Android apps or check out their website give.org.kw

The last camel races of the season are going to be held this coming Friday and Saturday. The races usually only take place on Saturday but this weekend there will also be races on Friday which should be good news to anyone that couldn’t watch them on Saturdays.

Friday, March 17
There will be 16 races taking place and they will start at 7:30AM

Saturday, March 18
There will only be 5 races taking place and they will start at 2:00PM

There is no entrance fee and you can either watch the races from the sidelines, drive up to the starting lines and watch the start of the race or just drive around the track in your car following the races.

If you want to visit the Kuwait Camel Racing Club, here is the link to Google Maps.

Yesterday Sultan Center launched their new Adailiya store and unveiled a brand new identity with it. They dropped the word Center from their name so it’s just Sultan now which is what everyone called it anyway. But, their new icon feels too generic with one friend describing it as looking like an energy company.

The new Adailiya store is part of the company’s original plan to launch 20 new stores between 2020 and 2025, with 14 stores already launched. Their 2025 vision is to have a Sultan store within a ten-minute reach from any point in Kuwait’s inhabited areas. There are currently 46 Sultan stores in Kuwait.

So what do you think about the new logo?

So it’s been 3 or 4 months now since I started my Instagram account and things aren’t going to plan. I mean they are in one sense, the account is doing really well and my engagement level is extremely high, but it’s also what’s causing issues with the blog.

I’m now running basically two completely different platforms whose contents aren’t very interchangeable. Originally the plan was whatever I post here, I just republish there, but I quickly realized that wasn’t going to work. A lot of the content that I post over here wouldn’t work for Instagram like the one I just posted about the newsletters from the 1990 Gulf War. There is very specific content that my Instagram followers like and it’s not easy to come by, so I’m constantly thinking about what to post next on Instagram and not thinking about what to post next on the blog. It’s a total mess.

To make matters worse, Instagram is draining mentally because every post is being judged publicly. If a post gets a lot of likes, shares, interactions etc.. that’s a thumbs up. If a post doesn’t get a lot of likes or a few interactions, that’s a thumbs-down. So it feels like I’m performing at a talent show every single day in front of judges. I had one post that went viral and got over 9,000 likes, then it’s like ok how do I top that for my next post? I know how I am, I keep trying to top or match my previous post and eventually I stop posting because nothing is good enough. It’s why I no longer post photos on my personal Instagram accounts and it’s something I went through with this blog as well. So I’m trying to loosen up and not try and have every post be THE POST but it’s hard to do when I treat the number of likes as a rating.

But honestly, it has reinvigorated me. Launching the blog on a new platform and having to deal with those challenges has gotten me excited again because it’s completely changed my routine. I feel like the underdog on Instagram and I really like that. I’m just doing what I’ve been doing for the past 20 years and it’s working.

I’ve also started generating income from my Instagram account in the form of promoted posts. I didn’t have plans for it originally but I started getting DM’s from businesses wanting to advertise so I quickly had to figure out how I could make that work. As always, I’m fully transparent with which posts are paid for and so all my paid Instagram posts are marked with a “Promoted” logo and labeled as a “Paid Partnership” on Instagram.

So that’s pretty much where I am with this whole Instagramming thing right now. I’ll post another update maybe 6 months from now, maybe things will be different then.

The Q8 Comedy Club have a show tomorrow night and as of this post, tickets are still available (they’re free). The show is a combination of improv comedy and stand-up and is hosted by Ahmad Alshammari (@ahmad_comedy) from @shenoya3ni_tv. He’s obviously extremely funny, but so are the rest of the comedians, especially when you consider the fact we don’t even have a comedy scene in Kuwait.

The show is in Arabic and is taking place in Salmiya inside Dalal Complex. As I mentioned, tickets are free and if you want to get them you need to hurry up, the link is in their profile @q8comedy1

Update: It’s now sold out but you can follow them to stay posted on their next show.

OVO, the popular and my favorite vegan and vegetarian restaurant that’s located in Bnaid Al Gar recently opened its second location in Shuwaikh. The new location is in the design district, the same complex that houses the restaurant Cure and the gallery Contemporary Art Platform.

One of my favorite things about OVO besides their food is the atmosphere. The restaurant is located in the back courtyard of the Design District and so once you’re inside it doesn’t feel like you’re in Shuwaikh anymore. The new location has outdoor seating and plenty of indoor seating as well as a private room located in a separate area of the courtyard.

With the new location, they’ve also introduced a breakfast menu which I’m hoping to try this coming weekend. If you’re looking for a new good place to try out, OVO in the Design District is open daily from 9:30AM to 5PM. They’re on Instagram @ovokwt and here is the location on Google Maps.