|
Jazeera Airways’ charming home country offers world-class food, shopping and hotels
Local Knowledge
Khalid Jaffar Chief Operations Officer
I love the Kuwait Towers. Essentially it’s a water tower, built to save water. We’re a desert country and water is a precious resource – this building celebrates that resource. It was also built as a statement of intent by a new country. It announced to the world that Kuwait had arrived. www.caviargroup.net
Top Tables
Burger Boutique
This Kuwaiti-owned restaurant does so much more than merely deliver knock-out burgers and fries. It transports you to a world far away from the boring shopping mall on the other side of its doors. It’s a Batcave of playful kookiness, where the low lighting, innovative menu design and funky furniture makes it look more like a trendy nightlife venue than a restaurant. The burgers are top-notch (try the rib-eye version), although the home-cut fries are sadly nothing special. The cash-rich can try the super-tender wagyu burger, while the indecisive can order a varied selection of mini-burgers. Arraya Centre, next to the Marriott Courtyard Hotel, +965 299 7775
Café Blanc
A slice of cucumber here, a pomegranate seed there; the difference is in the detail at Café Blanc. As befits a restaurant with a French name, the presentation here is almost beautiful enough to elevate Lebanese food to fine dining. These arty flourishes, along with gorgeous crockery and tableware, good service, reasonable prices, and a prime view of the marina, set Café Blanc apart from the competition. From the velvety hummus to a perky tabouleh and a range of succulent kebabs, this restaurant gets just about everything right. We can’t recommend this particular address highly enough. Marina Mall, Salmiya, Crescent Side, +965 224 4644
Green Land
For vegetarian Indian food on a budget, this tiny, no-frills eatery at the edge of the fruit market is a reliably good choice. For a light meal, a couple of dosas (large stuffed pancakes) will fuel your souk shopping, while for something more satisfying, the thali (a bargain KD1.1) comes with five or six dals, papads, puris and unlimited rice. Mubarakiya, Money Exchange Road, +965 242 4246
Shatea Al-Watyla
Indigenous cuisine can be hard to find in Gulf countries. This isn’t because nobody eats the food anymore; on the contrary, people eat their own cuisine at home and want something different when going to a restaurant. Shatea AlWatyla is Kuwait’s only restaurant serving the national cuisine, but despite the lack of competition it’s a fine place for lunch or dinner. The Behbehani house it inhabits is over half a century old and is an atmospheric backdrop to a meal of marquoq (dough balls with meat in a tomato sauce), murabyan (a shrimp curry) and makbous (chicken or lamb with rice). Behbehani Complex, +965 242 2077
Waterlemon
Do not adjust your eyes – everything at Waterlemon is slightly off-kilter, from the curved drinking glasses to the wavy service counters and the sloping floor. The food is straightforward by comparison, although some exciting mains are hidden among the long list of sandwiches and salads such as the stuffed baked salmon with saffron risotto and braised fennel. A huge range of imported herbal teas are there to help wash down your meal. The main drawback of a meal at this branch of Waterlemon is the background noise of the mall – there’s so much echo it tends to sound like an indoor swimming pool. Best to arm yourself with an MP3 player. Marina Mall, Salmiya, +965 224 4797
Suitcase Fillers
Mubarikiya
Kuwait’s Old Souq has recently been polished up and modernised, all of this achieved without sacrificing any of its traditional flavour. Shop here for herbs and spices, gold jewellery and traditional attire.Old Souq, Downtown
Sultan Centre
Running out of time, but have loads of shopping left to do? Make your way to the Sultan Centre: whatever it is you are looking for – clothing, cosmetics, electronics… pretty much aßnything – chances are you will find it here. Inside Souq Sharq, Gulf Road, +965 240 8772
At Your Leisure
Tareq Rajab Museum
Named after the first Kuwaiti to study art and architecture overseas, the Tareq Rajab Museum is the nation’s foremost privately owned collection of art, calligraphy, textiles, jewellery and musical instruments. Tareq Rajab incorporates a museum of Islamic calligraphy, while Dar El-Cid, an art gallery and exhibition hall, is located just around the corner. Jabriya, +965 531 7358
|
