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At some point over the past few weeks, you’ve likely encountered Instagram ads about BIGGIE finally being in Kuwait. At least I did, and when I clicked on the ad to find out who BIGGIE was, there wasn’t much information, just a guy holding a banner. Well, last week the mystery was finally revealed: BIGGIE turned out to be a new burger concept and it just opened.

I know what you’re thinking: “Another burger joint?” When the owners (2 brothers) reached out to me, I asked them about this, and they had a pretty good response. Burgers are extremely popular in Kuwait, and no matter how many burger joints open up, there’s always demand for more. Plus, it’s always been their dream to open a burger joint and build a company specializing in F&B concepts, and BIGGIE is their first step. Btw, it’s BIGGIE like the rapper since they’re fans, but they also chose the name because it refers to the size of their burgers.

The menu at BIGGIE is straightforward: five kinds of burgers and five kinds of fries, and that’s pretty much it. They use the highest quality beef, bread, and cheese. Despite the higher costs, one of the brothers is a chef and so his background drives him to maintain high standards without compromising on ingredients. They wants their customers to enjoy a clean, feel-good burger that offers the best value for their money.

So if you like burgers and want to try a new spot out, BIGGIE is now available on all the major delivery platforms including Talabat, Deliveroo, Jahez and Cari. They’re open from 2PM till midnight and you can check them out on instagram @biggie.kuwait

There are plenty of public beaches in Kuwait but not that many swimming pools you can access without being a member or staying at a hotel. But, some hotels do offer day passes to their pools so I called as many hotels as I could until I had enough to put a list together. This is the 2024 edition list so the prices are current.

All the pools on this list are singles friendly except for Seashell Julaia Resort which isn’t. None of the pools require you to be invited by a member except for SVN. SVN gets an exception for this list because it’s the nicest place with lots of very cool facilities. So for a very premium members only club, it’s actually great value compared to a lot of other places, so find a friend with a membership.

The list below is arranged from least expensive to most expensive:

Al Jahra Copthorne Hotel & Resort
Telephone: 24590000
Price: 10KD

Seashell Julaia Hotel & Resort
Telephone: 1844444
Price = 15KD

Crowne Plaza
Telephone: 1848111
Weekday/Weekend: 20KD

Symphony Style Hotel
Telephone: 25770000
Weekday: 20KD
Weekend: 25KD

Holiday Inn Salmiya
Telephone: 25760000
Weekday: 20KD
Weekend: 29KD

Hyatt Regency Al Kout Mall
Telephone: 23931234
Weekday/Weekend: 25KD
Ladies only on Monday and Wednesday

Millennium Hotel
Telephone: 22050505
Weekday/Weekend: 25KD

Mövenpick Hotel Resort AlBidaa
Telephone: 22253100
Weekday: 25KD
Weekend: 30KD

Hilton Resort
Telephone: 22256222
Weekday: 30KD
Weekend: 35KD

SVN Club (member invite required)
Telephone: 1876777
Weekday: 30KD
Weekend: 40KD

Marina Hotel
Telephone: 22230030
Weekday: 35KD
Weekend: 40KD

Four Seasons
Telephone: 22006000
Weekday/Weekend: 40KD (70KD Couple)

Waldorf Astoria
Telephone: 24774444
Price 1: 40KD (Inc. 1 Mocktail)
Price 2: 50KD (Inc. Food + Mocktail)

If I missed a place where you can access a pool with a day pass, let me know in the comments.

This morning I noticed a new “Made with Ai” label under my instagram post on @248am and I thought that was really interesting and worth talking about. The image was labeled “Made with Ai” because it was in fact made using the help of Ai. Although a bit too dramatic a label for this specific case, I do think this is a really helpful feature since so much digitally generated content looks real nowadays.

Throughout the years I’ve enhanced photos published on the blog, sometimes it’s minor stuff like increasing saturation, playing with contrast, or removing blemishes. Other times it’s more drastic like removing garbage from photos, or recently with instagram, adding more image to an existing image.

Before Ai, removing things such as garbage required the use of a Photoshop tool called the clone brush. It wasn’t too difficult to do, but depending on the scene, it sometimes required some skill to make it look natural.

But, over a year ago, Adobe introduced a new feature into Photoshop called generative Ai. This changed everything. I could now select all the garbage in a scene for example, and with a click of a button, Photoshop will remove it all. The Ai is so good you wouldn’t even be able to tell the image was manipulated.

With Instagram, I use Ai in a slightly different manner. Most images are shot in landscape, but all my posts are square. So, to get wide images to fit into my square without having to crop into the image, I sometimes add more image. For example, my lions post from today. I was limited with the number of photos available of the lions, so I had to use a screen grab from a video. The video was wide and so I could either crop into the image and lose some of the background, or keep the full image and just add more sky and more grass below. I chose the later. Because the video was only 1080p, cropping into it would reduce the resolution, but even if resolution wasn’t an issue, cropping into the photo would make the final image feel claustrophobic after adding my headline.

So let me take you through the different stages to better illustrate this. First one above is the actual screen grab from the video.

The photo above is after converting it to a square. Can you spot the difference? First thing you’ll notice is the extra sky and grass below the image. Then if you look carefully you’ll also notice a slightly increase in saturation and a visually more interesting sky with a cloud formation.

Finally, here is a side by side image of how my post have looked like without Ai on the left, and the final result with Ai on the right.

Not sure I like this specific photo being labeled as “Made with Ai”, since that’s not true, it wasn’t made with Ai. The main subject matter wasn’t changed, I didn’t for example generate fake lions or manipulate the story the image is telling, so I don’t feel it deserves that label. Maybe an “Enhanced with Ai” label would have been more appropriate here.

I think the “Made with Ai” label is meant to prevent the negative use of Ai, like in fake news, but in this case, Instagram is making it look like my image is fake news and not real when it is. But since Instagram is labeling all images that used some sort of Ai as “Made with Ai”, this label is going to be the new norm I guess.

There are a lot of great Thai restaurants in Kuwait but my favorite by far has to be Phet Phet. I think they have the best Pad Thai and Panang Curry in Kuwait, but I also really love their Spicy Potato Noodles. They have been delivery only since they launched a few years ago, but today they’re opening their first dine-in location.

Phet Phet was started by two female friends who used to go to Thailand a lot. When covid hit, they missed Thailand and the food they used to have there, and since delivery wasn’t available at one point, they decided to make their own recipes and cook their own food. Eventually, they decided to open up a restaurant and called it Phet Phet.

Their new location is located in Salmiya, on the same street as %Arabica and Joe and the Juice. It’s a very cute space and so close to where I live which is great for me. They’re open from 3PM to 11PM daily except for Sundays when they close. Here is the location on Google Maps, and their instagram account is @phetphetkw

This past week I finally binge watched The Gentlemen, the Guy Ritchie series on Netflix. It was pretty good, lots of fun and rarely ever a slow or dull moment. I love the character he gave Vinnie Jones, and now I feel like rewatching some of Guy Ritchie’s original films all over again.

I also finally started Baby Reindeer and I’m half way through that show and so far and it’s ok. I can understand the appeal, but not my kind of show.

As soon as I’m done with Baby Reindeer I’m going to start Sugar. It popped up on my feed a few times this past week because the last episode had some sort of crazy twist, so I feel like I’m missing out.

Let us know in the comments what you’ve been watching or planning to watch this weekend.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (7.4)
The Little Mermaid (4.6)

Other Movies Showing:
Bloodline Killer (7.5)
Civil War (7.6)
Dune: Part Two (8.8)
The Fall Guy (7.3)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (6.5)
Inception (Classic/2010) (8.8)
Kung Fu Panda 4 (6.4)
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (7.1)
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 (5.4)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

YISWA is an interesting local auction app where it works the other way around, prices go down instead of going up. It’s a new way to shop where the longer you wait, the better the price gets. But, wait too long and someone else might snatch the item up.

The way YISWA works is items go on sale one at a time in the app. They first get listed with the retail price, and then quickly start dropping down in price. The price keeps dropping until people buy the item and it gets sold out. Because there is no way to tell how many pieces are left in stock or how many people are interested in it, you want to set a price that is both reasonable for you and ensures you don’t miss out on the item.

So for example, starting tomorrow (Tuesday), YISWA will be selling pairs of VIP tickets for the Bassem Yousef and Maz Jobrani comedy show that’s taking place later this month. The retail price for the tickets is 140KD which is how much they will go on sale for. But, once the auction starts, the price will start dropping until the tickets get purchased by someone. The longer you wait, the cheaper the price will get but the higher the chance of someone else buying it.

YISWA have also included some features in the app to make the shopping experience easier. For example, you can preview upcoming auctions and ask the app to notify you when they start. You can also set a buy it now price for the items, so for example, you could set your buy it now price for the 2 VIP tickets at 100KD. If the price drops to your set price, the app will automatically purchase the tickets for you.

If you want to check the app out and just browse, you can do that without needing to sign up. Just download the app and check it out. For the download link, head over to their website yiswaapp.com

Benny’s Books is a new business that’s opening its door tomorrow (April 23rd) on World Book Day. Their mission is to provide children aged 0-12 with access to curated books that ignite their imaginations and inspire a lifelong love for reading.

I posted about another book box subscription service a few years ago but that business isn’t around anymore. Benny’s Books is a similar concept where for a monthly fee they’ll mail you curated books of their choosing every month. Their prices will start as low as KD9.6 per month and that includes the shipping cost.

The baby book club includes 3 engaging books featuring cuddly characters and vibrant illustrations designed to stimulate your baby’s senses and encourage an early love for books right from the start.

If you’re interested in signing up for finding out more, check out their instagram account @bennysbookskw

Here are this weekends events, let me know if I missed anything.

Thursday, April 18th
KASA’s 18th Annual Students’ Exhibition
Ice Hockey World Championship

Friday, April 19th
MACBETH
KASA’s 18th Annual Students’ Exhibition
Ice Hockey World Championship
Brainiac Live

Saturday, April 20th
MACBETH
Augmented Reality Treasure Hunt
KASA’s 18th Annual Students’ Exhibition
Trash Tag Beach Clean Up
Brainiac Live
Fusion Fitness

Yesterday I was at Chipotle Avenues Mall (they’re not open yet, I was just given access) and here is everything you need to know.

Opening Date:
They still don’t have an exact date, it will be during Eid that’s for sure, possibly April 10th. (Update: The opening date is officially April 9th)

Prices:
They’re going to be slightly more expensive than the US, but just slightly. For example, the burrito in Kuwait starts at KD 3.5 which is around $11.5, the same burrito in the US would cost around $10.5 (with tax). Here are all the items and their prices:

Burrito KD 3.500
Burrito Bowl KD 3.500
3 Tacos KD 3.500
Single Taco KD 1.250
Quesadilla KD 3.700
Salad KD 3.500
Kids BYO KD 2.250
Kids Quesadilla KD 2.000

Chips KD 0.950
Chips & Guacamole KD 1.900
Large Chips & Guacamole KD 3.150
Chips & Fresh Tomato Salsa KD 1.250
Chips & Tomatillo (Red Chili) KD 1.250
Chips & Tomatillo (Green Chili) KD 1.250
Chips & Roasted Chili Corn Salsa KD 1.250
Chips & Queso Blanco KD 1.750

Proteins:
Chicken, Steak, Braised Beef (Barbacoa), Sofritas, Veggies “includes Guacamole”

Ordering:
There will be 4 ways to order from opening day, you can either stand in line and build your order with an employee, or you can order from their digital kiosks, order through a QR code on the table, or order through the Chipotle Middle East app which will be available at launch.

Delivery:
Won’t be available at launch, but will become available as they open more branches.

Tidbits:
Some of the staff were brought in from Chipotle in the States and will be here permanently including the manager. Their prep and cooking kitchen is open and visible while waiting in line (I love that). Everyone I met and saw while there seemed happy and thrilled. I’m not very familiar with the brand since I only had it twice before, but the vibe I felt was really upbeat and fun, they’re really excited to open.

Hmmm, I think that’s all there is to know. I didn’t eat anything because I wasn’t really hungry, but I did leave with some fresh chips and guacamole.

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. And this is my last Chipotle post, I promise 😅

As you’re probably aware by now, a few weeks ago I got access to Tareq Rajab Museums’ (@trmkuwait) private photography archive. While going through the photos I found ones of the British Embassy under construction, as well an aerial photo showing the embassy with two large buildings in the background. The other two buildings were the Sheikh Khazal’s Palace (Bayt Al Ghanim), and Diwan Sheikh Khazal (Sheikh Abdullah Al Jaber Palace).

The three buildings are still there today, but only the British Embassy is not falling apart and is still being used today. So, I reached out to @ukinkuwait for some information on the building, and what they shared was very fascinating.

The embassy was commissioned by the political agent Colonel Harold Dickson, and designed by architect Robert T. Russell, chief architect to the Government of India. The building construction was completed in 1935.

Harold Dickson and his wife Dame Violet Dickson (Umm Saud), were the first residents of the embassy. There have been 15 political agents and 21 ambassadors that have lived in the current residence.

The Residence was built with Basra Bricks and steel girders from Scotland. It was the first building in Kuwait built with steel girders which allowed rooms to be bigger than the height of a tree. At the time it was built, the building was really stunning for guests because they had never been in such large rooms.

The house originally was heated in the winter by 12 wood/coal burning fireplaces. All but three have been enclosed and are no longer used except as a decorative piece. The main terrace is designed in an arc to help catch the sea breeze and that a portion of it will always be in the shade to help create a natural breeze when the wind is not blowing in the summer.

Originally the embassy did not have AC and at that time it was normal in the middle east for people to sleep on the roof during the summer. Colonel Dickson and his family did that as well. But, the colonel was a bad sleepwalker and his wife Violet was scared he would walk off the roof since there were no railings. Initially, she tied his toe to the bed to keep him safe. Later she had a custom 2-inch-deep bath made that was the size of his bed. When he went to get out of bed, he stepped into the water and woke himself up.

On the first day of the 1990 Iraq invasion, the Ambassador then, Michael Weston calculated the embassy had 30 days supply of food and water for himself and his head of the Political Section Larry Banks. More than 5 months later, surviving on a little more than canned food and stagnant water (they drank the swimming pool), Ambassador Weston and his head of Political, locked the Embassy and climbed out a window and made their way to Baghdad until the coalition forces assisted in liberating Kuwait a little over a month later.

Today, the British Embassy residence is still used as the ambassador’s residence, and so is considered to be the oldest continually occupied residential building in Kuwait.

Note: The colored photo is by Verity Cridland and taken in the early 60s.

Back in 2016, a beautiful wall mural by the award winning artist Jad El Khoury was commissioned on the side of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) building. The project had been sponsored by Jedareyat, a local volunteer group that scours the city for dead walls, and artists who can transform them into picture-worthy landmarks.

In 2020, controversy arose when the mural was painted over with white paint, completely destroying it. A lot of people were obviously upset about the incident, and what was a beautiful wall in the city turned into a generic white surface.

But there is now some good news! 

Jad has been brought back to Kuwait and has been commissioned to paint a brand new mural on the same wall again. The new artwork was commissioned by Froyo, the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters and in collaboration again with Jedariyat.

The building has been undergoing preparation over the past few days and is now ready to be painted on. Jad will be starting work tomorrow (Friday) and is expected to complete the artwork by next Wednesday. If you want to watch him paint his new mural, then you can pass by over the coming days during the day to check him work.

Jad’s previous artwork was titled “Single Man” and was inspired by him moving from Lebanon to Kuwait for work. The mural had represented a single person trying to fit into a new chaotic environment.

Not sure why, but putting together this annual list of Ramadan buffets in Kuwait was exhausting this year. I think it’s definitely me since everyone answering the phone this year was actually prompt. Just a quick example, I realized I didn’t have Holiday Inn on my list so I sent them a DM at 7:30AM this morning and they replied back a minute later. Everyone seems to be on top of their game this year which made my life easier.

As usual, I’ve also highlighted the price variation from the previous year if applicable. You’ll find the variation in brackets after the price. More places increased their prices than decreased. The highest increase was Stambul at the Grand Hyatt, they increased their buffet price by KD5 this year. The biggest decrease was KD2 and four places did that.

Below is the full list divided into two parts, hotels and restaurants. If I missed a place let me know in the comments. I’m looking for really cheap buffets to add, I have a few listed but if you know of a place where the buffet is less than KD5, let me know in the comments.

HOTELS

Al Jahra Copthorne Hotel & Resort – Taima’a Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD9 (-0.900)
Telephone: 24590000

Courtyard by Marriott – Atrium
Buffet Price: KD16 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22997000

Crowne Plaza – Al Ahmadi Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD16 (-2.000)
Telephone: 1848111

Crowne Plaza – Al Noukhaza Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD17 (-2.000)
Telephone: 1848111

Crowne Plaza – Sakura Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD18 (Weekends Only)
Set Menu Price: KD14 (Weekdays Only)
Telephone: 1848111

Four Seasons – Jawaher Tent
Buffet Price: KD26 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22006000

Grand Hyatt – Stambul
Buffet Price: KD20 (+5.000)
Telephone: 22007698

Grand Majestic Hotel
Buffet Price: KD8
Telephone: 22254700

Hilton Garden Inn – The Avenues
Buffet Price: KD20
Telephone: 22262000

Hilton Resort – Teatro Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD19.9
Telephone: 22256222

Holiday Inn – Al Diwan Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15.950
Telephone: 1847777

Inn & GO Hotel – Al Dallah Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD7.5 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22436686

Jumeirah Messilah Beach – Badria Tent
Buffet Price: KD22 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22269600

Jumeirah Messilah Beach – Garden Cafe
Buffet Price: KD22 (indoors) KD24 (outdoors)
Telephone: 22269600

Kuwait Continental Hotel – Darbar Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD5.5
Telephone: 22527300

Marina Hotel
Buffet Price: KD16
Telephone: 22230030

Millennium Hotel – Lamar International Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15
Telephone: 22050505

Movenpick – Free Zone – Bays Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD13.9 (+1.900)
Telephone: 66100710

Movenpick – Al Bida’a – Breeze Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15 (indoors) KD17 (outdoors)
Telephone: 22253100

Radisson Blu – Al Bustan Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD18.5
Telephone: 25673000

Safir Hotel – Fintas
Buffet Price: KD13.9 (+1.000)
Telephone: 25455555

St Regis – Diamond Ballroom Tent
Buffet Price: KD28
Telephone: 22422055

Symphony Style Hotel
Buffet Price: KD12 (-2.000)
Telephone: 25770000

The Regency Kuwait – Silk Road Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD24 (+1.000)
Telephone: 25766666

Waldorf Astoria – Al Kubbar
Buffet Price: KD27 (+1.000)
Telephone: 24774414

RESTAURANTS

Almayass
Set Menu Price: KD11.5 (-0.500)
Telephone: 25761001

Assaha Lebanese Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD12.5 (-0.500)
Telephone: 22533377

Avanti Palace
Set Menu Price: KD4.750
Telephone: 25751081

Babel
Set Menu Price: KD14.950 (-0.050)
Telephone: 22081111

Baker & Spice
Set Menu Price: KD12.5
Telephone: 96962816

Big C Restaurant & Cafe
Buffet Price: KD1.900
Telephone: 65683111

Dar Hamad
Buffet Price: KD12 (360 Mall) KD16 (Gulf Road)
Telephone: 22275555

Dean & Deluca
Set Menu Price: KD9.750 (Min 4 People)
Telephone: 22242224

Em Sherif
Set Menu Buffet Price: KD25
Telephone: 90977997

Francescas At The Top
Set Menu Price: KD18
Telephone: 90003858

Gulf Royal Chinese
Buffet Price: KD8.5
Telephone: 22622770

IKEA
Buffet Price: KD2.95 (+1.000)
Telephone: 1840408

Jihan Khanah
Buffet Price: KD10
Telephone: 1819991

Joori Min Beirut
Buffet Price: KD12 (-2.000)
Telephone: 22062068

Kuwait Towers
Buffet Price: KD15 (+1.000)
Telephone: 24965500

Leila Min Lebnen
Set Menu Price: KD15
Telephone: 22996414

Mughal Mahal – Hawally
Buffet Price: KD7.45
Telephone: 22626782

Palm Palace
Buffet Price: KD11.5 (+0.500)
Telephone: 67009575

Paul
Set Menu Price: KD10.5 (+2.000)
Telephone: 22208204

Saraya Palace
Buffet Price: KD9.5
Telephone: 25712998

Vapiano
Set Menu Price: KD7.950 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22597171

Villa Fayrouz
Buffet Price: KD12
Telephone: 22650052

Wok and Grill
Buffet Price: KD2.995 (-0.505)
Telephone: 64440089

Here are this weekends events, let me know if I missed anything.

Thursday, March 7
Astronomers Diwaniya
IMPROV Comedy: The Last Laugh
Kuwait Inspire Drag Race Championship
Murouj Graish Market

Friday, March 8
Cleanup & Kashta
Kuwait Inspire Drag Race Championship
Murouj Graish Market
Spring Bazaar

Saturday, March 9
Red Bull Quicksand 2024
Madang Market
Shakshooka Market
Murouj Graish Market

Here are this weekends events, let me know if I missed anything:

Thursday, Feb 22
Winter Garden Market at Al Shaheed Park
Hala February Market at Murouj
Classic Car Show at The Promenade
Fireworks at Khiran Mall
COMFEST
K-POP Night

Friday, Feb 23
Winter Garden Market at Al Shaheed Park
Hala February Market at Murouj
Celebrations at ASCC
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
Classic Car Show at The Promenade
Fireworks at Khiran Mall
Cars & Coffee at Green Island
COMFEST
Khalifouh Heritage Village

Saturday, Feb 24
Winter Garden Market at Al Shaheed Park
Hala February Market at Murouj
Celebrations at ASCC
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
Classic Car Show at The Promenade
Korean Market at MADANG
Fireworks at Khiran Mall
COMFEST
Khalifouh Heritage Village

Sunday, Feb 25
Winter Garden Market at Al Shaheed Park
Hala February Market at Murouj
Celebrations at ASCC
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
Free Entry to Scientific Center
Fireworks at Al Kout Mall
Khalifouh Heritage Village

Monday, Feb 26
Winter Garden Market at Al Shaheed Park
Hala February Market at Murouj
Celebrations at ASCC
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
Free Entry to Scientific Center
Drone Show at The Walk
Hike Mutlaa
Khalifouh Heritage Village

I’m obsessed with Masters of Air. After the first two episodes I wasn’t really that impressed with the series since I had just finished watching Band of Brothers and The Pacific, but now that I’m 5 episodes in, I don’t want it to end.

I’m not invested in any of the characters, I actually might only be able to pick one out in a line up, but as long as I’m with them on the bomber on our way to a bombing mission, I’m heavily invested in whomever is on board.

If you’re a fan of the series, check out the @appletv instagram account since they have a bunch of cool behind the scenes photos from the series as well as linking to the actors personals instagram accounts.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve watched anything interesting this week.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Weekend:
Bob Marley: One Love (6.6)
Red Right Hand (N/A)
The Ancestral (4.3)
Wanted Man (4.7)

Other Movies Showing:
Argylle (6.2)
Clown Motel (2.9)
In the Land of Saints and Sinners (6.1)
Madame Web (3.8)
Migration (7.5)
No Way Up (5.3)
The Beekeeper (6.8)
Wish (5.8)
Wonka (7.4)

The classic film below is currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Titanic (7.9)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.