Danderma's Blog, page 28

Movie Review: Catching Fire

Back in March 2012 I went to see the first Hunger Games movie and I fell head in heels in love with it and couldn’t wait for the second movie, Catching Fire, to arrive to the big screen. Yesterday, I went to see the second movie Catching fire which is finally, finally here for us to watch. 

After seeing the first movie I’ve decided to read the trilogy of books from which the movies are adapted and I have to say I finished all three in less than a week, hauled up in my bed refusing to put down the books and get out of my dystopian new world until the fate of Katniss and the rest of the victors and people were decided once and for all. When I read the books I was happy to see that the movie I’ve seen is an almost perfect adaptation aside for a few things that were left out or changed, like the origin of the mockingjay pin for example. The story in the books is depressing and gives you a deep feeling of despair and it gets more depressing with each book and the movies capture that perfectly. You feel for the people and their suffering, you want to throw your popcorn at president Snow’s leering face, and you wish the hunger games would just cease to exist, once and for all.

There is more story and less hunger games arena action in this movie, just like the book of course. This time around the running scenes in the arena were shot perfectly and didn’t wobble as much as they did in the first movie. What I didn’t like is that the stars seemed a bit older and thinner, which of course they are, and I personally think the actor playing Finnick Odair is too young for the role. Finnick is supposed to be a bit older than Katniss and Peeta and not the same age. Other than that, I’ve enjoyed the second movie just as much as I did the first one and I can say I am looking forwards to the third and last movie, Mockingjay, set to be released on November 20, 2014.

Amazing Italian Gelato at Cioccolatitaliani The Avenues

A few weeks back a new Italian chocolatier and gelateria from Milano, Italy opened up in the Grand Avenues right next door to The Cheesecake Factory. The name is Cioccolatitaliani and I’ve been there numerous times ever since its opening. Each and every time I try something new and each and every time I fall in love a little bit more with the place. 

Cioccolatitaliani serve breakfast, sandwiches, desserts, beverages, numerous different types of hot chocolate drinks, chocolate, more chocolate, and some more chocolate, plus an amazing array of Italian gelato scooped from the depth of  little Italian-styled metal pots, mounted on top of crunchy biscuity cones, and drenched with liquid chocolate as per your request.

The first time I was over at Cioccolatitaliani I tried the gelato tasting where you are presented with tiny pots of five different gelato flavours. It is especially good if you, like me, are an ice cream maniac who cannot decide on which flavour to choose. It gives you the chance to try a little bit of everything without going overboard.

Each little gelato cup came with its very own spoon, the names displayed in front to the tiny shot-sized cups. I am not generally a fan of chocolate gelato or chocolate ice cream but my heart was stolen by their 1794 chocolate gelato which is made according to the oldest Milanese chocolate sorbet recipe ever found in a cookbook dating back to 1794!

Their mix berries gelato is also a favourite of mine. Sometimes if I’m just passing by the Avenues I grab myself a cone of gelato on the go, like this beauty for example.

Or their really delicious chocolate drenched waffles. The chocolate they use is lip smacking! I haven’t tried their crepes yet but I was told they were excellent as well.

Their beverages and cold drinks are delicious as well, such as this shakerato thing that I couldn’t spell out from the menu to the waiter. A picture of it is there in the menu and I would highly recommend it. Its cool, coffee-y, icy, and can be scooped with a spoon.

I once had an espresso that arrived covered with a piece of wafer biscuits, there are plenty of wafers, cones, and biscuits with your orders in Cioccolatitaliani.

Cioccolatitaliani is located in the Grand Avenues to the left of The Cheesecake Factory and right next door to Casper & Gambinis and UGG Australia. For more information you can check their website (link) or follow them on Twitter (@Cioccolatitalia). 

When Do You Call an Older Woman by “Khaltie”?

When is it acceptable to call a person by their first name, or add an aunt or auntie beforehand?

Let me explain: a while back a lady was struggling with something she was holding on to. I wanted to help so I go “Here Khalti… let me help you” where khaltie means “Auntie” and is used to address older people out of respect. Given that I don’t know the woman and she was dressed in a black abaya and had some children and actually looked old, I used the word Khaltie. A while later, the very same lady, my respected khalti, during a conversation looks at me and almost spat venomously “I’m almost your age, and you called me khaltie! Why did you call me khaltie?”.

I felt for the woman, I really did. She was indeed almost my age -a handful of years apart only after we asked, she looked older!- but we certainly didn’t look the same age. I made two mistakes here, first I assumed she was much older when indeed I have to have a moment with myself and realise I’m not so young myself, I forgot I was in my 30′s! The second mistake I made was that even if she was indeed much older, given that I am not 15 anymore it is rude to point out that she is as old as your aunt therefore using the word “ikhty” -sister- instead of “khaltie” -auntie- would have been more appropriate and more friendly.

Women are weird when it comes to their age. Growing up, I knew of three women relatives of mine only ten or fifteen years older than myself and it would’ve been weird to actually call them “auntie” and I knew they wouldn’t like it. With their permission and because it makes them happy, I call them by their first name only and I do so still. I do the same now with people I know who are 10-15 years younger than me, I ask them to call me by my first name, Nadooya, and almost all of them oblige gladly. The ones who don’t are the obnoxious ones who seem to insist using the word “khaltie” to address me just because they see it bothers me, time and time again, ignoring my request not to use it. Yes it does bother me. Its not cute, its not respectful, and unless you are a really tiny baby or aged less than 10 years old, don’t use it with me. It hurts, it means, plain and simple, that I am an old lady old even though it “supposedly” entails respect. I’m weird that way but that’s that and I don’t think I’m the only one. I’m not fifty, I’m only 33 -or 19-!

Now, have you ever called someone “khaltie” and had your head almost bitten off like I did? I have to say I now understand the way the lady was thinking, it was like I was pointing out she looked old when she wasn’t that old, she was just weighed down with life, and that I was somehow mocking her with my youth. Am I making any sense? Not until you get your very first “Khaltie” call do you cross over and begin to view the word as an insult rather than a sign of respect. My advice? As a compromise, you can use “ikhty” for strangers and/or “umm flan” -mother of someone- for women you know who are married but not that much older than you and make sure that if you are using the word “khalti” that you do with extreme caution, or else!

What do you think?

Pilobolus Shadowland Premiere Show in Kuwait

We complain endlessly about the lack of good shows in Kuwait. How many of us book tickets to neighbouring GCC countries to watch a play, an opera, a concert, or even a circus. Therefore, imagine my joy when a knock came at my door that came bearing a ticket for the premiere of a highly acclaimed and award winning show “Shadowland” that is performed by the American modern dance company Pilobolus? I was, simply put, delighted. 

On the card it said that the show would be starting at 8:30 P.M. on Wednesday 20 November and that the doors would be closing at 8 P.M. The venue of the show was the dreadful Ice Skating Ring, which was the only downside of the night, and people who were invited were standing outside in a long line which I’ve joined at 7:45 P.M. A woman with children decided I was not notable standing alone and she cut in front of me in line. Then a few more children arrived to join them on the way, then right at the door of the ice skating ring she was joined by another lady with a few more people and that’s when I lost my temper as they were saying their hellos. Getting inside meant joining the following scene, which didn’t make it any better at all.  I would highly advice the use an invention called queue dividers, they help keep people in orderly line and prevent them to a degree from shoving and pushing each other, proving once again that survival is for the loudest and most obnoxious.

Once inside the ice skating rink though you are lead promptly to your seat in an orderly fashion and all these shoving crowds seem to disappear.

We had excellent seats on the fourth row, and mine was next to an aisle so there was no one in front of me to obstruct my vision. The chairs, as you can see above, are not theatre seats like the plush ones we are used to in the movies so they can be a bit hard on your back if you have back problems. The very fact that we are in the ice skating rink, even if thawed, means its cold and your feet somehow freeze to a degree so I’d advice you bring a shawl or a jacket and wear some padded uggs. Munchies wise, there was quite a spread outside with hotdogs, salads, stuffed vine leaves, popcorn, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and every brand of candy you can think of.

Don’t get too carried away with the munchies though, as the theatre is makeshift one it means there are no cup holders and no where to put your food. Guess what we had for munchies? Laduree macaroons

At about 8:45 P.M. the show began, not too bad for timings in Kuwait! We were surprised however when we learned that we weren’t going to watch a premiere show but rather a preview of the original show with only 3 or four scenes. Then the show began…

The show is breathtaking! With perfectly positioned lights and what looked like a plastic cinema screen, the Pilobolus dancers put on quite a display! With nothing but their own muscles and a few probe, they transformed into faces, and cars, and NYC buildings, and even into Kuwait Towers! Worth watching? ABSOLUTELY!

It was over before we know it, and we wanted to see more I loved what I’ve seen from the show, its worth going through all the hassle again and again, because the moment the lights are dimmed and the dancers perform you are transformed into a totally different place. For a moment there I let myself forget I was in Kuwait.

Its also note saying that no photography or video taking is allowed and that we were told off strictly against doing so even though the people in the VIP seats were filming the entire thing and no one told them off. Good luck telling the awed audience of Kuwait not to take pictures of what they would be watching from Shadowland, do excuse them for they must be mesmerised and cannot help themselves.

You must, must, must go and watch Shadwoland! I am so happy that we are finally able to see shows of such quality in Kuwait, at last! Thank you (@_LocalFlavor_) for inviting me to the event. Event Mania, I thank you profusely for bringing Shadwoland to Kuwait. I cannot wait to see what show would you be bringing next to Kuwait. I however, would ask you to please reconsider the venue for future events, perhaps the newly built Salmiya Theatre?

If you haven’t booked your ticket to Shadwoland then do so, quickly, for you are in for a treat. Shadowland is here for only three days starting today 21 November up till Saturday 23 November. To book your tickets you can do so online from Event Mania’s website (link) or do give them a call at +(965)-55995511 or follow them on instagram (@EventManiaCo).

Pictures from Kuwait’s Thunderstorm 2013

I read in today’s newspapers that Monday’s storm was perhaps one of the worst in the history of Kuwait, with up to 93mm of rain water accumulated in the two hours it poured down! We’ve been waiting for the thunderstorm of the year in Kuwait which was supposed to arrive on Sunday which was uneventful and passed by without a droplet of rain but by Monday afternoon serious black clouds began edging their way towards Kuwait City. This is the view from Shuwaikh area of the clouds gathering around a couple of hours before the downpour.

By around 2:15 P.M. it was quite dark outside and this is how dark the clouds were!

Then it began pouring mercilessly! It was monsoon-like as I’ve seen in the movies.

I tried to drive home but the streets were flooded with water! I was wading through what looked like rivers of water and was worried that the water would ruin my car’s electricity. Would it? Perhaps yes, since you don’t really see people driving their cars inside the sea or rivers now do you?

Then of course the traffic was horrible. I was stuck with all these cars in first ring road for about half an hour to reach my exit, which usually takes about five minutes on normal days.

Then everything turned into a big jungle, with cars by passing you, driving like mad into the emergency lane, cutting you off so they can get ahead and with so many cars doing that I began to lose my patience. You’d think in such a crisis people would be orderly or at least attempt to drive slowly!

On another note, I had the pleasure of meeting a big fat brown Norwegian rat walking down first ring road as I waited to exit. Exiting the 50 metres from first ring road to road 40 took me, literally, 45 minutes. The total journey home took 1 and a half hours and by the time I made it there after sunset all I wanted was to crash on my bed and sleep until the next morning. So much for enjoying my Tuesday off!

Never before have I seen white clouds so visible at night!

The rain and thunder continued to pour all night long and sporadically for the the next day. I tried to take photographs of the thunder but for the third year in a row I’ve failed, miserably. A before and after shot is the best I’ve gotten though

And that concludes my memory of the Thunderstorm of 2013, supposedly the worst Thunderstorm to hit Kuwait so far according to newspapers. I hope everyone is safe and aside from being a little wet, bored, and stuck in traffic, you didn’t suffer much.

Lunch at Joe’s Cafe Kuwait

The long awaited Joe’s cafe finally arrived to the Prestige district of the Avenues mall and opened its doors to eager diners a week ago. Personally, I am not a fan of the Joe’s cafe in London given that I avoid restaurants with more than one table of Arabs like the plague when I travel but passing by the big floor-to-ceiling windows cafe in Kuwait I had to, just had to try it especially since everyone was making plans to go and dine there. Plus, it was a rainy day and rain reminds me of London and what better way to dine on a rainy day than in a cafe all the way from London?

Located right next to Joseph in the first floor of Prestige district and separated with a glass sliding door, the cafe is big and airy with lots of tables and a gorgeous no-fuss modern design, cool without trying too hard. Joe’s opens from 4 P.M. till 10 P.M for now since they are in their soft opening phase, we were there by 4:05 and already all the outdoors tables were occupied by diners therefore we sat inside next to the huge windows.

The service was quite quick and efficient, our menus handed to us within seconds of us sitting down. The items on the menu, when compared to Joe’s London items, are almost exactly the same. Price wise, some items are cheaper than Joe’s London and some are almost the same if you convert from GBP to KWD. Thankfully, they didn’t swap the pound with KD like other franchisees do.

It didn’t take long for me to place my order: I knew I wanted the melted goat’s cheese salad and decided to go with the spinach & ricotta ravioli in creamy mushroom sauce. My husband ordered the French beans & beetroot salad with the Chermoula chicken breast with couscous and baba-ganoush.

After the menus were whisked away we were presented with a bread basket with butter, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I could live the rest of my days eating nothing but fresh bread dunked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Sadly the bread that arrived wasn’t very good. It was not hot nor fresh, if anything it was quite tasteless and a tad stale. I did love the olive oil & balsamic vinegar jar though.

Next to arrive were our drinks, mine was a classic mojito.

My husband’s was a strawberry daiquiri.

Not long afterwards did my melted goat’s cheese salad arrive, how good does that look?

I loved every bite of my balsamic glazed melted goat’s cheese salad which almost always reminds me of lunch in London. The goat cheese is quite mild so if you are not a fan of goat taste/smile in the cheese you won’t suffer much. My only complaint was the baguette slices used, which turned out to be of the same quality of the bread from the bread basket and were quite stale as well. You can however enjoy the dish without the bread.

The French bean and beetroot salad was very fresh but it lacked one very important ingredient: the dressing! Alas, we used the balsamic and olive oil provided with the bread basket to dress it but I don’t think we would be ordering it again.

Not long afterwards did our mains arrive, my ravioli was quite creamy and looked much better in reality that it did in my pictures.

I enjoyed every bite of my ravioli. The cream was right, the sauce was right, the herbs and basils were right, and I didn’t want my dish to end. It is as good as a ravioli dish you’d have in London for sure and I highly recommend it if you are hungry and cold.

My husband’s Chermoula chicken breast with couscous and baba-ganoush wasn’t as good as my ravioli and he didn’t enjoy it because according to him it was quite bland.

I stole a forkful of baba-ganoush from his plate and, though it was quite smoky I had to agree it was indeed bland. It needed something to kick start the flavours together. I told him to go with the chicken risotto but he didn’t listen to me but you might listen and I’m telling you, go with the risotto as it appeared on almost every table in the cafe.

The finale should have been with the Joe’s infamous sticky date pudding but I don’t eat sticky date pudding and my husband was quite stuffed therefore we asked for the check. Our lunch for two came to 30.150 KD. Not that bad for two hungry people but I personally thought the average strawberry juice we ordered wasn’t worth being priced at almost 3 KD.

Its also worth noting that Joe’s cafe had Arabian coffee on its menu, that being the current IT thing in Kuwaiti restaurants and cafes. We didn’t try it but I wanted to very much. The next time I’m at Joe’s I’m definitely going to have Arabian coffee especially if I manage to grab a table outside on a cold winter Kuwaiti day.

Joe’s Cafe is located in the First floor of the Prestige district in the Avenues Mall, right next to Joseph and right above Harry Winston. They are currently in their soft opening phase and are open from 4 P.M. till 10 P.M. daily. For more information you can check their instagram account (@JoesCafeKW).

My Gorgeous Cable & Cotton Coloured Lights

While reading Dorothy Koomson’s latest novel which was set in Brighton, UK I remembered a few Brighton posts I hadn’t published yet. I am not sure why, but I have plenty of posts just sitting there awaiting the publish button and for some reason I cannot seem to bring myself to push that button. I think its time I shared this -and many other- posts before they go too stale.

One day in May as I walking in the narrow streets of the Lanes in Brighton I came across this little busy store with a colourful display and plenty of customers milling inside. My attention captured by the colourful lights, I made my way inside at once.

You stand in the middle of the little store, confused for a moment on your first visit, surrounded by many colourful balls just like the plastic ones children play with, only those are arranged neatly in colour coordinated clear cylinders. After your initial moment of awe, you notice the neatly stacked baskets by the door and you know its where you should start.

The bottom of the basket is lined with a plastic instructions sheet that tells you what to do next, in a way its like a treasure hunt! Basically you can choose either 20 or 35 different coloured balls in whatever colour combination you fancy, put them in the basket, and when you are done you can take it to the counter to pay and get the wiring necessary to turn those coloured balls into a string of colourful and fun lights!

I had a great time going around the shop, trying to remember the colours of my living room and bedroom and putting together something that would match my home colours. The colour combinations are endless and there are some already on display that can help you choose or realise what you really want. Combining colours together isn’t exactly my strongest point.

I was particularly in love with the big sized lights but I knew I wouldn’t carry them all the way back to Kuwait with me.

Finally I’ve decided to choose colours that match my bedroom and if I assemble them back in Kuwait and like them I’d be back whenever I’m in Brighton next to get myself some more for my living room. The sales lady was very patient with us and quiet friendly, she was also very helpful and explained everything in a way that made assembling the lights seem so easy, which was indeed the case.

Now back in Kuwait, the little coloured balls survived the airplane ride without a dent in sight. When I unloaded my bag I was happy to see that my chosen colour combination was almost an exact match of my bedroom colours!

How long did assembling the lights take? Mere minutes! The ball is actually made of plastic like with hardened plastic thread wrapped around it and all you have to do is decide how to arrange the colours as you like and attach them to the little light bulbs.

Ta-da! Surprisingly they stayed put and didn’t slide off once attached to the light cable unless you applied some force to bring them apart. Something I’ve done several time as I re-arranged my colour combination and decided which colour should go after which.

Then I attached the cable to electricity and voila! They were all lit and so very beautiful! Casting a warm coloured glow all over the wall!

My lovely lights, like warm orbs of colours

My only regret is that I went with the little string of 20 lights instead of 35 ones which came out a bit too short for my liking. I need about 3 of the long string of 35 lights for my bedroom and I’m measuring my living room to decide the length and quantity of lights I need over there as well. Some people on instagram commented that I can find the exact same lights where I could choose the colours in Kuwait but I’m not sure about that. However, if you know a place in Kuwait that does indeed provide the same fun shopping experience with such a lovely outcome please do let me know. If not, how about that for a new business or a franchise idea?

If you are in Brighton or know someone in Brighton and you fancy a colourful sting of lights yourself  you can pass by Cable & Cotton shop in 24 Meeting House Lane, BN1 1HB. If you are lost you can give them a call at +(44)-1273 321332 and if you are located anywhere in the UK or Europe you can order your lights online and they will deliver it to you from their website (link) or you can contact them on Twitter (@CableandCotton).

Book Review: The Flavours of Love by Dorothy Koomson

With the first week of November arrived another Dorothy Koomson book, and since I am no where near a decent library I had to resolve once again to reading an electronic version and I have to say, paper or not, reading the very first pages filled me with warmth, like giving a long lost best friend a big bear hug

I loved the book, I couldn’t put it down, my heart went out to the widow of the murdered man and I could feel her grief. I felt her frustration with her teenage daughter’s situation and was amazed by how tolerant she was towards her. Perhaps a bit too tolerant, her constantly trying to talk to her daughter and only be rewarded with shrugs got on my nerves eventually, I wish her dilemma and sulking didn’t take up so much of the storyline, I actually wanted to reach inside the book to give her a piece of my mind and perhaps a well deserved shake!

However, I did feel that there were perhaps too many balls in the air in terms of characters and side-plots. There is the best friend, the neighbour who is an emotional vampire, the in-laws, the jerk boss, the teenage daughter, the school teacher, and the eccentric old aunt! In the midst of all these people, the person who murdered the husband and now stalking the family, felt a bit lost and I would have loved to know more about their story, their background, and what drove them to the point of no return. Also, with so many things going on at once, when the confrontation with the killer finally arrived it felt too short and abrupt. I expected a longer, more dangerously dramatic chapter.

The book has a happy-sh ending but its not really a happy ending if you look at the big picture, the husband is still gone and no matter what comes out of the story, he is still lost forever and is never coming back.

Here is the book description, you can buy the book from Amazon (link) or if you are in Kuwait you can buy an electronic copy:

‘I’m looking for that perfect blend of flavours; the taste that used to be you. If I find it, I know you’ll come back to me.’

It’s been 18 months since my husband was murdered and I’ve decided to finish writing The Flavours of Love, the cookbook he started before he died. Everyone thinks I’m coping so well without him – they have no idea what I’ve been hiding or what I do away from prying eyes. But now that my 14-year-old daughter has confessed something so devastating it could destroy our family all over again, and my husband’s killer has started to write to me claiming to be innocent, I know it’s only a matter of time before the truth about me and what I’ve done is revealed to the world.

My name is Saffron Mackleroy and this is my story.

Dinner at Sauce Restaurant

A while back I was lost in Sha’ab Al Bahri area trying to locate a bakery when I came across Sauce restaurant. It looked like a nice cosy little place, perfect for hanging out quietly, but it wasn’t open still therefore I made a mental note to keep an eye out for its opening. Now its finally open, my friend Pink Girl and I decided to go to Sauce for lazy Friday dinner. 

After a few twists and turns in the roads of Sha’ab we made it to Sauce. Parking was no problem at all, there is a big empty lot to the right of Sauce which doubled up as a parking, something to be thankful for in such a traffic busy area like Sha’ab. When we arrived there was only one occupied table outdoors which gave us plenty of time to admire the interior: modern with an industrial feel.

Sauce has three different seating areas: one outdoorsy in front of the restaurant where you can watch the traffic and passers by, the second indoors with plenty of tables yet a bit of a tight squeeze, and a third outdoorsy one in the very back of the restaurant sheltered from the outside world with wood panelled walls. The ceiling is nothing but strings of light bulbs crisscrossing overhead and as you look up you can see the moon dancing between the lightbulbs. Spectacular!

Lovely paintings were hanging all around the wood panelled walls and giving the beige & white decorated space a splash of colour. We were actually too engrossed in watching the painting we forgot about the menu placed on the table. The gorgeous art work on display is for sale and is done by the talented Saudi artist Fida Al Hussa.

After admiring the art, and the little backyard seating area, we finally concentrated on the menu. There are plenty to choose from and most of the current Kuwaiti culinary favourites were included like Pink Pasta, burgers, and pizzas.

It didn’t take long to place our orders and out waiter, and the staff, were very friendly and efficient. We were left once again to enjoy the gorgeous weather in the fabulous little art and lights decorated backyard which felt like home. I love Sauce’s attention to details: the little napkin holders, the cups were lovely and modern, the plates were and the presentation of the food dishes. You could tell a lot of thought was put in the design of the place. Quiet frankly, I wanted to move and live in the little backyard!

The first food item to arrive were the Mozzarella Carrazzo or the breaded and fried Mozzarella cheese cubes with a side of creamy tomato sauce. The dish was OK.

Next to arrive was the Spicy Maple Glazed Shrimp. I didn’t touch those of course, they were Pink’s order and she said the spicy sauce was really good but wished the shrimps were smaller and weren’t overcooked.

For our mains we decided to share a Margharita pizza and the Porcini mushroom rissotto. Porcini mushrooms have a sharp earthy edge to their flavour which is why I love them and seeing they were on the menu I wanted to try them.

The porcini mushroom risotto was prepared with button mushrooms, not porcini ones. It was also more of a creamy rice pudding than a risotto, with too much cream and barely any mushroom flavour -or any flavour for that matter-. The only thing I liked about it was the presentation and the beetroot curls on tops therefore I wouldn’t recommend it.

Next came the pizza! The portion size is perfect for one person, not too big nor too small. The pizza was OK though, I believe it would taste much better if you order it with extra sauce.

Sitting in the little hidden backyard felt like it was sitting at home, it was very relaxing and serene but we decided to have our coffee and dessert on a table outdoors in front of the restaurant. The front outdoors seating area was busier, with more noise and lots of traffic to  look at, perfect for people -and car- watching.

We ordered the Red Velvet pudding with a cappuccino and a Sauce’s special Hazelnut latte.

Pink recommend the Hazelnut Latte, she said it was quite good. The Red velvet pudding with a side of vanilla ice cream was also quite good, rich, and red velvety! Of all the things we’ve tried that evening, the red velvet pudding was voted our favourite, unanimously.

Our bill came to 18.850 KD, not bad at all for a meal for two with dessert and beverages.

I enjoyed my dinner experience in Sauce restaurant. The interior, the design, the art, the weather, the hip yet relaxed ambiance, the food presentation. Will I go there again? Of course I will! I never wanted to leave and was ready to order a gallon of coffee, that’s how relaxed and happy I was. I’d prefer I pass by for after dinner dessert and coffee and not for my diet free-day meal though. It would also make the perfect spot to hang out with a friend for coffee and a long catching up chat.

Sauce Restaurant is still in their soft opening phase therefore they are open from 7 P.M. till 11 P.M. daily and there is no need for reservation. Sauce is located in Sha’ab Al Bahri or the Sea Front Sha’ab, block 8, Ibn Salam street right behind the Costa Del Sol Hotel. For more information and directions you can check their instagram account (@SauceKuwait).

The Day I Saw a Rainbow in Kuwait

I love colours! I cannot survive in dark surroundings with no light and no colours therefore its only natural to say I’ve always loved Rainbows. From the moment I first saw them in cartoons -I think it was the care bears and some girl who rides a pony- to when they were explained to us in science class and right up to the moment I saw my very first one in Beirut, I think it was 2005 or 2006. We were coming down from the mountain after a day in the snow in Faraya when I saw a tiny yet very distinct and quite colourful real live Rainbow!

I never saw one again, perhaps only a very faint quite fuzzy one in England but it was so faint I am not sure I saw it at all. Recently I’ve been wishing for a Rainbow, a real live big larger than life all over the place Rainbow. As I drove home from work yesterday it was sunny yet raining and I thought to myself there might, just might, be a Rainbow today after all and that I really wanted to see one in Kuwait. I made a stop in Yarmouk to pick up some lunch and as I was returning with my packages to my car I look up and, lo and behold, I saw my first Rainbow in Kuwait!

How amazing is that? I’ve never seen a Rainbow before in Kuwait and never before seen a Rainbow this clear and this big! After realising that I was seeing my first Rainbow and that I had a chance to take a photograph of it, I almost dropped my lunch on the pavement! I also squealed a little, the way I squeal when I see the my first snowflake in a long time, and I think I jumped up and down a little since there were a group of teenagers in a car looking bemusedly in my direction, but I just saw my FIRST RAINBOW!

After clicking away a few too many times for my liking I decided the Rainbow wasn’t going away the moment I got into my car and that I might very get the chance to take better pictures. The dear Rainbow decided to accompany me on the way home

They say there is a pot of gold at the end of the Rainbow and by the time I was on the highway I could clearly see the end of it but I would need a ladder or quite possible a helicopter to get suspended all the way up there and end up catching nothing but a bunch of clouds.

As I drove back home the rainbow, smaller in size than before but still very visible and quite beautiful, followed me through Road 50 all the way to South Surra and Al Zahraa!

Needless to say I got honked at a lot, especially at the traffic lights! Can’t people see the rainbow? Can’t they feel the beauty of it and stop for one second to take it in?

This is the Rainbow in Al Zahraa, diminishing but still there!

This is the last I saw of the gorgeous Rainbow before I arrived home. It was almost invisible and tiny and by the time I was home it has all but disappeared.

Thank you dear Rainbow for making my day, please don’t be a stranger now we’ve met and come back soon

Did you see the Rainbow in Kuwait yesterday? Have you ever seen a Rainbow before in Kuwait? Or anywhere for that matter?