Search: “maki”

I haven’t been to Signor Sassi in London but I just came back from the one here in Kuwait and I was pretty impressed. They haven’t opened yet, they’re still testing but everything is pretty much ready and they will be soft opening on Sunday with the official opening in early October. I met the Signor Sassi owner since he’s in Kuwait making sure everything is perfect for the opening and he was very nice and friendly. The location that’s opening on Sunday is the Gulf Road one which is located in the same place as Fish Market and Fusion. The 360 Mall location won’t be opening for another 2 months at least. In case you haven’t heard of them before, Signor Sassi is a popular Italian restaurant located in Knightsbridge. It’s run by the same people behind the award winning San Carlo.

I’m back in Kuwait finally. Just an update about the Jeep garage they never ended up emailing a cost estimate since they ended up repairing the a/c at no cost. This is the email I got the day before yesterday:

Dear sir,
At the ouset, I would like to wish you a very good day. I would like to inform you that we have completed the service of your vehicle & also we repaired the a/c of your vehicle. We cleaned your a/c system & we road tested your vehicle & it is working fine. Also I washed the vehicle & kept for ready for delivery. The total repair charges coming to 58.00 KD/-.

Also assuring you our best of services always.

Thing is the problem with my a/c was that it was making a very loud sound and it would let in the smell and air from outside even if I had it to circulate internally. Not too sure what a cleaning would do but I guess will see tomorrow if that fixed the problem.

Update: Picked up the Jeep, its perfect! They did end up fixing my AC and it now finally sounds normal. They also did a pretty good job of cleaning it, the interior is spotless. Not bad, wasn’t expecting this.

Here is the link to the making of for those of you interested. [Link]

I’ve posted a ton of times about Animal Friends and how they’re doing a fantastic job rescuing all these animals in Kuwait. The last time I posted about them was when they rescued the bear and it seems with that rescue they’ve gone and restructured and created a new organization. Animal Friends is now a subsidiary of Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat or in short, K’S PATH.

Animal Friends have been doing a lot more than they had originally set out to do which was rescuing dogs and cats so they’ve decided to clarify their programs and goals. Animal Friends League of Kuwait will continue as normal, rescuing animals, providing shelter, and making adoptions. All other issues, like farm animals, exotic animals, marine life and more will be handled by K’S PATH.

The video above is their introductory video of their previous activities. They’ve also set up a new website at kspath.org. They are still a non-profit organization that runs on donations so please help them out by clicking [Here]

Yeah its a long name but it helps with the geek factor. I’ve been wanting the Oral B Triumph for some time now but the local dealer never got the one I wanted which comes with the Smart Guide.

What is the Smart Guide? The Smart Guide is the little device that’s pictured above. Your toothbrush connects to it wirelessly and transmits various information about your brushing technique to help you brush properly while also making it more fun. First off it tells you how much time to spend on each quadrant of your teeth before shifting to the next one. It also tells you if you’re applying the right amount of pressure onto your teeth or gums by flashing a warning when it thinks you’re being too rough. Finally and most importantly, when you are done brushing correctly you get a smiley face on the Smart Guide as a reward. The live feedback system while brushing made me want the Triumph since I like information even if its coming from a toothbrush.

The price of the regular Triumph is KD42 in Kuwait after discount but it DOESN’T come with the Smart Guide. On Amazon the Triumph WITH the Smart Guide is for only KD34. I picked up the KD50 special edition version which comes with 2 tooth brushes and 2 Smart Guides, one for me and one for Nat which saved me a bundle. Will post a more in depth review once I get to use it for awhile.

Oral B Triumph 9900 Toothbrush with Smart Guide KD34 [Amazon]
Oral-B Triumph 9950 2 handle pack with 2 Smart Guides KD51 [Amazon]

Just found this local online shop that carries some cool Grendizer and Sanshiro figurines and I am already regretting it since I now want to buy a whole bunch of things. The prices seem pretty reasonable which is making my life difficult. I must resist! [Link]

Smoke House is a place I heard about recently from a friend. They opened up just two months ago in Mahboula and I posted about them a few days ago. Everyone who visited the place had good things to say about it so I got there with high expectations only to feel let down once I saw the place.

Smoke House is a very tiny restaurant with a very lame looking exterior and a pretty uninspiring interior. There is no love at first sight here more like what the frak brought me to this place! I passed by with a friend of mine and when we arrived 2 out of the 4 tables were occupied. We sat down and were greeted by a very friendly waitress and were given the menus to look over. I quickly decided to go with a chili cheese fries for starters, a Smoke House Burger (medium well) with cheese for my main dish and a side order of mashed potatoes with gravy. My friend ordered the lamb chops with a side order of coleslaw and sweet corn and butter. For drinks I decided to order root beer since I noticed one of the other diners was drinking root beer out of an A&W root beer jug so I decided I would have one also.

My burger arrived awhile later and I was totally shocked. It had to be the best burger presentation I had ever seen and I don’t mean just in Kuwait. The plate had a very gourmet like presentation to it and the burger looked very appetizing, I quickly took my shots before I bit into the burger. The burger didn’t come with any lettuce or tomatoes just a bit of thinly sliced onions and cheese. I think I’ve mentioned this before but I don’t think lettuce or tomatoes belong in a good burger, it takes away from the flavor which in this case was great. The patty was thick (not too thick) and very juicy. The bun was soft, looked wonderful and although was surrounded by some juice when it arrived it wasn’t soggy. The only negative thing about my burger was the fact the cheese wasn’t melted properly.

I went to Smoke House expecting a good burger but I didn’t expect this. I’ve decided to give this burger a 4.5 out of 5 making it the highest rated burger in my burger challenge so far. The root beer I ordered by the way tasted like crap. Turns out they weren’t using A&W root beer just their mugs but the waitress was nice enough to swap it with a regular coke and I wasn’t charged for the root beer. Other than that issue the sweet corn and butter was great, the coleslaw was very good, my friend’s lamb chops were supposedly also delicious and the quantity was huge. For dessert I had an apple pie and I ended up really liking that too. They really need a nicer and much larger place but according to the waitress if they do good for 6 months then they will be opening up a bigger place which makes good sense. The prices are also very affordable if anything maybe a bit under priced and I liked the way they dealt with my complaint, very professional. I’m actually going back there tomorrow with another friend and I am going to try and convince myself to have something other than the burger, maybe their Philly cheese steak. Good stuff.

Smokehouse is located in Mahboula
The cost of the Smokehouse Cheeseburger is KD1.950

Update: It seems they’ve changed their burger! Not sure why anyone would do this but their new burger doesn’t taste the same as the one in the review.

There is a digital art showcase that’s being held at The Exhibition for the next two days. Here is the information I received by email:

Ugly, But Beautiful
Date: February 26-28
Time: 4PM-12AM
Location: The Exhibition

Beauty is something rational, everyone has their own taste of it. Ugliness, on the other hand, is one’s own opinion.

When you look at an image that is full of beauty and structure, you find it beautiful because you are living a structured life. You rarely see things placed randomly, as a result you say an image is ugly without knowing that ugliness has its own beauty.

That is why we can say something is ugly, but beautiful at the same time.

‘Ugly, But Beautiful’ is Remon Yousef’s means of making you see how ugliness can have its own beauty.

Remon Yousef, a Lebanese graphic designer currently working in Kuwait, will be showcasing his artwork to the public for three days only.

All artworks are for sale.

Back in 2006 I posted about a blog called IKEA Hacker that had just launched. The blog displayed different IKEA hacks done by other people, people who took regular IKEA stuff and using their creativity turned them into unique pieces. Well two of those people are a couple living in Kuwait, Pinot and Dita. They took IKEA fabrics, cut them up and then created fantastic wall art with them. Its really cool stuff and whats even more cool is the fact they taped the whole thing and created a video presentation which you can watch below. Currently they’re voting for the IKEA hack of 2008 and they are nominated so vote for them by clicking [Here]

Now watch the video below of the making of and check out the post about them on IKEA hacker. [Link]

[YouTube]

Back in October my agency pitched for and won the Wataniya Airways account. For those of you who don’t know, Wataniya Airways is the new “premium” Kuwaiti airline. I am highlighting the word premium because many people including me originally thought Wataniya Airways was going to be competing against the likes of Jazeera Airways as an economy no frills airline, it’s not. Wataniya Airways won’t even be using the regular airport instead they will be flying in and out of the new Royal Aviation Terminal, the exclusive terminal used by private jets. Anyway, the TV commercial is finally completed and here it is. I might later add some behind the scenes (making of) pictures but only if I find interesting ones. [YouTube]

update: Added a few behind the scenes photos below, might add more later.

A new Italian restaurant opened up right next to Maki at Marina Waves. The owner of it is supposedly the same owner as Pomodoro. I just got invited to their Pasta Tuesday but not sure if I can go yet, if I do I will post my review here. For now you can check out their website for more details. [Link]

The process of making a hot dog is incredible, although some people will definitely find it gross. Not for the faint of heart! [YouTube]

I’ve had this cookie recipe ever since I was in university and when used with proper ingredients it never failed me. Problem is I can’t find good chocolate chips in Kuwait. My favorite used to be Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks but all I can find in Kuwait are the Nestle and Hershey ones which suck. Anyway I baked some cookies today (used the Hershey chocolate chip) and I think they came out a 2.5 out of 5. I might be able to score a 3 if I use better brown sugar next time but it would still be a hopeless case without the proper chocolate. Maybe I should just order packs from Amazon..

My favorite cookie recipe

1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 grams) white sugar

1 1/4 cups (270 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 3/4 cups (525 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups (375 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 165 degrees celsius. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper (or use non stick cookie pans).

In a mixing bowl cream the butter. Add the sugars and beat until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time making sure to beat well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using. The cookie mixture will be moist and hold together.

Using two tablespoons, drop about 2 tablespoons of dough (38 grams) on the prepared baking sheets. Do not flatten cookies. Bake on the center rack of oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown and still soft when gently pressed.

Makes about 48 cookies.

Name: Laylat Al Ro3b / Night of Horrors
Date: Thursday October 30th (This Thursday)
Time: 6 PM – 10 PM
Entrance Fee: 3 KD
Location: AUK, American University of Kuwait Salmiya ,Salem Al Mubarak Street, Opposite to Plaza Complex

Entrance Fee Includes:
Haunted House
Water Fight
Costume Contest

Other Activities:
Mask Making
Face Painting
Fortune Teller
Fire Performance
Laser Show
and much much more!

Here is a link to a jpg they sent me with the event details. [Event Flier]

I just heard that the radio dj Latina Mina on the Super Station 99.7 was drunk on air. Supposedly there was a doctor on the program and she was hitting on him then when another radio dj told her she was embarrassing the radio station she replied by cussing on air. They then killed the broadcast. If anyone has a copy of the session we are offering money for the recording!! CASH!

Update: I just got the following in my email

You have to report about what just happened on 99.7. Mark, it was unbelievable. This latina DJ was soo drunk on air and was slurring throughout the whole show. Suddenly, a caller calls in, which is when the radio station "thinks" they were off air. The caller swears at the DJ, telling her shes making a fool of herself and that she’s a "drunk hoochie". What does this smart DJ say? Go fuck yourself, go fuck your father and your brother. This was all on air. about 15 minutes ago. the sad thing is, they thought they were off air during that since she came back on air closing the show and telling "all the haters out there" to get a life or somethin. Now, that was something you had to listen to. Wonder what will happen to her, AND 99.7!!