Danderma's Blog, page 52

Guilt-free Snacks from Green Yummies

I returned home yesterday to find a big white wicker basket chock full of snacks like popcorn and potato chips from a new brand in Kuwait. However, they weren’t the usual munchies, they are supposed to be prepared so they are healthy and guilt-free.

There was the card with my name on it. I love cards!

Now let’s check what’s inside, shall we? First, Good Health Natural Foods Plain popcorn.

Potato chips fried in Avocado oil in two flavours: Sea salt and chilean lime.

Now this looks good! Sweet potatoes with maple chipotle! 

Crinkle cut veggie chips.

Potato chips fried in olive oil in three flavours: Rosemary, garlic, and sea salt & vinegar.

Spicy veggie sticks.

Pizza flavoured veggie sticks.

What a loot! I think we need to have a munchies night soon.

Thank you Talal and Abdulwahab for sending me this healthy munchies basket and for the card. For more information or to try these guilt-less munchies you can contact Green Yummies by calling 65099899, checking their website (link), or following their instagram account (@GreenYummies).

The Night of the Burgers Marathon

Yesterday was the last stay for our Omani blogger friend Standy in Kuwait so we decided -for some reason- she should spend her last day in Kuwait a burger tasting tour. Please note that no burgers were devoured by me during this marathon. Our first stop was to try the sliders in the Open Flame Kitchen (OFK) in 360 Mall. 

I somehow forgot to take pictures at the beginning of the meal but the girls shared some sliders and a burger I think was called the Roma? Anyways they had a lot of fun.

And that was number one. We somehow remembered the Kuwaiti band Miami while doing number 1.

Stop two was Burgerholic in 360 Mall as well.

This time the girls didn’t order sliders. They ordered four big burgers and asked for them to be cut in quarters.

We needed to take Standy to Jabriya so we had to make haste and the poor girls wolfed the burgers down. That was burger place number 2 and the hand signs look a bit less cheesy.

After a long battle to enter Jabriya we finally made it to Heil w Zafaaran shop that sells traditional Kuwaiti sweets in mini tin boxes. Standy wanted to take the boxes as gifts back home and by the time we left she was laden with tins and bags to use as giveaways.

Next stop was f2o Shop in Burj Jassim, you cannot visit Kuwait without paying the f2o shop a visit! Sadly with all the traffic we made it there by 9:37 P.M. only to find out that the f2o store closes at 9:30

We were planning on shopping at f2o then going for a bite in Fat Burger but traffic ate up all of Burj Jassim’s time up so we left for our next stop, Brown Tomato in Al-Hamra Mall. The girls wanted to have the Red Velvet burger.

Sadly the Red Velvet burger is no longer on Brown Tomato’s menu so we headed to our last stop of the night, Elevation Burger in Al-Hamra mall.

By then the girls could barely eat but they braved it and had the third burgers of the night. They won’t be having any more burgers any time soon I suppose.

And that was number 3 and a not-so-cheesy wrap!

It was 11 P.M. and Standy needed to pack so dropped her to her hotel and said a good buy. I didn’t like that part of the night

Good buy dear Standy. I hope you enjoyed your stay in Kuwait and sorry we weren’t able to throw you a pizza night or show you around some more. We wish you a safe trip home and please do visit us again soon and blog more frequently. We miss you already

Dinner at Cavalli Caffè in the Grand Avenues

We were invited for a private preview dinner of Cavalli Cafè which took place yesterday. I knew from my visit to the cafe before (post) that the interior was glamorous and I was waiting to see if the food lived up to the hype and interior. Yesterday at 7 P.M. on the dot we made it to Cavalli Caffè and we were let in and led to our table at once.

For a soft opening menu there were a lot of choices to pick from! We contemplated the menu for a while then finally placed our orders and sat back as we gazed at the dazzling crystal chandeliers lights bouncing off every shiny surface in the cafe’s vicinity. Lavish lighting befitting an international designer.

First to arrive were the drinks, a juice cocktail that I forgot the name of.

My drink, which is basically ice-shaken decaf espresso served in a martini glass. It was excellent and refreshing and the right choice for a coffee-holic.

Next to arrive on the table was the complimentary bread basket. Actually, I should just say “the bread” since the table had a silver basket of freshly baked bread plus two other plates of deliciously baked bread. One baked with tomato slices. The bread basket came with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sundried tomato pesto.

No Italian meal should start without dunking fresh pieces of bread into olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The first of our starters arrived shortly. It was saffron risotto with asparagus and goats cheese with a side of Bolognese sauce. It was as excellent as it looks in the pictures.

The ice in my espresso drink was melting slowly throughout the meal, yummy.

Next to arrive was our main dishes. Mine was Penne pasta with black truffles and walnuts in gorgonzola sauce.

This dish tasted as rich as its ingredients. I loved the taste of black truffles and I’m already a fan of gorgonzola so I loved this dish. Its a bit on the heavy side though so if you are not a fan of gorgonzola cheese I wouldn’t recommend you try it.

The other main dish was grilled chicken breasts in lemon sauce with wild brown rice and vegetables. I didn’t catch the actual name. It was very light and tasty especially the rice, very nutty and different.

Mr. Lorenzo the restaurant manager recommended we try the “Semifreddo al torroncino” for dessert. Its a cross between a gelato and a pudding, or as the menu put it “Nouqat Glacé” so we did. I’ve never tried it before so I steered clear of the usual tiramisu and Crème Brûlée and ordered the Semifreddo instead.

It was very good, like a cold smooth vanilla mousse with chewy chocolate bits drizzled with rich caramel and topped with crunchy dime chocolate-like pieces. I’d recommend it myself if you are going to dine in Cavalli Caffè.

We almost staggered out of the cafe’s door, our stomaches full and our hearts warm with content. Both the cafe and the food were beautiful, in essence as well as in looks. I can’t wait for Cavalli Caffè to officially open so I could go back and try the rest of the Menu. Thank you Mr. Paul and Mr. Lorenzo for your warm welcome and generous hospitality.

Cavalli Cafè is expected to open by next week and is located in the Grand Avenues district of the Avenues mall. You can’t miss it as its the building with the silver, glass, and colour-changing lights facade. For more information or to make a reservation at Cavalli Caffè you can contact them by calling +(965) 22201110.

My pictures in Marie Claire Magazine

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a fan of Marie Claire magazine. One of the first things I do whenever I land in London is get me the latest issue of Marie Claire UK. Therefore, you can imagine my joy when Marie Claire Kuwait magazine approached me to provide them with the pictures I’ve taken of the Dark Room restaurant when it first opened for a piece about The Dark Room they are writing (post).

To be frank I was a bit skeptic that my pictures will really make it into print and if they did, they would look any good at all. Not until I received my monthly copy of Marie Claire’s April 2013 issue did I allow myself to start believing that my humble pictures might just appear on a popular publication for real.

And yet there it is! My pictures, one I took, in a spread about The Dark Room on pages 186 and 187 with my blog name credited as the photographer! The pictures actually do look good! Oh MY GOD!

There it is, Danderma on Marie Claire Kuwait’s pages! I’m honoured

Of all Marie Claire issues I’ve read and kept at home, the April 2013 by far is my favourite of them all @MCKuwait).

DeBrand Chocolatier’s Opening in the Avenues

Back in June I posted about a big box of chocolates I received from a new chocolatier in Kuwait, DeBrand (post). The chocolate variety I received was vast and very delicious and needless to say nothing lasted a long time at all. Back then I was told that DeBrand’s first branch will be opening in the new Avenues mall sections which were still under construction. Yesterday, and after a long 10 months wait, DeBrand’s first branch was opened in the Avenues.

DeBrand’s chocolatier is located in the new Jewellery section of the Avenues mall and I believe its the first store to open in that district.

I arrived early and the place was already buzzing with guests, media, chocolates, chocolates, and more chocolates.

I loved the white flower arrangements on clear glass vases and chocolates presented on clear acrylic trays adorned with white flowers. Very simple, extremely chic!

My invitation came from the event organizer, Ms. Mariam Al-Suwailem, the lady behind Hannayome Wedding magazine and exhibitions (post). I have to say I’m beyond impressed with the way she had organized the event. I can say that De Brand’s opening was one of the most organized event I’ve ever attended till now. How come?

First off, Mariam was standing holding a sign that said “Social Media Meeting Point”. This is a great idea since all the bloggers invited would know where to gather to meet the person who invited them and figure out what next. It was nice to meet you dear Mariam Secondly, before the opening of the store, Mariam took all the gathered bloggers discreetly through a back door to the store before the other guests and let us take as many pictures as we wanted without being interrupted by people crowding the displays, shoving away, or hiding from the cameras.

It took us only fifteen or twenty minutes of picture snapping inside the shop on our own before we were done and it was time to officially open the store and let the rest of the guests in. The Debrand store is also a chocolate cafe! With indoors and outdoors seating overlooking the new Avenues Jewellery district and a killer menu.

How good does that look? Yummy!

You can eat chocolate, you can buy chocolate, and you can shop for chocolate gifts as well.

Before we left each guest received a big elegant De Brand’s bag. What’s inside?

An acrylic tray laden with different types of chocolate plus a big mug and flowers. Gorgeous!

Thank you Mariam Al-Suwailem and DeBrand Chocolatier for extending the generous invitation. I loved the everything especially the organization and how smooth the opening events unfolded. Congratulations on the opening and keep up the good work.

DeBrand Chocolatier is now open in the Jewellery district of the Avenues mall right underneath the entrance to Kidzania. For more information you can call 99496222, check their website www.debrand.com or follow them on Twitter (@DeBrand_Q8) or Instagram (@DeBrand_Q8).

A Sneak Peek of Cavalli Cafè in the Avenues

Yesterday I managed to get a sneak peek of Cavalli Cafè that’s opening soon in the Grand Avenues. You cannot miss it if you are passing by, its the building with the modern glass and silver facade with beams of light changing colour. 

The interior of the cafe through the glass panes in is shrouded in a veil of white curtains and if you pass by its doors you can’t help but wonder what’s behind those closed doors. Shall we see?Inside the first thing you notice is the extravagant crystal chandeliers. Crystal light is reflected everywhere, on the sparkling floor, off the top of the tables and the gleaming glasses. It’s very pretty and quite impressive. The black, gold, and tiger print decor screams Cavalli in every corner.

Cavalli Cafè is opening its doors for diners in the Grand Avenues very soon and there is talk of Roberto Cavalli himself attending the official opening. I can’t wait to dine there, I can tell its going to be a spectacular and trendy meal. Thank you Mr. Lorenzo and Mr. Paul, it was a pleasure meeting you yesterday.

Picture of the Week: Chocolate Eggs

Easter is getting near. Even though we don’t techinically celebrate Easer but we can still reap the benefits of its arrival: Cadbury Chocolate Creme Eggs are back on the shelves again!

When Omani Blogger Standi Came to Visit

I’ve known Standy for as long as I’ve been a blogger. Back in the days when blogs were stricly personal and we used to know what everyone’s day was like without getting fingers pointed at us for being too self centered ego maniac. Anyways, Standy lives in Muscat, Oman and though she blogs once in every few months now adays she posted on Instagram that she was heading to Kuwait. One thing led to another and both of us met for the first time for coffee last Friday in 360 Mall.  

I racked my brain trying to find the perfect place for Standy and I to have a delicious cup of coffee but to my dismay being in 360 Mall on a Friday night meant waiting lists at every cafe. We finally found a table in Lorenzo and I knew what I wanted her to try, Lorenzo’s famous chocolate cheesecake with rose water Turkish coffee.

Have you every met someone before for the first time but you felt like you’ve known them all your life? That was how I felt exactly. I know Standy, I’ve always known her, and now I was sitting there with her chatting, it all fell into place. She was not someone I was meeting for the first time, she is already a friend catching up on life and getting quite a culture shock :p

Time flew by fast with us talking, eating, and her witnessing first hand how addicted to coffee I am. Well, it was good! I love how much in common we had and how nice and easy was it to talk to her. Afterall, we share a very special bond between us. We are both 80′s children who were born on the same date, 17 July!

As I was dropping her to her hotel she mentioned that she was looking forward to trying KDD’s chocolate milk since she had never tried it before so we had to, just had to, go to Sultan Center and make her buy KDD Chocolate milk. We had an even better time shopping together in Sultan and I believe it was almost midnight by the time she finally made it to her hotel. I wish we had more time to organize a pizza night at my place for her, but since she was too shy to tell me beforehand she was coming to Kuwait, there is sadly no more time left

Welcome to Kuwait, dear Standy. It’s been a pleasure meeting you in person and hopefully I will be meeting you again before you go back next Wednesday! I hope you’ve enjoyed your breakfast today, where did you go

Turkish Breakfast at Emirgan Sütis in the Avenues

I learned from the Avenues Instagram account that a new Turkish Restaurant, Emirgan Sütis, had opened and was serving breakfast last Thursday morning. I knew rightaway I wanted to try it. I want something new and delicious for breakfast and I have seen pictures of breakfast in Turkey online therefore, on Friday morning I woke up super early and headed for the Avenues souk district to have breakfast.

We arrived at 9:16 A.M. but the restaurant was already busy and almost all the outside seating was full! We grabbed the last remaining table outside overlooking the Souk district and separated from the Souk’s walkway by potted plants, providing diners privacy yet not obscuring the view. 

The restaurant is quite big but was very busy and I couldn’t take much pictures without bothering other diners therefore we took our time looking over the different breakfast options in the menu, each more tantalising than the next.

Before we placed our order two baskets of bread arrived at our table. One filled with slices of a different varieties of bread baked freshly at Sutis. The other was small cut bites of a bread they call semeet if I’m not mistaken, very soft and topped with sesame.

The first of our orders to arrive was the Turkish tea. It wasn’t sweet per say but it wasn’t bitter either, it was just right and didn’t need any sugar added to it. I ordered several cups!

And orange juice which took a while to arrive but was so fresh it was worth the wait.

The rest of the dishes didn’t take long to arrive after the tea and came all out of the kitchen at once. We ordered “Buffalo Kaymak drizzled with Honey”. Kaymak is Qaymar or Clotted Cream.

Cheese Buerek which is layers of buttery dough baked with salty bits of cheese. Like a Turkish version of a cheese croissant but much better. Highly recommended.

Cheese platter that came with five different types of very delicious Turkish cheeses. One was like feta, another like goat’s cheese. One also tasted like Kashkawan cheese. There were five different types of cheese along with big fat sweet red grapes.

A plate of cucumber and tomato slices drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Very fresh.

Strawberry marmalade. It doesn’t look like it but it was out of this world. Extremely tasty.

And eggs cooked with tomatoes and green peppers.

Digging in… there is no need for words. Everything was very tasty and highly recommended.

To end the breakfast feast we had to, just had to, order the Turkish coffee and find out how it tastes like in a Turkish restaurant. It arrived with more flare than all the other dishes in the restaurant. It was excellent and very, very good.

Our bill came to 16 KD. Not bad at all for a such a delicious and fresh spread.

I got up from my table light and not entirely full, which is weird considering I ate almost everything in front of me. The menu variety is vast and different, their location is excellent, their atmosphere is friendly, and their prices are absolutely reeasonable and most importantly their food is excellent and very fresh and light. Emirgan Sütis is a great and unique addition to the Kuwaiti breakfast and dining scene and I will be going back insha2 Allah for more.

Emirgan Sütis is located in the Souk District of the Avenues Mall. If you enter the Souk district it will be right to the left of the middle big fountain smack in front of the entrance. For more information you can check their website (link) or follow them on Twitter (@EmirganSutis).

Ne’emah Perfumes Opening Soon in the Avenues

I was in the Souk District of the Avenues when I saw Ne’emah Perfumes store! Ne’emah perfumes are one of my favourite Arabian perfumes makes in Kuwait and they’ve recently started selling their perfumes internationally and their ads appeared in Vogue magazine. I wrote about them when they started having small kiosks in the malls of Kuwait here (post).

Congratulations Ne’emah perfumes on your soon-to-open store in The Avenues mall. The Avenues mall keeps surprising me with the variety of their new stores day after day masha2 Allah. I can’t wait to see what’s more in store, For more regarding Ne’emah perfumes you can check their facebook page (link). They have a stand in the Avenues near Pinkberry Phase II and two stores, one in Burj Baitak and one in Abdullah Al-Salem Co-op.