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I’ve been meaning to try Bonjiri ever since they opened a few months ago but only got around to passing by last night. Bonjiri is located a couple of streets down from my place in Salmiya, right next to Tampopo. It’s actually for the same owner as Tampopo, Chef Maryam Alnusif (or just Mimi).

Yakitori means grilled bird in Japanese and that’s what the menu at Bonjiri mainly revolves around. The menu has a small appetizer section and a main section featuring a large selection of skewers, each made using a different part of the chicken. For example, you can order a chicken skewer that is made of inner thighs, or back meat, or breasts. If you’re really adventurous you can choose chicken tail, liver, or knee cartilage. There is no meat on the menu but there is duck, and sometimes, depending on her supplier, there could be seafood (there was octopus last night).

Since I hadn’t tried 90% of the chicken parts on the menu I had Mimi choose the skewers for me which resulted in a fairly exciting experience. I didn’t know what I would get until it was served to me and I was down to eat whatever she grilled as long as it wasn’t chicken wings (I’d rather eat chicken ass -which I did last night- but not eat chicken wings). Looking at my bill now, I had a total of 6 or 7 skewers with my favorite easily being the Tsukune Don. Tsukune is a chicken and duck meatball and comes with a side of tare egg yolk. You’re meant to burst the egg yolk using the tip of the skewer and then mix the sauce up before dropping and rolling your skewer into it. Once you’re done with your skewers, you pour the remaining sauce over a small bowl of butter rice and eat that. It was really delicious and like everything else I tried last night, it was a new flavor I hadn’t experience before.

The interior to Bonjiri is also one of my favorite parts. Mimi took everything she learned with Tampopo and created a new space that was similar in concept, just with all the bottlenecks and issues of Tampopo sorted out. The interior has a bar on both sides surrounding the kitchen which is now located in the middle of the space. Visually it looks like nothing else in Kuwait and as busy as the place will get, it won’t feel overcrowded and tight like it does at Tampopo.

Bonjiri has two prices for the skewers, KD1.750 for the main ones and KD1.500 for the “bold” skewers. There are also a few appetizers to choose from and an Eton Mess dessert to finish up with. If you’re interested to check the place out, they currently open only on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays from 3 to 9 PM. So if you can’t make it today, you’re going to have to wait till next Sunday to pass by. Here is their location on Google Maps and you can find them on Instagram @bonjiri.yakitori

Around 12 years ago I was introduced to a restaurant that had Korean BBQ, the only condition was I wouldn’t be allowed to post about it. I didn’t mind that, I had a few places that were just mine and not to share and just added Golden Dragon to that list. It was one of my favorite places and I used to frequent it a lot. It used to always be busy since the Huawei staff lived in a building nearby and they’d always pack the place. But, a few years ago I just stopped going, no particular reason, maybe because it was too far or some other reason I forgot, but I only went back again for the first time last week.

Golden Dragon is a small hole-in-the-wall Chinese/Korean restaurant in Mahboula. It used to be an interesting-looking space because of the network of DIY-looking vents that ran around the ceiling and would drop down to the table (the picture above is an old picture I took). These vents could be pulled down onto the table and be used to extract all the smoke and carbon monoxide coming out of the charcoal grill located in the middle of every table.

The place looks a lot different now, based on images posted up on Google it looks like the change happened 3 years ago around the time I stopped going. The interior is a lot darker than it used to be and the walls are now covered in wood with all the seating replaced with wooden benches and tables. It kinda looks more like a steakhouse than a Korean grill. The other major change is the fact the charcoal grills are no longer in the middle of the table but off to the side with the smoke extraction system built into the grill. It doesn’t work as efficiently as the previous system but does look more professional. I personally don’t like the way the place looks like now, and because the vents don’t work as well, you will 100% leave smelling like a BBQ.

I’ve only tried one thing on their menu, the beef. That’s it, never tried anything else on the menu nor am I interested to try anything else. I just like getting the raw beef and grilling it on the charcoal grill. I hate that the grill is off to the side now since previously when I’d go with friends everyone would grill their own food in the middle of the table. With the new set up you now need to assign a griller to do the grilling and that person is going to be the one closest to the grill.

The beef is still as good as I remember it being. They slice the beef a bit thicker now but it still tastes the same. The price of the dish is KD3.5 and you would need one per person plus maybe veggies on the side to grill (I go for sweet potato). I’m not aware of any other place in Kuwait that has a charcoal grill built into the table so Golden Dragon is unique in that. If you want to check the place out, here is their location on Google Maps.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend you should consider passing by the Amricani Cultural Centre and check out their museum. Amricani is part of the Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah who have a collection of more than 20,000 items of rare Islamic art. Some of these rare items are displayed at the Amricani in rotation, changing every couple of years.

The exhibition area is located on the top floor and spans countless rooms, a lot bigger then you would expect it to be. You can choose to book a tour or just walk in and explore by yourself.

Here are their timings:

Monday to Thursday and Saturday: 10 AM to 7 PM
Friday: 2 PM to 7 PM
Sunday: closed

If you want to book a tour, send an email to both: [email protected] and [email protected]

Here is the location of the Amricani Cultural Center on Google Maps.

Just a quick update on my previous post on the Grand Mosque Tours. You now no longer need to pre-book a Saturday tour, walk-in tours are now available. Check the previous post for more details.

Since last week’s list proved to be popular, here are some more new places for you to try out.

Baba G – A shawerma place located in the city
Beef & Liberty – A smashed wagyu burger concept
Chickz – A delivery only fried chicken concept
Crust Pizza – A tiny pick-up and delivery only Neapolitan pizza concept
Eli’s Burgers – I don’t get their instagram account 🤔
Frank’s Steak Sandwiches – A delivery only concept based around Philly cheesesteaks
Good Fillings Pie Shop – They have 3 kinds of pies (definitely need to try this)
Robin’s – A European style cafe & bistro located in Massaleh Towers

If you want to share any new places, please do so in the comments.

A 3 meters wide micro-apartment was just featured in the popular design and lifestyle publication Wallpaper*. The duplex apartment was designed by Studio Madouh and looks pretty cool in the photos. Sadly, there strangely aren’t any photos of the rooms but you can check out some exterior shots and some other interior shots on the Wallpaper* website here.

via @zaydoun

I have such a long to-do list of places to try but honestly, just haven’t been in the mood to pass by and try most of them. Since my list isn’t getting any smaller, I’m just going to share it here in case anyone else is looking for a new place to try:

Bakehaus – They just opened up at The View Mall
Bob’s Drive-In – Burger place with branding thats a bit too similar to Big Boy
Bonjiri – A yakitori spot by the chef behind Tampopo
Deep Dish – A deep dish pizza place (might be an alternative to Boccini)
Its Hidden – A secret restaurant that seems over priced
Koto – New Japanese delivery concept
Madeleine – A brunch concept thats open only on weekends
Pb – Just opened and serving both pizza and burgers
PETE’S – Another pizza place but this one serves NY style
Phet Phet – A thai food concept thats delivery only and the only place on the list that I’ve actually tried. I like it and think they might have the best Pad Thai ever.
Top Notch – Another burger place, this one near AUK in Salmiya

Anything else new? Let me know in the comments.

A couple of months back the Grand Mosque tours were reactivated again and this time they have a new permanent calligraphy exhibition featuring work by calligraphers from all over the world.

The tours are available by booking only for Saturdays at 10AM while walk-in tours are available on weekdays from 9AM to 11AM and then again 4PM to 6PM. UPDATED CHECK BELOW

In addition to regular Covid health instructions, there is also a dress code: no sleeveless shirts nor short shorts for men, and full-length cloaks and headscarves for women. If you’d like to book a tour you can contact Jenan on 22342367 or just head there during the middle of the week for the walk-in tours.

Here is the location on Google Maps.

Update: Saturday tours no longer require pre-booking, walk-in tours are now available on Saturdays as well.

Last month I posted about a restaurant in Avenues that accept cryptocurrency as payment and now there are two more shops that accept crypto.

Outwest: The local lifestyle shop now accepts Bitcoin as payment

VI BY VOGULARITY: The local fashion label now accepts Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Ethereum as payment

Better Books: They have over 10,000 books including some really old ones and they accept Bitcoin as payment.

If you know of any other local shops that accept crypto let me know in the comments.

China Great Wall is my go-to hole in the wall for hot pot. Hot pot if you don’t know is a way of cooking at your table using a boiling pot of soup stock that you throw your raw ingredients into. You can order the pot in different flavors like spicy or none spicy or order a two-way pot which is a pot split in half and containing two different flavors of stock. You then have two pages worth of items you can order to cook ranging from different proteins like beef or lamb, to veggies like mushrooms and greens. It’s a lot of fun and the hot pot at China Great Wall is pretty good.

The price is also great costing just 2.5KD for a single flavored pot or 3.5KD if you want a two-way. In addition to the pot you then pay per ingredient, so a dish of raw beef for example is 2.250KD, pakchoi is 1KD, morning glory 750fils etc.. The place is fairly small with just 5 tables so it tends to get busy really quickly.

If you’re interested in trying China Great Wall, their instagram is @chinagreatwallrestaurant and here is their location on Google Maps.

One of our company employees has been stuck in the US for months due to the restriction on expats coming into Kuwait and while there she got her vaccination. When the airports reopened she uploaded her vaccination paperwork to the MOH website to be validated but it still hasn’t gotten approved even though it’s been nearly a month.

She ended up missing her flight back to Kuwait so instead, she applied for a Saudi visa online since we have an office there, and in contrast, it took just 3 minutes to get her vaccination validated and visa issued!

Based on the responses under my previous post, I know a lot of you are still waiting for your vaccinations to get approved, but for those of you who already got it approved, how long did you have to wait??

Layla is a new Lebanese gourmet grocery store that opened up in Salmiya opposite Marks & Spencer. They carry a lot of imported Lebanese products ranging from Bonjous and Master Chips (Lebanese equivalent to Sunkist and Kitco), to Lebanese dairy products, fruits, bread, pickles and more.

It’s actually very similar to the other Lebanese store Lama, except instead of the Lama branded products Layla carries their own brand. If you want to check the place out they’re on Instagram @laylalbkw and here is their location on Google Maps.

Is it me or does anyone else find it weird that the first activity listed on the Kuwait Tourism website are the smart toilets? It’s even more apparent on mobile phones since the first activity that comes up when scrolling down are the toilets.

There is a Turkish restaurant in Avenues called Seyami Usta that now accepts cryptocurrency as a means of payment. They’re the first local business I’m aware of that accepts cryptocurrency and it’s odd that it’s a restaurant and a Turkish one at that. Payment is done through Binance Pay and is only available at their Avenues location.

If you’ve been there and paid with crypto, let us know how your experience went.

Thanks abalawadhi

Friday night I was in my car leaving my street when a white pickup truck stopped in front of me and started talking to some Egyptian workers on the street. The guy in the pickup then suddenly slammed the door open on one of the workers, went down, and started shoving him and yelling at him.

Not an unusual scene but things do get a bit odd. The guy in the white shirt then goes back into his car and grabs a lanyard with an ID on it and then comes back out and grabs the Egyptian guy and starts flashing the lanyard in his face and yelling at him to give him his Civil ID card. I was out of my car at this point and I tried to get a clear look at the ID card and couldn’t, but I assume he was some sort of cop. The guy in the white shirt then pushed the worker to the floor and started punching him.

We managed to separate the two and I held on to the guy in the white shirt to calm him down since he didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind. The guy in the white shirt then went back to his car and got handcuffs and was shoving and threatening the worker that he was gonna handcuff him. He then put his handcuffs away and went opened the backdoor to take out his police baton so he could beat the guy with it. The whole time I’m trying to hold the guy back and calm him down. He eventually did, enough to get back in his car and speed off.

My dashcam captured the incident including the license plate of the white pickup. The video above is two very short clips I stitched together but the actual full video is in 4K and around 3-minutes long. I cropped the video just for this post so I could hide the license plate number but I’m wondering if I should send the full video to one of the MOI Instagram accounts because obviously this situation was messed up especially if the guy was cop or pretending to be one. Actually, now that I’ve written out my thoughts I’m thinking I should probably drop the whole thing and not risk getting deported or something. So not worth it.