سترہ

Hi food finders!

So tonight I had the pleasure of enjoying a Thai dinner with great company & conversation. First off, let me make it known that you come to a restaurant like this, ONLY for the amazing food. I've heard about the restaurant since moving to Kuwait over a year ago and I was very excited to finally try it out.

The restaurant itself is relatively small, and has some private sections in the back, which was nice. Although the venue doesn't have much of an ambiance.
The server asked my host and I, if we knew how to write our orders, slid us a sheet of paper and walked off LOL. That's Kuwait for you! It actually wasn't a big deal, and my companion didn't seem surprised, (he has eaten here before) as he scribbled the numbers which correlate with each dish we desired. From the scents that expel from the kitchen into the dining room, you can easily detect that someone's Thai Grandma is in the back going to work!!!

The deeds...
Phuket Thai
Maiden Hallway, Kuwait (across the street from the Ewan Buildings)
Off of Bagdad Street

Try the Kom Tom Soup, Red Curry-Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Thai Iced Tea w/Lemon

xo
Find Food, Find Grandma in the Back!

Sexton

When Life Gives you Ice Cream...Make Ice Cream Sandwiches

I am a subscriber of Food and Wine Magazine's daily recipe emails that they send out. Usually the recipes inspire me to create dishes of my own and other times I simply foen in middle of America before getting published and signed off by Food & Wine.  This cookie recipe happens to be one of those. The web post was a a Oatmeal Cardamom Cookie, the combo of a hearty whole-grain cookie and perfume-y cardamom I was intrigued to try these bad boys out for myself. I mean any reason to eat ice cream in 110 degree weather is reason enough!

  

Last week I posted my favorite ice cream joint in Kuwait (Ice Cream World) hence, I purchased my cool, creamy filling from them. I used pistachio (a Middle Eastern staple flavor), and Almond (my personal favorite) for these delightful treats. 

If you ever stop by the creatively decorated "hole-in-the-wall" I highly recommend the Chocolate, Almond, Coconut, and Black Currant flavors!

Find Food Note:

The recipe states to use the drop-cookie method before baking. If you are going to freeze these cookies & enjoy them cold, then I agree with this technique. Although if you wish to eat some of these at room temperature I recommend gently pressing the dough before baking to get a more crispy consistency. Without pressing them they are a bit spongy/biscuit like oppose to having a crunchy edges and a soft center.

Recipe is courtesy of Food&WineMagazine.com

Fünfzehn

Best ice cream I've had so far in Kuwait, get you some!

Ice Cream World
Off of Bagdad Street, Salmiya
Kuwait

*They're on Talabat* :)

xo Find Food, Find Your Guilty Pleasure

Elf

M A N C R U S H M O N D A Y

This week I decided to present my first #mcm to the site. He is a great friend, and a culinary mastermind. Faisal grew up in London, England and is a very proud natural born Kuwaiti. When deciding a career path he ventured out to the States to study film & photography. Years later he ended up in the vibrant city of Miami and discovered his love for the professional kitchen. Failsal has made a great influence when it comes to the food industry in Kuwait by creating eye-opening concepts and hosting refined dinners that this desert land would of even fathomed 10 years ago. Apparently, here in Kuwait, chef is the NEW sexy!

FindFood: I always like to introduce my crush in 3 words or less. How would you describe your personal style in 3 words.


Zuba: Street, Urban, Modern

FindFood: You've been involved in a few culinary concepts in here Kuwait, describe your most recent endeavor.

Zuba: The most recent was experimental eatery. It's a concept that I came up with, introducing a new type of cuisine or really new type of food to Kuwait. In the sense of serving food without my guests knowing what it is. There things like tongue, beef cheeks, duck. And I mean duck as been around for ages but for Kuwaitis it's something new! They are used to the basics, fried food, beef, lamb, and chicken halas.  I even had a guest that had never tried lamb before, so...haha. Introducing different techniques and ingredients made the dinner about not only the food, but also the atmosphere. We introduced art installations to the dining settings, have artists come and help design the plate-ups, do live demonstrations, music installations. I was trying to make people aware that dining is just not about food, going out to eat is not just about eating, but that there are levels to it. That's what The Experimental Eatery is all about.

Modern vs. Tradition Harees

Find Food: That's awesome. The art scene here is really booming. I've found that there are a lot of really great artists!

Zuba: Yeah, a lot!

Find Food: So, we've all had them! Especially, being in culinary school or new kitchens. It's a cut throat industry and the nerves are always an aspect when trying to do your best. What has been your most embarrassing moment in the kitchen?

Zuba: Okay! When I first came to Kuwait from the States I was working at The Sheraton Hotel. The head chef was German and you know Germans don't joke around!

Find Food: Yes, they're very serious.

Zuba: So, I remember I was preparing the fish dish for our buffet. I was bringing the chafing dish with the whole dish in it, to the fridge. And I slipped! The whole thing flew all over the place, fish EVERYWHERE. And face, I'm white so I was so red, literally. I remember when it happened the chef wasn't there but, after I started cleaning so fast! The rest of the staff are not used to having a Kuwaiti in the kitchen, so they are like trying to help me, "Oh we'll clean in". And I'm like "no, no I'll clean it as long as this German guy doesn't see what I just did".

Find Food: Omg, that's so funny! Well you touched on something very important, actually. As you mentioned, being a cook or doing laborious work is not a typical for Kuwaitis. Explain a little bit about your experiences while having this type of position in Kuwait.

Zuba: For me, I'm kind of lucky because I got into the culinary game a little later in life. I say this because I know Kuwaiti's who are chefs, completed their degrees and are out working. One guy I know, was proposed to be married and got rejected because of his line of work. It's really bad, that society keeps looking down on people! Although, recently the food market has been booming, and Kuwaiti's are a lot more interested now. So instead of looking down on people the culture is beginning to look up to chefs, all within about a year. Now it's like, "the guy that cooks, is apparently sexy!" But the thing is that in Kuwait there are levels of respect between nationalities. For example Western expats are feared by Kuwaiti's. And people from poorer countries are feared by Kuwaitis. What I always do whenever I'm in a new kitchen is let all the staff know, "listen, guys before I start, I'm a chef. I am working as you work. I am getting paid like you are getting paid. Everyone respects each other mutually.  If something is bad, tell me it's bad. If something is good, tell me it's good." I always want a positive relationships with the chefs.


The Experimental Eatery Teaser from Zubaneen on Vimeo.

Find Food: For sure! As foodies, and as professionals in the hospitality industry. There are times where we go out of our way to experience the best restaurants, to taste cream of the crop food. What has been your best restaurant experience so far?

Zuba: I don't want to tell my best experience, but I will speak about the restaurant that has changed my view on food. It's not even that expensive! The 4 years that I spent in Miami, is when I was introduced to street food and fusions. I'm a huge fan of American-Asian fusion cuisine, I love the heavy flavors of American and the refined flavors of Asian. Gigi's is a restaurant in...

Find Food: Oh! That's one of my favorite's in Miami!

Zuba: Yeah! It's the best restaurant. I remember going to Gigi's for the first time and on that menu they were serving chicken skins. "I was with Kuwaiti friends and you know how Kuwaiti's are, they don't want to try anything haha"! So I had to postpone it until the next time,  I was blown away. Week after week I my friends and I would go to Gigi's, and it was great because they don't close until 3 AM. They have no limits or barriers to what type of cuisine they are. And the new items that they want to serve, they introduced it that day, simple as that! It tastes good, the plat-up is good they sell it!

Find Food: It's a great spot, I can never go to Gigi's without finishing with a mini ice cream cone, I just can't do it!

Zuba: Oh yes! I love the pistachio.

Find Food: Maple is my favorite!

So get your creative juices flowing. Because I want you to create an imaginary dish using Kaffir lime leaves, Captain Crunch, & feta cheese. I'll give you a few minutes...I should time this, huh?!

Zuba: Okay, I think I got it! I've used cereal in a salad before so I feel confident. I'm going to stick to the same idea. I would do a Tamarind Captain Crunch Salad with coriander, pickled onions, and pomegranate. I'd use the feta cheese with captain crunch breading, fried. Kaffir lime leaves would be used in the dressing with the pickling liquid, tamarind, and honey.

Find Food: Nice, sounds good!

^Zubabar's Lamb Bun w/ Coriander Mint Chutney^

Find Food: Over the years, I have found that chefs have a well rounded aura about them. They are very knowledgable, humorous, detailed, and up to date. They are also very personable and passionate, because in the kitchen you give your heart & soul. What chef has impacted and helped mold you along your journey?

Zuba: So I have a daily habitat of reading a lot books and watching You Tube videos on almost any chef I hear about. That is how I gain more knowledge and recently I have researched David Chang. He's a New York based chef, creator of Momofuku, and the Lucky Peach brand. I read his book, Momofuku, and I started to acknowledge and understand his mentality on food. In his book he describes how he wasn't an A-star student in culinary school. He was the one getting left behind and that he would have never expected to be where he is today. Cusine wise, David Chang has a very similar style as myself. I really look up to him, and the way he perceives food. Because from ramen noodles to a 2-Michelin star restaurant, you have to respect that. I'm in Kuwait and he's in New York and I'm discussing him with you, like thats crazy, he's brilliant!

Find Food: Haha, yeah! I was at Momofuku about 2 years ago with my sister. His Kim Chi was simply amazing, and Milk Bar is a cool concept too!

****Check out Chef Faisal's Newest Concept Coming to Kuwait City this Fall 2014****

For more of Failsal's amazing videos, and culinary photos check out @experimentaleatery & @zubabar on Instagram!

Otto

W  O  M  A  N  C  R  U  S  H  W  E  D  N  E  S  D  A  Y

This week's #wcw is Miss Marinna Hill, a good friend & colleague of mine.  Everyone will easily see why her electric personality and beauty made her a perfect candidate for my first #WCW blog interview. Elegantly standing at 5'10, this native Southern Californian gave me the humble opportunity to navigate through a little of her world.

FindFood: Introduce yourself in 3 words all beginning with the letter "M". 

MH: Hm, that's a very tough question. Sometimes I feel Marvelous. Mature. And the last one would be Marinna, something that's hard to describe.

FindFood: Oh, I like that!

FindFood: What is the tattoo on your finger?

MH: I actually have a several tattoos, but the one on my finger says "relentless". The ring finger for most people is something that your committed & dedicated to. Which is why I decided to put the word relentless. I wouldn't be where I am if I wasn't. If I gave up  and wasn't relentless constantly. Especially being a woman, it's very easy to have people step in and guide you or coach you, or just have that back-up. But, a lot of women don't have their own back. So, it's something where I look down everyday and I think, "Okay, your committed to yourself, put yourself first!"

FindFood: That's awesome, really cool! 

FindFood: You used to model in NY, what made you leave?

MH: To be honest modeling was just something to get me through school.

FindFood: College?

MH: Yeah, through college, so I was lucky enough to be 5'10 & extremely skinny. With school there wasn't a lot of time for eating, relaxing, and partying like everyone else. I started modeling in L.A. and was discovered, [swooped up] and began doing runway in New York.

FindFood: So, you went to school in New York too?

MH: I went to school in New York and I majored in medicine.

FindFood: Wow, that's really different!

MH: Yeah, and my minor was biology. By having both of those, I spent a lot of time in the lab. Modeling is something where you have to be really committed and I love fashion but, it wasn't what I was pursuing in life. My third year in New York is actually once I stopped.

FindFood: As you already know, I love food! This wouldn't be my type of interview if we didn't talk about it! What is your ultimate comfort food?

MH: I am a big fan of salty & crunchy. I have to say maybe chips & guacamole or chips & salsa. Something where it's like crunchy...

FindFood: And you can't stop!

MH: Yes! I love dips, hummus, guacamole, salsa whatever. Usually the ratio between chip to dip is like, 3:1 haha!

FindFood: Your parents are from Italy & Jamaica. How do you balance 2 very different cultures into your life style?

***Click Play to Hear Marinna's Answer***

FindFood: You had mentioned that you were studying medicine & biology so you were obviously headed toward a medical route. But, your are actually a restaurant manager. Describe your dream job.

MH: My dream job is actually very different. The reason why I started medicine was because I figured that your brain is something that can continuously sculpt and develop, and since I do love science, it was an area that I wanted to pursue. However, I am also very social and creative. There are 3 parts of my personality. I have a running joke that I tell. If I was paid to socialize my bank account would be overflowing! Which is nice because now, I'm in an industry where I AM paid to socialize. But, when I was deciding my career path I knew that I wanted to be a creative director for fashion shows. It is interesting because I'm using skills that I had developed at a young age now. For example, I love to be behind the scenes. Fashion is something I was always drawn towards, although I didn't want to be in front of the camera. I didn't really love it. My true dream job would be to design runways and produce fashion shows.

FindFood: That's so interesting because that's not a typical job in that industry, since like you mentioned, it's not highlighted, more behind the scenes. Awesome!

FindFood: So you wouldn't be FF's woman crush this week if we didn't honestly feel that you have great looks as well as personality. What is your go to beauty secret?

MH: Okay, usually 2 things is a hair tie and chap-stick.

FindFood: Basics, I love it!

MH: Exactly, just the basics! If I've slept at someone's house or something. The next morning I'll wash my face, pull my hair back in a tight ballet bun, and smooth lips always make you look refreshed. My best secret though, is that I'll usually put a little [chapstick] on the high parts of my cheeks, to get a little bit of shimmer, if I don't have bronzer. It gives a kind of dewy look to my face. That's it!

FindFood: I will be using that trick, F.Y.I.!

FindFood: If I could share a meal with anyone it would be ________.

MH: Wow, that's a great question! I know it sounds kind of strange but it would probably be Tyra Banks. There's something about her that people don't usually know. They twee her as a model turned business woman and this and that. Which I identify with because she was always judged as only being about this or that. But she has a degree from Harvard and a lot of people don't know that about her. I just find it interesting that someone who has so many things going on finds time in their day for the little things in life. The same goes for me, like I love spending time with friends I love having me time. But how do you have me time when were, you know, at that scale. I would end up just picking her brain and figuring out how to steer yourself in that direction. Not to mention she loves fashion, and she's funny so.

FindFood: Nice, it would be a good meal for sure.

FindFood: Since moving to the Middle East, what do you think is the most important thing you've learned so far?

MH: Definitely, to never give up! Getting things done here, communication, everything really, takes triple the amount of effort. For me, I'm very relaxed and laid back so I learn that if you settle for things, they will never happen here. This relocation has made me more organized, to ask more questions, and to be more through. Because you can't assume ANYTHING! Anything that you know from before doesn't apply on this side of the world. Even in other countries you usually can make some sort of a connection, but here it's like night and day, polar opposites! It has taught me to take a lot of notes, and to ask plenty of questions because you learn quickly that if you don't, you will end up having the same conversation 4 or 5 times!

FindFood: Yes, haha! Your so right, it has also made me a much more through person.

xo
Find Good Food, Find Good People

Chaha छह

Well, it is now Ramadan season, and naturally all I can think about is food!

Where am I eating dinner? Who am I eating with? Shit! When am I going to eat?!

I'm going to be very frank when I say that during Ramadan, Kuwait can be a bit dry (no pun intended). It's like over 100 degrees, everyone is on prayer mode, Muslims are uptight & rightly so! They have been fasting ALL day. All I'm saying is, unfortunately this is not the most pleasant place to be  This is my second Ramadan in the Middle East and lets just day, I've learned my lesson!

In turn, I'm making up for negative side effects of Ramadan by experiencing how another Muslim-country carries out such a holy month. Travel has always been a big part of my life, integrating with other cultures and beliefs is super important to me.

Although, I have never realized the importance of a passport until moving out of the States. Hearing stories from the people of impovershed countries like Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, the Philippines,  and Bangladesh longing for the opportunity to travel or the simple idea of being in the United States of America, is so eye-opening. South Africans willing to pay me thousands to execute a false marriage, all for a blue book titled "U.S. Passport" in gold font. Of all the countries in the world, they want MY country. From my experiences it seems that most from the Eastern world would do almost anything to be apart of the culture that was handed to me, as my place of birth.

Before this journey I could never fathom what a blessing it is to be a U.S. citizen. Now that I see the importance, I understand what the privilege means; I can appreciate the freedom that was naturally given to me. I hate to throw the whole "I am an American" card, although since my great metamorphous as a citizen, I feel that it is only right to take full advantage of that, and use my passport damn it!

Follow me as I travel this season to multiple countries, and amazing cities, experiencing life through the shoes of others, indulging in the "soul food" of different lands. My first stop....Instanbul, Turkey!