Yummy calamari!

LEGS!!!!

Fareej Al-Suwaileh

We recently discovered one of the most delicious restaurants ever. A small traditional Kuwaiti restaurant called "Fareej Al-Suwaileh" on Salem al-Mubarak Street (right before Mark and Spencer on the same side, with parking from the back, right upstairs from a place called Candles) was recommended by Kuwaitis. Boy, are we glad that we went! While we went at peak time on Thursday and ended up having to wait for a while in order to get a table (we tried making reservations, but they don't take reservations at all), we didn't have to wait THAT long for our turn to come up. They turn over tables very quickly there and the service is very fast indeed. (And you must know that whenever you go you're probably going to have to wait at least for a while, because it seems like everyone in Kuwait goes there!

There are two floors for dining, the lower one is more cafeteria-like, and the upper one is quite traditional looking and divided up into cute authentic looking cabins for privacy (this is particularly important for some families where the woman is veiled or whatever. The atmosphere is simple and bright, more cafeteria-like in feel, with old Kuwaiti wall style motifs all around. The waiter's mostly are not too bad with English, so you will not have too much trouble ordering. The prices are excellent and considering the vast quantities of food that you get, well worth it.

We ordered a variety of traditional Kuwaiti dishes and shared them. We got margoog (a pasta like dish), gaboot (like dumplings with a filling), tashreeb (a lovely dish with meat, a thin bread, vegetables, and sauce over it all (that is traditionally eaten in Ramadan), rice with tiny green lentils and shrimp (yum, yum), salads (nice simple dressings), kubbat aish (fried meat-stuffed rice football shaped things), lamb biriyani (which isn't traditionally Kuwait obviously, but has almost become so), and later on deserts. Everything was absolutely delicious, and the place was packed the whole time we were there! What's more telling is that it was packed with Kuwaitis as well as Arabs from all over, including Omanis, Emiratis and more. You also better not miss their shrimp soup, that comes in a bread bowl, and tastes divine!!! Also the hot, fresh halawa that they make on the upper floor is to die for, but especially when it's hot!

While it was simple and cafeteria-like, it was definitely well worth the visit, and definitely deserves a call back! We give Fareej Al-Suwaileh 4.5 smiles out of 5. ☺☺☺☺ ½

Upstairs at Fareej Al-Suwaileh. Making helawa! YUMMY!

 NOTE.. we are going to leave this here, but as of right now, this restaurant is not operating.. or if it has moved, we don't know where they went!!!                                             

Bait 7

 is located in the Behbehani villas behind the church. It is popular and rightly so. The day that we went we enjoyed it so much that we have gone back again and again many times since then. I had been there many times in the distant past and it was good then, as it still is, but now they have changed their menu again and it is definitely for the better in many ways.

We sat outside and the weather was beautiful, but keep in mind that when we went it was in the month of January, and so, when summer is upon us, you will definitely be better off inside. They have a delicious menu full of fantastic fusion, giving you choices with an oriental flavor, a western flavor, and everything in between. They serve you up some wonderful homemade bread from the beginning with herb butter and other delicious condiments.

We had the pleasure of ordering the most delicious steak sandwich ever on huge ciabatta bread, along with your choice of potatoes, and a salad. We also had a variety of seafood starters, liver, and lot of other choices as well. Everything was delicious and well worth the slightly higher than some other places prices. The only down point was the carrot cake that wasn't quite as delicious as it could have been, and while we don't like to be negative, we need to mention it. Having said that, everything else was absolutely wonderful, and you also have the option when sitting outside in the garden to have hubbly bubbly. Don't miss it.

The service is generally good and friendly, but it sometimes can be a little slow and inattentive. It's always better to have reservations for Bait 7, particularly at night, but they won't always take your evening reservation, especially if you are planning to sit outside in the garden area, so plan to be there early in the evening to ensure that you get a table.

Bait 7 gets 4 smiles out of 5. ☺☺☺☺

Shrimp Caesar Salad

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Creamy and Delicious

Pizza!

This is that little French restaurant in Fanar Complex on the ground floor called EntreCote.

This isn't the first, nor will it be the last (to be sure) time we have come to this restaurant. This is a French restaurant with a twist. They only serve one single meal. That's it folks. So, it's a good thing that it's fantastic. All they do is steak! You can have it done any way you like (my preference is medium rare), and it comes along with REAL French fries, of the shoestring variety, a lovely salad with walnuts and a beautiful mustard dressing (that you can see in the picture), and fresh French bread. The steak is kept on a warmer and is served delicately sliced and placed with unlimited fries. There is a delightful mustardy sauce over the steak as well, that makes it all that much better. Don't worry about your steak coming the right doneness, because they are the experts at that!

Now your drinks and your dessert will be extra, but, while their desserts look appetizing I have never been able to eat one, because I have always been thoroughly stuffed after the meal!

This is a definite "don't miss it". 4.5 on the restaurant scale!

Delicious lobster

The lovely pot of goodies!

Our view of the climbing wall.

The "notorious" chowder (?)

A healthy shrimp and veggie dish

Shatti Al-Watiyah

This old fashioned traditional Kuwaiti restaurant sits in the heart of Kuwait City, right behind the Sheraton Hotel and the church in the Behbehani Houses. Outside and inside you get the look of old Kuwait, and the food doesn't let you down! The menu is chocked with all those delicious Kuwaiti dishes that you would expect to get, and when you see plenty of Kuwaitis in there eating, you know that they must be doing something right!

We ordered hot tomatoey grape leaves (the cold ones are of Lebanese or Sham origins), and other stuffed veggies, that all disappeared as soon as we got them to the table. We got rice dishes, margoog (a kind of Kuwaiti style pasta dish with meat), gaboot (a kind of stuffed pasta dish with meat), jareesh (a creamy tomatoey grain dish with meat), marag bamiyah with meat and white rice (this is okra), machbous chicken (one of the mainstays of Kuwaiti cooking), and fresh Iranian bread. The style of food served at this restaurant is Iranian style Kuwaiti food, and they do it with flair and style.

The prices are right (low) and the place is simple yet comfortable and makes you feel right at home. If you wish they also have a kind of shabby garden across the lane from the restaurant where you can get the same food and sheesha as well (but I will tell you the sheesha is not the best of quality and the place is simplistic and as I said shabby, nevertheless, it is quaint.

This is a definite 4 stars! 

If you are looking for a traditional place to eat, this is one of your good choices. Check out our pictures of the interior and exterior, and our own darling Kuwait TV 2 announcer: Alison Brettle, along with teacher Derick!

The front of the restaurant :)

Alison and Derick in front of the camel mural.

Tashreeb, a traditional dish

THIS RESTAURANT IS IN THE SAME AREA AS BAIT 7 AND SINCE IT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.. WE DON'T KNOW THEY THEY HAVE MOVED, OR WHAT????!!!!!

La Piazza

We went to La Piazza the other day, which is located in the Behbehani villas located in the strip behind the church (near the Sheraton). While it wasn't our first visit, it most certainly won't be our last. As usual the atmosphere is always nice there. No matter where you sit in the restaurant you always have a feeling of relative privacy, while also feeling like you're still in the middle of things. The menu is extensive and there is definitely something for everyone.

Our meal was preceded by the most wonderful variety of breads and bread sticks with a variety of the most delectable condiments for them. We ordered a wide variety of foods, ranging from soups and salads to pastas, seafood, and pizzas.  Everything was fantastic in presentation as well as in taste. The service was impeccable (in fact you can see a photo of our waiter on the people page here) and the waiter was absolutely attentive the entire time we were there, although we were a large group.

By the time we left La Piazza we had been there socializing and enjoying a wonderful, relaxing, leisurely lunch for hours. That is just the way that we love it. They do take reservations and in the evenings it is recommended to have them.

La Piazza gets a definite 5 smiles. ☺☺☺☺☺

Salad with mustard dressing

MAKI

The branch that we went to is on the Marina Wave. When we entered it seemed very small and crowded. The sort of a place to see and be seen. Initially, this was disappointing to us, because we also didn't have reservations. We opted to sit outside on the terrace though, and are glad we did! Outside the weather was beautiful (because you could probably never sit out there in the middle of the hot summer at 55 degrees)!

We got to watch the people attempting and sometimes succeeding in climbing the wall at the Wave, which is extremely entertaining.

We will say the menu at Maki is innovative, and holds many delights, several of which aren't available on any menu at any other Japanese restaurant in Kuwait, and we have been to them all. The prices are good here as well and are quite reasonable, although not cheap.

We ordered fairly light this day, and went for soups, pots, and lobster. Nothing disappointed us! I have been there a few times, and have never been disappointed, although, we always make it a point to sit outside, which is why we haven't been there lately, because it is simply too cold!

Maki gets a 5 for food for sure! But only a 3 for the inside seating which is WAY too crowded (tables too close, etc), even though, as I said, outside seating (when it is feasible) is wonderful and very relaxing.

We would definitely recommend this restaurant!

Casper and Gambini's

The day we went to Casper and Gambini's (in the city, behind the church, and now at other locations too) it was beautiful and since they have a lovely terrace with shaded tables, we sat outside.

The menu is quite interesting with a wide array of sandwiches, tapas, and entrees, to name but a few of the choices. In fact their menu is so extensive that we had a difficult time deciding what to have.

The sandwiches all got good reviews and their bread is quite nice, tasting fresh and homemade. I ordered New England Clam Chowder though, and I shall say, if you're not from New England (I am), you'd be better off not trying to make this. Particularly when you probably have never tasted a real clam chowder, although, to be fair, this is an assumption, based on the fact that the soup that I got didn't even remotely resemble New England clam (or seafood) chowder. Frankly, it was absolutely disgusting and tasted so strongly of canned mussels (last time I knew CLAM chowder had CLAMS in it) that it was inedible. Oh well... I guess you can't do everything right all the time, because no one else had any complaints, and, in general, everyone was quite pleased with their food.

The wait staff were alright, if a little slow, and so Casper and Gambini's gets a 3 out of 5, overall.

By the way, we heard they were going to be having a new menu. We just hope that the Clam Chowder makes its way back to Maine and stays there, because it doesn't belong here in THAT form!

And I need to ask a question... their logo states that their food is "the taste of tradition", but with a name like Casper and Gambini's, Casper is normally a Jewish name, and Gambini is an Italian name, but this restaurant is from Lebanon.. and the food is.. um.. a fusion, but nothing Jewish, Italian, or even Lebanese too much either. But, never mind, still acceptable, just keep the clam chowder off the menu!

Marag Bamiyah (Okra Curry or Soup) with rice and Machbous Chicken!

Delicious Iranian bread, loaded with sesame seeds and made right there!

Alison and Derick standing in front of the lovely "bait Sha'ar" (hair house) mural in our little dining alcove.

Traditional interior

The entrance to the restaurant is a traditional door.