Burger Review: Prime & Toast

Prime & Toast
The Best Burger in Kuwait Challenge
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.

Prime & Toast

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



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65 Comments, add your own...

  1. 1. jane d | March 14th, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    you should try the Bredz burger from Bredz in souq sharq

  2. 2. Mark | March 14th, 2008 at 9:56 pm

    I will. I am looking forward to that and the Gaucho Grill burger which is also highly recommended.

  3. 3. Frankom | March 14th, 2008 at 10:06 pm

    :: I would recommend Guacho Grill but why should i pay KD5.750 or at least KD1 while i can buy the best burger from Sultan Center or any other place cheaper than that.

    Home made burger is the best burger ever, all you have to do is to buy some dressing and such things that you might need it to grill your own Home burger.

  4. 4. Mark | March 14th, 2008 at 10:09 pm

    I could also make my own pepsi at home and roll my own sushi at home and make my own ice cream at home. the aim of these reviews is for me to find the best burgers in kuwait.

    I do some pretty good burgers at home myself
    http://www.248am.com/mark/personal/review-kobe-burger-by-auskobe/

    but thats not what i am looking for here

  5. 5. manymonths | March 14th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    The “red powdery stuff” is called paprika, yes the burger is quite over priced, but its quite delicious, ask for it next time without all of the extra garnish.

    burgers to try:
    la marina at soug sharg, the plate comes with two 3 1/ to 4 inch burgers instead of one large one, and with cheese and fries on the side.

    Gaucho is good but make sure you choose the right type of cut, lean rib eye atc..

    Slider station,, the sliders taste very different then the large ones. opt for the cheese slider or west coast they are the simplest

    Burger Hub, many to try but heavenly plain is simple yet the sauce gives it a different touch.

    to be able to rate burgers and other food it is important that you have a proper taste for food and know a lot about the different ways of seasoning and preparing the dish, as well as choosing the right combinations of garnishes and sauces,

    I have noticed that you are a fan of quite a few fast food restaurants and also have a taste for microwaveable meals,,,
    paprika among many other seasonings require a more sophisticated palatte so keep in mind when rating restaurants, maybe you should divide the categories up, gourmet, fast food, fusion burgers and etc..

  6. 6. UncleBenz | March 14th, 2008 at 10:55 pm

    No flame Mark! but do you get these meals for free when you introduce to them the Best Burger Challenge you are doing ?

  7. 7. yo | March 14th, 2008 at 11:17 pm

    try johny rockets burger..the orignal

  8. 8. Steve_leb | March 14th, 2008 at 11:28 pm

    KD 5.750 WTF?!?!?!?! it’s a damn burger.. what is the world coming to.. 20$ for a burger.. that is a rip off.. i would fuckin leave the place at one.. it is as if the guy is looking deep into my eyes and saying to me.. i’m fucking stealing your money and there is nothing you can do about it.. it is not a steak or a real meal that needs a damn chef for god sake..

  9. 9. kwt23 | March 14th, 2008 at 11:43 pm

    u should’ve known it was going to be complicated…tomatoes, lettuce and mushroom and wut looks like swiss cheese just doesn’t work together. You could have a burger with mushrooms swiss cheese and onions (aka mushroom and swiss burger) or a burger with lettuce tomato and cheese (aka classic burger).

  10. 10. Mark | March 15th, 2008 at 12:05 am

    manymonths the burger wasn’t delicious thats why i gave it a 2.5. You don’t need a degree in cooking to be able to tell the difference between a good burger or a bad one.

    kwt23 tomatoes and lettuce and mushroom is not that weird in a burger, its the fact that the actual tomatoes and mushrooms were cut up in large chunks which made things weird.

    UncleBenz no i dont get them free, i pay for the burgers.

    Steve_leb i heard there is a 12KD burger at slider station which i will probably try for this review. Burgers are under appreciated because of fast food joints. people feel uncomfortable paying KD5 for a burger when they can get a burger for 750fils. But there really is a world of a difference between the two.

  11. 11. Explorer | March 15th, 2008 at 2:01 am

    Price/Quality ratio: 2.3 ;)

  12. 12. STING | March 15th, 2008 at 2:18 am

    johnny rockets is the best mako `3aira

  13. 13. Basit | March 15th, 2008 at 2:40 am

    chef ramsey’s main tip : keep it simple.

    too many flavours confuse the person eating it. so true.

  14. 14. Damon Dash | March 15th, 2008 at 2:43 am

    yes there is sting and many too

  15. 15. Cigano | March 15th, 2008 at 3:01 am

    Hey Mark. I’ve heard alot of good things about the burger at Hashi, so you should probably give that a try.

  16. 16. sfsa78 | March 15th, 2008 at 6:37 am

    J.Rocket is original burger is the best.. without a doubt.

    Basil.. you mean Gordon Ramsay the famous brit chef? Or that rubbish restaurant in kuwait named chef ramsey.

  17. 17. Mark | March 15th, 2008 at 9:29 am

    lol no i think he means gordon ramsay from kitchen nightmares and hells kitchen.

  18. 18. kuw111 | March 15th, 2008 at 9:29 am

    try center point Cafeteria Behind mjam3 aláwgaf they have great burger

  19. 19. Bujasim | March 15th, 2008 at 11:39 am

    I have to agree with you with the red powder; it should be optional because we are not used to it in Kuwait, but the burger it taste better than burger hub, slider station and breadz when you compare it to the same type of burgers in there menu.

    They are rated the #1 shop in kuwait for gourmet selected items based on many internationl chiefs whom visited the place. In the end its a taste preference and I would rate them 4 stars out of 5 and 4 because they dont have more burger selection….:)

  20. 20. Mark | March 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    Bujasim I doubt thats true, probably just marketing gimmick. They can say they are rated #1 but thats bullshit unless they can say who rated them #1 and I don’t think anyone has gone around rating places in Kuwait.

    Nat had the club sandwich and it wasn’t special. Most of the reviews online don’t say anything special about the place and neither anyone of my friends who’ve been to Prime & Toast have anything positive to say about them. Not only that but for Friday lunch the place was empty when we came in and empty when we left while burger hub and slider station were packed.

    Their burger honestly was not great thats why they got 2.5, i’ve had better burgers at burger boutique, slider station and fuds. Hopefully the burgers at burger hub don’t taste as bad as prime & toast, I think they are for the same owner so they would probably use the same patty. I don’t think Prime & Toast will remain open much longer if they can’t fill up a few tables on a Friday.

  21. 21. Bujasim | March 15th, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    There are many people like you mark who rates and maybe they see things you dont but in the end its your preference & there prefernce;its like saying when you rate someone 5 stars out 5 its a marketing gimmick :)
    in addtion FYI prime & toast owned 100% to Sultan Center whom provides the wagu beef to Kuwiat.

  22. 22. Mark | March 15th, 2008 at 1:31 pm

    Bujasim not its not the same. I am rating other places so when I give a place 5 out of 5 its not a marketing gimmick its my personal opinion. While Prime & Toast are rating themselves #1 Gourmet Restaurant in Kuwait thats why its a marketing gimmick.

  23. 23. Bujasim | March 15th, 2008 at 2:33 pm

    Mark, Correction Sultan center never said we are #1;
    it was group of internationl chiefs who visited the shop stated there opinion these guys rated P&T just like you and any other person with personal views; they simply thought it is # 1 …looking forward for your next review.

  24. 24. Pink Moon | March 15th, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    Our store is on the same strip so I have been to all 3 restaurants many times. Never tried the burger at Prime and Toast but I like the pastas. The dish I order over and over though is the Ribe-eye steak. It is honestly one of the best steaks I have ever had, and the marinate is amazing. I’m not a big meat person but I looooove the steak there.

    The reason Prime and Toast isn’t full is that they never had an opening or did any promotion. Last I heard they were still in their ’soft opening’ phase but its been a while so I dont know.

  25. 25. Mark | March 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pm

    Bujasim, I see you used the word “we” as in Prime & Toast belongs to you, I guess that explains why you are so defensive about this review.

    Anyway could you provide me with a link to where these international chefs posted their reviews or the magazine in which the international chefs said that Prime & Toast was #1 in Kuwait.

    Please don’t take my review personally.

  26. 26. Bujasim | March 15th, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    No Mark I used to be a share holder in Sultan center 4 years ago I dont hold the stock anymore :) , when I said we I meant us who lives in Kuwait you , me & nat who did visit P&T plus my english is not as good as yours im KU graduate :)

    please dont take my review personal and I didnt mean when I said 5 stars out of five stars that you are rating your old friends or others differently; and Im not arguing or trying to make you look like a loser..just 100% pure opinion and you can check brown book its a mag in UAE or bazar reviews; or visit : http://www.gulfood.com and you will find more info about prime n toast…

  27. 27. Mark | March 15th, 2008 at 4:39 pm

    Bujasim Bazaar don’t do negative reviews, everything is 5 out of 5 stars to them so don’t take that too seriously. I checked gulfood.com and didn’t find any info on Prime & Toast. Brownbook I haven’t checked but I was asking for some kind of proof where it says international chefs (whomever they are) rated Prime & Toast at the #1 gourmet place in Kuwait. Also who came second and third?

  28. 28. Bujasim | March 15th, 2008 at 4:52 pm

    You can meet them if you want or call them; please note its there own opinion…when are you free to meet them?

  29. 29. Mark | March 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

    I don’t want them to tell me they are #1, thats my whole argument! lol

  30. 30. Bujasim | March 15th, 2008 at 4:57 pm

    lol; ok

  31. 31. vampire | March 15th, 2008 at 6:16 pm

    again mark,, applebees,, mushrom burger,, it’s not my favorite but since u r doing this best-burger thing…

  32. 32. Omar | March 15th, 2008 at 6:49 pm

    WOW THAT COSTS 6KD WHAT A FUCKING RIP OFF!

    THATS LIKE $20!!!!

  33. 33. Cerebral Assassin | March 16th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    kuw111,the centrepoint burger sucks ass!!its a cheap ass rip-off of a burger,its so bad,no its a DISGRACE!!.I work in the building in front of centrepoint,so i eat there quite a lot,and i usually eat anything but their lame ass burger!!

  34. 34. dudeq8 | March 16th, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    prime and toast is the only place in kuwait you can get steak and eggs on a fri morning to nurse away a nasty hangover. That alone gives them a 5 out of 5 for me!

  35. 35. Z | March 16th, 2008 at 3:56 pm

    I think your tastebuds might have failed you on this particular burger!

  36. 36. Mark | March 16th, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    Or I am just expecting my burger to taste a certain way…

  37. 37. koorosh | March 16th, 2008 at 9:29 pm

    HI folks…

    Salam

    For all you Mcdonalds lovers out there, Check this out:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic

    peace

  38. 38. zaydoun | March 17th, 2008 at 1:14 pm

    Forget the Prime & Toast burger and go for Brunch.. YUM!!!!!!!!!!!

  39. 39. Bujasim | March 17th, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    I agree with zaydoon mark , plus I think there burger taste great :) , according to international cheifs ratings which you bashed previously ;and allowed in JR review according to you anyone can rate now without bieng serverly attacked by you.

    Cheers

  40. 40. Mark | March 17th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

    Bujasim I didn’t bash international chefs ratings, I told you no international chef rated the place, that it was a gimmick and they just rated themselves #1… not unless you can provide proof of their reviews and scores which you couldn’t. So get your facts straight.

  41. 41. Bujasim | March 17th, 2008 at 10:10 pm

    How they rate them selves #1 ; please give there opinion a chance in your blog ?
    Summery again: A group of cheifs decided to say that this place is #1
    it is a fact mark???? they dont have to publish it so it can be a fact!!! Gimmick or not its your openion…but fact is a fact if you dont like it dont enforce that its not a fact upon us the prime n toast lovers???
    respect our feelings…and it is a fact you like it or not. Khalas the end.
    Cheers

  42. 42. Mark | March 17th, 2008 at 10:39 pm

    Bujasim could you please answer the following:

    1) Who were those chefs?
    2) Where did they publish their findings?
    3) Who came 2nd and 3rd?

    So far you haven’t been able to provide any proof about any of this. If you want to keep on insisting that these “international chefs” rated Prime & Toast the #1 gourmet place in Kuwait then you need to start telling us where it says that.

  43. 43. Bujasim | March 17th, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    Ok I will; but after this example;
    a friend of mine told me that once you criticized bmw dealer IN KUWAIT continuously so someone can read it FROM THE DEALER and they fix your car for free!!!!….Now this is a FACT but either it is TRUE OR Faulse NO ONE WOULD KNOW BUT YOU…..

    now please understand ME they never posted or pulished it and i keep reapeating that many times so you can follow what i mean but for some reason you dont want???
    3 cheifs STATED AS SIMPLE AS THAT ACCORDING TO THERE OPINION IT IS # 1 SHOP IN THERE OWN RATING SYSTEM AMONG THE 3 CHEIFS :) I OFFERD YOU TO MEET THEM YOU REFUSED ITS THERE CALL AFTER YOU MEET THEM IF YOU WANT TO POST THERE NAME???THANK YOU…..CHEERS

  44. 44. Mark | March 18th, 2008 at 8:20 am

    Bujasim, so what you are saying is that the 3 international chefs rated Toast & Prime the #1 gourmet restaurant in Kuwait but they didn’t publish this anywhere? What a joke!

    You really need to understand how these things work. If a place publishes an ad and says they are rated #1 but don’t provide any source or proof to that statement its called “false advertising”. If you can’t prove it then you can’t say it.

  45. 45. Bujasim | March 18th, 2008 at 9:06 am

    Whatever you say Mark you say is right & we have to follow the way you see things in life blindly without any doubt in this blog :)
    so what you are saying is like this example: if Michael Schmacher the grat fourmela one driver; tested a racing car and decided not to publish it; and his rating was super great on this car.as long as he didnt publish it its not true????

    thats what I understood from you?? in life Mark you dont have to have one form of rating to be credibale and we must follow it because you believe its the right way????please allow our modest believes to have a chance in your blog dont be dictator in your views and enforce your ideas upon us :)

    Take Care

  46. 46. Mark | March 18th, 2008 at 9:24 am

    If we follow your example, Michael Schumacher would have had a press conference or interview after the test drive and he would have told them the car was great. There would be evidence, proof, video, pictures and quotes.

    You came and said these 3 chefs rated it #1 and provided no evidence of that. You actually say its not published anywhere, that they verbally told the owners of the place.

    Basically, I could also tell you the same thing, I know 3 chefs that rated Prime & Toast the worst gourmet restaurant in Kuwait. You and me would be at a stalemate on this issue because neither of us could provide any form of proof. You could keep saying the 3 chefs said its the best and I could keep saying the 3 chefs said its the worst but unless either one of us provides some kind of evidence its he said she said.

    It has nothing to do with dictatorships or following what I have to say blindly. Its called common sense.

  47. 47. Bujasim | March 18th, 2008 at 10:02 am

    Common sense is to understand the example with goodwill..Michael example is done lets say at night in the ramp alone without any press it was purely his opinion and rating without sharing it with press please understand…it seems you have a presonal issue with rating its either your way or the highway….why dont you meet them and we cut the chase???

    Take care

  48. 48. Mark | March 18th, 2008 at 10:14 am

    Bujasim your example is extremely not related to the discussion but I will try to relate it for you.

    Michael Schumacher, test drived the car at night alone without press, fine. Who did he tell that the car he drove was great? Was it his friend? If his friend went and told people Michael told me that the car he test drove was incredible, people can either believe him or not. If a newspaper gets a hold of this they would go to the source back to schumacher and ask him “Your friend is saying that the car you test drove was incredible, is this true” and he would confirm or deny it.

    Now in our situation here we need to go to the source. Could you provide me with the names of the 3 chefs so I could email them or call them myself and end this debate once and for all? I will call them and ask if its true they rated Prime & Toast the #1 gourmet restaurant in Kuwait and then ask them what other places had they tried to reach to that conclusion.

    I will then post everything that happened here, would that satisfy you?

    And yes my ratings are my personal ratings and they don’t and won’t get changed because some people like yourself don’t like them. Ratings are not a democracy, you don’t vote for the rating I should give based on my personal taste.

  49. 49. Bujasim | March 18th, 2008 at 10:40 am

    Never said change your ratings; but allow others ratings & ideas..without acting like guardian.

  50. 50. Mark | March 18th, 2008 at 10:52 am

    I never said no one can post their own rating here. I actually promoted it in another post which you replied to.

    Readers are free to post their own comments here along with their own ratings.

    Saying Prime & Toast is the #1 rated gourmet restaurant in Kuwait, is that your opinion or is it the restaurants? If its your opinion thats fine, you are the source of the opinion. If this is what the restaurant is stating, then where is the source of the statement?

  51. 51. Bujasim | March 18th, 2008 at 11:02 am

    Again and again and again, I keep saying it is not the opnion of sultan center the or p&t ,

    my openion is the burger taste great and the 3 chiefs thinks it is the # 1 shop so far in Kwt from there own opinion…pure opinion no publishing no media …the hits are getting high in this post…please I want free burger from the sponsors to your blog….LOL i swear im jocking dont make this comment a big deal also. Take care

  52. 52. Mark | March 18th, 2008 at 11:25 am

    Bujasim I think you are a liar. There are no 3 chefs and no one rated Prime&Toast the #1 gourmet restaurant in Kuwait.

    I was being polite before but you’re really getting on my nerves.

    If you are NOT a liar and this DID happen then please post the source here. Tell us who the 3 chefs are and how we can call them to verify that they indeed did a review of all the gourmet restaurants in Kuwait and voted Prime&Toast as #1.

    I don’t think you can do that and I think you will keep saying the same thing over and over without providing any proof. The next time you reply you will either admit to making this story up or provide us with the names of the 3 chefs. Any kind of reply where you do not provide any more evidence will be counted as an admittance to lying.

  53. 53. Bujasim | March 18th, 2008 at 11:38 am

    or maybe the truth getting on your nerve…I rest my case if you think im a liar it shows that you are a control freek person with whom ever disagree with you is a liar simply because they have differnt school of thought??? …its up to you think what you think and im not a liar..time will show the truth and soon you will see…take care

  54. 54. Mark | March 18th, 2008 at 11:41 am

    As expected…

  55. 55. Bujasim | March 18th, 2008 at 11:57 am

    like wise..thank you …soon you will be contacted.

  56. 56. Mark | March 18th, 2008 at 12:09 pm

    Hopefully by 3 chefs

  57. 57. Bujasim | March 18th, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    and BMW dealer…:)

  58. 58. Mark | March 18th, 2008 at 6:00 pm

    BMW dealer?

  59. 59. Basit | March 19th, 2008 at 10:53 pm

    this bujasim guy is such a weirdo…
    can’t you block him or something from posting?

  60. 60. Bujasim | March 20th, 2008 at 12:16 am

    Thanks Basit, please read the commenting rules; Mark regarding the 3 cheifs one used to work with kempinski hotel in Kuwait and left to Dubai, second one dont want to talk to you simply because he thinks the issue is simple thats what they thought when they tried it, third one works with catering division in one of the companies that works with Sultan center and I my self after knowing that maybe I would agree that you find it hard to count his opinion….but trust me im not lieng & its not my way ; and there is a saying “The way you think & act is the way you see other people” . Best wishes

  61. 61. mutmut | March 20th, 2008 at 10:09 pm

    can someone give me some more specific directions please?…

  62. 62. Mark | March 20th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

    Yeah. If you are on the Gulf Road and Souk Sharq is on your right keep going straight. You will reach a round about, keep going straight after that. On your left you will start seeing shops, Prime&Toast is not part of the first group of shops its part of the second where you will see Pink Moon Boutique, Burger Hub and Slider Station. Once you those you will spot Prime & Toast. You take your first uturn and thats it.

  63. 63. mutmut | March 20th, 2008 at 10:15 pm

    thanks a lot mark…
    would i need a reservation for friday morning? (if they take reservations)

  64. 64. Mark | March 20th, 2008 at 10:15 pm

    I don’t think so. Should be alright without one.

  65. 65. mutmut | March 20th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    sweet, thanks man.

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