Search: “kuwait”

Last night I was invited to drop by the new VOX Cinemas in Avenues phase 4 to get a tour of their space. This is their first VOX Cinemas location in Kuwait, and since there are three other cinema chains already in Kuwait, they know they’ve got to bring their A-game if they’re hoping to succeed.

VOX is nearly ready to open up to the public and tonight they will be premiering the new Avengers film with an invite-only affair. The only area that was still under construction and one that I wasn’t able to take photos in was the THEATRE by Rhodes section.

Tickets + Food
When you first go up the escalators into the VOX Cinemas you’ll find ticket machines on the sides and the food area in front of you. Ticketing and food are combined into one, so you can buy your tickets and popcorn at the same time. That’s pretty great and convenient if you didn’t buy your ticket online since instead of waiting in line to buy tickets and then a second line to buy food, you’re combining it into one line. The disadvantage is to those who already have their tickets. The food line is usually pretty long anyway but now you have to also wait for people to decide what movie they want to watch and where they want to sit. So I’d imagine trying to get food is a longer process with this system.

THEATRE by Rhodes
This is VOX’s equivalent to VIP theaters in other cinema chains. There are 4 small theaters located in a separate section and the reason the area is called THEATRE by Rhodes is because the food menu was created by Michelin star chef Gary Rhodes. THEATRE by Rhodes will have reclining seats with adjustable footrests, blankets, pillows and, a waiter service which you can call via a button on the seats. This area of VOX should be completed in two weeks time.

Their Largest Theater
The picture above is of VOX’s largest theater, they have two of those. It was huge, filled with seats and yet it still felt so spacious because of the fact they’ve left a really large gap between the screen and the first row of seats.

I liked the color scheme as well which was all black with red accents. The seats were comfy, large and had a pretty good amount of legroom as well as cupholder and a side table for your food or phone.

If you arrive to the theater when dark, you’ll be able to find your seat easily since the aisle and chair numbers are lit up.

Their Regular Theaters
VOX has 17 theaters in total, 4 are the Rhodes theaters, 2 are their large theaters which I’ve posted about above, then they have 2 more kids theaters (more on those in a bit), 1 rentable theater and finally, 8 regular theaters. These regular theaters are smaller in size, have smaller seats compared to their larger theater and, less legroom. If you notice in the picture above there are two colors of seats, black and blue. This is to separate their VIP or premium location seats (in black) which cost more than the seats in the not so prime viewing area (in blue).

The theaters I used to frequent in London had a similar setup, if you want to sit in the prime area you’ll have to pay more for the ticket. I’m not a fan of this system although in London it was great since nobody wanted to pay for premium seats so I always got great seats, even though I booked late.

Their Kids Theaters
VOX have a separate area for kids. The area is colorful with a play area and a separate entrance. You’ll be able to book the area for your kids birthday and they can run around and scream without bothering the rest of the movie goers.

The theaters themselves are small and have multi-colored seats. They look tacky but I guess kids will love it.

Thier Millennial Theater
It’s not really called the millennial theater thats just what I’m calling it because that’s the age group they’re targeting with it. The small theater is filled with reclining sofas and the concept behind it is that you would be able to rent it out for you and your friends to watch a movie or even to play video games on the large screen.

VOX Cinemas is opening tonight but like I mentioned already, it’s invite only. Once they’re done with tonight’s opening they have a few more things they need to finalize before they open to the public. No specific date has been set but it’s probably happening in the next week or two. Here is a link to their web site [Link]

Update: I went last night to watch Avengers and here are some observations. They don’t have any IMAX theaters. They have MAX theaters that sound like IMAX but are just regular theaters. I wish the chairs in the MAX theaters were slightly more reclined. The seat numbers that light up are actually a bit annoying in the dark since you can see light coming from the chairs behind you.

Looking at the picture above you’d assume it was the VOL.1 location in Shuwaikh (pictured below), but in reality, it’s a new coffee shop in Saudi called 8oz. They basically just copy pasted the VOL.1 interior and opened up in Dammam. It’s funny and sad at the same time.

VOX Cinemas, the UAE-based cinema company is opening up in phase 4 of Avenues tomorrow night (April 25). They’ll be premiering the new Avengers movie but it’s an invite-only affair although, from my understanding, the box office should open up to the public tomorrow night if you’re interested in booking tickets for this coming weekend. *update below*

The VOX cinema has 17 screens with a seating capacity of over 1,500 seats. They’re the fourth cinema chain to open up in Kuwait and will be competing head to head with Cinespcape that is also open in Avenues. Here is a link to their [Website]

Update: I was just told tickets will NOT be going on sale tomorrow. They’re just opening the theater for the private premier and they are still waiting on some permits before they can sell tickets to the public.

I went to this exhibition last year and I’m heading there again this year. There will be handicraft, embroidery, artwork, books, jewelry, and food for sale. Here is a bit more information on the Palestinian Culture Center:

The Palestinian Culture Center aims to support needy families and preserve the rich and vibrant culture of Palestine. It does this by encouraging ladies to continue a beautiful handicraft, embroidery, which has been in Palestine for hundreds of years and ensuring that the tradition is carried on to the younger generation.

The Center has been in operation since the early 1970’s in Kuwait and then moved to Jordan after 1990. Today, the PCC, has over 450 women from the Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan working on these beautiful pieces. For these women, the payment they receive is a great support for their families. The PCC also aims at supporting education and helps various schools and education programs in Palestine as well as needy families.

As a charity organization we use a simple rule in all our pricing. Thirty-three percent of the sale cost of an item is given to the woman that produces the work, thirty-three percent goes towards covering the cost of the item, and the remaining amount is distributed to schools, orphanages and needy families mostly in Palestine.

For more information on this event including location and timings, click [Here]

As most of you are aware by now, part of the old souq in Salmiya is being turned into a pedestrian-only area. The project was originally scheduled to be completed in February but due to delays, work is still going on right now.

The photos in this post were taken a couple of days back and they show the current progress. For more photos, click [Here]

Why do we now have billboards every 20m on the Gulf Road? It used to be one of the most scenic roads in Kuwait and now it’s plastered with billboards all down the middle. If it was one billboard every now and then I can understand, if they were on the side of the Gulf Road, I could understand that as well, but they’re just back to back all along the middle. I think there are more billboards down the middle of the Gulf Road than there are palm trees, and I’m not exaggerating.

Speaking of billboards, do people still not know what it means when a word has a red squiggly line under it?

The new Jazeera Airways Airport Terminal is expected to start accepting passengers as early as mid-May. The new terminal is meant to alleviate the current overcrowding at Kuwait International Airport but like Sheikh Saad Terminal, it also means you don’t have to fly in and out of the main airport. I might just start flying with Jazeera again once this terminal opens up. Oh, and the new terminal has it’s own parking as well!

The new Al Kout Mall opened up yesterday and I passed by last night to check it out. Driving down to Fahaheel feels like such a journey which is why I rarely ever go down there and I’m assuming people who live there also rarely ever journey up to the city. This is why the new Al Kout Mall is a great addition to the area.

The new Al Kout replaces the old Al Manshar Mall and the large residential buildings that used to be located right behind it. It’s a fairly small sized mall when compared to the Avenues, but it’s still substantially larger than 360 Mall. One thing I noticed is that the stores are all pretty small, so you have all the big brands there but their store sizes are probably the smallest ones in Kuwait. I guess its how they were able to fit so many stores into the mall.

Not all the stores are open yet nor are the movie theaters and the karting track on the roof. The karting track once completed will be the largest indoor karting track in the Middle East which I think is pretty exciting. If you’re curious about the parking situation, the mall has 3,600 parking spots accessible from a variety of entrances around the mall. But, parking isn’t an issue there its traffic that’s the problem. The street there had heavy traffic even before the mall was open so expect it to be even worse now.

For more information on the mall including a list of all the stores you can visit their website [alkout.com] or follow them on instagram @alkoutmall

BBC posted a short video (watch above) on a team of European and Arab women who are trekking to the North Pole. One of the woman taking part in this trek is Lamees Nijem, a Kuwaiti who applied to be part of this adventure and got accepted. To prepare for the trip Lamees went on three training trips, one in Oman and two in Iceland. The trainings covered the basics of cross-country skiing, pulling sleds, sharing a tent with 3 other people and dealing with cold weather and extreme climate conditions such as snowstorms and very low temperature.

The main purpose of this expedition is to foster greater dialogue and understanding between women from Western and Arabian cultures. The team consists of 11 women that represent the countries of Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Cyprus, Kuwait, France, Oman, Qatar, Slovenia, Russia and the UK. For more information you can check out the expedition web site [Here] or follow them on instagram @northpole2018

While in LA I picked up a Google Home Mini and a pair of Amazon Echo Dots. They’re voice-controlled devices which I’ve now placed around my apartment so I could write up a comparison review for the blog. A few days in and I’ve already started developing an opinion on them but I wanted to know if there was anything specific you guys wanted me to try or if there was anything you wanted to find out in regards to both these devices. Traffic updates for Kuwait work with the Google Home device for example but doesn’t work on the Echo.

In a bid to maintain Kuwait’s beauty, the Kuwait municipality is now imposing a fine of up to KD300 if you’re found drying your clothes on your balcony. This law doesn’t affect me since I don’t hang my clothes on the balcony anyway, but from all the issues we have, this is the one the municipality wants to fix?

How about the overflowing garbage bins in Salmiya? I would think overflowing garbage bins have a bigger impact on visual pollution as well as hygiene when compared to people hanging laundry on their balcony. Like seriously… [Article 1] [Article 2]

Top photo via Arab Times

After a number of delays, the new Al Kout Mall is finally set to open next Monday, April 16th. The new Al Kout Mall is replacing Al Manshar Mall which was torn down back in 2013. The Al Kout Mall website has also been updated with all the shops and restaurants that will be opening there. To check out the list visit alkout.com. Their instagram is @alkoutmall

With Al Kout Mall opening its doors next week and Avenues Phase 4 complete, the next big mall to open up is Assima in Kuwait City which is expected to be ready by Q3 2019.

My favorite two places to drive in are Lebanon and LA. Two very different places, but both have super laid back law enforcement, well in Lebanon’s case, no law enforcement. It’s so chill driving here, the highways are huge and there are so many great roads. But most importantly, as long as you’re not driving like an asshole, the cops don’t bother you. In Kuwait, on the other hand, I’m constantly looking in my rearview mirror hoping there isn’t a cop around me that will stop me for no reason. And I’m serious about the no reason part.

A few weeks back I was in a multistory parking lot and was having a conversation with a friend who ordered a Lotus similar to mine. I was joking around telling him good luck with the cops since they’re gonna stop him all the time once he gets the car. Two minutes later I pull out of the parking lot and just as I do, a cop car asks me to pull over. I’m not exaggerating I had literally just driven out of the parking lot. So I pull over and I’m sitting there in my car, the cop walks up to my window and I’m like “Hi”. The cop is like “Go”. I’m sitting there like wtf, why did you pull me over then?!?

So yeah, I’m loving driving in LA and I really wish I had my car here.

I haven’t flown out of the main Kuwait Airport for awhile so not sure how long it’s been like this, but the long-term parking lot is no longer a mess. They’ve got new private security firm running the lot now and they can’t be bullied into letting you in. So you no longer have cars parked all over the sides of the lot illegally, nor do you have cars parked on walkways. Last year the Civil Authority banned illegal parking and it seems like they had to hire a private security firm to maintain the discipline.

Since we’re on the subject of the airport, I spotted the self check-in kiosks above around the airport. Currently, they only work with Turkish Airlines, but I’m guessing eventually they will be compatible with more airlines. I always found it odd that we didn’t have self check-in counters at the airport, but better late than never.

Lunch Room is a new restaurant that has been open for a few weeks now, but I finally got to try it this past weekend. Lunch Room is the creation of Ahmed Al Bader, the same chef behind one of my favorite restaurants, Habra. I went to Lunch Room with a friend, and although we didn’t over order, everything we did order turned out to be delicious. We started off with the maple-roasted carrots and Mexican Mango juice, and then for my main, I had the scrambled egg on a Dutch buckwheat pancake while my friend had the poached eggs dosa. We finished things off with the Dutch buckwheat pancake dessert that came with berries, salted honey butter and whipped mascarpone.

You can take a look at the full menu [Here]

Usually, it takes more than one visit to a new place to find a dish that I love and would come back for, but with Lunch Room I managed to hit the nail on the head from my first visit. Everything we had turned out to be delicious especially my scrambled egg dish which I’ll have a hard time not ordering on my next visit so I could try something else. But not only was the food really good, I also found the restaurant super cozy and the service was great as well.

I don’t know why they didn’t call the place Brunch Room since it’s more of a brunch place than a lunch one, but really, even if it was called Dinner Room I wouldn’t care and still go back to it. It’s probably going to be my favorite brunch spot for the next few months since I think I’ve overdosed on Cocoa Room. If you’re visiting on the weekend expect to wait for a table. I passed by around 10:30AM and there were 14 names ahead of mine. Luckily, they’re walking distance from Arabica in Arraya, so I killed time by having coffee there. Lunch Room is open from 9AM to 3PM and they’re located in Kuwait City next to RAW sushi [Google Maps]. You can also follow them on instagram @lunchroomkw