2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

I just came across photos of the Kuwait Embassy in Brunei and it looks pretty cool. The embassy was designed by the Thai based studio Architectkidd, who were selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to design the interior spaces of the embassy and the ambassador’s residence in the Jalan Kebangsaan area.

There doesn’t seem to be a connection to Kuwait in the interior, that’s because according to Architectkidd, they didn’t want to rely on obvious symbolism or direct cultural references. Instead, they focused on how the space could reflect public values in a more subtle and practical way like by creating openness, accessibility, and spaces people can actually use and gather in. The interior’s expansiveness is also unique for a building with heightened security, and helps create a welcoming, non-institutional atmosphere.

The first photo on top of this post is the embassy’s reception hall, which will allow them to host public and cultural events in Brunei. The second photo is the main foyer, which is the first space visitors experience when they enter. It features an atrium with a tall skylight and connects to the reception hall, library, staff offices, and other areas. This is the most public part of the embassy and works as a flexible space that can also be used as a pre-function area for the reception hall.

If you want to check out more photos to the embassy, click here.

Recently I’ve noticed a shift towards cleaner, more mindful eating, especially when it comes to high protein meals. Whether it’s people focusing on their nutrition or those on GLP-1 treatments, more people are paying attention to what they’re eating and their protein intake.

Elevation Burger picked up on this early with their “Better Living” campaign. They kicked things off at the start of the year with the Protein Bun, which contains 13g of protein and was developed in collaboration with Kuwait Flour Mills. They then followed it up with the Elevation Pro Burger, packing 60g of protein while still keeping the familiar Elevation taste.

Now they’ve added another new item to the lineup, protein bowls. The Organic Beef bowl delivers 50g of protein, while the Chicken version comes in at 60g. Both are low carb, high protein options with customizable ingredients.

Elevation Burger also added a “secret menu” item in collaboration with @thedietninja called the Ninja Bowl. The bowl delivers 62g of protein and is only available through the Elevation app and in store.

The protein line is a permanent addition to Elevation Burger’s core menu, tying back to Elevation’s focus on better ingredients, from organic beef to hormone and antibiotic free, cage free chicken.

The full Better Living lineup is available across all branches, as well as Talabat, and through the Elevation Burger app if you want to pick up or collect rewards. @elevationkw

Yesterday it was announced that Kuwait’s airspace was reopening and flights would be resuming again. It also looks like the airport got a bit of a facelift during the closure.

There are photos circulating online showing a revamped interior of Terminal 1. This is the main terminal where most airlines operate, and previously the departure area was covered in grey aluminum panels. Based on the photos, it looks like the space is now finished with stone or ceramic tiles, although it’s hard to tell from the low resolution images.

I don’t want to judge it just yet, not until I see it in person, but the bar was set so low that any change is a good change.

The photos aren’t great quality, but they’re the best I could find.

Snoonu, the Qatari delivery app, is launching in Kuwait as part of its GCC expansion. From what I understand, it’s more than just a food delivery app. On the Snoonu website they describe themselves as a “super app” for food delivery, grocery shopping, laundry, car services, and tickets.

By services, they mean things like booking a gym session or ordering a cleaning service. You’ll also be able to buy movie and event tickets through the app, so it’s basically a one stop app for everything you need.

According to the press release, they’ll initially launch with food delivery, followed by a phased expansion into additional services. This expansion is also backed by Jahez International, which acquired a majority stake in Snoonu last year.

A couple of days ago @in_alkuwait posted a video of a Snoonu driver already out delivering, so it looks like they might have started. The Snoonu Kuwait Instagram account is also live if you want to check it out @snoonu.kw

Third Steep is a new tea house that opened this past week. And yes, tea, this isn’t just another matcha spot.

The owner of Third Steep has always been a tea lover, and even took courses and workshops to deepen her knowledge. Last year she decided to quit her job and open her own tea spot after noticing a gap in the market. While there are plenty of places for coffee and matcha, she found it difficult to find a good tea-focused spot. Since she already worked in the food and beverage field, she decided to use that experience to create her own space.

I passed by a couple of days ago and found the spot really cute. It’s small but feels trendy without looking too Pinteresty. The colors and materials are mostly earth tones, with pops of green and mustard yellow that bring the space to life and give it a bit of a twist. There are also some nice material details that help give it a unique look.

The menu has a large selection of tea drinks without feeling overwhelming. There are currently 8 artisanal teas, two cold brews, and the option to build your own latte. There’s no coffee on the menu, and just one matcha drink. I was actually surprised that cold brew tea was a thing since I was only familiar with cold brew coffee before. In addition to the drinks, there are a few cakes and sandos to choose from.

From what I tried, I really liked the Milk Oolong Cold Brew, the Egg Mayo Sando and the Olive Oil Lemon Zest cake. Next time I’d try the build my own latte option and order the Banana Choco Mousse cake since I want to try that as well.

If you’re into tea or just want to try a new spot, Third Steep is located in Ahmadi Tower in Kuwait City on Sour Street (Google Maps). There’s plenty of parking across the street, and they’re currently open from 10AM to 10PM, daily except Sundays. @third.steep

Service Hero recently revealed the results of their 2025 Customer Satisfaction Index, and the top brands in Kuwait have been named, based entirely on you.

Service Hero is the region’s only consumer powered index, measuring how happy people are with the service they receive across different industries. It’s been running in Kuwait since 2010 and follows strict international research standards, so the results are credible and transparent.

Over 28,800 assessments were collected from customers across Kuwait, rating brands in categories like satisfaction, complaint resolution, loyalty, and more. This isn’t a popularity contest, it’s a data driven reflection of how brands are actually performing. Here are the winners:

Islamic Banks: Boubyan Bank
Retail Banks: National Bank of Kuwait
Car Sales: Lexus
Car Service: MG Motor
Private Hospitals: Royale Hayat Hospital
Apps: Keeta
Dining: Mais Alghanim
Fast Food: Pick Yo!
Clothes: Al Nasser Sports
Electronics: X-Cite
Home Furniture: IKEA
Internet Providers: Zain
Mobile Operators: Zain
Cafes: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Airlines: Emirates
Supermarkets: City Hypermarket

Compared to last year, there are a few changes. Two categories are missing this year, Entertainment and Health Clubs. I asked them why and I was told it was due to not having a large enough sample size across at least three brands to determine a winner.

Update: Service Hero reached out to let me know there was an error on their website. The Cafes category winner is actually The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, not Caribou Coffee.

Around 10 years ago I was invited to visit the Gulf Cooperation Council Joint Program Production Institution, or GCC JPPI for short. It’s a super long name, but if you grew up in Kuwait during the 80s, all it takes is one look at their logo to recognize who they are. They were behind some of the most memorable and iconic shows on television back then from popular Arabized cartoons to their own shows like Salamatak (سلامتك), Quff (قف) and of course, the Middle East version of Sesame Street, Iftah Ya Simsim (افتح ياسمسم).

The GCC JJPPI was created to strengthen the cultural, historical, and traditional connections between the GCC member states. They also wanted to create shows that reflected the Gulf spirit starting in 1977 with the iconic educational children’s program Open Sesame (Iftah Ya Simsim).

Before visiting their facilities located in Salmiya, I had assumed all their archive had been lost during the 1990 invasion, but turned out they still had copies of everything. When I visited back then they had just started digitizing their whole archive, and I recently found out that their archive was now mostly all online and available to stream for free.

If you go to YouTube and search for the user “Barameji”, you’ll find that they’ve uploaded over 3,000 videos. Thankfully, they’ve also organized them into different playlists and include the following shows:

Bombo (بومبو)
Flona (فلونة)
Jazora (جازورا)
Iftah Ya Simsim (افتح ياسمسم)
Quff (قف)
Tom Sawyer (توم سوير)
Salamatak (سلامتك)

For me, Salamatak and Quff were probably the most impactful shows growing up. They were public information programs for both children and adults, teaching things like not littering, not smoking while filling up fuel, or not talking while eating. Random educational lessons that have mostly stuck with me, and I’m sure with others as well. I mean even the opening theme songs are still stuck in my head to this day.

If you want to check all the playlists, here is the link.

After being open since the early 80s, last year Al Muthana Complex closed down and all the tenants and residents were asked to vacate so the building could be renovated. Multiple design firms submitted proposals, and a couple of months ago PACE won the project and will be leading the redevelopment of the complex.

Although the project is still in the early stages and the design hasn’t been finalized yet, I managed to find renders from the initial proposals by PACE, as well as two other firms, DKEC and Bernard Khoury (DW5). Bernard Khoury caught me by surprise since he’s based in Lebanon and I’m a fan of his work. I’m not sure how many firms pitched for the project, but these are the three I was able to find.

The ones above are the directions PACE proposed while the ones below are from Bernard Khoury.

I’ve been meaning to check out Farida’s breakfast menu for a while now, and I finally got the chance to try it a few days ago. If you don’t already know it, Farida is a small Persian restaurant with a cozy, home-like feel. It’s named after the owner, Farida (@faridah88), a Kuwaiti nutritionist with a passion for cooking.

I usually sit inside when I have lunch at Farida. The interior feels like an old family home, with nostalgic diamond-shaped ceiling moldings and crochet tablecloths with grandma-style dinnerware. This time I ended up sitting outside since the weather was nice and I wanted the sunlight for my breakfast shots.

Similar to the all day menu, Farida’s breakfast menu is made up of some of her favorite things she likes to cook for her family. The food is casual and welcoming, but still manages to look beautifully put together. Farida also focuses on using locally sourced ingredients, supporting local producers whenever possible. I ended up eating a lot of good food since, besides the set menu, I also had a couple of other dishes.

My favorite items were the whipped rose butter and jam, the khameh asal (cream and honey), the Omelette Irani, which is scrambled eggs with tomato paste and turmeric, and finally the Persian Love Toast, which is similar to French toast but with a Persian twist.

Overall, it’s a really nice breakfast experience, especially if you’re looking for something a bit different. The outdoor seating is also great, with shaded tables and greenery all around, giving it a nice, tucked away feel. Farida is located in Al Khalid Complex in Salmiya, and breakfast is served daily from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM. For more photos, head over to @farida.kwt

In January I posted that the Thunayan Al Ghanim building was being restored, and yesterday I was able to find out a lot more about the project. The building is considered an important part of Kuwait’s architectural history since when it was constructed in the 1950s, it was one of the most advanced buildings in the country with a lot of firsts. It was designed by the renowned architect Sayed Karim, who later worked on other projects in Kuwait including the Ahmadi Cinema.

Yesterday I got a walkthrough of the building, where they took me through the restoration process and explained the plan. Spoiler, it’s all good news.

The thing I was most concerned about was the facade. I was worried they might cover it with alucobond panels or modernize it with glass, but that’s not the plan. In fact, it’s the opposite. The family has been digging through archives, looking for original drawings and plans, and investigating on site to understand how the building originally looked so they can restore it as closely as possible. They’re even trying to match details like the exact color of the window frames and the tiny mosaics that sit under each window.

Over the past 70 years or so, the building has gone through a lot of changes. Some were destructive, but most were superficial, like painting over original mosaics or covering walls with plasterboard. Once restoration began, they started uncovering remnants of the original building hidden beneath, almost like discovering artifacts at an archaeological site.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was hearing about the investigative work they’ve been doing to understand how the building evolved. For example, it was originally meant to have three additional floors, but that plan was canceled late into construction. That ended up working in its favor, since the structure was built to support a taller, heavier building, which likely helped it survive this long. They also found plans showing the building was meant to have adjustable directional louvers on the facade for shading, and even indications that the building may have originally been designed to include residential apartments.

It’s pretty fascinating how much they’ve been able to uncover, and eventually all of their findings will be shared with the public.

I really wish more people cared about restoring old buildings like this. Although, over the past few years I have started to see more old buildings being restored. Some are doing the bare minimum, but at least they aren’t being demolished and replaced with generic, soulless buildings.

Back in October I posted about hitting my Red Bull Mobile internet unlimited limit for the first time. Unlimited limit sounds contradictory but somehow an unlimited internet plan is limited.

I’ve been using Red Bull Mobile for my 5G internet connection at home since they first launched. It’s a great deal, KD63 for 6 months unlimited internet so KD10.5 a month. Back in October my internet stopped working and turned out it was because for the first time I hit the limit of the unlimited plan by consuming 3TB of bandwidth. Thats when I discovered that RBM has a 3TB limit on their unlimited plan. Once you hit the limit the only option is to refill it by paying 5KD for just 50GB. 5KD for 500GB I can understand but for just 50? Wasn’t gonna happen.

As you know I built a new PC this month and so had to download Windows, apps, and games on it. I hit my 3TB limit again with 10 days to go in my month. Last time the only option I had was to get a post paid line from Zain for 500GB at 8KD a month and then cancel it before the month was completed. This time I decided to do the same thing except I’m not canceling it.

Yesterday I went and signed up for a post paid unlimited internet plan for KD16 a month (with no contract, cancel at any time). Zain’s unlimited plan is limited to 10TB a month which is a lot more reasonable than Red Bull’s 3TB. I don’t really download a lot of things, most of my bandwidth is used streaming 4K on my Apple TV, but the thought of having to worry about hitting my limit every month with Red Bull was stress I didn’t need in my life.

The weird thing is I couldn’t transfer my Red Bull Mobile number to Zain. I have a premium RBM number since I picked it out myself and Zain don’t allow the transfer of RBM numbers to Zain because RBM is Zain but not really. The only option they gave me was to transfer my number from Red Bull to a competitor like Ooredoo or STC, and then transfer it back to Zain. I wasn’t gonna do that so now I need to keep my RBM number alive every month. 🤦🏼‍♂️

I was at Sultan yesterday picking up a few things when I spotted different shelves that had Japanese products and a label saying “Flavors from Japan”. They mostly look like products that weren’t available in Kuwait previously.

I think they even tried to make the store background music sound like something you’d hear in a Japanese supermarket.

Other than the Pocky and Meiji products I didn’t recognize anything else, but I also wasn’t going through all the aisles looking for any of the Japanese stuff.

According to their instagram the items are available at their Salmiya, Mishref, Salwa, Adailiya and Jabriya branches.

This is going to be a new series where I highlight beautifully designed spaces in Kuwait that are no longer around. I figured I’d start with one I really loved and that still holds up today, Octium Jewelry.

The store opened in 360 Mall back in 2009 and was designed by the Spanish artist and designer, Jaime Hayon. Jamie works with different mediums, from design and sculpture to painting, ceramics, glass and installations. I think he’s fairly well known since when I mentioned him to my wife she immediately recognized the name and even pulled out a book she had about his work.

Jaime has an unconventional and playful approach to design. Most of the elements in the Octium store were custom made, with each piece of jewelry placed in its own unique display environment within this fantasy-like interior. The result was a space that felt more like an art installation than a typical jewelry store, and it helped put Octium on the map internationally. In 2013, the Spanish edition of Vogue listed it as one of the 12 most beautiful jewelry boutiques in the world.

In one of Jaime’s recent Instagram posts, he mentions his passion for designing beautiful doors. He’s fascinated by the idea of entering a space in a special way, that first point of contact. Looking back at the Octium door, you can tell this is something he’s been obsessed with from the very beginning.

I’m not sure exactly when the Octium store closed down, but their website is still online and feels like a time capsule that probably hasn’t been updated since. Check out more photos below taken from Jaime’s hayonstudio.com

Yesterday I passed by the new Banta location in Dajeej, and I was pretty impressed with the space. The new location opened up late last year, and one thing I really liked was the amount of natural daylight coming in through the mostly glass roof. It was really bright and inviting but I guess the main advantage is that it makes it easier to properly see the fabrics and colors.

The showroom is spacious and laid out in a way that lets you comfortably walk through different setups without feeling overwhelmed. It feels more like you’re walking through actual living spaces, and the natural light helps give the space a calm feel.

Banta are currently offering a 20% discount for those on the frontlines as a small gesture of appreciation. On top of that, they now have a home service where their team can come to you and design your space based on your needs, whether it’s a living room, walk-in closet, kitchen, or even a full diwaniya setup.

If you want to check them out, their new location is in Dajeej facing the 6th Ring Road (Google Maps), and you can find them on Instagram @banta_kw

Squatwolf, the Dubai based performance wear brand, has just opened its first store in Kuwait.

The brand started in 2016 from a small apartment when its founders saw a gap in the market for affordable, high quality gym wear designed specifically for the Middle East. Back then, most fitness apparel options available in the region were either expensive international brands or lower quality alternatives. Since then, the brand has grown into a popular regional and global name.

The new store is located in an alleyway in the Electra district at The Avenues Phase 4, behind The Body Shop and in front of Intersport.