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I’m watching the match from the sidelines. My first live football match ever. (Posted from my Nokia E61i)

Update: it was an extremely boring match that ended up in a goalless tie.

I was planning on having a burger at Applebee’s today when in the last minute plans changed and I ended up at Fuddruckers. Thats a good thing of course since Fuddruckers is one of my favorite burger places in Kuwait and they actually have my favorite burger, the Triple Cheeseburger. When I first decided on this burger challenge I had a winner already figured out in my head, it was going to be Fuddruckers. Things have changed though.

As I said my favorite burger is the Triple Cheeseburger so thats what I went ahead and ordered. At Fudd’s you can choose the thickness of your patty, I went with the half pounder cooked medium well. I’ve tried all the thicknesses and found the half pounder to be the perfect size for their bun. More places need to offer different thickness patties, especially the burger joints. Anyway the burger arrived open bun without any garnish, you then have to go up to the garnish bar and manually put whatever you want on your burger. I usually put just ketchup on my burger and hot melted cheddar cheese on the potato wedges which is what I did.

I think Fuddruckers might have the best classical burger and even though I had figured before this challenge that it would score the highest, I don’t think thats going to happen. I don’t think its exciting enough, I love it, I think its my favorite burger and although this doesn’t make sense I don’t think its THE best burger. I prefer the Black Widow for example and I also really like the Little Oven burger, two burgers which I hadn’t tried before this challenge. I also have a whole list of burgers I still need to try and I am expecting some really great ones. I really like the Fuddruckers burger bun and I think the beef patty is the perfect thickness although its pretty fatty. The size of the burger is also huge which is why it easily fills me. All this wasn’t enough to earn it the highest score. I am being super tough with these burger reviews so thats why I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5.

I still have the following burgers I need to try, am I missing anything?
Gaucho Grill, Sheraton, Applebees, Chilis, Ruby Tuesday, Burger Hub, Burger Bar, Burger Boutique, Munch, GBK and Hashi.

Fuddruckers is located on the Gulf Road, their telephone number is 2460110
The cost of the 1/2lb Triple Cheese Burger is KD2.950

Records recycled into bowls and coasters, I imagine the bowl is pretty fragile but still looks pretty awesome. [The Bowl] and [The Coasters]

When someone mentioned in one my previous burger posts about a KD12 burger at Slider Station I knew I had to try it. Thats why I was really looking forward for having lunch today with my two friends at Slider Station. Once I got the menu I just flipped through it looking at the prices until I found what I was looking for, the Black Widow priced strategically at KD11.750. On paper the Black Widow sounded delicious; Wagyu beef patty topped with wild mushrooms, melted Brie cheese, black truffle mayo on a dark poppy seed bun and served with goose fat fries on the side. It was just mouth watering to read which led to a friend of mine ordering it too.

Now someone had posted that they deliver the Black Widow on a boat so I was expecting some kind of miniature pirate ship to set sail on the Slider Station bar conveyor belt and head towards my seat (don’t ask why). Instead the Black Widow rolled out on a regular plate which was long like a ship but thats were the similarities ended. No pirate ship, big disappointment, minus three stars! Seriously though the presentation of the burger was good, not as dramatic as the Prime & Toast burger but the Black Widow did look more sinister, kinda like the burger that Darth Vader would have. I took the plate off the belt, set it in front of me then quickly grabbed the burger and took my first bite. I am a huge fan of Brie and this was my first time having it with a burger and it was just really unusual in a very good way. It wasn’t the cheese alone but the mayo and the wild mushrooms, all combined it gave it this slightly sweet delicious flavor. The bread was perfect and patty was great although to be honest I don’t think I could tell the difference between a Wagyu patty and regular patty. Now the thing that really annoyed me with the burger was how messy the it was to eat. This has to be the messiest burger I have ever eaten in my life! With the first bite half the burger slid out of the bun and all the cheese and mayo ended up covering my hand. Even after readjusting it the patty kept trying to slide out. It was extremely annoying and all the toppings kept falling into the plate. With a KD12 burger every topping that falls amounts to around half a dinar so of course I had to keep picking up the mushrooms and sauce and pasting it back on top of the burger. It was ridiculous!

The burger was amazing though, the best I’ve had in this burger challenge so far. But, it was too messy to eat and it could have been slightly bigger. If it wasn’t for the fries I don’t think it would have filled me. I would also be interested to try the same burger just with a regular beef patty and for half the price. Now price as I mentioned won’t have an effect on the final rating but that doesn’t mean I can’t talk about it. KD12 for a burger is not cheap, its not even expensive, its super expensive. I imagine the cost is high because of the ingredients but its just too expensive (at least for me) to have it again. Value for money, I think I would have felt more comfortable paying around KD8, just having it priced under KD10 psychologically seems reasonable. Great burger though and final score is a 4 out of 5, the highest so far in this review and a really high score.

Slider Station have a website which you can check [Here]
The cost of the Black Widow Burger is KD11.750

I am expecting this to be my most controversial review because it involves one of the most popular burger places in Kuwait and to many readers, their favorite burger place in Kuwait. So before I continue let me make something clear. I love Johnny Rockets. I’ve been a customer since the first week they opened (I think it was 1996) and me and my friends used to go and hang out there on weekends with the half of Kuwait. It was like the “it” place to be back then and even though there are A LOT more restaurants open now (back then it was just Johnny and Fuddruckers) they’re still doing really well. Personally I have Johnny Rockets at least once a week and I’ve tried everything on their menu, all their appetizers, all their burgers and all their desserts. So when you read this review please keep an open mind to what I have to say.

So let me begin. Today I had Johnny Rockets for lunch. I went to the branch near my office which is the one in front of Salhiya. It was tough choosing which burger I would have for the review, they’re all my favorites and I just keep shuffling between them. In the end I decided to go with the #12 since its their most popular burger.

The #12 is a cult classic which means if I say anything negative about the burger I am most probably going to get a wave of attacks from an army of fans. To those die hards, my credibility will crumble and they won’t believe any of what I am about to say. The #12 burger is not the best burger in Kuwait! In fact, I am predicting it won’t even have a spot in the top 3. As I mentioned before, I am a huge fan of Johnny Rockets but its not just because of their burgers. A lot of things come into play for example they have a lot of branches which makes them very accessible. Their prices are very good, their appetizers are amazing their milkshakes are the ultimate and even their desserts are not bad. When you combine all the above you end up with one of the best burger places in Kuwait. But this burger challenge is about the best burger and not the price of the burger, the location of the restaurant or anything else. When it comes down to just the burger I find it above average. I love their bun, I love their meat but in the case of the #12 for example I think there is just wayyy too much lettuce for the thickness of the patty and the thickness of the patty is actually one of my biggest issues. I really wish their patties were thicker, like double the thickness. The meat tastes good but in a burger like the #12 its M.I.A. And the special red tangy sauce? It tastes like ketchup, its over hyped.

The problem with blogs is the reader interaction. Sounds bad I know since reader interaction is what makes blogs great but not in this case when the writer of the post is going to get bashed by his readers. I’m giving the #12 at Johnny Rockets a 3 out of 5. Its a great burger, one that I have a lot of respect for but, if this is the best of what Kuwait has to offer then I might as well stop trying any more burgers and go back to my shawerma reviews. I still think I can find the ultimate burger somewhere else and I will continue my search.

My favorite Johnny Rockets is in Salmiya near Fanar.
The cost of the #12 Burger is KD2.050

Q8showroom.com is now launched although I think its still in trial stage since there are a lot of things that aren’t working right or not working at all. Some of the things also feel like they’ve just been ripped off from Q8car like the drop down list for the car models. In Q8car they have a mistake where they listed Range Rover as a brand on its own instead of it being under Land Rover, on Q8showroom they’ve made the exact same mistake. Even the “All Years” drop down list is a duplicate of Q8car’s.

Overall though the site is much better than Q8car’s but they still need to add a lot more cars to their database. What I want is an option to view larger pictures of the cars (like at least 640×480) and a better search function, maybe I’ll get that in the new Q8car redesigned website. Speaking of which, Q8car had a link up a week ago where you could get a preview of the new look but since then the link has disappeared.

Here’s a link to Q8showroom [Link]

Since this is a burger challenge I should be reviewing burgers from the popular burger joints in Kuwait like Burger Hub and Slider Station yet so far I haven’t done that. I guess its because I know what to expect from them and I’m more interested to see whats available elsewhere. I will be reviewing the popular burger restaurants of course but maybe towards the end of the challenge. For now I’m enjoying trying out burgers at non burger places and todays review is no exception.

I passed by Bredz in Souk Sharq for lunch and fumbling through their ugly menu I found the page which included the burgers. With only two options to choose from the decision wasn’t too hard. It was either the regular Bredz Burger or the Bredz Mushroom Burger, not wanting an experience like yesterdays I decided to go with the regular Bredz Burger. The Bredz Burger is a beef burger grilled on an open flame, topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce and Dijonaise mayonnaise sauce on a chipotle bread.

Once the burger arrived I got a big grin on my face. This is what a burger is supposed to look like, big fucking patty covered with a lot of cheese on a plate full of fries. Finally a burger that looked like a burger and I was hoping tasted like one. With the bun top on, the burger looked gigantic and getting my first big bite into it wasn’t easy. After my first mouthful I was relieved, it tasted like a burger! Now it wasn’t really great but it was pretty good. The bun was fantastic, the beef tasted good and the dressing although slightly over powering wasn’t annoying. I think without the salad like dressing the burger might be even better plus they really had too much lettuce on the thing. The burger was also messy to eat specially near the end when the bun started falling apart but it is a burger so some messiness is to be expected.

Now as I said previously, I am going to be tough with these reviews because I am looking for something really special. This burger although good wasn’t extraordinary and thats why I’m giving it a 3 out of 5 which is still a really good score. I would definitely go back again for lunch.

Bredz is located in Souk Sharq, their telephone number is 2407707
The cost of the Bredz Burger is KD2.750

Today I decided to pass by Prime & Toast and try their burger since it was recommended by a few readers. It was my first time there and I was eager to see what they had to offer. It was 3PM, I was hungry and a good burger is exactly what I needed.

They only had one burger on the menu so I ordered it medium well. Twenty minutes later my burger arrived looking pretty cool. The presentation of the burger was impressive, it was big, came on a small wooden plank and had a good amount of fries on the side. I quickly dug into the burger really expecting to be stunned by the flavor but instead I was greeted with a messy burger that just tasted too complicated.

The Prime Burger as its called on their menu is made up of the bun, cherry tomatoes, rocket lettuce, mushrooms, cheese and a meat patty with some kind of red colored spice covering it. The problem I had was that I couldn’t really taste the burger. The mushrooms and baby tomatoes were cut up into large chunks so their taste was overpowering the patty. If that wasn’t bad enough the strange spice that was part of the burger really just confused things. The burger just felt fake, like they tried really hard to make it special. I was very disappointed, I had just plunked down KD5.750 for a burger that didn’t taste like a burger.

I really wanted to give the burger a good score, it had everything needed to be a great burger. It looked good and was pretty big in size but the taste let it down. I wanted to at least give it a 3.5 or even a 3 but the thing is, I wouldn’t have the burger ever again, even if it was for half the price that still wouldn’t be enough to entice me into having it again. Not that price is playing a role in these burger reviews but its just something I was thinking to myself to see if it was the price that was putting me off. The burger wasn’t exciting and I really wanted a thicker patty just so that I could at least taste the meat. And whats with their red powdery spice they cover everything with? It was on my burger and all over the fries. Pretty weird. The final score for their burger is a 2.5 out of 5. The place is nice and cozy but I wouldn’t go back for their burger.

Prime & Toast is located on the Gulf Road opposite the Seef Palace
The cost of the Prime Burger is KD5.750

The last time I had Wimpy was pre Gulf War and even back then it wasn’t a really popular place. Today I think they only have one branch in Kuwait which is in Nouzha and thank God for that.

Nibaq recommended I pass by and try their burgers which I happily did yesterday during my lunch break. The place looks shabby on the outside but since their burgers came highly recommended I decided to still go ahead and give them a shot. I ordered the two most popular burgers according to the cashier, the Quarter Cheese and the King Size. One’s a rip off of McD’s Quarter Pounder while the other the Big Mac. I picked up the burgers and went across the street to Shrimpy where my friends were having lunch.

Once I sat down and opened the bag the first thing I noticed was the smell, it was horrendous. It smelled like a cat thats been dead for a week in a public bathroom. Even my friends sitting next to me asked me what that awful smell was. Even with the terrible smell I still went ahead and tried the burgers because they were recommended by my so called good friend Nibaq.

Just yesterday I mentioned that its impossible to go wrong with a burger yet Wimpy have managed to prove me wrong with just a day into this burger challenge. These had to be the worst burgers I ever had. Now I’m a big fan of cheapo burgers so don’t think I am a burger snob or anything of that sort. My favorite burger place in Lebanon was called Gringo and was one of those shipping containers turned into a eat and die place with a large orange mexican looking horse painted on the side. But the Whimpy burgers were really nasty, like really bad. I honestly thought I would get food poisoning and thats why I waited till the next day to post the review. Their burgers are so bad that I decided if I got food poisoning they would get zero stars but if I survived unharmed I would give them a half a star and thats what they got. Its been nearly 24 hours since I had the burgers and I am still walking and talking without any side effects. It’s a good thing I didn’t listen to Nibaq and order the Quarter Cheese with Eggs thats for sure. I am going to end this post with an advice to everyone, stay away from Wimpy!

Wimpy’s telephone number is 2531372/4
The cost of the Quarter Cheese burger is 750fils
The cost of the King Size burger is also 750fils

I’ve heard of huge pileups like this before but I don’t think its ever happened in the Gulf before. Yesterday a major accident happened on the Dubai – Abu Dhabi highway. Weather conditions were foggy and slippery and people were still speeding so when the first accident occurred a chain reaction followed resulting in the huge 60 car pileup. They originally said it was a 200 car pileup but I guess that was just an original estimate. You can check out pictures and details on the accident [Here]

Thanks sinnerorsaint

I found this lamp at Sultan Center and its called LivingColors by Philips. The lamp can project light in over 16 million different colors in which you can control by a color wheel on a remote control. It looks really cool but I am still trying to figure out if its worth KD64. You can try it out at Sultan Center, they have a live one on display for you to play with. More information available on the Philips website. [Link]

Here is also a YouTube video of the light in action. [YouTube]

Kevin Richardson says he relies on instinct and patience to win the animals’ trust.

I think he gets the animals stoned first and then posses for pictures. Check out the link, tons of pictures of him playing with hyenas, lions and even a panther. [Link]

Something weird happened to me today. I arrived to the office thinking it was 10AM and I was late but it turned out it was only 9 and that my phone, watch and car clock all were one hour ahead. It didn’t make any sense, how could three of my watches all be an hour ahead??? This is how it happened:

Phone Clock
I was in Fujaihrah last week and I moved my phone’s clock an hour ahead to match Fujaihrah time. When I got back I forgot to put the clock an hour back.

My Watch
I took off my watch Friday and left it on my dresser. My watch is an automatic meaning it works with hand movement and when you leave it still for 48 hours it stops. The clock must have stopped yesterday at 9PM because today morning when I put my watch on at around 8AM it was an hour ahead.

Car Clock
Yesterday morning I was working on my car stereo and disconnected it resetting the clock. When I plugged it back in at around 11AM the radio clock started at 12:00, an hour ahead.

Thats why my morning today got really confusing. When I thought my watch was wrong, both my car stereo and phone confirmed to me it was right. Everywhere I looked it was an hour ahead. What are the chances of something like this happening!

I am at the Dubai Airport waiting for my Emirates flight back to Kuwait. The drive from Fujaihrah was exhausting even though it was only an hour and a half drive. There is free WiFI at the Dubai Airport so I am just killing time now surfing the web although the Internet Connection is kinda slow.

Having breakfast at the hotel. The drive here wasn’t too bad, took us an hour and a half and there was no traffic. (Posted from my Nokia E61i)