Oh My Dear Sweet Charlotte!

Over the last year, I’ve been constantly teased by the evil Sushi, exposing several photos of Paul‘s famous strawberry cake named Charlotte in her blog, while secretly smirking in her heart and most certainly declaring “Wahahaha! Feel the pain and suffer! You impudent sugar-deprived imbeciles!” Okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit but you get the point. Not until recently as I was in the Avenues upon inviting my mom for a tasty Lenotre brunch, I saw Paul and decided to have a Charlotte for carry out and take it to my home for a late evening dessert (somehow, that sounded kinda naughty). Unfortunately, the cake didn’t look as appetizing as it originally was, probably because I might have “squashed” it carelessly by mistake. Nevertheless, it was quite luscious and creamy, and definitely worth all the trouble. I do however recommend that you try out while dinning in Paul to avoid any squishing accidents if you are clumsy as I am.

P.S. The post title has a huge Ranma 1/2 reference. Those you’ve watched the series would definitely know what I am talking about

KFC Colonel Sanders Is So Kawaii!

The wildfire success of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japan is the stuff that makes business textbook writers giddy. An all-American institution was successfully turned into a staple of Japanese fast food thanks to cultural awareness, adaptation, and clever marketing. Among the things done in KFC’s eastward expansion was to position the chain’s founder, Colonel Sanders, as something of a mascot figure. Many Japanese KFC branches still have a life-size statue replica of the Colonel somewhere on the premises.

However, things got a little bit outlandish in the very youthful district of Akihabara. Many KFC owners started to dress the all-time American Colonel into a very otaku-oriented maid uniform. However, for those of you who aren’t into cross-dressing, rest assured, as the KFC headquarters in America told the Akihabara branch to stop dressing Colonel Sanders in a maid costume apparently, so he has been returned to his original self. Although, there’s something really attracting in that maid uniform. You know you shouldn’t be gawking at it, but it’s just so bizarrely compelling that you can’t turn away…

• For more pictures, click HERE.

Restaurant Impression: Ruby’s Diner

Reading Mark‘s “The Best Burger In Kuwait Challenge” made me craving burgers for the past few days like crazy. I plead my friend to take me to Johnny Rockets, but unfortunately the nearest one is like more than 1.30hours of car drive. However, he revitalized me with the news that a new burger place has just been opened in our area and he was kinda hoping of checking it out today. Without any hesitation I approved on his plan and drove our way to Ruby’s Diner, which is quite different from the famous Ruby Tuesday. Now bear in mind this is not a review but more like an impression. Personally, I don’t believe in reviewing a whole restaurant solely from eating one meal; I think you need to taste several dishes and entrées before you make the final judgment, which is what food critics usually do. Now, enough with the technicality and let me serve you what I ordered.

Starters – Chicken Fingers

Nothing fancy here although I thought the presentation was kinda cute. The chicken fingers were crispy and hot and the three dipping sauces (BBQ, Ranch and Honey Mustard) added the nice kick to the taste that made them quite delectable.

Entrée – The American Kobe Burger (w/ Chili Cheese Fries)

Now this is what I am talking about. I never tasted a good burger such as this one for a long time now. Unfortunately, I cannot tell if it’s better than Johnny Rockets because it’s been a long time since I dined in there. Nevertheless, the patty was super-juicy and super-premium, and the Tuscan Bun was lightly grilled and added a nice flavor to the whole sandwich. The burger was so tasty that I didn’t even notice that there wasn’t any Ketchup in the bun; it’s that good. And may I add how appetizing the chili cheese fires was.

Dessert – Fresh Baked Apple Pie

I developed a habit that whenever I dine in an American diner, I order a side of apple pie for dessert, you know, just to get the whole casual American dining experience. The pie was just warm and nicely baked. It was sprinkled with lots of cinnamon and drizzled with caramel sauce all over. The creamy ice cream that came with that was just great but it tasted just like a regular vanilla so there’s nothing special there. Regardless, I thought it was one of the tastiest apple pies I ever had and provides a worthy competitor with Rockets’ apple pie.

~Overall Impression~

• Level of Recommendation: 4/5
• Price Fairness: 5/5
• Probability of Another Visit: High

The 20 Burgers You Must Eat

The hamburger is a symbol of everything that makes America great, so it makes sense the best burgers are made there. Check the 20 hamburgers you must eat before you die…if eating all those 20 didn’t kill you first.

Click Here For The List

The Paradise

Oh sweet mother of everything that is pure and delicious. Chili’s Chocolate Chip Paradise is definitely my mood kicker whenever I’m feeling down and miserable. With warm, chewy bar layered with chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut, and topped with sweet vanilla ice cream and drizzled with hot fudge and caramel; this baby is guaranteed to delight your taste buds. Make sure to give this tasty dessert a-go if you still haven’t tried it yet.

Hard Cook Is Funny

Reading Mark’s latest entries, reminded me of the fast food restaurant Hard Cook, and I remember laughing so hard the first time I have been there. It was like two years ago (winter break of 2005 to be exact). And it was me, my mom, and my aunt (5altee) who we picked her up from the hospital and we were on our way to drop her off at her house. She was a bit hungry (and so did I) so we stopped at Hard Cook. Now, this was my first time there; I looked at the title of the restaurant and the next thing I was laughing hard. My aunt looked at me and then looked at mom “what’s wrong with him?”. My mom smiled and said “apparently he’s laughing at the title of the restaurant” (I love how my mom understands me without me saying anything). My aunt realized why I was laughing and gave me her famous, long-stretched word “3eeeeeeeb” (which means shame on you or something). Now, the thing that brought tears to my eyes is the way the workers dressed especially the big, silly Mexican hats they wore. It just the idea didn’t click to me, and whoever came up with the idea is certainly clueless, because it wasn’t original, it was darn funny. I mean you have to see the way they look from afar; the big hats were hilarious walking around on the street. Things got worse when one of the waiters approached our car to receive our orders, because I was still laughing hard. When he approached our window, I picked my phone and was pretending that I’m laughing with my “imagined-caller”. I couldn’t order anything, so my aunt ordered me what she wanted for herself.

OK, I know I sounded really silly and extremely immature but I couldn’t help it. Hard Cook is a funny restaurant indeed; I forgot how their food tested though.

I Need A Blondie

I have this sudden crave for Ruby Tuesday’s Blondie. But I want the Kuwaiti’s Blondie not the American, because the Blondie over here tastes like crap. To be honest, not just the Blondie but everything tastes so good in Kuwait and also we have a killer Friday’s menu; the one here is really pathetic. In fact, if you asked any American who currently living in Kuwait these days about his/her favorite fast food chain restaurant, they would open their mouth and say loud and proud: Hardee’s.

So to sum things up:

Food in Kuwait > Food in the US