My second time dining at Persia Grill. I've decided it's a solid 4 star. I'm a recent expat living…read morein BGC. Persian has always been a comfort food for me. My standard order os's babaganush and kubideh. The food itself is decent, although the babsganush was better spiced the first time. The service is standard Pinoy: usually attentive. The decor is a bit tired but definitely Persian. It's doing the job in terms of the comfort food vibe. Just wish it was a little more flavorful. Oh, try the iced tea. It's masarap! But be prepared to be up for hours... it's strong!

I was at the adjacent hotel when I saw a hookah in the window of Persia Grill. Desperate for…read morehookah, I took the chance and got some hookah, along with a pot of calamansi tea with honey. The calamansi tea was excellent, and the hookah was passable and much cleaner than the other hookah bars i visited, despite the lack of flavor selection.

During vacation/holiday to the Philippines, I had a craving for Persian cuisine. I was aimlessly…read morewalking around and thankfully I came across this gem. Ababu dishes out some tasty Persian cuisine and it curbed my cravings successfully. I had to try both the koobideh and chicken so I opted for both orders. The koobideh kebab was moist and and the spices were nicely balanced. Same goes for the chicken. The saffron was a bit light on the rice but this is a casual and affordable restaurant so no complaints from me. Also, I havent eaten a fried egg on a Persian Kebab plate before but it worked just fine with the chicken plate. I can eat a fried egg on mostly everything though :) The service was prompt and the staff was attentive. I'll be sure to visit again the next time I come for holiday.

Alright, let's not shit ourselves, guys. We all like Ababu for the nostalgia factor…read more I remember back when I was a broke college student (like so many other Yelpers have stated in their reviews), I used to go to Ababu on Maginhawa Street in Teachers' Village with my then-boyfriend. Mind you, this was around 2004 to 2005-ish (fuck, my age is totally showing but who fucking cares), and the quality of the food was actually quite good and the servings were quite large. I would always order the Keema Motabal Rice, which is basically ground seasoned beef swimming in red oil with a puddle of blended roasted eggplant paste on top, served alongside a helping of rice with a large pat of cheap 'butter.' And as a matter of course, I would smother it in their sour garlic sauce, which I honestly prefer to Mister Kebab's sweet mayonnaise-y atrocity. For some reason, I shied away from the 99 peso shawarma rice meals, only because I am a creature of habit. Fast forward some years later, and Ababu has moved to Katipunan. They raised the prices of their shawarma meals, and added sad looking fried eggs on top to justify the price increase. But hey, free unlimited iced tea! There was a period of time when I became OBSESSED with the shawarma rice meal. Like, I would eat it every day. Gross. But still really good. Then after that, I didn't go back to Ababu for what seems like years. I recently ate at Ababu again just to see if the quality of their food had changed at all. For old time's sake, I got the Keema Motabal rice. It tastes exactly the same as it did before, only difference would be that the servings are much, much smaller. I think that as you grow older and your salaries get bigger, you can definitely spend your money on better Persian food around the metro. Aside from that, Ababu is only really good when you're drunk, broke or lazy.

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.

Last week, we attended the media launch of Skewr, the latest food destination along Maginhawa St…read more in Quezon City. Skewr offers affordable, healthy, Mediterranean fusion cuisine - including popular favorites like shawarma, kebabs, rice and even pasta and yogurt shakes! THE FOOD We started with the Pita Strips with Fire Feta (P80), crispy sticks of thin pita bread, brushed with butter, with a hot feta dip on the side. Their iced tea is quite good, with a strong lemongrass flavor. We also got to try their signature Beef Shawarma (P130). The Beef Shawarma was nice, first thing I noticed right away was that the beef did not have any stringy bits, and it was not fatty. I also liked the light but creamy Chicken Pesto Melt (P120), we also tried the Rustic Greek Chicken Pizza (P220). I liked the Skewr Pasta (P150), an oil-based pasta much like a longganisa pasta, but using Skewr's signature beef shawarma meat instead. The Rubia Krab Yaqla (P180), reminded me of the "money bag" dimsum. It is a fried parcel of delicately flavored minced prawn and crab meat. My favorite dishes were the Luleh Kebab (P170), and the Chicken Shish Kebab (P170). The Luleh Kebab is similar to the chelo kebab of other places, the ground meat is juicy and flavorful. The Shish Kebab was also delicious. These come with a biryani rice that is delicately flavored with turmeric and cardamom. There are 3 sauces available on the table that can be used with any dish at Skewr - these are a garlic sauce, a hot sauce, and a cheese sauce. For dessert, we had the Yogurt Shake (P80) - I had the Strawberry. It was creamy and foamy. I was also able to try the Yema Cheesecake (P120), which I liked the most, while others on the table preferred the Chocolate Pecan Pie (P120). FYI, they have an option for MEAT OVERLOAD, where you can add more meat (double the meat, I think), by adding just around P70 or P80. There's also free WIFI. SUMMARY Skewr offers healthy, non-greasy Mediterranean fusion dishes at very affordable prices. The ambience is nice and cozy, but still hip. The milkshake dispensers give it a diner feel. The dishes are mildly spiced, so diners who are not into strong, Mediterranean spice flavors will appreciate that. Personally, I prefer a bit heavier hand with the spices, although I found the Luleh Kebab to be just right. Reasons to visit: legitimately quality servings of meat that don't throw in gristle, skin or pieces of fat; affordable prices and a nice setting.

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.

I was here the day it opened…read more I don't mean that in a general sense. I mean it quite literally. I was literally standing outside the glass door when this place first opened, and I was its first customer. I didn't plan for it to happen. I was just really hungry and lo and behold, there's a good-looking Persian restaurant opening just beside my building. So I stood outside and gave them the evil eye until they let me in and fed me. You can't go wrong with shawarma rice, and that proved true here. The best part though? Unlimited iced tea. Granted, it's probably just powedered iced tea, but who cares? It's cold and sweet and everything the doctor ordered.

Reasonably priced and really good Persian food! :D…read more My usual orders are Ox Brain, Hummus, and Beef Kebab. Oddly, they are more expensive than the branch in Timog. Must be the rent in Metrowalk. Either way, the food is good, service is good, and value for your money is great!

This restaurant has been around for quite some time now- Family's usual midnight food-go-to place!…read moreWe go here like 2-3 times a month, I used to be very picky with food, but I finally learned to appreciate the food here! The menu has a wide selection to choose from -- shawarma, kebabs, hummus, and many more. I recommend getting the Chelo beef kebab kobideh, for P275 (add P30 for basmati rice!) -- definitely a must-try- or the Mahksos. Most of their dishes served with rice is good for sharing, however, when really hungry, it could be just for one. Pair it with Dogh (yogurt shake), and you're good to go! We keep coming back here all the time for our midnight cravings!

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.

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 of my cousins, friends and myself were on the hunt for Middle Eastern food and fun. We spent…read moreabout an hour driving around looking to land on a winning place, then we finally landed on this establishment called SSC (shawarma Snack Center)Parking was kinda limited since rememember, it's in the Philippines. Ground floor had a shopping complex and some small restaurants, then we walked up a flight of stairs coming to find out 2nd floor was a huge gamimg LAN center. Didn't expect how big this place was until I reached the top 3rd floor. It was an outdoor area and indoor in the middle where there you could dine and eat food, play board games or watch sports and movies on a big flat screen TV. Then theres an outdoor section where you can smoke your sheesha and have coversations with a group. They had a few authentic selections of middle eastern and asian foods like shawarmas, Biryani, hummus , mogoul and fruit smoothies and shakes. Food I can rate 7/10, service 8/10, setting 8/10. All in all experience was comfortable and I'd definitely come back to have another chill funday Sunday.

I love this place. I've been coming here for years and it has been consistently delicious…read moreall-throughout. The prices are very affordable, the servings are never disappointing and the service is so quick you don't have to wait too long to get your order. Sometimes what I do is call them when I'm on my way home from work and pick-up my order right when I reach BF. I always come here for their beef shawarma, chicken biryani and hummus. The hummus is a personal favorite of mine. The ingredients are blended so well with just the right amount of flavors, that I always get a second batch of pita bread without fail. Shawarma Snack Center has a nice rustic ambience to it too. It's simple and comes with outdated interiors that will make you believe that it's 1993 and you're dining in a tiny village in the Middle East. Definitely a gem in the south!