Spicy, sweet, salty, aromatic, flavorful, saucy, fresh… just talking about it makes me feel like Pavlov’s dog. Oh yes, these are the cuisines I believe have touched the Filipino hearts for their burst of flavor and their mouth-watering fare. They are the Persian and Mediterranean cuisine. The Moroccan, Greek, Turkish, Italian, Spanish and the other surrounding countries of the Mediterranean Sea as well as the identical cuisine of Persia have already been synonymous to street food, fast food, and comfort food in the Philippines. But who wouldn’t love these wonderful cuisines? We all know that a big part of our Filipino culture is our food. We love it saucy, we like it tasty, we want it to pack a punch in every bite… and these are the same characteristics that describe the Persian and Mediterranean cuisine. No wonder we drool at a sight of a Shawarma, Kebab rice, or that luscious garlic sauce… yum!
And so, this food lover and her friends decided to take a trip around town to try different Mediterranean and Persian restaurants. But beware! This is no simple joy ride, for we wish to bring you only the best of the best these cuisines have to offer… our personal views take a different toll as we carefully scrutinize every dish and restaurant. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip in search for the perfect Kebab.
Café MediterraneanOur first stopover brings us to the closest and most convenient Mediterranean restaurant for us. Just a few minutes from home, Café Mediterranean in Alabang Town Center boasts a warm, cozy ambiance with dishes that are reasonably priced.
It was lunch time and we took our seats while we waited to be served. We all browsed the menu, looking for something different and good. Few minutes after, we looked at each other and noticed that we were still flipping the pages. I particularly had a hard time choosing because of the numerous dishes cramped in one menu. It was filled with specialties such as Mosaka, Couscous, Hummus, Falafel, Gyros, Baba Ghannouj, Pizza, and ofcourse, Kebabs. Finally, after deciding on trying their whole-wheat gyros while my friends picked their own favourites, we ordered and we waited…and waited…and waited. Oh boy! The restaurant’s service, especially that day, was terrible! They kept on giving us the wrong orders and the food servers seemed to be having a hard time managing their customers during peak hours. When the food arrived, I took a bite of my whole wheat gyro and watched my pita bread crumble away. Seemed like it was days old. But I have to give it to their Vegetable soup, their Baba Ghannouj, their pizzas, and their Kebabs. The meats were tender, it didn’t lack taste, and the flavours were there, though I wouldn’t say that it has that authentic taste. But please, don’t order the Baklava! It’s as small as a Fig Newton and it doesn’t have much “oomph”. All in all, we rated Café Mediterranean three out of five stars because of its accessibility, the cleanliness of the place, and the nice ambiance. For those who are fond of the cuisine but still likes the flavours to be close to “home” and wouldn’t want to drive far to eat, this is the perfect place to dine.
Persiana
For an hour and a half drive from Alabang, a restaurant better be good, especially when the drive is for a midnight snack. We all hopped in a car one evening and drove northward to Pioneer. We got in Persiana Restaurant just in time before it closed for the night. Parking was good, and the place was clean. It is a Casual-Mediterranean Restaurant named after a country that is not in the Mediterranean, but they also serve Persian food that is clearly not part of the said cuisine. This is a common mistake because of the sometimes indistinguishable difference between the two. But anyway enough of the lecture and let’s talk about the food! The restaurant had that usual Mediterranean design of yellows and blues, it was air-conditioned, and they had good mood lighting and music. I got all excited when I took a hold of the menu and read on its very first page the history and the pride of the restaurant – their authentic cooking and their famous garlic sauce. I thought we hit the jackpot until we started placing our orders. The dishes were either out-of-stock or would take ages to prepare. The servers seemed annoyed at us for coming in so late and they all looked tired as if they couldn’t wait for us to leave. So we ended up ordering Fried cheese, Keema, Beef Curry, and Anchovy Pizza. The Fried Cheese was great, but then again, what do you expect with frying cheese, you can never go wrong with it! The Keema was okay, and tasted like our version of Arroz ala Cobana. The Curry was really good and spicy, though it only had a piece or two of beef. The Anchovy Pizza was a favourite but it’s something you can make from home. To describe the food in one phrase, I can say that the dishes were already fused with our own comfort flavours in order to impress the Filipino palate. It is also very much like “lutong bahay”. I was disappointed with the “famous” garlic sauce though… the mayonnaise base was too strong, it didn’t taste authentic at all. We gave the restaurant two out of five stars, due to the bad service and the lack of menu items. Maybe next time we should try visiting a bit earlier to really get to see and try them at their best.
Mr. KebabI was actually very excited to go to Mr. Kebab in Quezon Avenue because I’ve been there countless times after gimmick nights. My favourite will have to be the Shawarma rice. I decided to be sober enough to try their food and ordered the usual. For a simple place, food preparation was really fast and before you can say “Shawarma!”, your dish is already at your table. I took a spoonful of my rice and chicken and thought that it actually tasted better when I’m dead drunk. It’s more like the “tapsilog” version of Persian food, catering to the late night diners who are fond of the place’s own version of the said cuisine, and who wants to enjoy good food at super cheap prices! One can never go wrong with delicious yet inexpensive food. But then, we are looking for authenticity. Mr. Kebab is very “Pinoy” in taste and style. Ambiance is okay, again, somewhat like a “tapsilog-an” shack, but clean enough that you wouldn’t mistake it for a “carinderia”. For its fast service, cheap menu, and good sized servings, we gave Mr. Kebab a good three out of five stars.
Shawarma Snack Center
I was actually surprised that people were raving about this place, because when we visited the one at BF Paranaque, I wasn’t quite impressed. Parking was very hard especially for those who fear for their lives and for their cars when parking on the side of a main road, and the place looked very much like a glorified “carinderia”. But I know that most great food is almost always hidden in the typical “hole in a wall” type of place. I was hungry as hell so for my dinner I decided to order the special - a choice of 3 barbeques (Kebab, Beef tenderloin, and Chicken), Arabic rice, salad, and pita bread. The order took a good twenty minutes before it was served. Maybe I was expecting too much, but when I tried my Arabic rice, I was searching for some flavour I couldn’t find. I smothered it once more with garlic sauce, salad, and Kebab, and this time it was tastier and better. So I thought, that’s the secret, shove a mouthful of everything in your plate down your throat in one bite. The meats in themselves were tasty and gave off a spicy aroma which I have to say is not so bad at all. But then, the effort of having to recreate the authentic flavour in every bite is quite tiring. We are still looking for a place that gives a person pure nirvana – from entering the place, eating their food, to feeling the ambiance. So for this dinner trip to Shawarma Snack Center, we give it two out of five stars.
Kabab KornerKabab Corner is a new Persian place in East Avenue, Matalino Stree
t, near the Heart Center. One of the owners is an Iranian who also owns Kemand’s Kebab in Mendiola. When we entered the restaurant, the distinct aroma of the cuisine pierced my nose and right then and there, I know I finally found what I was looking for. I felt that I was transported to another country because I hardly saw any Filipinos around. They had a big parking lot and a huge place that was painted with warm tones and decorated with classic Persian pieces. We took our seats and comfortably read the menu. It included dishes I have never seen before at other Persian restaurants. The pictures in the menu all looked very scrumptious and added a bit of class to the place. We ordered different Kebabs (Tandoori, Beef Chelo, and Chicken), Grilled Tomato and Onions on the side, Beef Korma, Lobia rice, and Yoghurt drinks. We were surprised that the owners themselves greeted us and even served us some of the food. The cooking had a distinct authentic flavor that is hard to explain other than that it was delicious. I found the “kick” I was looking for. Like with their garlic sauce, it was the
kind that pinches your tongue right when it touches it. The meats have a very distinct aroma from a certain spice that gave them a different zest. The Chello was juicy and aromatic. The yoghurt drink was exceptionally refreshing. The curry wasn’t only spicy, it had a spiced essence I can only describe as the sticking taste in your mouth, especially when you burp! It’s oniony, garlicy, spicy, sweet, salty… delicious. The dish servings were astonishly huge for its very inexpensive price and could be shared with a friend. By the end of our lunch, we were all happy and very, very full. Now I know exactly where to go for the perfect Kebab. Because of the superb service, the cozy ambiance, the price of the food, and the authenticity of the flavor, we gave Kabab Korner, you guessed it, a five out of five stars.
The search still continues, and who knows, we might discover yet another restaurant that could outdo the ones in our list. But after the treasure we have discovered at East Avenue, I don’t think anyone can top that anytime soon!
Resultado Gourmet Designs, Co. had the priviledge to food style and photograph the menu of Kabab Korner. For food styling, food photography, and menu makeover services, contact Resultado Gourmet Designs Co. at (+632)842-9480; (+63916)7408319; theo@resultado.com.ph; theo_zaragoza@yahoo.com; and visit the company’s website at www.resultado.com.ph. For the company’s news and articles, visit www.resultadofoodstylingco.blogspot.com.By: Samantha Ramos- Zaragoza
