Q8 burger challenge, final edition

burgers, burgers, burgers!

i love burgers - there are so many things that have the potential to make them interesting. the type of bread used as a bun, the meat used for the patty and how the patty is put together, the toppings, and (of course!) the sides (can't have too many options, imo). while i've had less than satisfactory burgers, what makes an amazing burger is too hard to define.

i've also come to realize that all of my burger entries for Q8 sort of sound the same. that and i am at a loss in terms of writing about these last couple of burger places. in fact, there are some that i just can't seem to write about. it's not that i didn't enjoy all of the burger places (for the most part, i did!) it's just that my creative juices are no longer flowing (in that direction). that and some of the places have since closed, so it may not be fair to include them here, now. so, here is a quick final collection of a couple of burger joints in Q8.

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burger hub
kuwait city
gulf road, opposite seif palace
tel: 965) 2464818

what was consumed: burger! and fries and fried mac 'n cheese (i''m not sure if this is still on the menu, but i sure-ly enjoyed them!)

online: http://www.theburgerhub.com/

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zeebrgr
bidaa, next to the palms
tel: 22901070

what was consumed: in addition to burgers ... onion rings, potato fries, zuccini fries

online: http://zeebrgr.com/

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haus cafe
sharq
tel: 22410843

what was consumed: burger with guacamole, potato salad

online: hauscafekw.com

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burger boutique
kuwait city
arraya mall, mezzanine ii
tel: 22997775

what was consumed: lots of burger options! and loaded fries. and chicken wings. nom nom nom ... 

online: http://www.burgerboutique.com/

coco room

coco room
seef strip

what was consumed: halloumi bruschetta,  rancheros, migas, eggs menemen, breakfast burrito, bbq brisket hash ... and red velvet pancakes

one of the things friends and i enjoy is brunching (as i used to do in WDC), and restaurants in Q8 are happy to accommodate.  when feeling particularly ambitious (& when friends come to visit), we frequently put 'coco room' on the schedule. located in the "seef strip," opposite the seef palace, coca room is ideal for a tasty brunch before a windshield tour of the parliament building, the grand mosque, and other local gems in kuwait city proper.

so, upon being seated (i recommend some outdoor seating when the weather is nice. the seating inside is ok, but it can get a little noisy (the acoustics inside aren't great) and crowded), our server came over with some menus - some paper versions, some ipad versions (with nicely shot photos).

coco room has quite a large menu, but we limited our ordering to their brunch menu, which is also quite large. they have some tradition (arab as well as standard breakfast-y) options, but much of the menu is filled with tex-mex-inspired fare. my favorite is the huevos rancheros: poached eggs (and they are really poached! nice.) on rustic bread, served with refried beans, red chilli hollandaise sauce, mexican herbs (aka cilantro), and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds. nom nom nom ...

as is the case with many restaurants, coco room does a very decadent job when it comes to dessert-like fare. yes, i'm talking about velvet pancakes: a stack of 4 pancakes made with red velvet batter, topped with a dollop of whipped (& sweetened) cream cheese and a healthy drizzling of a nutella/caramel sauce. each time i've ordered this, i've split it with 2, 3, 4 other people - definitely the recommended way to enjoy (but one i highly recommend you enjoy ...!)  that said, why it's not ok to have a red velvet cupcake for breakfast, but it's ok to have these pancakes is beyond me as they are essentially the same. if you got for that sort of thing, anyway.

a couple of things i don't see/get: coco room has a hash, but no hash browns. sadly.  love hash browns! also, i'm not a fan of their coffee - they charge for their black coffee by the cup (yes, i'm still a spoiled american when it comes to wanting bottomless drip black coffee :/). there is a coffee bean in the seef strip complex and maybe i'll get coffee from there before sitting down at cocoa room.  maybe.

i add the "ambitious" part of the requirement because 1) if you don't get within the first round of seating, you can be sure you'll be waiting for a while for tables to turn and 2) if you end up waiting, you may end up getting seated once brunch service is over (at noon, i believe) which might be ok, unless you're there specifically for brunch (or red velvet pancakes).

so, enjoy! i will see you there ... !!!

slider station

slider station
arabian gulf street, opposite seef palace, kuwait
tel: 965-2246 5047

kuwaitis love hamburgers (have i mentioned that before? i feel like i've said it before, and i say it a lot). luckily for me, so do i. i love them so much, and there are so many hamburger options, that some friends and i have decided to follow in the footsteps of others and engage in our own Q8 burger "challenge," reflecting on our burger eating experiences (let me know if you want in! i will send you the spreadsheet. yes, i have a spreadsheet. are you surprised?). friend of a friend was in town and i was volun-told to entertain (haha - just kidding. it was my pleasure!). i picked A up, gave him 3 options (korean, thai, or burgers) and burgers won. off to slider station we went!

we'd decided on a very reasonable 7:30-ish dinner time, but were a little concerned when we walked into an empty restaurant. we proceeded to sit at my usual/preferred seat at "the bar," looked through their extensive menu, ordered food, enjoyed food, ordered more food, enjoyed food, and had a pretty darn good time. only then did we notice that the restaurant had filled up, so much so that all of the outside seats were now also occupied (it's gotten cooler, though the heat at night never really seemed to bother people as much as me) and there was a line to get in. in addition to the very long line for the restroom that i wanted to avoid, we ended our visit to slider station.

so, about the bar. of course, not an american-style bar in options, just in looks. what's more, there was a conveyor belt that wound around the bar. turns out, when sitting at the bar, your order is delivered via the conveyor belt a la "sushi boat." love it. i recommend sitting at the bar. yes, the novelty (for me) is still pretty awesome.

about the menu. they have their standard menu (specializing in sliders. and there are pages and pages and pages of options), but they also have a special menu. when they brought us an ipad with photos of their specials, we were sold (be sure to get the bacon (or as T says, "facon") wrapped mushrooms. delicious.) A and i each chose 3 items and decided to split them (we ended up with fries, the mushrooms, and 4 different sliders). after that first round, we went back and ordered a few more sliders. all different. including "the obama." we had to (right?). the sliders are all pretty standard slider sized with lots of different flavor options. i particularly enjoyed the sliders with a fusion flair (like the thai inspired slider). i felt like slider station did those well as well as the more traditional sliders.

overall, i'd recommend slider station. they have a nice ambiance and there's something about supporting young and local entrepreneurs (though, turns out, this eatery is a part of a larger group, though still locally owned i think, of restaurants). M has been to the branch/franchise in oman and said it was delicious. i would expect no less. awesome!

online: http://www.sliderstation.com/

p.s. despite some of the events reflecting the current situation here, there were lots of people who tweeted that they were at slider station last night. i thought that was really funny.