Let me Entertain you...

One of the ways we keep our bellies full as well as our wallets (well, as much as you can in Kuwait) is the Entertainer Kuwait.  It is is the international equivalent to The Entertainment Book, which I am surprised to see is still around!

Just seeing that logo takes me back to my youth and the umpteen times I was forced to sell this book as a school or team fundraiser!  I am guessing it has gone out of fashion in the states, with all the mobile coupons taking storm.  Here in Kuwait we are unfortunate to not have any mobile coupons, but we do have the good old fashioned Entertainer!!

The Entertainer Kuwait is a collection of coupons, primarily 'buy one get one free' for local venues.  We first discovered it in Qatar and were faithful customers.  It was one of the first things we bought when we arrived here in Kuwait.  We love it because we are able to save a bit of cash on dining out, which we love to do, AND it encourages us to get out and try new places.

It does come at a bit of a cost, this years edition was 19 KWD, about $68, but it always pays it self back and much more.  On our latest book we earned our money back on our first outing.  Our family were in town and we took a drive down to the Al Manshar Rotana in Fahaheel.  We enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch, and saved 22kd!!

We have treated ourselves to a Brazillian grill at the Movenpick, sushi at Osaka and we regularly turn to it for a lovely little cup of coffee.  There are also coupons for beauty treatments and family activities such as bowling and child entertainment centers.

This time around we are excited to try out some of the newly featured travel coupons.  We have booked a short getaway in Oman utilizing a buy one night get one night free at Shangri-la's Barr Al Jissah in Muscat.  We're hoping it is as amazing as it looks online, we will be sure to let you know what we think.

We purchased ours from the Sultan Center, you may also buy directly from their website.

Happy saving!!

-Viv

MyTunes Vol. 2 - The Battle of Britpop

The Summer of 1995

2 bands...

Blur v Oasis

The battle of Britpop

If you are like me, you will remember the Summer of 95' like it was yesterday. 2 songs gunning for chart glory and the impossible decision of which one to buy.

I bought both on a rainy day from Asda in Taunton, back when CD singles were £1.99. I think I had spent all of my savings that day, but boy was it worth it!

Which was your favourite? Comment below...

Andy

Want to get fit? TeleSeen must be seen!

Most people that move to the Middle East will agree that there is a supernatural power that adds inches to your waist! I think it’s called Hardee’s, or is it PF Changs…no hold on, it’s Johnny Rockets! You get the idea!

Well when we arrived in Kuwait we joined the Holiday Inn Health Club. The price was great, the restaurants in the hotel tickled our fancy and the location seemed ideal. Initially we went quite often as we were training for a half marathon in Dubai, but since it has got hotter we have been finding it hard to build up the energy to head down after work. This has become a big problem in recent weeks as we have signed up for another half marathon in Portland, Oregon in July.

The solution? A treadmill!

Where could we get a treadmill? Go Sport – 375kd, Nasser Sports – 290kd, Intersport – 380kd…a little out of our price range!

One morning whilst driving to do our Saturday morning shop we saw a big billboard advertising treadmills and the price appeared to say 100 – 300kd. The next mission was to find out where this shop was. After searching on Google and asking Kuwait old timers I found out that this shop was called TeleSeen and was just down the road from us, located opposite Al-Sha’ab Park on Baghdad street. See green arrow below.

View Larger Map

So off we went to investigate what TeleSeen had to offer!

As you walk into the store you are faced with all those random objects that you see on television adverts. Things like a 21 piece vegetable chopper, wind up torches and the world famous 6 minute AB toner! Everywhere you look there are 'AS SEEN ON TV' stickers and posters. So where are the treadmills??

At the back of the showroom is a door that leads into another larger room which is an Aladdin's cave of fitness equipment! There are about 20 different types of treadmill, cross trainers, exercise bikes and many other contraptions. The great thing about TeleSeen is the selection and price range of treadmills. Treadmills are priced from 109 KD up to 375 KD and there really is something for everybody. 

We got straight home and after doing a bit of research and exchanging a few emails with the  helpful staff ordered a treadmill for 169KD. The service was fantastic.

• We could test the treadmills at the store.
• Every email that I sent was replied to within a few hours and answered my questions honestly and sufficiently (unusual for the Middle East).
• The treadmill was delivered the next day and we were able to select a time for delivery. The delivery guy also kept in constant contact to inform me of his arrival.
• The delivery guys set up and demonstrated the treadmill for no extra cost.
• The treadmill comes with a 1 year guarantee!

As mentioned above, the TeleSeen team were great and we explained what we were trying to achieve with this blog and they loved the idea!

They have agreed to give anybody who places order via email a 5% discount if you quote this

blog.

So we recommend you should:

1. Have a look at their website  http://www.808808.com/
2. Go to the shop and check out the fitness equipment. Feel free to try it out!
3. Go home and send an email to info@808808.com saying what you would like to order. 
4. REMEMBER: Quote "A Recipe for Kuwait" in your order.
5. Use your machine, don't just put it in your living room and stare at it!

Feel free to contact TeleSeen or us if you would like any more information!

Andy

Souper Easy Recipie

Now as much as we love to go out, I still find one of the most important 'ingredients' to a happy life is some good home cooking.  This week I was brave enough to try out a recipe from Soup Bible, a lovely little just because treat from Andy.  I went for the Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper soup, and I am so glad I did.  It was souper easy and very delicious!

To start roast tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and basil in olive oil for about an hour.

Before

                                                                            After

Then add the roasted veg to some chicken broth and give a little whiz with a hand blender.  I used my new Bosch MSM6B, a gift from my lovely in-laws who were just here visiting.

Then just simmer and serve!  We added a few croutons for flavor and crunch, it was one of the most delicious soups I have ever made or tasted.

-Viv

Me vs The Cinema

To me going to the cinema has always been an exciting experience regardless of the movie. I love the atmosphere when you arrive, the ridiculously expensive confectionary which we all moan about but still spend our hard earned pennies on, the trailers before the film, the movie itself and finally the moment once we leave the screen and automatically turn into film critics.

I have some fond memories of various cinemas and can remember experiences like they were yesterday.  I remember when I was 7 going to watch ‘Ghostbusters 2’ for Arnold’s birthday. I even think he had a Ghostbusters jumper (so jealous)! I remember leaving that film and all of us pretending we were not scared. I’ll be honest, that guy in the painting still gives me nightmares!

I remember going to Wincanton Cinema to watch ‘Back to the Future 2’ with Dad. This was a smaller cinema and only ever had 10-15 people viewing each film. It was useful to have it in the town but the sound was about the same quality as playing music through a mobile phone. However, despite this it was great to walk out of that cinema with Dad having both witnessed a phenomenal film which showed us a glimpse of the future (still no hoverboards).

So as I’ve got older I have been to the Cinema on numerous occasions all over the world but nothing could prepare me for the Middle East experience. Ok, so I knew films would be censored and some films would not even be shown at all, but my negative experiences have come from something completely different.

I first went to the Cinema in Qatar to see Avatar with some good friends. Obviously it was busy as the film was new and as the lights went down the room was illuminated with the screens of Blackberry’s and iPhones. The room then became a chorus of various ringtones at which point I thought these people would panic and quickly turn their phones off in embarrassment. Did this happen? Of course not! These people answered their phones and just sat there talking as if they were watching a film in their living room. We all looked at each other in disbelief and decided to stare directly at these people and give the odd sshhhhh. That would surely work! BUT NO!!!!! People were chatting walking around in the screen, leaving after 5 minutes, leaving mid film and even new people arriving 5 minutes from the end. This became the norm at every film we went to however some films had different problems. My favourite was seeing 5 and 6 year old children arriving to watch ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ at 10.30pm which is obviously an unsuitable time for children to be up, let alone the film being extremely graphic and violent.

When we arrived in Kuwait I knew that there would be a few films being released that needed a cinema visit. The first we saw was ‘Captain America’ and I was incredibly excited. We went to Muhallab Mall as it is only 5 minutes away and it was Friday lunchtime so in theory there would be hardly anybody there. In the screen were Viv and myself, another couple and one family with three kids. 30 minutes into the film and the Kuwait experience was good, in fact great! But then a sign must have appeared saying that if you run and play in front of the screen you will win a prize. These pesky (word stolen from Scooby-Doo) kids were a nightmare!! I did my usual, mumble bad words under my breath and said that I was going to complain if it didn’t stop (I never do!). We sat there for about another 30 minutes watching these children become part of the film. To be honest it was actually funny seeing a child stood in front of Captain America’s special place. They then must have got tired as they left the cinema and allowed us to enjoy the phenomenal finale!

On Thursday we went to see ‘The Avengers’ which if you haven’t seen, is probably the best superhero movie ever made or at least equal to ‘The Dark Knight’. We saw it in IMAX 3D at 360 Mall. It was packed there and many people arrived late but for the first time in 3 years I felt as if I could have been in any cinema in the world. People were cheering, clapping and gasping at the action. Mobile phone rings were limited and no children were let loose to wreak havoc! It was a near perfect movie experience to the point that I am trying to convince Viv to go and watch it again. She will, I always win when it comes to the cinema.

The moral to this post is:

1. Be prepared to get annoyed at the cinema in the Middle East

2. Be prepared for key parts of the film to be cut out (kissing, girls boobies etc)

3. Buy a Ghostbusters jumper (or knit your own)

4. Hoverboards aren’t real

Andy

Rice Up Your Life

Today we were lucky to enjoy the tasty delights of the Rice Pudding Factory, right here in Hawally.

Last week Andy read about this new food venture on another blog.  He discovered that it was just down the road, he couldn't contain his excitement and headed down immediately.  What he found was a lovely little shop adjacent to one of the cleanest Co-ops in Kuwait, a drive through Starbucks and a lovely florist.  The rice pudding was so great we decided to take our friends the very next day.  However, we arrived to find the doors locked and all the counters covered in blue tarps!!  Our disappointment filled the air as we went home empty handed.  A little research and a few days later we found there were some technical difficulties that needed repairing and they would re-open shortly.

We gave it another go this afternoon and couldn't have been happier to see the doors open and The Rice Girls behind the counter ready to serve!

 

There are five flavors of cold rice pudding and two hot varieties.  Toppings include fruit, crumbles and sweet sauces.  As there were four of us, we decided to get a Happy Box to sample several of the flavor combinations.

The six pack of puddings cost 7 kd and was well worth it.  A box like this would be perfect to take to a party or in our case just the right amount to share between four.  Take a look at the flyer below to get your taste buds tingling.

If you want to experience a 'carnival of flavors' (Andy Turner TM) be sure to go over and check it out for yourself.  No doubt you will probably see us there with a Happy Box for two!!

-Viv

Here is a map for their location:

WICKed

Normally when I get home after a stressful day at work the eight meters from the lift to the front door seems like eight miles.  However, today I walked out of the lift and the lovely aromas of our scented candles had infiltrated the corridor. I have never been much of a candle person, despite the fact that my lovely sister would (and still does) pressure me into attending PartyLite parties on a regular basis back in the states, but recently I have nothing but love for some wax and a wick.

It all started when we moved into our new apartment and wanted to make it super cosy.  A little shopping trip to Safat Home and The One led us to their sale sections and some massive three wick candles for less than 5kd.  We stocked up, and went back several times, and now candles are always on our shopping list.  Not only do we buy them but we light them every single day.

Our most recent find is Bath and Body Works (our location of choice, Marina Mall).  Now first let me say I have not given Bath and Body Works a fair chance in recent years.  After receiving far too many gifts of matching lotion and shower gel it hasn't been at the top of my shopping list.  But low and behold they do more than just lotion and shower gels.  They have an incredible selection of home scents, the candles burn well and smell lovely.  Currently you can find last seasons scents, think fall and Christmasy, on sale for 3kd.  Our favorites so far are Marshmallow, and Creamy Nutmeg.

  There is also a deal on mini candles, 3 for 2kd and you get the glass holders for free!!

The moral of my post is go buy a candle and light it today.

As Andy always says "Live life to the wax!"

-Viv