Earning the undeniable reputation for simply being the most tasteful cookie to enter Kuwait’s crowded cookie scene, the Choowy Goowy cookie represents the ultimate indulgent fantasy for sugar-craved dieters and dessert aficionados alike. Prompting the simple “taste of joy” response, also the house name’s main motto, is no easy feat. In order for food to elicit such a rare reaction, the required presence of seasoned expertise and continuous innovation is never enough— the existence of a soul-stirring and passionate love affair with food is essential.   

Over the last few years, the Choowy Goowy philosophy has expanded its reach to earn a loyal and devout following of ‘cookie crazed’ fans, surrendering to the transcendent trance of a powerful cookie that is simply soft (Choowy) and melts in the mouth (Goowy). Given the widely excited acclaim of the masses, creative founder and owner of the addictive house brand, Essa Behbehani, follows the traditional business model of realizing his customers’ deepest desires and in doing so, successfully operates Kuwait’s first bakery specialized in cookies.

Recently launched at 52 Degrees, Kuwait’s uber-chic retail space, Choowy Goowy now operates as a full-fledged gourmet restaurant, translating the ‘taste of joy’ into a delectably innovative sweet and savory menu. As avid loyalists of ‘Choowy Goowy goodness’, bazaar pays the trendy 52 Degrees a visit to try out Essa’s latest gourmet creations.

Cozily located amongst the bustling businesses of the local concept venue, one is immediately taken with the ambience of the Choowy Goowy space. True to translating the ‘taste of joy’, one witnesses a colorfully-reflected and passionate celebration of life; the vibrant purple walls are set off by incandescent swirls of fuchsia and glitzy blue lighting surrounding the central dining area. We couldn’t control the contagious excitement, as the smiling staff that warmly greets us upon our arrival immediately draws us inside, preparing us for an indulgent experience.

Centralizing the seating area allows the staff to easily serve their customers; one feels as if they were to be showered with compliments, completely spoiled with attention. We are guided through the menu in order to choose amongst the eclectic list of savory choices on offer, and the friendly waiter advises us to pre-order our baked-to-order dessert: The Ultimate Choowy Goowy. A promise of total satisfaction, the waiter describes this dessert as an intoxicating concoction, one giant cookie dough stuffed with Kinder or Nutella chocolate complete with a side of the house’s famous vanilla bean ice cream. As soon as he finishes his gracious description we catch a wafting sugared-scent emanating from the kitchen and spare no argument.

Between classic choices like the Caesar Salad, Italian inspired renditions like Pasta Bolognaise and the local favorite option of Pink Pasta, to Mexican surprises such as Tacos; we settled on choosing a mix truly reflective of the diverse menu.

Our appetizers included the goat cheese salad, oven baked stuffed mushrooms, and an interesting salad entitled; the Potato Volcano. In a deluded effort to save our appetites for the tempting dessert choice as advised by our waiter, our main dish would be a burger to share.

Whilst waiting for our appetizers and main dish to arrive, we started the lengthy process of calculating the amount of time required to burn off the calories that are to be consumed shortly. Fortunately, this ridiculous notion is quickly interrupted as our table is promptly laden with our artfully arranged salads and piping oven-roasted stuffed mushrooms.

While waiting for the piping-hot, oven-roasted mushrooms to cool down, we delve into the artful salad creations. An organized, towering hill of glazed cubed potatoes, the potato volcano is a devious eruption of flavorful citrus sauces, accurately balancing the salty goodness of each meticulously cut potato cube. Upon toppling the perfectly constructed tower, we move on to sample the goat cheese salad. The bite-sized breaded and golden fried pieces are nestled on a bed of baby Arugula, another eruption of flavor ensues when the sweet roasted bell pepper chutney beautifully merges with the edgy saltiness of the goat cheese.

A noticeable quality of presentation, we are once again pleasantly spoiled by the bite-sized arrangement of white button mushrooms stuffed with succulent cheese and topped off with aromatically-herbed, crispy breadcrumbs. Each bite is expertly blended and carefully textured, ensuring that customers not only savior their chosen dish yet purposefully enjoy the process of consuming their food. A living testimony to this theory, we whole-heartedly ravaged our appetizers, only to be tantalized by the arrival of our burger.

We’re presented with a magnificent ground beef patty, lightly garnished with caramelized onions, sautéed black mushrooms and Swiss cheese. Snugly encased in the soft, home-made buttery bun, every bite from the burger is extremely tender, skillfully seasoned to taste. The choice of beef used in the burger will surely incite a brand new following of loyal customers, as a vision of the absolute ground beef patty is realized, uninterrupted by dominating toppings.

Upon clearing our main dish, we think that the burger has earned its rightful status as the star of our dining event, only to remember that our waiter has earlier challenged us by already pre-ordering our dessert: The Ultimate Choowy Goowy. The presentation is breathtaking, and the taste entrancing. In order to fully experience this delight in all its wonderful textures, the perfect spoonful must be constructed. One must also remember to breathe, as we couldn’t control ourselves after the very first spoonful of the large cookie dough, the essential kinder chocolate stuffing and the aromatic vanilla bean ice cream.

Our conclusion: there is no winning dish at the Choowy Goowy Restaurant, for our culinary experience was formidable. Already an established hit amongst Kuwait’s famous dining scene, the Choowy Goowy phenomenon is spreading across the region. Aside from the Restaurant at 52 Degrees and the Choowy Goowy bakery at the Avenues, locations in Dubai and Qatar are already open, as well as future locations set to open Riyadh and Bahrain.

Experience the Choowy Goowy Goodness at their 52 Degrees location in Tilal Complex. For more information please call 2262 6559 or visit  www.choowygoowy.com.