I've been going to Behrouz for as long I can remember. Back then, I used to go to the original…read morebranch at Metrowalk and the branch in BF. Food is great! Plus, Middle Eastern cuisine is one of favorites.

My kebab and shawarma-eating days are long past me already, but I'm glad that Middle Eastern…read morerestaurants often have something meatless for me to come back to. At Behrouz, this would be Mirza Ghazemi. This dish is a dip made of eggplants, can be suitable for vegans if you ask to remove the fried egg on top. It's roasted flavor and creamy texture is just beautiful when paired with their flat bread. I guess it's like baba ganoush (or perhaps another name for it, please correct me if I'm wrong), though I would not compare it to hummus as hummus is another thing of beauty in its entirety. Though I have actually tried combining both hummus and baba ganoush/mirza ghazemi (I'm sorry as I understand this might be totally unforgivable to Middle Eastern cuisine!) and it was AMAZING.

Reliability - 24 hours ; definitely an advantage…read more Proximity - A must stop at the Katipunan Area - blue ridge area but no decent parking. I recommend that you visit after 12 midnight - less vehicles passing but pay a close attention to the trucks speeding along. Authenticity - Close enough but tastes middle eastern-ish and mediterranean-ish. Roasted meats, garlic yoghurt sauce + herbs. All of the fat on carb delights. Tasted - Yoghurt drinks and variety  of the sauces, cheese dynamite, beef shawarma & kebab, all a must try - so if you've been to Ababu in Xavierville, Hassan's beef shawarma is definitely way better. I am a Keema lover but my palate says Ababu has a better version of Keema. Oh, and they serve beer :) Aversions - Basmati rice was not on the sides, no parking, they served me an uncooked half-cup standard rice during my last visit priced at 15php. Service - The service was pretty standard, nothing special though. My Final Personal Thoughts - Since I am a keema lover, should I drive along Katips and wanting something Mediterranean, I would opt to taste the Xavierville competitor for obvious reasons; price and keema but this does not mean that Hassan is not a good stop. They offer good sauces and shawarma. So I would definitely drop by for a to-go wraps. Keep in mind that these days, when we think about food, we look at the budget part and the amount of serving :)   #CostingForTheGlutton

Hummus, though cheap, is ordinary. Huge servings do not necessarily translate to good taste. Place…read moreis also dirty, which turns me off. There is a pares place a mere blocks away that is sparkling clean in comparison. The worst thing about Hassan is parking. Clients park on corner of c5 and rajah matanda with impunity. Annoying, entitled, insensitive. Not all the flashy cars can mask lack of education and arrogance of clients and owners. Would be happy to know if any of those thick headed car owners have gotten their cars scratched because of poor parking. A major turn off for me indeed. Why eat in a place that doesn't value the convenience of motorists? Profit is the only thing motivating this overrated place.

What is it with Poblacion and middle eastern restaurants? Not only is there a glut of them in the…read morearea, they're the very best Makati has to offer. One should be wary about opening a kebab place in this area, and yet Kite steps up to the plate. Kite is more of a bar that happens to serve Persian stuff than it being a proper middle eastern resto. The joint doesn't try to look middle eastern; instead you get a casual, relaxed, almost homey bar that is not intimidating at all. As for the food, it was brilliant. I had a Mediterranean BBQ Chicken thigh fillet and a Wagyu kebab. The chicken was properly spiced and was tender and flavorful. However, the Wagyu kebab stole the meal. Four cubes of tender melt-in-your-mouth, bursting with flavor in your mouth... It was absolutely heavenly. It was so good, i did not want to drown the flavor with any of their sauces, preferring instead to savor each cube on its own. Am not ready to give this place five stars just yet, though. Give me two or three more visits and i may change my mind. But yeah, i think Kite is damned good, and i am ready to go back soon.

The newest kid on the block in Williams-Burgos, just on Ebro St. is Kite Kebab Bar. A Mediterranean…read morestreet food bar created by Kian Kazemi. This place fits right into the artsy hip vibe that has encompassed this neighborhood over the last few years. The decor inside is warm and inviting with murals on the walls and tables hand made from reclaimed wood. The outdoor seating is just as beautiful with the perfect amount of lighting. The menu they have currently for their soft opening is small and simple. Kebabs, salads, wraps and if you're hungry Biryani. I had already had my dinner, but couldn't resist having a little snack. I went with the wagyu beef kebab, paired with the Falafel salad and some Baba Ganoush. Ok, so a little bit bigger than a snack. ;) The wagyu was juicy and flavourful as you'd expect. You only get 4 cubes per order, but for the price it's a pretty good deal. The falafel salad was my favorite, with falafel, feta, grapes and tomatoes in a nice light dressing. The falafel was cooked perfectly, not dry at all, with nicely balanced flavor. I've always liked hummus more than Baba Ganoush, but now that has changed. It was packed with flavor and a good amount of smokey-ness. The pita was also really good, which I'm told they make themselves. Overall, it was a great little meal. I look forward to coming back with a few friends for dinner. It's great to see people with a vision to create not just great food, but great experiences with it. The restaurants name 'Kite', stems from the symbolism of the word. To dream, to imagine, to create... Having only been open for 3 days, it's the calm before the storm. Before the people come soaring in the door of Kite.

Al Batra is probably one of the most underrated Mediterranean restaurants in manila. I hardly know…read moreanyone who knows about it but the food is superb and the service is very good! I'm no expert when it comes to Mediterranean food but everything I've tried there tasted good. I have tried the Hummus, most of the Kebabs, Lamb Pizza, Lamb Chop, Moutabal, Keema, probably a lot more and always the Shisha. Serving size is also very generous. However, what surprised and impressed me the most is this one waiter. His service was top notch!! He took care of our table as good as another would do with her child! Very attentive, good speaking skills, proper table service, always asked for comments on the food, he's probably in my top ten list of waiters I've ever had service from. Unfortunately I didn't get his name. I would recommend going to Al Batra if you have a craving for some good Mediterranean, Persian or Indian food. Or even for just a nightcap since they're open till late.

I picked up my friend from his work and we were both craving for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean…read morefood. Our first choice would have been Shawarma Snack Center in Malate, but tonight was a Friday night and we didn't want to have to go through the trouble of going all the way to Manila when Burgos and Makati Ave., with their profusion of Halal restaurants were just a couple city blocks away. I suggested Al Batra, because I remember eating here many times before and it was actually quite good. Tonight's visit, though, was a little underwhelming. It wasn't completely bad, though. The hummus is great, as always. I just love how creamy and silky smooth the hummus is, which is a great dip for their warm and fresh pita. The fun stopped there. My friend ordered for the mix grill, which had chicken chunks, mince chicken kebab and mince beef kebab, plus onions and grilled tomatoes. We thought it would at least be okay for sharing, since it was a bit expensive, but the serving was tiny and it wasn't satisfying at all. My friend and I were still hungry after the meal, so we went to a nearby (cheaper and better) restaurant to grab some more food.

From the appetizers to their meat dishes, this place is amazing! Their portions are generous which…read moreusually let's you take a little reheated portion for midnight snacking. We always order The Sultan's Kebab Platter. It's a combination of any 4 kebabs and/or koobideh of your choice. The platter also includes grilled tomatoes and shirazi salad. Their Braised Lamb Shank is mouthgasmic. The meat is fall of the bone and the sauce is delicious with buttered rice. Also, buttered rice ALL day! All in all, the price is super fair for quality and quantity! You are limited to beers and wines for beverages. But, do try the yummy Yogurt Shakes!

The place sounds a little funny--I don't know if it's too formal, too direct, or what. All I know…read moreis when it comes to really good shawarma, this straightforwardly named outlet takes the moderately priced cake. Shawarma Snack Center, or "SSC" as it's sometimes written out to be, has at least a couple of branches--a stall on the second floor of Waltermart Makati and the one on Presidents Ave on BF. They serve beef, chicken, and a mix of beef and chicken shawarmas, although I've never reached them with chicken still in supply (perhaps an indication of elusive deliciousness), so I've only ever had beef. With cheese, of course. Of course. And every bite, I kid you not, every bite was a slice of paradise marching into my mouth. The cheese choice was, of course, a cheap choice, but a great choice to be this bad boy's sidekick. For 65 pesos all-in, a Shawarma Snack Center shawarma makes a pretty delicious - and quite filling - snack!

AMBIENCE They're located near the gym close to the food…read morecourt. A decent number of seats were available and it was very roomy in the evening. Air-con kept the branch chill and branch was lit up nicely, mostly in white. FOOD & BEVERAGE I'm in love with their menu options since they have plenty! We tried the Beef Kebab Bento and the beef was already good without the sauces. Garlic sauce was too watery and lacked garlic. Pepper sauce was just okay but the tabouleh was lovely while the pita was fluffy! Mango Yogurt was tasty but was more on the mango side rather than yogurt. We prefer this the other way around so that we'll also feel our money's worth. SERVICE They were friendly and they pulled my companion's chair while getting us seated.

The problem with being a student of law is that you really have to learn how to manage your…read morefinances else you'll find yourself in a state of impecuniousness in no time flat. It's a struggle. On the one hand you want good food, on the other you want to eat three square meals for each day of the week. Yvan Navy (The Y in Yvan is pronounced like the E in Greek) is one of the best places to eat around Mendiola. Their quarter pounders and massive kebabs are fifty and sixty pesos respectively. All their food is fresh off the grill. You can expect a healthy serving of veggies and, wait for it, cheese on either the kebab or the burger. Few places can rival this place in terms of value and taste. The day I found this place was one of the few times I spontaneously called it a cheat day. I ended up ordering two kebabs and a single burger in one sitting and soon found myself eating there once a day for the remainder of the week. Yvan Navy is the kind of restaurant that I love most because their establishments tend to be simple and marked with a lack of frippery and nonsense. They can afford to make good food at such a cheap price because they choose to invest in their ingredients and their service.

One good thing living in scout area is when you go hungry; there will be lots of food choices…read moreavailable in the vicinity. One night, my brother and I got hungry and decided to scout for food outlets. We stumbled upon Yvan Navy since it's the nearest one and we haven't tried this yet. I ordered their quarter pounder (P50), my brother got a double quarter pounder (P100). For a quarter pounder with that price, I'm surprised that the thickness of the patty is generous enough to satisfy your cravings. I will definitely come back and taste their other offerings.

Hands down my favorite place to eat in in Taft Avenue!…read more Ababu opened about a year ago and hasn't lost its momentum since, well at least for me. They serve Persian and Mediterranean foods which are two of my favorites! The best part? It's just a block away from my building so if you do visit, there's a possibility of you running into me there (don't forget to say hi!)! Ababu's food is very affordable but unlike most cheap eats, Ababu serves amazing food! Their Beef Kebab Rice Meal is my favorite! It consists of charbroiled ground beef with egg, corn, onions and tomatoes on rice. They also serve bottomless iced teas with the meals though I believe they use powdered iced tea. The only drawback is that the place can get really hot and a little smoky when they are cooking the meat and the poor air-conditioning sure doesn't help.

When, like my sister and me, Mediterranean food is your comfort food and you want to eat it in a…read moresimple, no-frills place like we do, head to Ababu Persian Kitchen. Good thing there's one located across my office! I love their Chicken Rice Meal, which, at Php 139, comes with grilled chicken breast, a cup of rice, a slice of butter, some corn, tomatoes, onions, and a sunny-side-up egg. A bit of warning, though: the grilled chicken is really just that. It's not grilled barbecue-style so it's sauce-free, which is good news for weight watchers. It's a heavy meal, enough to fuel you from lunch to dinner. In fact, it has become my go-to lunch for days when I practice hot yoga after office and afternoon snacks are a no-no. My sister, the shawarma lover, loves their Shawarma Rice--no surprise! Their meals include unlimited yogurt dressing (of course!) and unlimited iced tea! Don't be surprised when they offer you one pitcher though you're dining alone. Though certainly amusing, that pressured me to drink more iced tea than I normally consume!