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Houston we have a problem! When I first started this burger challenge I thought it was going to be a pretty easy task but now that I am approaching the end I’ve realized I am going to have a difficult situation on my hands.. who to crown the winner. Originally at the start of the challenge I anticipated either Fuddruckers or Burger Boutique would win but as it stands both of them are out of the picture and its Burger Hub and Slider Station that are currently rated the highest. So I had my hopes in the Gaucho Grill burger to make my decision easier and it didn’t.

I’ve only been to Gaucho Grill during the evening but for the burger challenge I’ve been trying to have the burgers during the day so that I could have decent pictures to attach to the reviews. Gaucho Grill during the day is a completely different experience, its quieter, emptier and of course much more brighter. There was only another table occupied so finding a place near the window wasn’t a problem.

Once I got the menu I flipped through it till I got to the burger section and decided I would order the Gaucho Burger with Roasted Mushrooms and Cheese (medium well). I ordered a side order of baked potato but no appetizers since I have yet to try any appetizer at Gaucho Grill that I liked. The burger arrived soon after and my first impression was whats up with the bread? The bread didn’t look very appetizing and actually looked a bit burnt so that put me off. But, once I took a bite I realized the bread in fact wasn’t as bad as it looked and the beef patty was actually really good. The burger was very juicy and the thickness of the patty was perfect. The burger came with lettuce, tomatoes etc.. on the side and thats where I kept them because the burger really didn’t need them. The bread although as you can see in the picture was slightly burnt on the edges really didn’t bother me much and it was crunchy or anything of the sort. I do think though that if they had used a better kind of bread this burger could have been the winner.

While thinking of what to score this burger I considered the fact if I’ve been too hard with my ratings. I tried some incredible burgers and so far the highest score has been a 4 out of 5. I was actually starting to believe that I’ve been too hard until I realized there was one burger I had that I would have given a 4.5 but that burger isn’t in Kuwait sadly. While I was in Jordan back in April I had the most amazing burger at the Four Seasons hotel. I think it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. I truthfully don’t think I could give a burger a perfect 5 out of 5 but at least I know I could give a 4.5 rating if needed be. The Gaucho Burger although a great burger was let down by the bread and if it wasn’t for that I do think it could have gotten a higher score. The final score is another 4 out of 5. There are only two or three more places I still need to try out so there is still hope that a burger in Kuwait will get higher than a 4.

Gaucho Grill is located at The Palms
The cost of the Gaucho Burger with Roasted Mushrooms
and Cheese is KD6.750

Monthy Python fans will appreciate this. One of the funniest scenes in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the scene with the black knight. Now Computer Gear is selling a black knight doll featuring tear-off and stick-on arms and legs and also shouts out famous quotes like “Tis nothing but a scratch” or the famous “I’ll bite your legs off!”. It’s only $30 which isn’t too bad. [Link]

If you’ve been living in a cave all your life and never watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail here is the YouTube video of the famous black knight scene. [YouTube]

I just started watching the new TV mini-series called House of Saddam and its actually pretty good. The show charts the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein and it focuses on his family and his relationship with his closest advisers. The mini-series is only four episodes long and I’ve already gone through two of them. It actually sucks that there are only four episodes because it is an interesting subject and there is a lot to cover but I guess four episodes are better than one. If you’re interested in watching the show its broadcasted on BBC or you can do what I did and just download the episode off of torrents. [Link]

Found this article on the news website Naharnet suggesting that Kuwait is preparing for a possible war in the Gulf. Supposedly foreign troops are coming into the region for a possible war against Iran. Doesn’t sound very credible though. [Link]

Has anyone by any chance seen a store still selling the original iPods? I suddenly have the urge to get one. I found one still shrink wrapped in the box on eBay but I think its going to end up selling for over $300 easily which is more than what I am willing to pay for one. If a store in Kuwait still has one though they might be willing to let it go for cheap. I remember back in the day Eureka was selling the 5GB one for KD220. I wonder if they still have them in stock somewhere gathering dust?

Update: Wow, found an old post on Gizmodo where there was a competition called “Show us your iPod”. I don’t remember this but it seems I submitted a photo of my iPod mini autographed by the iPod inventor Tony Fadell and it actually was a finalist in their giveaway competition. Don’t know how I missed that, its from back in 2006.

Update 2: While I am being all retro here. The picture above is of Nibaq taken back in November 2002. I took the picture so we could submit it to iLounge for their iPods around the world gallery. Back then they didn’t have any submission from Kuwait. [Link]

At work I’ve got a Fasttelco connection and today I noticed that Skype was blocked. I don’t know how long its been blocked for but I found it strange that it was. Then someone posted a comment on the blog saying that United Networks have also blocked Skype. I’ve got a Qualitynet connection at home and at the moment Skype is still not blocked here but now I’m wondering if Qualitynet will start blocking skype to.

Update: Its also blocked on KEMS/Zajil

Update2: As of today morning the site is no longer blocked by Fasttelco

Lately I’ve been in the mood to watch a lot of old stuff. Currently I’m watching the old tv show called Newhart which I vaguely remember watching when I was a kid. For some reason I find the show very comforting to watch.

There are also a bunch of classics I’ve still haven’t watched which figured I’d get out of the way while I am at it:
Dr. Strangelove
Grease
Paths of Glory
Rain Man
Spartacus
Trading Places

I think whats pushed me to start watching old movies is the lack of decent movies nowadays. Nothing I’m watching is turning out to be anything extraordinary. Where is the Apocalypse Now of today? Thats what we’re missing.

There is a British TV show called “Banged Up Abroad” where the stories revolve around British citizens who were arrested abroad usually on drug related charges. The trailer above is for an episode where a British guy in the late 80’s gets caught dealing drugs in Kuwait and gets sentenced to 5 years in prison. Saddam then invaded Kuwait in 1990 and he was able to escape back to England.

What I don’t get is this TV show. Why would you turn criminals like drug dealers into semi celebrities? [YouTube]

Note: Qualitynet users, if you get an error that the video is no longer available its because of Qualitynet. The video is still online but somethings weird with the Qualitynet connection and 80% of YouTube videos are showing as no longer available. I’ve been having this issue for over a week now.

Just found out from q8loco’s blog that there is a new radio station launching in Kuwait called Mix FM 98.4. No one get their hopes up though its an Arabic station so BBC and VOA News are still our only other options over 99.7 for now. [Link]

This commercial was in the news yesterday (I think MBC) and they were talking about how racist it was towards people from the Gulf. I just watched it now and I actually think its pretty funny. Sure they are stereotyping but thats what makes it funny. The commercial is about this Sheikh who spots a fuel efficient Nissan Tiida and goes ballistic on it. What do you think? [YouTube]

I am at the Bangkok airport waiting to board my Qatar Airways flight back to Kuwait. I slept in total only 4 hours in the past 3 days because of the workshops and last night when it was all done and over with I only managed to get 5 hours of sleep so I am still extremely tired. Once I get back to Kuwait posting should resume normally and I will also fix the serious problem with the forum.

I was just reading a post from a blogger in Beirut and I found out two interesting things about Sultan Center.

The first which was a surprise is that Sultan Center is now operating the large supermarket chain in Lebanon called Geant. Geant is a large French based supermarket chain like Carrefour which is why I found that interesting. Could Sultan possibly open Geant in Kuwait? Or will they rebrand Geant’s to Sultan Center in Lebanon? I don’t know if Sultan operating Geant in Lebanon will have any effect here in Kuwait but nevertheless a lot of interesting things could happen.

Now the second thing which I found funny actually is that it seems the problem Sultan has in Kuwait with expired produce has worn off onto Geant in Lebanon. The Lebanese blogger purchased rotten meat from the supermarket and had a bad experience with the management there which is why he posted about Sultan and Geant in the first place. This blog by the way is my favorite Lebanese blog so it has some pretty interesting stuff. [Link]

Update: I just found out about another local blogger who found expired food at Sultan Center and was able to document his finding with pictures. He took it up with management and when they found out about his blog they threatened to sue him if he didn’t remove the post. I think thats extremely bad for their image. Threatening a blogger for posting about expired food he found at their supermarket. If anything they should thank him for highlighting the problem. Here are his posts on his experience with Sultan Center…

Sultan center in trouble!
Sultan center did It AGAIN!!!!
Sultan center STRIKE 3!

Note: Please take into account that the above information might not be true. There is no way for us to verify that the bloggers above are telling the truth and we haven’t heard Sultan Center’s side of the story. I for one only shop at Sultan Center.

I am not a fan of LV but this seems like an interesting combination. I wouldn’t buy it, but its interesting. []

I am not sure if I should try the KD55 burger next week while I am in Thailand so I decided I will let you guys decide for me. The Trilogy Burger at Trader Vic’s in Bangkok costs KD55 ($200) because of the very expensive ingredients. If you guys vote that I should try the burger then I will do it, take pictures of it and post my feedback on this blog. Since I’ve already gone through most of the best burgers in Kuwait as part of my Best Burger in Kuwait Challenge then I think it would be interesting to see how the Trilogy Burger will compare. If you guys think its a stupid idea and not worth it then you can vote a no.

[poll id=”2″]

Update: Some readers suggested it would be better not to waste money on this burger and to feed the needy instead. So what I’ve decided to do is also donate $200 to the World Food Programme. That way if the result is YES to having the burger I won’t have to feel guilty. $200 will be enough to feed 133 children for a week. You can also help by donating to the WFP. [Donate Now]

The shawerma place called Weekend that is located in front of AUK in Salmiya got demolished. Supposedly the owner of the building demolished it so that he could drive off the owners of the shop. You can read more about it on the Al Rai Alaam newspaper but its in Arabic. I wasn’t a fan of Weekend, I prefered Malek Al 3aseer which was right next to it but it still sucks. They are doing the same with the shops in old Salmiya. For example Family Bookshop is still open but you can barely get to it. The entrances are blocked by rocks and sand because the owner of the building is trying to drive them out. [Link]

Thanks LunarDream