Danderma's Blog, page 49

Someday Cafe Launches Their Retail Corner

Someday Cafe opened earlier in January 2013 and ever since their opening I’ve heard good stuff about their food and their presentation. They’ve sent me a cute invitation before (post) and I’ve had the pleasure of dining there once. Their hot chocolate, sandwiches, tiny pancakes, atmosphere, and overall branding are very impressive.

They’ve sent me an invitation earlier this week to attend the launch night of their retail section. The invitation was very cute and and the little candle that came with it is because the launch night was to include live guitar playing all night long while candle lights burned away on the tables.

When we got there we found out that the retail section had taken up almost an entire quarter of the shop: a big corner of the shop filled with little funky merchandise, books, clothing, and figurines.

Someday Cafe was very busy with diners and there wasn’t a free table in sight. Actually we kinda bothered two girls sitting on the table nearest to the retail section because we were trying to manoeuvre ourselves around them to try and get inside the retail section or take pictures. Poor girls got fed up and left promptly. We wanted to have dinner at Someday, the candlelight and the live guitar playing meant the atmosphere was dazzling, but there was no hope of a table emptying anytime soon so we left.

Though I like the idea of the retail section I found it very hard to navigate into when the diners tables were blocking the entrance and it took too much of Someday’s space. However, it means there are more buying options especially if you are looking for a quirky gift or a mix gift between food and things to use, you can pass by Someday and have a look at what they have to offer. I only wish they had more tables. Thank you Someday for your invitation and I wish one day to see more branches of your lovely cafe around different areas in Kuwait.

SomeDay Cafe is located in Salhiya Plaza right opposite Salhiya complex. For more information you can call them on 22996424, check their website (link) which also has their delivery menu, or follow them on instagram (@SomeDayKw).

Groovy Retro Night at Luscious Boutique

Dear Hala Abu Al-Hasan, aka Dudette, was kind enough to send me an invitation for the launch of Luscious Boutique’s retro collection. All black and polka dots and quirky little girly thingies and I was sold at the word “Retro”.

The retro collection night was yesterday and at 7 P.M. I was in Kuwait City looking up at the gorgeously twisted Al-Tijaria Tower where Luscious Boutique resides.

As I entered Al-Tijaria I could hear retro music blaring away, I believe it was The Final Count Down which is a favourite of mine. I began to sing along as I took the escalator up to M1.

The party place was chock full of fashionable people milling around, taking pictures, laughing, and looking at the collection. Those embellished T-Shirts are what caught my eyes. How lovely!

I loved those padded-shoulder jackets, especially the charcoal grey one.

Outside the store there was a long gorgeous spread of treats all in black, white, and embellished with crystals and pearls with giveaways from Crumbs and a red Vespa where you can pose for photographs.

Lovely mo? Congratulations dear Hala on the launch of the retro collection. Keep up the fabulous work!

Luscious retro collection is now available in Luscious Boutique located in Al-Tijaria Tower in Kuwait City. For more information you can contact them by calling +(965) 22968085 or whatsapp +(965) 97369083, or follow them on Twitter (@LusciousKuwait) or Instagram (@LusciousKuwait).

Looking Forward to these Hollywood 2013 Movies!

Someone should name 2013 the year of sequels, for Hollywood seems to finally be making up for its past years of lame movies. The movies coming up next are less of children’s fairy tale re-writes and more sequels to popular movies. The can’t-wait-for-it-to-show-again movie parade seems to be starting with the month of May, given that the movies aren’t censored or banned by Kuwait’s MOI that is.

The first of which is Iron Man 3 expected to be released on the 3rd of May! Now that I cannot wait for! I loved the first Iron Man movie, hated the second, then enjoyed -and still enjoying- The Avengers. I wonder how Iron Man 3 compares though?

Fast and Furious 6 is coming soon! Set for release on the 23rd of May in Kuwait, I can’t wait to see how the mystery behind Dom’s girlfriend, Letty, unfolds! I hope they are already acting the 7th and 8th and 9th and even 10th movie. Why not? Especially given that The Rock will appear again and won’t be going anywhere soon.

Hangover III is to be released on the 24th of May and I wonder if it will make it to the movie theatres in Kuwait this time. Hangover II’s scenes were shredded like the Shawarma Iron Man craves at the end of the Avengers. I couldn’t even understand the movie fully until I saw it in full on TV, or did I buy the DVD? Anyways I hope this time they don’t finely dice it in the name of censorship, I’d rather wait and watch it on DVD if that’s the case.

Though it’s not another movie instalment or a sequel, I really want to see After Earth set for release on the 31st of May. Both Will smith and Jayden Smith  will be staring and it’s directed my the one and only M. Night Shyamalan! You can see why it made my list.

The first two weeks of June will be quite, then there is Man of Steel on 14 June. I’m a big Superman and Smallville fan but for some reason I can’t think of any other actor playing Superman other than the late Christopher Reeve. There was a movie trying to revive the series a few years back but I guess it didn’t work out well for them, I can’t even remember the movie’s name or actor, but there seems to be high hopes for this movie so we will have to wait and see.

Then we will have to wait a few more weeks until my favourite X-Men character, Wolverine, reprises his role in  The Wolverine, to be released on 26 July. I think it’s going to be a very long boring wait till then not to mention it’s going to be during Ramadan and for some reason I can never watch anything in English during Ramadan. I’m going to wait till the Eid to see that one on the big screen.

The year 2013 seems to be ending on a high note movie-wise as well. My second favourite Marvel Avenger’s character, Thor, will be starring in Thor 2: The Dark World set for release on November 8 followed by The second Hunger Games second movie Catching Fire on 22 November then The Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug on 13 December! Hollywood 2013 rocks!

It’s also worth mentioning that the sequels for popular movies: 300, Smurfs, Despicable Me, and Percy Jackson are all making an appearance on the big screen! Can you blame me for being excited that May is starting? Good bye April and hello May, let the movies begin!

Which of these movies are you waiting for?

My Freaky Little Doomed Skull Glass

Ever since I set foot in Frotune Cookie EmChakNam last week (post) I’ve been thinking about the Fred‘s little skull shot glass. I have a thing for Fred‘s merchandise, I like almost every single one of them as they cater to my wacky taste (post) therefore couldn’t resist anymore and went back and got me one and made it into my newest and current favourite espresso cup! 

I only buy things I fall in love with and when I do, I tend to cherish them for a life time. How cute is this little skull dude when filled up with coffee?

This cute! I expect he would look even funkier if he was filled up with a lighter liquid, like a tiny latte or some juice. He even blew some steam on the glass when I first filled him up, freaky but still cute.

Don’t be afraid, get a little closer, why hello there little freaky dude filled with delicious coffee.

I’m now searching for a proper name to call my freaky little cute dude. If you want a little freaky dude for your own to join in your coffee drinking time you can check out Fortune Cookie EmChakNam store in the souk district of the Avenues. For more information you can shop at their online store (link) check out their facebook page (link) or contact them via Twitter (@FortuneCookieQ8) or Instagram (@FortuneCookieQ8).

What to do with Expired Bank Cards?

One of the annoying things in life is having to change your expired ATM and Credit cards. They never seem to last long now, do they? You get them today, memorise the bloody PIN number, and next thing you know the thing is rejected and as you take a closer look, it is indeed expired and you need to get yourself a new one. Which of course involves a trip to the bank, something I never seem to have time to do.

This month my main two means of payments, my VISA and my ATM card, were expired and I received the new one this week. I opened my wallet and tried to find a new space for the new card and realised I had to take out the old one since there is no more space left. Then I held the old expired card in my hand and thought to myself, are we just supposed to chuck it in the bin? Do we need to cut it into small cubes before doing so? Or is it better to keep it safe and sound somewhere -where I actually keep a stack of ancient ATM and VISA cards-?

What is the best way to dispose of an expired ATM or VISA card? Do you happen to know? Maybe we should hand it to the bank and they can recycle it, after all it is plastic that can be reused again right?

Afternoon Tea at Véranda of Harvey Nichols

Ever since Véranda’s opening in March 2013 I’ve been there several times for different occasions and each and every time I’ve had a lip-smacking meal and an excellent time. The last time I was there was last Thursday with my friends. People were just out of work starting their weekend, the Avenues was filling up fast with people so we chose to go to Véranda: overlooking the weekend hubbub from the balcony but not bothered by the crowds.

I wasn’t very hungry and all I wanted was a few bites of sweets with coffee. I was about to order coffee with dessert when I saw they had not one, but two Afternoon Tea options on the menu. The first option is a full afternoon tea with sandwiches and the second is a smaller sized afternoon tea with just scones, desserts, and your choice of tea and coffee. I ordered the small afternoon tea with a skimmed milk cappuccino.

What arrived on the table next looked very pretty: an elegant glass two-tiered stand filled with afternoon tea goodies with a wooden plank on which the butter and the jam resided.

The first tier of the afternoon tea stand held two bite-sized freshly baked scones and a pot of clotted cream. The scones looked like they had a good long yawning stretch while baked in the oven. I love scones!

The second tier held 6 bite-sized desserts, two of each kind.

First, the raspberry and pineapple mille-feuille.

A lemon tart.

Last but not least, my favourite actually, was this tiny chocolate tart. Amazingly chocolatey and very soft and delicious.

My cappuccino.

Ready to dig in. See how smooth the chocolate tart was?

Véranda also have this lovely cold drink: ice shaken espresso shots topped with fluffy almond flavoured whipped cream. If you are a coffee lover, you must try it.

We enjoyed our time having afternoon tea at Véranda. The small afternoon tea is big enough for two, even three diners and is very delicious and fresh. I’m definitely going back to try the full-sized afternoon tea with sandwiches the next time I’m there.

Véranda’s afternoon tea is served from 2:30 P.M. till 4 or 5 P.M. They also serve breakfast which I’m yet to try. Véranda is located on the first floor of Harvey Nichols Kuwait overlooking the Grand Avenues walkway in the Avenues Mall. For more information and pictures you can follow Harvey Nichols Kuwait on instagram (@HarveyNicholsKuwait) or view the instagram hashtag #VerandaKuwait.

Blast from the Past: Baby-Sitters Club and Point Horror Books!

I’ve been unpacking some moving boxes, something that’s about a year over-due but it’s better late than never I suppose. One of the boxes I opened was labeled “books” and what was inside? My old Baby-sitters club books!

The last I’ve seen of these precious old things were a bunch of which I have auctioned off in a garage sale in 2010 and they were sold in a blink (post). Those I found in the box are my favourite BSC books and I wouldn’t give them away for any price. I’m keeping those for the day I have children so they can enjoy reading them as I did back in the 90′s. I had three different editions of the BSC series with three different cover styles. I think the BSC books are out of print now.

My favourite BSC book ever was the one with Mary Anne’s makeover! When her father takes her to cut her hair and buys her makeup and new jewellery. I love makeovers and in that book, I imagined I was Mary Anne going for my brave dream haircut.

The BSC had the main series and a few side story-lines like the BSC Mysteries and special editions. I didn’t have many of these though, there were harder to find.

The last I bought of the Baby-Sitter’s club was the one where Mallory leaves into a boarding school. I think I saw it there, number 123? I stopped reading the BSC series after that but I kept my books for the future. Look what else I found in the box! Point Horror books!

My favourite of the point horror books was the Cheerleaders Evil series! There is this evil spirit that haunts one of the cheerleaders and kills off one of them in the first evil and no matter what they do, the bloody thing just won’t leave them alone! I remember thinking to myself as I read the series over and over back in the day how horrible must those cheerleaders how felt, I could almost feel their despair from the pages.

One last book I found was the Cocktail 2000 Egyptian series. These I collected as well along with Malaf Al-Mostaqbal and Rajol Al-Mostaheel though none of these I could salvage over the years :

As I fondly picked up and stroke each books, the lovely memories of the days when I was young and innocent with nothing to worry about except my homework came back to me. I remember saving my small allowance, KD by KD, until I made enough money to go to Manara bookshop of Family bookstore in Salmiya - both long gone now- and buy myself some BSC and Point Horror books. Nothing made me happier back in the day! I also remember buying the ones I couldn’t find from Waterstones or W.H. Smiths in London whenever I vacationed there during the summer. In fact, the last point horror book I ever bought was from W.H. Smith in London in summer of 1996 or 1997.

I flipped through one of the books and the distinctive smell of old paper wafted back to me. I love that smell and I can’t believe I now own books that smell that way! All those precious beauties from the past occupy one single shelve in my library and they will proudly stay there as a memoir for my lovely childhood English books until the day they become my children’s books.

I hear that the Point Horror and BSC books are now discontinued and out of print. Too bad, for the girls of the BSC were like my friends and I enjoyed their company through the pages. Do you remember the Baby-sitters club books and Point Horror books? Do you still have any of them lying around? Which ones were your favourite?

Succellent Kuwaiti Strawberries from Wafra Farms!

On Wednesday I arrived home and found a packet of strawberries in the fridge. The label on the box said “Kuwaiti Strawberries”. As I washed and placed them in a bowl, I could see they were excellent, ruby red, very ripe, and extremely juicy strawberries. Their delicious scent was so strong, I could almost cut it with a knife as I cut off the strawberry stems.

I bit into my first strawberry and I have to say in all my life, I’ve never had such good strawberries before except once in the UK and they were British strawberries picked during the strawberry season. I had a little bowl of melted chocolate waiting by the side of the strawberries to make the fastest chocolate fondue ever but as I was dipping my strawberries into the chocolate, I realized those strawberries were much sweeter than the chocolate itself!

I went back to the co-op later on that day to get me more of those heavenly strawberries. I, err, couldn’t let go of the bowl. I had them for breakfast at work last Thursday and I’ve been feasting on them all weekend long, still in disbelief that these candy-like red gems were farmed and harvested from the soil of Kuwait, a desert’s soil!

I knew Wafra farms in Kuwait produced strawberries, I didn’t know they produced such excellent strawberries! There were no more details on the strawberry boxes regarding the exact farm name though. I’m wondering if I could drive to Wafra and perhaps go strawberry pickcing? The same way its done in Europe during the strawberry season, where you are given a basket and you pick strawberries and weigh them? It’s a very fun activity, one I’d personally make the two hours trip to the Wafra farms for.

If you know of any farm with good strawberries that allow strawberry picking in Kuwait, please do share. I’m looking forward to the day where we can go Alphonso mango picking in Kuwait as well.

Do you eat or drink food at the market before paying for them?

Whenever I shop at a Co-op or a super market, I sometimes notice that some shoppers take something off the shelves, open it, and start consuming it. Once or twice I even came upon empty wrappers thrown carelessly among the merchandise which means they are unpaid for. But most of the shoppers will take the eaten product to the cashier and pay for it.

I have to say I myself become very anxious if I’m in the company of someone who does that. I don’t like when that happens, because whether you like it or not, you are consuming something you haven’t paid for yet. A market is not the same as a restaurant. Plus, can you guarantee that by the time you make it to the cashier, your payments will actually go through?

I always wait until I’m in the car with my purchases fully paid for before I have a sip of water or a bite of chocolate. I would never open something and consume it before paying unless its an emergency, like I’m going to faint or something as drastic. Many people however don’t share the same view and think it’s OK and that everyone does it so why not, they will pay for it in the end. I’m not even sure if those markets allow customers to consume things before they were paid for in the first place.

Do you eat or drink food at the market before paying for them? and why?

Dreaming About the Weekend…

Missing the weekend during the work days is normal. Day dreaming about the weekend every single waking hour of your work day is borderline obsession. I wonder that should be interpreted as as a sign that it’s time for a vacation? Now that’s Wednesday, my mind almost but convinced that today the weekend will start, kaifi apparently, and that I will wakeup tomorrow morning to sitting by the open windows eating my favourite breakfast sandwich with a cup of homemade latte in total peace and quiet while watching weekend morning TV and thinking of how to spend the rest of the day in peace since I’m usually utterly spent and can’t do much but sprawl on my couch during those two glorious weekend days we get.

Do you ever get that feeling that the weekend is tomorrow when actually it’s the day after tomorrow and you end up in that waiting for the weekend to start mood for 48 hours or more? Maybe one day in the future, weekends would be 3 days instead of just 2. Until then, I will keep on dreaming.