Not a super busy weekend but the events season still hasn’t really started so it will get busier as the weather cools down. Below are this weekends events:
Earlier this year, Korea Grill, the small Korean restaurant in New Park Hotel closed down along with the hotel and so they were forced to relocate. Last week they finally reopened but this time at the Radisson Blu and they’ve rebranded to The Kimchi.
The Kimchi took over the location of the Polynesian restaurant Kon-Tiki which had opened back in 2004 when Radisson Blu used to be the Radisson SAS. I believe Kon-Tiki closed down over a decade ago (not sure) and I think its been empty ever since. I remember I saw the place when I got a tour of the hotel after they refurbished it, but I don’t recall what this space was being used for back then. The interior was always nice looking with lots of wood and bamboo and private rooms built to look like small Asian structures. The restaurant is located underneath the Al Boom ship and the hull of the ship is integrated into the interior. The Kimchi updated the space a bit and it still looks good although I do wish the lights were dimmed a bit to give the space a moodier feel.
The menu is pretty huge now so I’m assuming everything that was on the menu at Korea Grill is still there along with a lot more new items. I went for some Korean BBQ and ended up ordering their set menu of assorted cuts for 2-3 people. It was good but I felt it was overpriced at KD28 considering neither of us left full. I actually contemplated passing by Peacock to continue dinner there because I was still hungry. I didn’t want to order any more food at The Kimchi since the service was incredibly slow and disorganized. I know that’s normal for a place that just opened but it was still frustrating having to ask for things multiple of times or watching people get their drinks or food before us even though they had come in later. I couldn’t wait to leave honestly.
I’ll give the place at least month or two before I head back again, hopefully by then they would have worked out all the kinks. Right now The Kimchi is open daily for lunch from 12PM to 3PM and then again for dinner from 6PM to 10PM. The place is big with lots of seating so I don’t think you need reservations. For more information and photos check out their instagram account @q8koreagrill
I canceled my live TV cable connection around 5 years back and signed up to Amazon Video, HBO, Hulu and Netflix for my TV fix. In addition to subscribing to those 4 I also have a YouTube, F1 TV and a UFC Arabia subscription bringing the total number of subscriptions to 7. But, even with all those subscriptions, I was still missing out on a lot of content, mainly shows on the History Channel and Food Network so I recently decided to sign up to Philo.
Philo is an internet television service that allows you to stream live TV channels as well as watch them on demand. There are over 50 channels on Philo including Food Network, History Channel, HGTV, Discovery and Motortrend. Since I signed up I’ve been mostly binging on Forged in Fire and Wheelers Dealers, two shows I like but previously only got to watch in hotel rooms during my trips.
I downloaded the Apple TV app for Philo and I found it fairly easy to flip through the channels and watch stuff, but it can be a bit overwhelming when there is so much TV. You can choose to watch shows currently playing live or watch older episodes that are archived and the combination of the two means you spend a lot of time just flipping through a ton of channels trying to figure out what to watch.
There are two main issues with Philo with the first being the price. Although it’s one of the cheapest options you can sign up to for watching live TV, it still costs $20 a month. That’s the most expensive subscription I have at the moment and to make matters worse, it’s full of commercials! At first, I didn’t mind the commercials because I hadn’t watched any in ages, but then when I realized I couldn’t skip through them and that they popped up frequently, it started getting really annoying very quickly. I wouldn’t mind paying $20 for live TV but to pay $20 and be forced to watch commercials I don’t think I can handle that.
It’s been less than a month since I subscribed to Philo and I am yet to decide if I will continue with my subscription or not. I’m still enjoying a bunch of shows and so I might keep the subscription going for another month or two before I make my decision. Like other subscription services, you need to use a VPN or a Smart Proxy service (which is what I use) to trick Philo into thinking you’re living in the US or you won’t be able to access the service.
If you’re looking for ways to stream live US channels, Philo is currently the most affordable route I’m aware of. For more info you can visit their website here.
I recently joined the Rimowa world by purchasing my first Rimowa suitcase last month and I loved it so much I ended up buying a second bag when I visited the Rimowa store in Dubai. Their stores are pretty cool (for a suitcase store) with lots of different accessories you can buy from limited edition stickers to customizable parts. Now Kuwait is getting it’s first store and it will be opening up in Avenues Phase 4, right next to the VOX Cinema escalators.
Movie studios have been purchasing and investing in properties over the past few years as their main currency: Marvel, DC, Disney, Star Wars… What property can we own and milk for years and years to come. But there’s one property no one has a monopoly on: Nostalgia. In this age of endless information, bad news, white nationalism, prejudice, and dabbing, people have had a need to relive the good old times. But when a film adaptation of IT was announced off the heels of the success of Stranger Things, I said “here we go again”. Surprisingly though, Andy Muschetti’s film turned out to be one of the most entertaining and well directed films of the year.
So when Vox Cinemas invited me to the premiere of IT Chapter Two, I didn’t hesitate. The event itself was quite fun, every seat had a gift bag with a poster, a funky pop Pennywise doll, and a few other little trinkets. For added effect, each seat had a red balloon tied to it. But the standout was an extremely dedicated actor dressed (with some impressive makeup) as the titular character. He would provide some fun jump scares to the guests as they walked into the theater (but thankfully disappeared when the actual film started). As a whole, it was a great experience from Vox and I hope they do this with every major release. Now let’s get to the film:
IT Chapter 2 picks up 27 years after part one, and after a disturbing opening sequence, we catch up with our characters all grown up, mostly successful, but separate from one another. However, after the resurgence of a familiar string of missing people back home, it becomes clear that they have to reunite and fulfill the pledge they made to each other at the end of the first film. And that’s as much as I’ll spoil in terms of the plot, because half the fun of the film is discovering it as it reveals itself.
It Chapter 2, like its predecessor, is one of the most entertaining films of the year. There was not a moment where I shifted in my seat or looked at my phone. The film is exciting, at times surprisingly hilarious, and sometimes pretty scary. The best thing about these films remains the characters and the performances. The casting of Chapter Two is impeccable. Probably the best casting I’ve seen where the adult actors look like their child counterparts. The characters themselves are fully developed and individual enough that they always keep the film entertaining. The performances by James McAvoy and Jesica Chastain are solid as always, but its clear the standout here is a hilarious but ultimately moving performance by Bill Hader (Barry fans rejoice!). The film as a whole doesn’t take itself too seriously and is aware that some of its plot’s sillier aspects (faithfully adapted from the original Stephen King novel who has a fun little cameo here) aren’t given too much weight to take away from the film itself. The story itself and the turns it takes is a bit disappointing, but it’s clear that Mushcetti has a lot of love and passion for this story and for filmmaking itself. Which brings me to the production. A second highlight of this film is its production value, specifically the cinematography, musical score, and directing itself. It’s directed with a strong visual and emotional intelligence, harkening back to the days of early Speilberg and Zemeckis, giving the film a kind of 90’s bravura of big visuals, big sound, a living camera, and little bit of cheesiness. As a director, Muchetti is definitely a talent to look out for. Some of the more “harrowing” sequences are beautifully shot and executed, and having a big budget horror spectacle like this is rare these days, so that alone is worth the watch.
However, not all things are great. Midway through the film it’s clear that the scares (while “bigger” here) aren’t as effective as the first time around. There is some creativity with the way Pennywise manifests the character’s fears, but it slowly gives the feeling of when you’ve seen one scary sequence you’ve seen them all. In addition, the themes of the different trauma’s the characters and the town endured growing up and how that helps them in the end, while clear to me as a book reader, didn’t translate so well in the finale.
And that brings me to the final 20 minutes of the film, which are exhilarating. I was kind of dreading it as everything the film was building towards felt a bit like the final sequence would be predictable, but I was so happy to be wrong. The film builds and builds and then it delivers a non-stop rollercoaster ride of horror, comedy, and emotions that by then I felt I could overlook the issues I had earlier on.
All in all, this is a GREAT time at the cinema. It’s not a perfect film, and it’s not as solid as the first one, but it’s definitely worth the price of the ticket, and is the kind of horror film that everyone (above 18) can enjoy.
The Ministry of Interior website has finally been revamped and although it still needs some work, at least it no longer looks like it was done by an intern using Microsoft Frontpage. The biggest change other than the visual appearance is the ability to check your traffic fines right from the front page (scroll down). That’s probably the most used feature on the website and so makes sense to have it on the main page.
I actually hadn’t checked mine in ages and just did and found 5 violations! I used to get an SMS telling me I had violations but I guess the SMS feature isn’t working. Sucks.
Anyway if you want to check out the new look click here.
The popular UK based Italian bakery Princi is coming to Kuwait soon based on job listings by Alshaya. Princi was created by the restaurateur Alan Yau who is behind other popular brands like Wagamama and Hakkasan. I posted about Princi back in 2013 after trying it out and since then the brand Princi got sold to Starbucks a few years ago which is how it ended up on Alshaya’s portfolio. No clue when it’s opening but it’s probably safe to bet that they’ll be opening a location at the Avenues.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a long time you probably already know how nostalgic I am which is why I also love old video games. Over the years I’ve posted about a variety of game consoles including ones that allow you to play old video games like the Pandora and Dingoo. LDK Game is a console I recently picked up and I’m so in love with it!
Firstly just a bit of background. My first game console ever with the Coleco which my parents got in me in the early 80s. Since then I’ve gone through everything from the Sakhr MSX2 and Commodore, up to the current consoles like the PS4 and Switch. My favorite console ever would have to be the Super Nintendo followed closely in second by the Sega Dreamcast.
The LDK Game is a pretty tiny portable unit that plays nearly every console from the 80s and 90s including a lot of games from the original PlayStation. For such a small (and cheap) game system it just blows my mind how well it does playing some of my favorite games. Out of the box, all you need to do is plug the unit into your computer via a regular USB cable and it will then show up as an external hard drive. You can then just drag and drop the games (roms) onto the unit in the proper folders, so SNES games in the SNES folder and PlayStation games in the PlayStation folder and that’s pretty much it. You then just launch the games using one of the many built-in emulators. If there is a missing emulator (like the MSX or Coleco one) you can then just download them and install them easily. Currently, I have games from the following consoles running on my LDK:
Coleco
DOS
Gameboy
Gameboy Advance
Mame
MSX
NeoGeo
Nintendo Entertainment System
Sega Game Gear
Sega Genesis
Sega Master System
Sinclair
Sony PlayStation
Super Nintendo
In addition to the above, I also have Doom, Quake, Wolf 3D and Duke Nukem 3D installed. I really have 90% of my favorite games ever running on this tiny console.
All the games I have installed run flawlessly. Older consoles like the NES and Gameboy obviously run flawlessly on many other systems but I used to run into issues running some SNES games on my previous game consoles. I don’t have that issue here, and not only that, somehow this unit can run PlayStation games. Not all of them mind you, 3D intensive games like Tekken run but aren’t playable on this but 2D games like Castlevania, NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat Trilogy run perfectly, and games like Ridge Racer, Tony Hawk 2 and GranTurismo seem to also run really well. Another surprise was the fact that it also ran DOS games. I managed to install some really old games like Prince of Persia, Test Drive 3, Captain Comic and even the original Need for Speed and they all ran flawlessly. Oh and even sprite intense NeoGeo games like Metal Slug and Mars Matrix run without a hint of slowdown.
The screen has a 4:3 ratio which means you can play old games without having awkward black bars on the sides like you do when playing old games on your new TV. The sound is also fairly loud because there are two speakers on the back but you can also plug in your headphones if you prefer. The LDK has 6 buttons, four on the front and two shoulder buttons which means you won’t have issues controlling SNES or PlayStation games.
The coolest thing about the LDK Game though is that it sells for just $56! That’s not a lot to pay for a game console that can basically run ALL the cool old games. In fact, if it only ran Castlevania Symphony of the Night I would have paid $56 to get it and not only does it run it and really well, but I can also play Super Metroid, NHL ’94, Neo Drift and a ton of other games all on the same device. I still can’t believe I can play Symphony of the Night on this! Even the battery life is great running at over 4 hours and because it uses a standard USB port, you can charge it on the go with any battery pack.
I ordered the console from the LDK website and shipped it to my US forwarding mailbox. But, the device ended up shipping from China so if I was to order it again I’d ship it straight to Kuwait or at least my Shop&Ship Chinese mailbox. If you want to get one, here is a link to their website.
Since I had a lot of free time over Eid I decided to do a hotdog comparison. My go-to place usually is Shake Shack but decided to try out the Five Guys hotdog and the Johnny Rockets one which I hadn’t had in years. Here are the results:
I had all three hotdogs with just ketchup and mustard. My favorite tasting one ended up being the Five Guys hotdog but in the end, Shake Shack ended up slightly edging out because of the price. Johnny Rockets was easily the worst of the three, the bun to hotdog ratio was completely off and I also thought it was the greasiest of the three.
What’s your favorite hotdog place in Kuwait?
Update: The Shake Shack hotdog is no longer being sold for KD1 and instead now costs KD1.5
My main travel suitcase for the last decade has been my indestructible black Tumi. I’ve traveled with it all over the world and loved it so much I even posted about it on the blog a few years ago. But, around five years ago I spotted a beautiful aluminum Rimowa bag with another traveler at the airport, it was dented, scratched up and I just fell in love with the look. I decided once my Tumi fell apart I’d buy one but that day didn’t seem like it was ever going to come since my Tumi just wouldn’t die on me. So last week, I decided to forcefully retire my Tumi.
A friend of mine wanted to buy a Rimowa polycarbonate bag so I tagged along with her to the dealer. While at the store I found out that they had just gotten a new shipment of silver range of aluminum bags. The dealer tends to get a limited number of them (in this case it was 2 of each size) and the silver ones tend to sell out quickly. I was already tempted as is but they also had a silent sale going on so the bag I wanted was selling for slightly less than it did online AND to top it off, the dealer had gotten last years model (the Topas) with the now discontinued “Electronic Tag” feature which I’ve been fascinated with ever since they launched it. So I decided to take the plunge and get the bag (yes I used the word plunge here for buying a bag, but you’ll understand why later when I talk about the price).
I really think this is the hottest looking bag you can buy period. I haven’t packed it away in my cupboard yet and so every time I pass by it I can’t help but admire the design. The bag is made of aluminum and is held together by rivets. It’s a thin sheet of metal so the suitcase tends to dent which although sounds like a negative, is actually one of the reasons people are attracted to it. Bags will get worn out and scratched up with travel, but the more worn out and scratched up the Rimowa bags get, the more interesting and personalized they start looking. It’s why other manufacturers have also started introducing aluminum suitcases as well.
Then you have the “Electronic Tag” feature. This was Rimowa’s innovative idea where they wanted to replace the paper barcode tags they stick on luggage with digital versions. The idea was you’d check-in your suitcase and the airline would wirelessly transmit the tag to your luggage and it would be displayed on the screen. Only 4 airlines ever signed up to it and the idea never took off so Rimowa discontinued it last year. But, what I was interested in was the ability to customize that screen. You see Rimowa also allowed you to upload whatever personal information and image you wanted to that screen using their app. That’s why I wanted the “Electronic Tag” and that’s the first thing I did when I got the bag. The screen now has my name, email and phone number, with an image of my previous car which I had taken.
The screen magically doesn’t require any batteries to display the image. It uses two AAA batteries to power the Bluetooth connection, but once you transfer over the image and data, you can just remove the batteries and the screen will stay on indefinitely. No idea how that works, I still need to read up on the screen technology but I love it. But, although the screen is one way of customizing my bag, I still need to put a few stickers on it and I have a lot saved up to choose from.
The reason why it’s taken me so long to buy this bag isn’t only because my Tumi was refusing to die, but also because these bags are so freakin’ expensive. The bag I got isn’t really big, I think it’s their smallest check-in size and with the 10% discount they had, the bag cost me KD280. That’s really expensive and even when I made up some random maths in my head to try and convince myself that it made sense (280 spread over 10 years is just 28 a year!), it still didn’t make any sense. But, it’s something I’ve wanted for some time now and since I didn’t travel over Eid I figured at least I could buy a new suitcase.
One interesting thing I found out is that Jashanmal will no longer be the dealers for Rimowa in Kuwait which is why they currently have the bags discounted. This was the last shipment of Rimowa bags the dealer will be getting and that’s because last year the company LVMH (they own Louis Vuitton and a gazillion other premium brands) purchased Rimowa. So the dealership in Kuwait is now changing hands and my guess is that Habchi & Chalhoub, the company that has LV in Kuwait will be taking over the brand. They also have the rights for the Tumi brand in Kuwait, so no idea how that’s gonna work out for them.
If you’re interested in a Rimowa suitcase then this might be a good time to get one with their discounts. They’re available at the Jashanmal store in Kuwait City as well as their store in Avenues “Around the World”.
Found this photo on a twitter account with the caption “First elephant in Kuwait for the zoo – Kuwait 1952”. I’m not sure which zoo though since the current one opened up in 1968, so could be some other zoo that was open back then (did Ahmadi have a zoo?) or maybe it was part of a traveling circus? Still cute though.
Update: Supposedly there was a zoo called the Salwa Garden, and it was the first zoo in Kuwait and the GCC. Trying to get more info on this now.
Update2: Check out the snippet below
Not many visitors to the Zoo at Omariya know that Kuwait was the first country in the Gulf where a zoo was established، in 1955. And even less people will remember that it was Shaikh Jabir Al Abdullah Al Jabir Al Sabah who set up the region’s first zoo known as Salwa garden، after which the place Salwa was so named subsequently. He purchased animals، with his own money and eventually transferred his collection in 1965 to form the nucleus of Umariya Zoo.
The long and moving story has been told in the book titled “Salwa Garden: the first zoo in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf” written and published by his daughter Shaikha Mona Jabir Al Abdullah Al Jabir Al Sabah، Assistant Undersecretary of Al Diwan Al Amiri and author of several research-oriented books on Kuwait and the Gulf. Source
Update3: How am I just finding out about this? The picture below is of the entrance to the zoo and you can see a couple of more photos here.
Back in 2014, I found out about a bookstore located inside the Al Bahhar Entertainment Village (Youm Al Bahar) called the Kuwait Heritage Library. I never went back to it after my initial trip but decided to do so this past Friday to see if it was still there. It was!
Since my last visit, the place has changed quite a bit, the shelves now reach the ceiling and the tiny shop was even more packed with books. It’s pretty hard to move around inside the shop now because there are books everywhere.
What I loved about the bookshop is the vast amount of old books it contained in both English and Arabic. I found a ton of stuff I wanted but they were sadly all overpriced. For example, they had an original copy of the Sons of Sinbad book by Alan Villiers priced at KD150 when similar condition books can be found online for around 40-50KD. They also had The Kuwait Urbanization book listed for KD170 when better condition copies can also be found online for around KD100 (I got mine for KD50).
BUT, if you love digging through piles of old books and flipping through pages of vintage books on Kuwait then you’re gonna really love this place. They’re open in the evening from around 6PM to 10PM but their AC isn’t working really well right now so its SUPER HOT inside. So if you pass by make sure you’re in your gym gear or something you don’t mind sweating in. If you don’t know where Youm Al Bahar is, here is the location on Google Maps. They’re also on Instagram @kuwait.heritage.library
Last Thursday I was at the National Library looking for a specific book related to the Iraq invasion when I found a book called “Kuwaiti Resistance as Revealed by Iraqi Documents“. From the cover, it didn’t look like much but after flipping a few pages I was hooked. I knew I wanted that book so I went online to buy one from Amazon or eBay when I noticed the book was published by the Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait. The center was located next to my office so after work I decided to head to their small bookshop to see if they had it. They did, in fact, they had the book in English, Arabic, and French and for just KD3!
I’ve been meaning to post about the place for some time now ever since I found out they had a book shop. It was a small shop with just their publications so didn’t think it would be an interesting post but then on Thursday I also found out they had a library with a lot of interesting books and it was open to the public!
The Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait was established in 1992 with a number of objectives but mainly to collect various documents and studies relating to the Iraqi aggression against Kuwait. The book I purchased is one of many books the center has published on the invasion but they also have a wide range of books on Kuwait (history, environment, wildlife, etc).
The center has a library which although not as big as the National Library at least is open in the afternoon so people with jobs can pass by after work. The library is mostly filled with Arabic books but they did have a pretty decently sized section filled with English books as well as an archive of researches and presentations including proposals on the Kuwait Water Front Project (the Gulf Road basically) and original plans for the Kuwait Radion Television Centre which I had never seen before. They also had an archive of LIFE magazine issues dating from 1956 to 1963, two copies of the Saba Shiber book The Kuwait Urbanization and another book by Saba I didn’t know existed called Recent Arab City Growth (also dating back to the 60s and there is a copy on eBay for $375 so someone, please buy it right now because I can’t afford to buy all the rare books on Kuwait by myself).
If you’re looking to buy some books or spend some time in a library flipping through old books on Kuwait this is the place. Like I said it’s nowhere near as big as the Nationa Library but at least they have better opening hours. The center is open from 8AM to 1:30PM and then again from 5PM to 7:30PM. Here is their location on Google Maps.
Apartment hunting has always been a hassle and tedious task no matter where in the world you go. Finding a modern apartment with all the necessary and basic amenities as well as additional facilities can be a time-consuming chore. At Tijaria real estate, we combine the notion of modern living with luxury, comfort and the benefit of convenience. With our huge real estate portfolio, finding the perfect home for you and your loved ones is no longer a challenge.
In this months’ pick of prime real estate spaces, we bring two unique and exceptional properties in the residential location of Mahbula. Our first pick is the Thatcher Residential Complex (Symphony Furnished Apartments – SFA) located on the Fahaheel expressway.
This property has:
• 3 connected buildings over 16 floors, 77 apartments, 1 commercial store, 6 villas that consist of 2 floors with 4 master bedrooms each, a garage that fits 2 cars and 222 parking spaces.
• All apartments are uniquely furnished, serviced and managed with state of the art facilities and amenities.
• The property includes facilities for both adults and children such as a swimming pool, Health club, Squash Courts, Sauna & Jacuzzi as well as a Barbecue area and a Green area perfect for creating memories with your loved ones.
• In addition, each residential unit at Thatcher Complex comes with a spacious balcony overlooking the pool and kids play areas as well as offering fabulous sea-facing sunset views.
Our second pick of the month is the gorgeous Juman Residential Project also located on the Fahaheel Express Road in Mahboula. Designed to consist of Two building complexes, 12 floors each, consisting of spacious and pristine,
• One, two and three-bedroom apartments, 3 and 4 bedroom duplex apartments along with townhouses consisting of 3 floors and commercial shops.
• In the center of the project, we have an oasis of luxury facilities such as swimming pools, gymnasium, squash court, children’s playground area, fountain, and a multipurpose hall both suited for adults and children within the residential complex.
• Amenities also include underground parking, Garbage Chute, Internet, and selected sports and OSN channels. Both properties have 24×7 Security present on site.
Home is where you come back to unwind and relax, it is no longer concrete and walls, we at Tijaria understand and imbibe this concept of creating spaces that not only bring comfort but also combine the concept of modern living and creating spaces that you can enjoy just at your doorstep. We build modern comfortable luxury spaces that you want to come back to with your loved ones no matter where in the world you go.
To get a tour or more information about our properties please call 22285616 – 97272745.
