Saveco in Qurain

Saveco has a new location in Qurain, exit 208 behind LuLu Hypermarket.

Qatar trip Part 2

On our second day we had an awesome guide named Khalifa who works with the museums and Souq Waqif. He took us on a personal tour of one of the old Qatari houses within the museum, unfortunately we got off late and the others were closed but the house we saw was beautiful.

 Some of the artifacts found when refurbishing the house

 In the old days they used the tiny seashells to layer the floor of the hosh (middle open area of old houses) to keep the dust down

Some of the handsome police patrol in Souq Waqif

 This fellow decided to stick his tongue at me

Katara Village during the dhow festival in which dhows of the GCC countries come to Qatar to show their boats

 One of the local Qatari artists, @fahadqtr_art

 Sculpture made of old copper antiques

 The beautiful and amazing restaurant Ard Canaan which serves a mix of Palestinian, Jordanian, Lebanese and Syrian dishes...a must try!

I had mansaf with lamb

One of the beautiful buildings in Katara

Such a beautiful amazing place!

Qatar, I love it!

The last time I visited Qatar was 2006 and a lot has changed. The population has increased, which means much more traffic for such a tiny country but the addition of museums and touristic attractions is amazing. You can start off by taking a look at their touristic website to see what there is to do. I didn't have enough time to do everything so a second trip is definitely in the making. The airport is simply amazing, modern and a great way to start off in Qatar.

The Qatar skyline

 Museum of Islamic Art

The country is surrounded by water which makes for an amazing corniche. The corniche surrounding the Islamic Museum is beautiful. It is green area with trees and grass and the best part is not seeing any trash. The country is kept very clean which proves it can be done if people truly care about their country. Of course, there are still undeveloped areas with the old cars and buildings and I'm sure a touristic view of the country is different than those of the people who live there.

 Steel beam monument

 Organic cafe

The Pearl

 Gondola ride in Villagio Mall

 Mini amusement park in the mall

 Dessert in The Gate Mall

The drive was congested but late at night the place is empty of people and cars. It's as if everyone sleeps at 9 pm. The locals are kind and helpful and the local guys do not harass people. No one seems angry and one car even stopped to let us cross the road, imagine that. I have heard that prices are high there and when I thought about moving there I did research and found out that the private schools are much more expensive than here if you can believe it. I have been watching this country grow since the late 90's and it shows how much progress can be done when the ruler wants the best for the people who live in Qatar.

Qatar Airways- Warning

I took a trip to Qatar the past few days, I haven't been there since 2006 and it has grown a lot. My mother has always bragged about Qatar airways, my boss had only good things to about it as well. I booked on Qatar airways waiting for this great experience everyone has talked about, Well, it turns out they now have a budget air fleet.

Welcome to Al Maha airlines from Saudi Arabia. Recently Al Maha airways is a Qatari owned airline based in Saudi Arabia. The airline was set to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2014, then postponed to summer 2016, that's why the color is green and white representing the Saudi flag.

'Regardless, in the meantime Qatar Airways is using Al Maha A320 aircraft for their flights, since they’d otherwise be sitting around. The service, crews, etc., are all from Qatar Airways. The only difference will be the cabin. These planes are pretty bare bones, as they have 12 recliner business class seats without entertainment.'

Bare bones is an understatement, if you are a heavy person there is no way you will be comfortable on this flight, the seats are cramped and you feel like a sardine. The initial destinations are planned to be Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Medina, Abha, Qassim, Doha and Dubai.

I did not like this surpise and was very disappointed, if I wanted a tiny cramped plane I have many other airlines to choose from. Sadly I won't be booking Qatar airways again when I fly to Doha.

Al Kout Mall to open October 2017

Kuwaiti developer Tamdeen Group has reported that 70 percent of its Al Kout Mall’s retail spaces have been leased out, a year before its scheduled opening date on October 5 2017.The company said in a statement that it has had an "unprecedented and positive" response to the 260 planned retail spaced at the new shopping mall.

The mall is part of the overall Al Kout development in the Ahmadi governorate which will offer also hospitality, a marina, a fishing wharf, leisure and entertainment.Major tenants such as H&M, Zara, GAP, Victoria’s Secret, Sephora, Massimo Dutti, Banana Republic, Jack Wills, COS, Mamas & Papas, Mothercare as well as F&B brands like Vapiano, PF Chang’s, TGI Fridays have so far signed up, the statement said.

The project will boast over 100,000 sq m of retail space, making it a super-regional mall and the largest mixed-use waterfront project in southern Kuwait.Mohammed Jassim Khalid Al Marzouq, chairman, Tamdeen Group said: “Our objective is to create a vibrant new destination for the south of Kuwait, offering several attractions to our consumers. We want to create a destination for visitors from Kuwait and from outside, particularly the GCC.”

Fashion will be a major component of the new mall with over 50 percent of the mall catering to a variety of fashion brands, he said.In addition there will be entertainment for families including Cinescape Cinemas, Infunity and a new Sky Zone concept.

Managed and operated by GLA Management, negotiations are continuing with other popular brands.
Christian Wistrom, general manager – leasing, GLA Management, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the project has received so much interest and we anticipate that it will be fully leased well before the opening of the mall in October 2017. “This strong demand is a reflection of the quality of the project as well as the positive experience of retailers with existing Tamdeen projects.”

Assaha Village Lebanese Restaurant

I've admired this restaurant from afar, I loved the details of the building, they have re-use way of decorating.

It is the architecture revolving around the usage of ancient materials, elements and techniques, and their reintegration within a system of different construction purposes. This architectural theory foreshadows the beneficial usage of demolished houses’ remnants that are often thrown away in the sea. Other elements are used in this architectural style; some of them are the neglected elements, the remnants of old buildings, as well as the archeological and traditional artifacts such as the peasants’ tools, the joiners’ equipment, the household artifacts, etc… Those forgotten features are re-used in innovative, creative and novel ways. In other words, one can definitely benefit from the precious relics left by our fathers and grandfathers, and from the environmental donations and past cultural civilizations. Each tool could be either used according to its original function or implemented in creative, modern functions and purposes.  

As you wait for your order they serve the traditional olives, pickles and lupin seeds (thermos) on ice which is the first time I've seen them served in a restaurant, usually they are sold by the seed go on the side of the street. 

 I wonder if the turquoise wood beams were refurbished from old Kuwaiti houses? I've seen this color in so many abandoned houses.

There is sheesha for those smokers

 That little seating area has a shelf with old trunks

There's a small collection of old Kuwaiti doors outside

They are located in Bneid Al Gar - Block 1 - Str. 83 - On Gulf Road Phone:965 22533377/88 assaha.kw@assahavillage.com website IG @assahakuwait

Raising Cane's now open in Jabriya

Raising Cane's is now opened in Jabriya under IHOP.

Although I no longer support anything to do with Al Shaya they still own most of the good stuff so I do it for my blog followers.

Three & Barista Artisanal Coffee Bar & Kitchen

A friend was visiting from Qatar and had a meet up at the Three & Barista Artisanal Coffee Bar & Kitchen located in Al Shaheed Park. It was such a cute and cozy place with great ambiance. I love the decor which was a mix of industrial meets automotive. The covered area we sat in was made from the ceiling of a bus with bus seats covered in fabric, very creative. 

The café is located in Al Shaheed Park and is open from 4 to 10 pm daily with a menu including coffee, desserts and light food dishes. Their IG @threeandbarista and their contact number is 22461232.

Baking Tray

After having lunch we wanted something sweet so my friend took me to Baking Tray in the city. I really loved the decoration and the outside sitting area with a view of the Grendizer art made by the Ashekman twins. My friend ordered white chocolate cookies while I had a chocolate mousse cake. 

The cake I had was dry and hard, I left most of it on the plate which was disappointing and the cookies had been microwaved to death to the point of falling apart. I might try it again in the future for coffee, the location and outside sitting area is a great place to chill with friends.

www.bakingtraycafe.com IG @bakingtray_kw