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Dalal & Dahlia are holding their 2nd annual furniture exhibit entitled ‘Delusions’ at the Al-Tilal Complex in Shuwaikh on Oct 12, 13, and 14. The exhibit is from 10AM to 1PM and then 5PM to 10PM. Their first exhibit was held at Villa Moda and completely sold out. The furniture is a mix between art and sculpture, and is designed and created by Kuwaitis in Kuwait. For more information on Dalal & Dahlia you can visit their website [Here]

Picture is from their Thouq magazine spread.

According to the blog Kuwait Black Market, Slider Station will be opening up at the Avenues. Their new location will be much bigger than the current one and which is pretty tiny. No mention of a launch date though. [Link]

Update: Ok I spoke to the owner and this is not true. Slider Station is not opening at the Avenues only 360 Mall. But, it seems they are planning something for the Avenues, my guess is a new project which is good news for us.

Picture taken by Dakdoka

The coordinator of SPIN’s new global correspondence program emailed me the following:

SPIN magazine, USA’s leading music magazine is looking for fresh, new faces to write about Kuwait’s local music scene. If you or anyone you know would want to write about the music you enjoy, get paid for it, and gain some exposure in the US, please let me know. Feel free to ask me any questions and forward this to anyone who might be interested!

If you’re interested please send me a photo of yourself, a short bio (a couple paragraphs including age and how long you’ve lived in the area) and a little about your area’s music scene as soon as possible.

If you’re interested send an email to [email protected]

I took my car yesterday to the Al Falah car wash to get it detailed by their Showhine service since everyone I know takes their car there. Marzouq posted about them before and last year it was the official Gulf Run car wash so it was a no-brainer choosing them to do the detailing.

I took an appointment on Saturday to drop off the car on Monday but I got lucky since someone canceled their appointment and I ended up dropping my car off on Sunday instead. The whole detailing process took 24 hours and when I went to pick up the car they told me to take all the time I wanted and to go over every inch of the car to try and find a spec of dust which as expected I didn’t find. They then told me to remove this small tape from the seats which revealed a dark red spot. Turns out that was the color of the seats when I brought it in and they were able to return it to the original red color. The exterior of the car got polished, the rims got polished, the seats got conditioned and the whole car was just sparkling.

They were really great and very professional but the best part is they aren’t an international franchise but a local business. The detailing cost me KD40, originally they quoted me KD50 but since the Z4 is like half a car I was able to negotiate the price down a bit. I would definitely recommend them so try them out if you need detailing done.. They’re located in Kuwait City (if Tri-Star is on your right, keep going straight past where Al-Mulla used to be, past the first traffic light and then take a right on the second traffic light where you will find them on the right corner). You can call them on 22452432 for an appointment.

I passed by Napket tonight at the Avenues for dinner although I was hesitant at first. Over the weekend when I found the place open and I tried to take a picture of the place from the outside the manager of Napket wouldn’t let me which pissed me off and then I read a lot of negative stuff about their service on the Kuwait & Food Facebook group so that also put me off. But I decided to put that all aside and try the place myself.

The place looks really great, probably one of my favorite restaurant interiors in Kuwait and they definitely have my favorite outdoor terrace. I started checking their sandwiches, Nataly their salad when we were approached by a waiter who asked us what we wanted to have. I decided to go with The NY Thing which was kinda like a club sandwich while Nataly decided to go with this wrap I forgot what it was called but it had shrimps and watercress. We then went and sat down outside near their small fountain which overlooks the big Avenues one.

The food arrived shortly there after and they came on really cool wooden plank like plates. Both the sandwiches were great and I would definitely have them again. Their bread I am guessing is baked in house and was probably the highlight of the sandwiches. I really couldn’t find anything negative except probably for the price. Its not cheap. Two sandwiches and a coke cost KD8.200 which is more expensive than a proper 3 course meal at my favorite Chinese restaurant Ceasars. Still, I would definitely go back.

Pictures above are of Napket Kuwait and was provided by them.

I passed by Avenues for lunch and couldn’t find signs of any kind of fight that took place. What I did find was the location of the upcoming Dean & Deluca store. Its right in front of Häagen-Dazs. Interesting fact, did you know that Häagen-Dazs is actually an American brand? It’s not Scandinavian, its simply two made-up words that was meant to look Scandinavian to the American eyes. Here is more info on the Häagen-Dazs name. [Link]

Just an update to my problem with Pirelli. I passed by the main Pirelli branch in Al-Rai today near Ace Hardware. It was my first time there and the main branch is wayyyy nicer than the Canada Dry street one. I chatted with the manager for a bit and he explained to me how they train their employees really well and how customer satisfaction is very important to them. He apologized for the mess up and told me they would replace all four tires with P Zero Run-Flats which are the original tires I had asked for. He was a really friendly guy and the next time I need anything from Pirelli I would definitely go back to this branch and not the Canada Dry one. Glad this got solved quickly.

Some Contrast just posted a link to a local website where you can order home made Sushi. They have a ton of rolls to choose from and they all look pretty good and competitively priced. The minimum amount for an order should be at least KD5 which is very reasonable. You can check out their website by going to www.sushi-kw.com

The picture above was taken from Some Contrast

Its been a while since I had a major complaint about anything but my latest incident with the Pirelli dealer in Kuwait is just unbelievable. Its probably the worst experience I have ever had with any dealership in Kuwait.

Two month ago Nataly got a flat tire with the Z4 on her way to work. Since the car doesn’t come with a spare tire I had to leave work and meet up with her on the side of the road and then call a tow truck to take the car to Shuwaikh. I spend a lot of time traveling on work related trips and this incident made me realize its better if I fit the car with run-flat tires so that just in case she does get a flat she could at least drive back home instead of having to pull over in the middle of no where and try to find help.

So I get into the tow truck and instruct the driver to take me to Canada Dry street. We park outside the Pirelli dealer there and go inside and meet a salesman called Usman Ali who gave me the prices of their run-flat tires. I then walk across to the other side of the street and get the prices of the Michellin run-flats. Since Pirelli was having an offer their prices turned out to be much cheaper and I decided to fit run-flats from them. They had two tire threads to choose from and I chose the more expensive sportier ones, the P-Zero’s. After fitting the tires and before I left the place I asked the salesman how fast I could drive when I get a flat, he replies telling me the max speed is 80km/h. That was two months ago.

A few days ago after leaving her gym Nat falls into a deep pothole and gets a flat. She calls me up and I tell she can continue to drive home but she shouldn’t exceed the speed 80km/h.

Today I took my Wrangler and headed out to Canada Dry to buy a new tire for her car. I went to the Pirelli dealer and I gave them my tire size and model and the guy tells me those aren’t run-flats. I am like what do you mean? He was like just wait a few moments until the salesman comes back. When the salesman came back I recognized him as the guy who sold me my tires. So I tell him I need a tire for my car and I give him the size and he tells me they have them in stock. I was like yeah but the other guy said they are not run-flats. The salesman (Usman Ali) tells me they have the same power as run-flats. I was like that doesn’t make any sense you think I am an idiot?? I came in 2 months ago asking for run flats and you sold me 4 tires and I paid over KD400 for them and today I find out you lied to me and sold me regular tires not run-flats. He asks me why I waited 2 months to come in and complain and not 2 or 3 days after I had installed them. I was like are you serious?? What you wanted me to drive to Michellin after installing my tires and have them double check to make sure you installed run-flats for me??? My wife had a flat tire 2 days ago and thats how I found out you lied to me.

After around 20 minutes of the guy trying to convince me that I hadn’t asked for run-flats and he hadn’t told me they were run-flats I realized nothing was going to come out of this and I left. Now I am home trying to figure out what to do about this. I feel cheated! This isn’t a small lie. I told Nat she could drive her car with the flat at a speed of 80km/h which is dangerous with regular flat tires. Not only did the guy put Nat at risk but you could also damage the car and rims driving that fast with a flat. The only thing I can think of doing now is sending out emails to Pirelli and hoping someone in management will try and solve this problem for me. Will post an update once something happens.

Update: Just got a call from the Pirelli manager, I will be passing by them tomorrow to solve the problem.

Update2: Problem solved! [Link]

I was walking around Muthana Complex when I spotted a second new branch of My Toy. The main branch is located on the ground floor and sells Tamiya radio controlled vehicles but the branch I found was located on the Mezzanine floor opposite the store that sells all the cool Japanese robots (behind Andalus). This second branch of My Toy is focused on plastic vehicle models… you know the ones that you glue together. I was always terrible at them since I was always too clumsy with the glue but its good to know there is still market for them.

For those of you who’ve never heard of My Toy. Its one of the oldest toy stores in Kuwait. I used to pass by their store in the 80’s when they were located in Salmiya. Here is a link to their website. [Link]

Update: Forgot to mention but their website has a link to their online store.

Kuwait’s Prime Minister talks to CNN’s Susan Lisovicz about the global impact of the U.S. rescue plan.

Here is the link to the video on CNN.com [Video Link]

I just found out about this and think its amazing news for Villa Moda and all the other local start ups. It just goes to show that great local ideas are great ideas anywhere in the world.

Majed al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti lifestyle retailer known in the fashion world as the “Sheik of Chic,” has teamed up with the government of Dubai to create a global brand development strategy for his Villa Moda enterprise.

The Dubai International Finance Center, or DIFC, was to announce Monday that it had taken a majority investment in the multibrand high fashion retailer, where Sabah will remain as chairman and creative director. The exact amount of the investment was not disclosed.

I think Dubai is a perfect partner for Villa Moda but its depressing because Villa Moda is a Kuwaiti based idea and operation and it would have meant more to have Kuwait finance Villa Moda. But I guess its not only about the money, Dubai have a vision, Kuwait’s vision is… Dubai? [Link]

Thanks Mish!

A reader called Omar emailed me a very startling email about his experience with Sultan Center. Now I can’t verify if this is true or not because I don’t know Omar but the pictures look pretty legit to me. This is what he had to say:

I bought two After Eight dark chocolate bars from Sultan Center last week. I opened one and after taking my first bite I almost puked. I checked the expiry date on the sticker and it said 31/10/08. I then decided to peel that sticker only to realize that Sultan had covered up the real expiry date! The chocolate had expired on June 2008! I am heading there right now to make a big scene about this, but I doubt I will get very far.

Who prints and sticks these labels, is it Sultan Center or another company does anyone know?

Update: Omar passed by Sultan Center and it seems the labels are printed by the American supplier, this is what he had to say:

Thanks for posting this Mark. After I sent you the pictures I went to Sultan and asked to meet the manager. A pleasant Indian guy came over to talk to me. He is the floor manager (working in Sultan for 9 years). I showed him the expiry date and the real expiry date underneath. He was truly shocked and not feigning. I can usually tell when people are faking. After the initial shock set in, he got extremely apologetic, saying that he�s worked here for 9 years and never came across something like this. He agreed that this is not an honest mistake and is FRAUD!

We then went to check the rest of the stock, unfortunately it was all sold out (so sadly a few more people are gonna experience moldy chocolate at its finest). The floor manager took my details and promised that the “big” manager will call me soon.

30 mins after leaving Sultan I get a call from a very apologetic, sweet talking Lebanese guy who identified himself as The Manager. He apologized a million times, and also admitted that this was not an honest mistake. However, Sultan is not the source of the fraud. Apparently the �ministry of something� here in Kuwait insists that food products come with that Arabic sticker from the source, and should be tagged before clearing customs. So the “American Food Supplies Inc. ” which provided Sultan with the chocolate (already with the sticker) is the one to blame. They have been using that company for over 10 years and are truly shocked. To prove to me they are serious they will keep me updated of the proceedings with the American supplier. He also asked me to come back so they can compensate me for my troubles (whatever that means). I will go see him tomorrow.

I must say, I was expecting complete indifference by the management, but I am pleasantly surprised that they took the matter very seriously. If the stickers really are applied by the supplier, before they reach customs, then Sultan is not the source of the Fraud. Can anyone confirm that those stickers are in fact applied before they reach customs?

As many of you already know starting October 17th Kuwait is shifting from 7 digit numbers to 8. Zain numbers will get a 9 added at the beginning, Wataniya a 6, landlines will get a 2 added and commercial numbers that start with eight will get a 1 added to the front. Already over this weekend Zain and Wataniya started adding the extra numbers so its basically time to start converting all your phone numbers as well.

There are now a number of ways to convert all your numbers automatically. Zain and Wataniya both are offering this service. For Zain you need to send the letter B by SMS to 99509 and for Wataniya users you need to SMS the same word BACKUP but to 1618 instead.

Now if you would like to take matters into your own hands some guys have created applications that will do the conversion automatically.

For Windows users the blogger Q8ba7th has created an application that will take all your numbers and convert them with the new digits. You can download his application from his blog [Here]

For Mac users the blogger Q8i has created an Apple script that will also convert all your numbers to the correct format. You can download his script from his blog [Here]

Finally, iPhone users, you’re in for a treat because the local blogger Bojacob has created an iPhone application that will convert the numbers for you directly on your phone. To find out how to install his app visit his blog [Here]

Update: Here is the link to the Zain Mobile Backup site [Link]

This has to be the most embarrassing thing to hit Lebanon in a long time. It’s not as bad as Kuwait’s supercar the Scorpion but still… [Link]

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