After spending half the day in bed catching up on some Grey's Anatomy, I got a call from a fellow chef  inviting me for late lunch at this new Japanese Restaurant Called ORA. So I decided to do little research about the place. Interesting, I must say.... ORA had'nt even opened it doors and yet it was already a hit on instagram and the rest of the Kuwait social media community. But that was not what I wanted to know though. As a Chef myself, when a new place opens, I'm more interested in the people behind the scenes than the name, but thats a story for another day ;-)

Fast forward, we get there... And I must say myself, I was sold from the moment we entered the door. The dining area was spacious, clean, and very welcoming to say the least. We had a look at the menu and it had more lots of beatiful dishes to choose, from Cold Tapas, Hot Tapas, Salads, Sigiture Sushi Rolls, Donburi's ( A Japanese "rice bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice), Dessert and finally Fresh Mocktails....
So in the blistering heat, I decided to kick things off with their Ginger & Lemon Ice Tea

From Hot Tapas I had the Tiger Creamy Shrimp. 

Signature Sushi Rolls we tried the ORA Crispy Roll

Crispy Rice with Tuna

Robata Grilled Lobster

Aslo tried thier Fresh Water Melon Juice

Cinnamon Bred Pudding (My flavourate*****) and Homemade Ice Cream

The place is beautiful! From the fresh flowers on the table, to the chilled out music playing in the background and the wierd but awesome art piece they have mounted on the wall. You can't help not notice such things. The  food as well is on its own level... Nothing out of the ordinary for me but definately something to try out when you are craving for something new and fresh. I must warn you though, the place is a bit pricey and some of the portions are a bit below par.

Other than that I liked the place on a once off basis. So i'm giving ORA a 4* seal of approval.
Want to try it out? Swing by at Arabella Mall  and check the place out

One of my favourite beverages to order when I'm at a restaurant is the Proudly South African Red Cappuccino.  It is made by using rooibos tea ( meaning "red bosh") which is grown in South Africa and is known as a fynbos. We have adapted this versatile tea to produce lovely red cappuccinos, red espressos, and even a rooibos liquor. You can also fine some restaurant that use it to infuse there desserts such as creme caramels or creme brûlées.    

If you would like to get your hands on some of the red espresso, there is a South African Based Business which sells a good quality product. For more information click on the button below. 

Recipe For a great light Red Cappuccino:

• 1 Rooibos tea bag
• 100 ml boiling water
• 150 ml milk (or any milk substitute) 
• 1-2 tsp fresh honey (to your taste)
• 1/3 tsp cinnamon 

Method:

• Boil the water and then soak the teabag in the hot water for 5 minutes, remove the bag but do not squeeze the bag as that will result in the tea having a bitter after taste. 
• Warm up your milk and whisk till foamy, or if you have a foamer just use that.
• Pour the milk into the tea along with the honey and cinnamon, keeping the foam. 
• Now place the foam on top and sprinkle with a bit more cinnamon.