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It’s been quite sometime since I did any food reviews because I’m cutting on my calories just like Tazmania did but heck food is too tempting since Kuwait is abundant with restaurants everywhere. I was at Bida’a the other day and spotted this newly opened Lavida Cafe opposie to Wasabi, it looked kinda cute with the violet lights so I got little curious to see what they serve. The staff said they opened a few days ago and that this cafe is a franchise from Jeddah, I was also wondering about the name Lavida so I grabbed my phone and searched Google, turned out la Vida is Spanish term meaning life. 

Inside it was small with a few tables scattered around and decorations were simple with wall mounted TV. They say they mainly serve breakfast but they also serve lunch and dinner, some of the stuff I saw included pasta, salads, sandwiches, mini burgers, pancakes, waffles…etc. My starters consisted of the chicken ceasar salad (tasted good), Mozzarella sticks (tasty with the dipping cheese sauce), as for main dish I picked their Chicken Platter which is a grilled chicken fillet served with chicken mushroom sauce and vegetables (light but vegetables were little salty). For dessert, I had their pancakes which are filled with pancake syrup and chocolate sauce and strawberries (tasty).

The service level was good but staff were slightly unfamiliar with the menu but I suppose this will improve with more experience. I was generally satisfied with Lavida Cafe but my remark is that their prices are on the high side since my order total was KD13.350 including a diet soda, that’s relatively high and hopefully prices will be improved.

Note: I’ve only experienced what I talked about above so I can’t judge the other things.

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I spotted 2nd branch for the luxury cakes and pastries cafe from love city Paris, Ladurée, opening at The Prestige District. I became macarons addict for sometime even though they’re relatively expensive.

Read about my previous experience with Ladurée at 360 Mall [link] 

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What do you know about steak really? its types? How to have it best served? I almost tried all steakhouses in Kuwait but frankly for so long all I knew was Rib Eye, Fillet, well-done and medium-well. Today I’m going to take you all on a journey into steak world that I promise will change your steak choices forever. I got invited by The Meat Co for a “Meatology training” yesterday, meatology means the science behind meat and beef, sounds exciting. I arrived at 5:30 pm exact and met with their international steak expert Mr. Gracious B Sikhosana, you should have seen the look on Meat Co staff, they were so surprised because I’m a regular customer and they didn’t that I’m the guy they were waiting for the trainig.

Cattle Breeds

My first question was about cattle breeds; I was mesmerized to know there are over 800 breeds, but the most famous are actually the Angus, Wagyu, Hereford, Longhorn among others. The Angus cattle are tough and mature around 2 years of age and they are used for beef (not milk) and are known for marbled meat (meat with intramuscular fat). Though what really awed me is the Wagyu, a Japanese breed in which the cows don’t ever move for over 500 days, and get massaging to prevent muscle cramping! They say this will produce highest quality juicy meat and most expensive of course.

Do feeds effect the steak?

Yes what the cows are fed does effect the meat quality, cows are either grain-fed, grass-fed, or milk-fed but most beef on market today is grain-fed because it helps producers to raise and fatten cows rather quickly than if they feed on grass. However, mlik-fed produces the highest quality meat of young cattle.

What’s all about Marbling score thing?

Whenever I’m checking steak menus I see the term Marbling score, rings any bell? Well it turned out that the marbling is the streaks of fat in lean meat, so the more marbling or higher score the more fatty, juicy and flavorful the steak. I can imagine many of you had the “Wide-Open-Eyes” when you read fat, but luckily this is mostly unsaturated fat rich in omega 3 & 6 fatty acids.

Steak Types

The steak type depends on which part of the cow the primal cut was taken from (see above), for example Rib Eye is from the ribs, the fillet from the tenderloin. However most popular types are the Rib (shorts ribs, Rib Eye steak), Tenderloin (most tender and expensive, fillet steak & T-Bone), Chuck (roasts and hamburgers), Sirloin (less tender than loin but more flavorful), Brisket (best for barbecue), Shank (tough and used for stews and soups). I personally prefer fillet steak because it’s lean (low fat) and very tender, others may prefer Rib-Eye or Sirloin because they are more fatty and hence more flavorful.

Steak Doneness?

This is the tricky part that could either make your steak experience truly delightful or miserable one. I for some reason always asked waiters to have my steak served well done but later changed to medium-well, I’m pretty sure many of you did the same maybe because we feel uncomfortable seeing blood? Thing is steak doneness highly depends on type of meat used, so suppose you order Rib Eye steak (which is high in marbling) then it’s fine to have it served well done, but if you are going say for Fillet steak then it’s best to have it served medium well or medium to preserve the tastiness. However, bear in mind that having the steak medium well shouldn’t have any blood (dark pink only) otherwise it means steak was frozen and not grilled properly, also the more the meat is grilled the less nutritional values it preserves.

So now how do you like your steak? and what are the steakhouses that you think serve best steak in Kuwait?

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Kuwaiti chef Ahmed Al Bader is certainly one of the most active restaurateurs in Kuwait with opening of several restaurant concepts serving burgers, pizza, steak, sushi, and fusion. I spotted a new restaurant by Ahmed Al Bader so called Pintxos at Al Seef strip at the same location of Wasabi that was closed down. I’m not really not sure what the name Pintxos means but according to uncle Google it’s a Spanish term for certain snacks typically eaten in bars.

Actually it did look like a bar on the inside with dimmed lighting and design, I’m seeing many new restaurants in Kuwait are trying to copy designs of bars,lounges, and even night clubs. Maybe some people love to feel they are in a bar or a lounge?

The staff say the restaurant is in the soft opening phase now and will be serving fusion cuisine, I may give it a go sometime.

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Spotted this new restaurant opening at Discovery Mall today, at first glance I thought it’s Lord of the Rings and I was like huh didn’t know such store ever existed but as I looked closely turned out it’s actually Lord of the ‘W’ings. My friend from Lebanon says they have it at City Mall in Beirut and they serve over 14 signature chicken wings sauces and customized burgers. 

I haven’t tried it before so I can’t tell for sure, maybe our friends from Lebanon can help?

Thanks [PinkGirlQ8]

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