Jar (Bistro) – Kuwait

Located in a beautiful complex with a variety of restaurants, and overlooking two botanic gardens is Jar restaurant – FtL’s debut restaurant review in Kuwait.

According to their Facebook page: “Jar is an international contemporary bistro that brings you a blend of modern foods that speak to the soul.“

A gorgeous backdrop!

The owner, Essa Behbahani, is also the person behind Maki’s popular Essa Maki restaurant.

Accommodating for a total 80, it’s the outdoors that’s the place to be, particularly on a lovely summer’s day (which is almost all days).

With huge canopies providing sufficient shade from the fierce Kuwaiti heat, there’s plenty of space too with around 40 seats.

Inside, the restaurant is reasonably sized with a simplistic, yet elegant interior. We especially loved the touch of rose gold therein, and appreciated the Jar decorative-theme carried throughout which included serving props being utilised as a back drop alongside unique wall art.

Mocktails (left-right) Red Sea, Pineapple Colada, Berry Rap

The drinks were both a good size and beautifully presented; summer vibes shining right through with this wonderful variety.

While the Red Sea mojito delivered a berry kick, it delivered a hint of tanginess courtsy of the mint and lemon. And it looked just as great as it tasted!

The Berry Rap was a burst of berry goodness – sweet and light. Yet, while this was more of a berry mix than a mocktail, it still tasted good.

As for the sweet and refreshing Pineapple Colada, then the subtle interplay between the coconut and mint, coupled with its pineapple base, made this perfectly balanced beverage light in texture, and thus a wonderful accompaniment alongside the food.

Pumpkin chips & Citetro sauce

The crispy fried pumpkin shavings along with the Citetro sauce – a green mayo-style cheesy sauce that had a sweet and tangy kick to it – made this a nice complimentary start to proceedings.

Grilled Edamame

The addictive nature of these chargrilled Edamame lay in the combination of the amazing burst of green apple ponzu-chilli sauce drizzled all over followed by a satisfying smoky aftertaste.

Potato Bomb – Fried potato sticks, shredded beef, volcano sauce. 4.750KD

This innovatively named Potato Bomb plate was gingerly presented before us, had evident height, with great visual appeal.

Essentially these comprised of super skinny fried potato sticks mixed in with shredded beef and an amazing sweet ‘n’ sour volcano sauce. What we encountered was an eruption (mind the pun) of flavours and textures ranging from the crispy to the chewy-cum-sticky. A fantastic taste-tingling starter.

Shrimp Volcano – Fried shrimp, volcano sauce, slaw mix. 4.950KD

Simply amazing! This Shrimp Volcano was hot and fresh, with the fried shrimp encased in a fluffy batter and covered in a phenomenally good sauce.

Honestly; we couldn’t get enough! Definitely a TOP recommendation.

Tom Kha Soup

Thai inspired heaven! A light and creamy coconut soup, with shrimps, lemon grass, enoki mushrooms and a touch of spice.

Perfect for a mouth-watering start before your mains.  Served in the most unique and creative way too – soup in a coconut shell on a bed of sand-like-grains, making that perfect Thai beach inspired look. We were left truly mesmerised in more ways than one.

Chargrilled Chicken & Beetroot Hummus – Chargrilled lemon chicken skewers, beetroot hummus, grilled baby carrots, chilli oil, served with mini pita bread. 4.250KD

These pair of perfectly cooked chargrilled chicken skewers were resting atop a large bowl of pink beetroot hummus and accompanied by chargrilled baby carrots. As such, not only did this beautifully presented dish create that initial mouth-watering effect, but it was also your go-to healthy option.

And it tasted great too! A light, yet filling dish, with the beetroot hummus, while being something different to the usual stuff you’ll find, was quite rich, and yet complimented the lightly marinated chicken.

The baby carrots on the side were a nice addition providing some sweet-smokiness.

A great choice for cutting the carbs!

Chicken Sliders – Two crispy fried chicken breasts, mango chutney coleslaw, cheddar cheese. 3.750KD

These appetising little bites not only looked fresh and vibrant, but also tasted just as good.

Tall and filled to the brim, these Chicken Sliders were full of flavour thanks to some thick, crispy tender breasts.

In between a pair of soft and fluffy brioche-esque buns was the sweetness of some crunchy mango chutney slaw, copious melted cheese, and plentiful herb mayo sauce that succeeded in delivering a light, almost floral edge to these impressive burgers.

Lamb Shank

You couldn’t ask for more when presented with a tender chunk of well cooked lamb shank and served alongside a generous amount of rice that had a light tomato taste to it.

There was also an interesting combination of chilli sauce juxtaposed with some yogurt which brought the whole dish together by adding a tomato-tangy taste. A lamb shank that had that Middle Eastern touch to it.

Saffron Milk Cake – Sponge cake soaked in creamy saffron milk sauce, topped with whipped cream. 15.000KD

Never had anything like this Arabian-inspired Saffron Milk Cake before. It was heavenly!

A light, sponge cake drenched in cold sweet milk that had taken on the gorgeous yellow colour of the saffron quite nicely. With a touch of vanilla and topped with light, airy cream, the taste of saffron was delicate enough to make the overall composition of the cake a really well balanced one.

Perfect for someone without not much of a sweet tooth to speak of.

Jar Dessert – Chocolate brownie balls, lotus crumble, chocolate sauce. 3.500KD; Vanilla Ice Cream (optional) 1.000KD

This was Jar’s signature dessert dish, and for good reason too. A chocoholic’s dream, this bowl was made up of a variety of textures, from the soft and ultra-chocolatey cake balls, to the biscuity lotus crumble, and the coolness of the smooth vanilla ice cream. And though there was plenty going anyway, it wasn’t until the addition of the warm, melted chocolate sauce that the fun really began.

This was an irresistible bowl, and one which, in complete contrast to the above, will only ever be appreciated by those with a sweet tooth.

Ultimate Cookie Dough – Choose from Kinder or Nutella 4.500KD; Vanilla Ice Cream (optional) 1.000KD

There’s two choices for the Ultimate Cookie Dough – Kinder or Nutella. We opted for the former.

What we got was a crumbly chocolate doughy mix, which, rather than being so crunchy, could and should have been a little softer for us. Nonetheless, the satisfying taste of vanilla ice cream helped to counter the sweetness of the cookie dough. All in all, another one for the sweet toothers.

In addition, we also ordered Mint Tea, which went perfectly with the trio of desserts, as well as a light and frothy White Choc Mocha hot drink, that was neither too heavy nor sickly, even when paired with the desserts.

Mint Tea, White Choc Mocha