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If you ever need an English copywriter, I’d highly recommend a friend of mine, Naz. Naz has been copywriting for over 20 years and was my editor for our school paper, the Voice of AIS, back in the mid-90s. Speaking of which, I need to try and find copies of those if they still exist.

If you’re a business, Naz can help you with your website content, write press releases for you and even help you come up with a name and slogan for your new business. To get in touch with her, send her a message on instagram @nazwriteswell

Four years ago I posted about the Burgan Blowout, an incident that took place back in 1964 and is now long forgotten. The Burgan Blowout was the largest oil well fire in Kuwait before the 1990 invasion. It took six weeks to extinguish and for that short period of time, was the biggest touristic attraction in Kuwait. Since I originally posted about the event I’ve now come across a lot more photos so I’m reposting the story again with a bit more details as well as the new photos.

The explosion took place at Burgan oil well No. 331 on December 29th, 1964. The gas was ignited by a spark as a worker tried to control a sudden upsurge of mud. Once work started on putting out the fire, it became the biggest tourist attraction in Kuwait. So, a plan was put into place to let the public come and see it, but in a controlled manner, so that it was safe and so that no one got in the way.

Once you got to Burgan you followed in a convoy to a designated parking area a safe distance from the fire. You’d then would walk the remaining way towards the viewing grandstands that were set up for the public. According to a reader (John Beresford) who was 10 years old at the time, as they drove towards the oil well, they could hear a moan that kept getting louder and louder. The force of the gas coming up was so powerful it was causing the ground to vibrate, and this was from quite a distance from the well. It was winter but the heat coming off the fire was so strong that the climate was getting warmer as they walked towards the viewing area. The sound was also getting louder to the point where they had to speak more loudly, almost shouting at each other. By the time they reached the viewing area the temperature had increased to a level that was unpleasant causing the skin facing the flames to get quite warm.

A couple of days after the fire started the famous American oil well firefighter Red Adair was called in to help. Adair became notable internationally as an innovator in the specialized and hazardous profession of extinguishing oil well blowouts. Amazingly, at the age of 75, Adair was called again 26 years later to help extinguish the 1991 oil well fires set by retreating Iraqi troops after the Gulf War.

The first image is from the @trmkuwait family archive, the second was taken by the John’s parents, and the remaining black and white photos were provided by @badshaiji

Interesting tidbit, the photo above is of Red Adair (left) and his fellow fire fighter lieutenant Coots Matthews (right). Coots formed his own competing company in 1978 called Boots & Coots. Combined, Red Adair Co. and Boots & Coots were responsible for extinguishing more than a third of the 700 oil well fires set by the retreating Iraqi soldiers in the Gulf War.

Kings of Maillard is one of those hidden gems that not many people know about, but it offers really great food. This fairly new concept opened this past February and is a chef-driven fire bistro created by the same team behind one of my favorite restaurants in Kuwait, Oak & Smoke. I’ve visited a few times since their opening, and this past week, I was invited to try their new summer menu.

One of the things I really like about Kings of Maillard is how they manage to blend flavors and influences from different cultures. It’s always interesting having dinner there since I tend to experience new flavors, or at the very least different flavors from my usual. You’re not going to find any sort of maple shrimp or popular pasta on their menu, that’s not what they’re about. Instead, they believe that food should excite, surprise, and delight customers and I think it works. Their long term goal is to eventually get a Michelin Star so that should give you an idea of how dedicated they are to this.

When I passed by earlier this week I got to try a few items from their set menu and ended up leaving with some favorites including the following:

Beef Tartare
nori crisp, green almand, arabic seven spice, shallot, red yuzu koshu

Wood Fire Roasted Cabbage
blue cheese emulsion, brown butter miso hollandaise, pickled apples and shallots, pistachio gremolata

Wagyu Picanha
truffle potato espuma, squid ink butter & dashi emulsion, fried enoki mushrooms

But I’d honestly go back just for the delicious complimentary bread with their pistachio flavored butter on the side.

If you’re looking for a new place to try, Kings of Maillard is open for lunch and dinner and they just launched their summer menu. They’re located in Shuwaikh right next door to Oak & Smoke. Check them out on @kingsofmaillard

Bentoyaki is a new and interesting local concept that brings the Korean BBQ experience to your home. The concept revolves around box kits that include everything you need to have your very own Korean BBQ wherever you are.

The owner, a fan of Korean BBQ, wanted to open a restaurant but also wanted to offer something different from the typical burger joint or other readily available options. Bentoyaki is a simple yet fun idea where people can order a kit containing all the items needed to replicate the authentic Korean BBQ experience at home.

The Bentoyaki Boxes come with the following items:
250g Sukiyaki beef (Angus or Wagyu)
150g White rice
Teriyaki Sauce
Garlic Sauce
Kimchi

In addition to those items, the box also includes a grill, instant lighting charcoal, and tongs. They sent me a box to try, and it was very easy and quick to set up. You just need to light the charcoal, and you can start grilling your beef right away. Once you’re done grilling, simply empty the small pouch filled with water (included) into the grill to extinguish the charcoal. That’s it, super easy.

Other than their boxes, Bentoyaki also have other Asian dishes you can order including plenty of appetizers and sides to pick from. They’re currently available for delivery only from 1PM to 10PM. You can order their boxes straight from their website orderbentoyaki.com or through the delivery app Cari. For more information you can check out their instagram account @bentoyaki.kw

Over the weekend I was given access to visit the newly revamped Messilah Beach Club, one of the newest projects by TEC. The club first opened in the late 80s, and I’ve been to it a few times back in the 90s, but haven’t really been back there since.

I do remember how it looked and I can tell you the new beach club looks nothing like the old one. They didn’t just give it a facelift, instead it’s a completely new club built from the ground up.

The beach club will have the following facilities:
– Aqua Play Pool
– Wave Pool
– Splash Pad
– Kids Pool
– Infinity pool
– Kids play area
– Adventure tower
– Fitness Areas
– Basketball, Football and Tennis Courts
– Beach Volleyball Courts
– Water Sports Facilities
– Restaurants
– Events Hall

When I passed by most of the water areas had been drained from water, especially all the kids areas which is why they’re dry in my photos. But the club still looked really nice with aesthetics that match the newly face-lifted Gulf Road waterfront.

I think my favorite part of the club was the infinity pool and the beach. The infinity pool was surrounded by a wooden deck and overlooked the huge beach giving off a trendy resort vibe. The beach also now looks huge since they removed the trees that used to separate the club from the beach. Previously you couldn’t really see the sea from the club because the trees were in the way, but now it’s completely open and so it felt like I was on a beach in LA.

Entry to the club will be by membership or tickets. The prices haven’t been decided on yet nor is there a solid opening date since UPAC only recently won the tender to manage the club. It should open this year, hopefully before the weather gets cold.

In other TEC news, Mabanee (Alshaya) recently won the tender for the Hilton Mangaf location. That means Hilton will end up closing down and Alshaya will reopen it with one of their many hotel brands like Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria, St Regis etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if they also opened Equinox there. Back in 2019, Alshaya partnered up with Equinox but they haven’t done anything with the brand yet. I had heard they were previously trying to take over the Corniche Club location to turn it into Equinox, but they ended up losing that tender to what eventually became SVN.

To stay posted on everything TEC, follow them @tecq8

Last month I did a road trip from Amsterdam to Copenhagen and below is a quick guide of all my favorite spots in Copenhagen. They are not touristic, nor are they TikToky, so you won’t find long lines, although some of the places do require booking ahead of time:

Eat
Krogs Fiskerestaurant and Kodbyens Fiskebar were my favorite seafood spots. I might have actually had the best fish dish I’ve ever had at Krogs (it was their catch of the day). Tokyo Restaurant for authentic Shabu-shabu, it’s also the oldest Japanese restaurant in Scandinavia. Jah Izakaya & Sake Bar for a less traditional and more hip Japanese spot. Oysters & Grill and Rouge Oysters for your more typical seafood and lots of oysters. Andersen & Maillard and Skipper Bageri for your baked goods and pastries. Slurp for Ramen, although it might be a bit TikToky, and finally, Osterberg for delicious ice cream.

Drink
Prolog was by far my favorite coffee spot and their bread, butter and cheese sandwich is top notch as well. Bread, butter and cheese was my favorite thing about Copenhagen, it’s like a staple over there. Orsa was my second favorite coffee shop and it also happens to be in a very cool neighborhood. HANS was also good and the more accessible coffee shop since they have multiple locations.

See
For furniture and accessories you have to visit Frama, Ferm Living and HAY House. For fashion, Another Aspect, Samsøe Samsøe and The Girl & The Diamond. For art supplies (don’t ask) Tutein & Koch. For a day trip out of the city, head to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art followed by Frederiksborg Castle and exploring the nature around it.

Sleep
I had a few hotels I looked at but eventually booked at Zuko. It’s a new hotel and their rooms looked like one of those small apartments in an episode of “Never too small”. It was very practical, spacious and the location was great, right outside the city center with the metro a 2 minute walk away. The hotel rooftop was a nice spot to chill at the end of the day and there was underground parking which I needed for my rental. Audo Residence and Manon les Suites were my plan B’s.

To see my previous lists, click here.

The oldest memory I have of Hardee’s is this 3D kids meal box. It’s from 1983 and I remember vividly picking it up from Hardee’s in old Salmiya, the location that was opposite Fay and Barakat (the shawarma place). The memory I have is being in the car parked outside Fay, and I remember as soon asI got in the car, the first thing I did was look through the red and blue windows to see if I could see anything inside. I also remember I had ordered a roast beef as my kids meal burger.

Back in 2015, I found the advert above in an old bookshop in the city which helped me re-spark that memory and I knew I needed to get the box again. Fast forward to last week, I finally found a box that was reasonably priced, was of Spiderman, and most importantly, included the comic. And now I have it thanks to eBay.

Update: I have an old photo of the building that used to house the Swan Lake music shop, Barakat and Fay. The photo was taken from my PDA, a Sony Clie UX40 back in the early 2000s and was posted on MoBlog back in 2004 (usurp.textamerica.com). Text America died and I never backed it up but I have the image as a thumbnail which I enlarged. Posting it here just for Google incase anyone in the future is ever looking for it. Hardees is the red lit up sign on the bottom left. Previous location of the first Wimpy location in Kuwait.

Random fact I recently discovered, the manager of the Swan Lake music shop in the 80s was the owner of the Bells music shop in the 90s.

I’ve never signed up to a meal plan because I really disliked the idea of pre-planning meals ahead of time. I never know what I want to eat until I actually want to eat. I also don’t like the idea of getting all my food in the morning, and then having to reheat them whenever it’s time to eat. Forevermore is a meal plan that solved both those issues for me.
 

Instead of having to pre-plan your meals, with Forevermore you just order the food you want when you want it, and you’ll get it within 45 minutes, just like ordering from a restaurant. But, their app is what makes them really special.

Imagine if the MyFitnessPal app also had a built-in restaurant, that’s basically what Forevermore is. When you first create a Forevermore account, the app will ask you a few questions about yourself,  like how much you weigh, how much you’d like to lose, and how quickly. Based on your answers, the app will calculate an optimum daily calorie intake for you which then becomes your daily target. Whenever you order anything from Forevermore, the app deducts the calories from your daily intake and lets you keep track of how much more you have left. It’s all visually displayed and updated throughout the day, and it can even connect to your phone’s health info to know if you worked out and how many calories you burned.

I’ve actually been enjoying the experience so much that after I finished consuming the one month trial package they had hooked me up with, I signed myself up for another month so I could continue ordering. I already have a lot of favorite items including their murabyan, mushroom steak bowl, butter chicken, fish & chips, katsu curry and their short ribs & mash.

If you’re looking for a new meal plan and want to try Forevermore out, they have a new summer package that goes live today called FM Bite where you can sign up for their meal plan at just 75KD. But, they also have a special trial package for my readers right now. Contact their call center on 22909427 and let them you heard about them through 248AM and they’ll give you a 25KD trial package that is valid for 1 week. Check them out on @forevermore.fm or download the app from this link.

Yesterday KDD launched a new line of ice cream they’re calling “Good for Me”. It’s ice cream that has zero percent added sugar making them healthier than their regular ice cream. Here is everything you need to know:

• They will be available in three flavors, vanilla, strawberry and chocolate

• It still tastes sweet because they use a combination of plant-based sweeteners, stevia and erythritol

• The chocolate cup has 130 calories while both the strawberry and vanilla have 140 calories (170ml)

• The total sugar in this ice cream is 6 grams (this is from the natural lactose in milk), which is 65% less than regular ice cream

• The ice cream does not contain artificial colors or flavors

• The price is 400 fils per cup (their regular old ice creams are 100 fils per cup)

• KDD will be launching more GOOD FOR ME products in the future (I hope they launch sugar free Silver 🙇🏼‍♂️)

• Good For Me was co-funded by The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences and Clinically tested by Dasman Diabetes Institute

Correction: I previously stated the number of calories were per 150g, it’s actually per 170ml and so I’ve corrected that.

I’m a very routine-oriented person, and one of the things I like to do is head to The Avenues every Friday morning, at least in the hot months when I can’t be outdoors. I just find it relaxing to walk around and shop, and before it gets busy, I have an early lunch and then leave. My go-to place for lunch is usually Em Sherif Café or Midar; but recently, I’ve added Matbakhi to the list.

Matbakhi is an authentic Palestinian restaurant that has been open for a couple of months. It’s owned by Chef Sawsan (@sawsansmatbakhi) and is inspired by her heritage and her mother’s recipes. I think I’ve been there six or seven times already, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite spots.

I think they have one of the best, if not the best, tabbouleh and shish taouk in Kuwait. The reason I first went there was because of their shish taouk. A friend at work who knows that’s all I ever eat tried their taouk and told me I had to try it because it was the best one she’d ever had, and she was right. Matbakhi is also one of those places where you can’t really go wrong no matter what you order. Every time I’ve been there with various people, everyone has always loved whatever they’ve ordered. Oh, and they also have the best Om Ali ever—seriously, so good.

Their prices are in the mid-to-upper range of Lebanese restaurants. The taouk, for example, is 4.950 KD, while the tabbouleh is 2.950 KD. The only negative aspect might be their service, which can be a bit iffy sometimes, but that’s just nitpicking. If you want to try the place out, they’re located across from Cheesecake Factory in Phase 3. They’re always pretty busy, so either head there when they first open at 12 PM (which is what I do), or put your name on the waiting list and then kill time walking around The Avenues. Their Instagram account is @matbakhibysawsan

The only thing I watched this week was the latest episode of The Kardashians and the two episodes of House of Dragons that are out. Last weekend I finally picked up “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” on the Nintendo Switch and I’ve been playing it non-stop so haven’t had much time for TV. I did just come across the tiktok video below that talks about how “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, one of my favorite shows ever is pro-Palestine.

I just sent it to my wife and hoping to convince her to finally watch the show with me since she really hates it. Plan B is to have her watch Arrested Development.

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

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

New This Week:
A Quiet Place: Day One (7.0)
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (7.4)
The King Tide (7.0)

Other Movies Showing:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (6.8)
Breathe (3.8)
Dragonkeeper (5.8)
Inside Out 2 (8.2)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (7.4)
The Bikeriders (7.3)
The Garfield Movie (6.0)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Classic) (9.0)
Tarot (4.9)
The Strangers: Chapter 1 (4.7)
The Watchers (5.7)

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

The Kuwait National Planetarium has reopened again after being closed since 2016 for renovations.

The planetarium was one of the first in the Gulf Region and originally opened back in 1986. The technology at the planetarium has been fully upgraded with a new system consisting of nine 4K video projectors, new computer technology and the modernization of the sound system. But, at the heart of it all is the Zeiss STARMASTER projection system. Only 19 of these STARMASTER projection systems are installed worldwide and they’re known for their high level of brightness, pinpoint sharpness, and providing a realistic starry sky.

The planetarium is open from Monday to Thursday with five shows playing daily at 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, 5:30PM and the last one at 6:30PM. Check out the current schedule and whats playing below. Entrance to the planetarium is free.

If you’ve never been to the planetarium before, it’s located on the Gulf Road, opposite Seef Palace and is part of the Kuwait National Museum. Here is the location on Google Maps.

Note: Just one thing to point out, this past week they’ve been having issues with the AC and have had to cancel some shows.

Update: I was given this number by the staff so that people can call and check ahead of time if they’re having AC issues or not 22408496

The Red Fort (also called the Red Palace) is one of my favorite historical sites in Kuwait. The fort was built in 1897 with the primary purpose to defend the agriculture farms in Jahra. In 1920 it was also the location of the famous Battle of Jahra.

Not a lot of people know about the fort, and most people who do haven’t been there. I’ve always found the fort to be very photogenic and visually interesting since we don’t have anywhere else in Kuwait that looks like it. I’ve also always loved how the fort was open to explore, you could enter any room you wanted, walk up any steps and just wander around the place enjoying the outdoors.

However, the fort needed some TLC. Last year, a team of local experts were assigned to revive and restore it, and they’ve been hard at work ever since.

The project has multiple stages, with the final stage being the complete restoration of the fort to its original state. However, the road to this goal is long, so the team began by enhancing the current visitor experience. For example, they added aesthetically pleasing lighting throughout the fort, making it more nighttime-friendly, which is important since the fort is open until 8PM. They also constructed new raised pathways to allow visitors to explore the main courtyard without having to walk in the dirt. But the most significant addition to the Red Fort is the brand-new ‘Arms & Armory Museum’.

The team took over an existing building right outside the walls of the fort and repurposed it into a new museum that will house more than two centuries of artifacts. The new Arms & Armory Museum will reflect the Kuwaiti society’s complex relationship with arms, serving as tools for self-defense, aiding in hunting, symbols of status and wealth, and ornate works of art to be admired.

I was given an early sneak peek of the museum and was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully it was coming together. The team managed to procure artifacts from the National Museum and private collectors but, since the display cases were only recently installed, the exhibit is still a work in progress. The aim is to have it ready to open by the end of summer, around the time schools start again so that students will be able to explore the museum when they visit.

The Red Fort is currently closed to the public while it’s being worked on. Once the museum is ready and the fort reopens, I’ll let you know or follow @kw_nccal for updates.

Fashion Way, the complex right across the street from Fanar Mall in Salmiya is getting demolished. I personally don’t have much attachment to it but I know a lot of people do.

Construction on that building started in the late 80s and it was rumored to be Safeway the supermarket chain opening there, right next to Sultan Center. The building wasn’t covered in the ugly grey alucobond panels like today, I think I remember it being white ribbed metal panels. But then the 1990 invasion happened and the main Safeway store in Farwaniya got burnt down and they never reopened in Kuwait again. I also just realized while digging up old photos of Safeway that Americana owned it in Kuwait. I never knew that even though it clearly says Americana right next to Safeway on their sign. It now makes sense why Americana had their fast food brands there 90s onwards.

The building eventually finished construction and opened in the mid 90s I think. I remember Sbarro Pizza opening there, it occupied the whole area where Americana was today, but back then it was just Sbarro and it was a dine in experience. Hardees was located in a blue and white colored standalone building next door where Starbucks is right now. When that Hardees building got demolished, they eventually moved in with Sbarro and KFC into Fashion Way.

Inside Fashion Way was Mothercare with their huge animated tree inside. Mothercare was still there until they closed down a couple of months ago as well.

I just tried finding out when Sbarro opened in Kuwait but couldn’t find anything. I found an article from 1995 in the New York Times which mentions Gennaro (Jerry) Sbarro being 29 years old when he came to Kuwait to open Sbarro. I tried to find his date of birth online and I found multiple Jerry’s but the closest one might be 1966 which means Sbarro opened in 1994-1995. I contacted Jerry to find out and see if he has any photos, will see if he responds.

Anyway, the building is getting demolished. Not sure what the plan is, but my guess is they’re going to build an office tower in its place.

If you work at Americana, get in touch with me since I’d love to dig up old stuff with you together. I previously got in touch with the Wimpy social media team because I was working on a post about the history of Wimpy in Kuwait and they were a disaster. Firstly they replied saying they would get in touch with me if there was a potential for future collaborations. I told them they misunderstood and I wasn’t looking for them to advertise with me or send me free food. I explained that I just needed some information for a post I was working on. So then they gave me a phone number to call.. the Wimpy delivery phone number. I called them out on that move and they just copy pasted the same information all over again about how they would get in touch with me in the future if there is potential for a collaboration.

The Soph Spot is a local merch store with a commitment towards helping a variety of causes, from injured children in Palestine, to animal welfare and ongoing regional challenges.

The idea came to Haya (not sharing her last name since she wants anonymity) because she was always helping animals and harassing everyone around her to do the same. But, she hated the idea of begging for donations, so she thought there must be another way to get people to donate and that’s when she came up with the idea for a merch shop (named after her dog Sophie who passed away) where all proceeds from the sales would go towards helping animals.

While in the process of creating The Soph Spot, Haya realized that her idea could also help a variety of causes, and since she’s half Palestinian, she decided to create a a line of Palestinian merch where proceeds would go to @heal.palestine. Recently, she also added a collection drawn by children, with proceeds of those sales going towards the Red Crescent Society, specifically for families who can’t afford medical care.

It’s a pretty smart, feel good concept, and one that works since people tend to like buying merch that supports a cause they care about. As of this post Haya is supporting three causes, but hopes to keep adding more as she goes. Her merch is actually really cool and I love some of the designs.

You can see some of the items above, but if you want to buy something or just show your support, the instagram is @thesophspot and the website is thesophspot.com