I'm pretty sure these 5 stars aren't at all influenced by the fact that I've been super craving for…read moreIndian food these past 2 weeks, as Al-Shams has GREAT Middle Eastern/Indian/Pakistani food. And what's also great is that for us vegans/vegetarians, here's a place in BF Homes where there are very, very decent options. They have a vegetarian section in their menu. We got the Alo Palak and Malai Kofta. Alo Palak is a potato and spinach curry dish that, in my opinion, is spiced perfectly as the spinach and potato flavors are still able to stand out even with the curry sauce. The Malai Kofta did not disappoint as well, and it actually looks so adorable (sorry haha) with tiny onion slices on top of each ball, as if they are wearing hats! Anyway, the veggie balls are really tasty--though if you're particular with texture, these balls are quite on the soft side. I really enjoyed my meal! I loved it so much that I think if Al-Shams closed (life spans of restaurants in BF homes are very short), I would be really, really sad.

Shisha is a huge thing among the city's Arab expats, and their ubiquity in most of the Middle…read moreEastern restaurants in the city have led us youngsters to acquire the habit as well. I smoke heavily in college, and though I have long since quit and kicked the habit, I find that I still crave a cigarette every now and then. Though shisha doesn't really give me much of a boost, unlike nicotine, I find that it it is much better than actually lighting up a stick (though scientific studies suggest otherwise). At least it gives me something to do with my mouth when I'm not stuffing it with food or when i'm not talking my friends' ears off. Anyway, I find that the cheaper places to score a good load of hookah are the places that the Arabs frequent. They are often in the seedier areas of the backstreets of the red light districts, and true enough, one of those places is called Jerusalem, in Malate. I have also come here for the food, though I don't remember anything much standing out to me aside from the shakshuka, which is always a great favorite of mine. I have actually been here exactly three times, and one of those times was during a telecast of a World Cup game. They have a TV that is usually turned to some Arabic language newscast, but during the games, they would air and replay the games for everyone to see.

FOOD 3.5 EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA (285+ PHP) a vegetarian…read morefriendly dish that's light and healthy. Its tomato sauce was strong yet refined. The eggplant is sliced into 1/8 inch thick chips and layered in between the pasta that form a tower. It may look minuscule, but it was tasty enough to satisfy my hunger. SERVICE 4.5 The lovely waitress kept me updated on the the waiting time of my pasta and even asked after my first few bites if the dish was up to my standards. Ala carte here isn't a second class citizen to the buffet they offer. AMBIANCE 4.5 What can I say other than it's in a 5 star hotel. It's not exactly super luxurious, but certainly enjoyable thanks to their 50 mbps internet.

If you have already read my other reviews, you would already know that I'm a woman with a crazy big…read moreappetite. Breakfast is the one thing that I look forward to whenever we check in on any hotel. To date, the best breakfast buffet that I have eaten in is at the Cafe Eight! I'm glad that we have been given the best place where we can conveniently have breakfast with our toddler and have our bulky stroller by our side without making it hard for others to pass by. The waiters were already on their toes as there were a lot of us who planned to have an early breakfast. Our coffee was served promptly as we were busy hoisting our son's booster seat on the dining chair. As my husband and I took turns in getting food for ourselves and for our little one, we cannot keep smiling as we hop from one buffet table to the next seeing our favorites and discovering new dishes. The omelette station was a hit and plenty of people were lining up for it but the staff assigned to that station were able to manage us well. I like it that the waiters were prompt to refill the empty trays with warm food that we didn't have to wait for our plates to be filled. Also, they were prompt to clear our table of empty plates just so we could conveniently place our newly filled ones. Oh how I'd love to have another breakfast buffet at Cafe Eight soon!

Mazza has realy good Persian food for such an affordable price! A lot of my friends have been…read morerecommending me to try Mazza. They usually suggest the Chicken Tandori as Mazza's best dish but when I saw that they had fish options in the menu, I had to order one of their fish dishes. I got to try their Fish Kebab wrap, and it was alright! It got even better when I added their combination of garlic sauce and their chili garlic sauce which really made the wrap savory! I also got to try their hummus, which was pretty good with some pita bread. I even used the hummus on my fish kebab wrap! I need to go back and try their famous Chicken Tandori, though. Next time. :)

I was craving for some Persian dish and was in search for the best tasting one in town. My brother…read morerecommended that I try the beef shawarma wrap at Mazza Shawarma. The thing about my brother is his very picky with food so for him to recommend something but be really good.So during my lunchtime, I went to Mazza Shawarma at Fastbytes in Northgate and ordered their beef shawarma wrap; waiting time took 15 minutes, but thanks to the awesome music playing in the restaurant; I didn't get bored at all. The beef sirloin is grilled and oozing with Persian flavor and spices, it was wrapped in pita bread and stuffed with fresh onions, tomatoes and I heavily drowned it with their garlic sauce and a bite is all I need to declare that this is the best shawarma ever. And just last night my husband was the one yearning for shawarma so I took him there and we got their two bestselling rice meals; beef kebab with buttered rice and a beef shawarma bowl, and yet again Mazza Shawarma didn't fail to impress our tastebuds. ang pagsusuri mo...

I'd passed this place without giving it a second thought. It looked like just another shawarma…read morespot. There were five million other shawarma spots and this place looked pretty small. Man, was I wrong. This wasn't just a shawarma place. It was a legit grill place. Shawarma, kebabs, chicken fillets, dapas... you name it. Impressive. And for a price that didn't go over 100php for most items. Even more impressive. What stunned me though was how much bigger it was on the inside. It added a lot to the ambiance of the place. There was lots of room and lots of seats, giving it a rather cozy feel. The food itself is pretty good! Not dry, tasty and that's without drenching it in sauce as is my usual modus when it comes to these wraps. Despite the price, it wasn't at all small and they didn't skimp on the fillings which is something that doesn't happen very often. So if you're looking for something light and filling but won't kill your wallet or make you feel like you didn't eat enough, this is where I'd suggest to go.

At first I was a little frustrated because Mandi Persian Grill replaced this cool café on that same…read moreplace. It was the only one with turtle pie then. It took me some time to warm up to it but my love for hummus has overcome this tampo, so I decided to try it out. Needless to say, it was on a whole different scale than the café it replaced, but I still like it because of my love for Middle Eastern food. PROS: You'd be surprised how roomy it actually is. On the ground level it would just be around 4 tables and you have to scoot to get to the counter and place your order. But downstairs, it's comfortably spacious; I love samplers! So of course I had their Mandip Trio. It was so fun to eat because I got to try the Moutabal and Keema too, which is quite good; I liked reading this little story on their menu on how Mandi got their name. CONS: Orders take a bit of time to prepare; We could use for more pita for the Trio. TL;DR: Authentic Persian food that's not just some random shawarma place. More Mandi!

I do like a good wrap. There's just something so guilt-free and satisfying about a decent…read moreshawarma... well, guilt free as far as "I didn't eat rice and am perfectly full" goes. Maybe it's the fact that you get a whole pita bread. Maybe it's the vegetables that come with it. Maybe it's the fact that the meat is cooked over heat rather than fried which makes it feel good. Either way, a good wrap is good eats. Meshwe is definitely good eats but with a few "ehh" moments. Firstly, the fries. The fries are divine. Meshwe calls them Arabic fries and I have no idea what combination of spices they use with these shoestrings but I say keep em coming! They're the kind of fries that don't need ketchup or mustard or salt. They're delectable on their own especially when coupled with that wonderful garlic sauce. Now that's flavor I dream of for days afterward, I kid you not. Thankfully Meshwe offers a sample plate with their fries, 2 sambousak (kind of like samosas) and pita chips. Now for the ehh moment. Those pita chips, delectable as they are when warm are kind of... hard. Sure, they're crunchy when fresh and hot but eventually, they get kinda hard. Your mileage may vary, of course. But let's get to the main course. The shawarma. You can either get it as a shawarma, a shawarma plate (ie, a deconstructed shawarma) and with rice. My one gripe though is that it comes off as a little dry. Maybe it's the fact that I keep ordering the plate which gives you the sauce (I could write litanies about that sauce it's so good) on the side. And that, quite honestly, is my only ehh moment when it comes to the shawarma. It's tasty, yes. Certainly worth the price you pay for it but it just seems a little lacking in the juicy department. However, I can say that the flavors are good enough that it keeps me coming back when I need a quick meal.

A few months back when I wasn't too preoccupied with my thesis, I used to hang out a lot with my…read morefriends in the Z Compound, and Meshwe was a staple dinner. I love that they have a flavorful falafel that can rival any falafel in town. It is chunky, flavorful and delicious, and the wrap comes with a generous helping of fresh vegetables and a surprise element - a few pieces of french fries - which makes this a very heavy and satisfying dish. It is a good vegetarian option for herbivores like me, and it is good when coupled with their hummus (creamy and just the right consistency) and the baba ganoush (which is perfectly smoky and yummy, especially with their warm pita). They run out of their shawarma really fast, so it's best to come early. That tells you that their food is great. What I don't get, though, is why my orders usually take FOREVER, even when I can clearly see that there is no one else queuing. Surely, it doesn't take that long to fry a falafel? Or it doesn't take that long to assemble a wrap since the ingredients area already prepared mise en place. The sluggish service makes a really bad impression. Good thing the food more than makes up for that. And the cool guys Noel and Nathan, who man the store, are always cheerful and nice.

Delicious! The shawarma rice with egg was well enjoyed. I loved the layers within. Would definitely…read morerecommend a try if you stop by the supermarket! You can find this spot in the food court section inside SM.

I lived near Taft a couple years ago and I would usually find myself exploring all the nooks and…read morecrannies of nearby Malate to look for great places to eat. I went through a shawarma, kebab and hummus phase ,that's why I made it my mission then to go to all the Middle Eastern restaurants in the area. Al Hana looks quite gaudy and over-the-top from the outside, with its pink and blue neon lights screaming for attention. Inside, at least, you get skirted tables and nicely padded chairs. My first visit here was with my a friend who spent some time in Egypt, and she said that the food was great and it actually surpassed her expectations. I think that's good validation right there. Though my favorite Halal resto in the area is easily Shawarma Snack Center, I still eat here every now and then just to see if they still had their touch. Middle Eastern cuisine is ubiquitous in Manila, but if you are after authentic and diverse food options, you should check out Al Hana. The prices are surprisingly quite fair and reasonable and everything is worth the price. You should also try their falafel, which is served with a spicy harissa sauce The servings are huge, so make sure you ask for the serving suggestions first before you go "takaw mata" and order everything.

I wish I had known about this restaurant's location in Molito, Alabang. It cannot be seen by…read moredriving around in a car. You'll have to get off at the drop off point from across Manam and walk into a small walkway and then turn right. Our friends invited us here for lunch on a Sunday. Almost all the tables were taken. Fortunately, there is more seating on the 2nd floor. The decor with its blue and white motif transported me to Greece. We ordered shish tawouk, lamb kebab plate, mushroom soup, squash salad, Dubai brownie and tahini brownie. The servings were very generous. My shish tawouk plate had several tender pieces of chicken, eggplant salad, biryani rice, broiled tomato and some kind of salsa-like sauce. On the table were two kinds of sauces - one white (perhaps tatziki?) and one with the color of a thousand island dressing (although it is not). The latter was quite spicy. Best was to use it to dress the chicken starting with the white sauce and a tad of the spicy. Soooo good! The lamb kebab was a bit tough. The squash salad was warm and fresh. Overall, everything was authentic and delicious! I know I will crave this food as it is better than many of the Mediterranean restaurants in Los Angeles, USA. They also have such a variety of dishes to choose from - definitely want to try the other dishes in the menu. I was so hungry and excited, I forgot to take pictures of the food. Service was attentive and pleasant. Our water glasses were always filled. Love this place! Will definitely be back!

Cafe Mediterranean is the perfect place for small family gatherings, or get-togethers with friends…read more They have a wide array of Mediterranean food to choose from including pizzas, gyros, salads, pastas, soups, etc. Once you step into that restaurant, be prepared to see, smell, and taste that unique Mediterranean experience! You can taste the freshness and quality of the food that they serve. There are too many different dishes to mention, I would like to suggest for you to try my favorite go to dish in Cafe Mediterranean which is the Grilled Fish Kebabs with Pita, but what's even better is having the pita changed to buttered rice for a minimal fee! Make sure to also try the spicy Garlic Yogurt sauce on your fish kebabs or any meat of your choice!