My friend was taking me to lunch one hot afternoon and we were walking the streets of Timog on the…read moreway to a restaurant which was still apparently closed when we got there. She told me she knew of a good Persian restaurant near by that I might like to try and since we're already there, why not? When we got there it made me realize that I actually know the restaurant and have been there a few times though admittedly it was late at night and a couple of friends were starving from drinking all night. We were greeted by the friendly staff and were shown to our table, since I don't go Persian a lot, she was kind enough to walk me through the menu and gave us a few minutes to decide. This has to be one of my favourite Persian restaurants even though it's small and not updated when it comes to the interior and such but when it all boils down to it, does it really matter? The food you're getting is top notch and it's also very affordable. Try it and maybe see for youself!

Came here pretty late at night around 1:30AM after a day of studying and hitting up a couple bars…read morealong Tomas Morato. Surprisingly, there were 3 other medium/large parties in the restaurant as well, keeping the ambiance pretty lively. The restaurant is very clean and bright. They give each table its own pitcher of water and some of the garlic white sauce and hot sauce these types of restaurants are known for. Food came out super fast!! We waited probably less than 10 minutes. Our entire party of 6 got the beef chelo with basmati rice and grilled tomatoes. Loved how fresh the tomatoes they used were. The texture contrast with the grilled end and the fresh part was great. It definitely came with a lot more rice than you'd see from places like Mister Kebab so for those on low-carb diets, be warned! The beef came cooked well and seasoned just right. No complaints. The cleanliness, long hours, and good food are more than enough reasons to come back the next time I'm around Timog and craving Mediterranean!

On a hunt for a decent place for a monthsary date on a tight budget, my boyfriend and I sought out…read moreUncle Moe's. Shawarma has always been my go-to food in my university when I got too tired of the usual cafeteria food, and Uncle Moe's gave me a dish unlike any I've taste before. The Chicken Shawarma rice bowl I ordered had fresh and juicy chicken strips, and the heaping pile of raw white onions was the icing to my cake! (Don't judge me, I love onions). Of course, to those who aren't as avid a fan as I am of vegetables, you can opt to have an all meat shawarma dish. Here's a secret, though. When they say buttered rice, they mean a cup of rice with a slice of butter on top. No, really, it's hilarious.

My Dad has a certain mood when he craves for the distinct taste and composition of Uncle Moe's…read moreShawarma. Their beef is a bit more dry compared to the one we have been used to (and therefore a bit tired of) and their pita bread a bit thicker. Overall, the taste is really just different, even when it comes to the garlic sauce and the chili sauce. I however, prefer to munch on pita bread and hummus, or when I'm really in for a meal, I order their kofta balls. I seriously think their kofta balls should be available to be sold frozen so I can bring it home. The kofta balls are serves piping hot, and with the cheese filling, the meatball is likewise kept hot. Even the sauce itself is yummy enough to have with the pita as dipping sauce. Their kofta balls are one of the things that I like so much I wish I could make it at home.

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!

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.

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!

Any search on Halal restaurants in the Manila area would undoubtedly yield Moud on the top results,…read moreand for a good reason. The restaurant is actually quite shabby, and it has that really sketchy quality to it - it's storefront is quite rundown and a bit chaotic, and the place (as with the rest of the buildings in the area) has fallen into a wild sort of decay throughout the years. Looks can be deceiving, though, as in most cases. This Quiapo institution has Halal Filipino carinderia staples, but nobody really goes there for anything else but the star of the show - their roast chicken. The chicken is one of the best I've ever tried, hands down. The certified Halal roast chicken is flavorful up to the very last morsel. The first time I ordered a quarter chicken from Moud's, the serving that I got was even a bit lukewarm, but man, the meat was so flavorful and so mouthwatering that I just had to order another serving. The roast chicken is moist, tasty and tender. I'm guessing the chicken was marinated in a simple brine, but the flavor was quite robust .. The spicy dipping sauce is also good, with chunky bits of bell peppers and angry morsels of fiery siling labuyo. I once asked the owner what was in the sambal, but she kept mum and looked at me like I was a blathering idiot. The upstairs dining area is a bit dingy, and they don't even have plates (they serve the chicken in a styro pack) but for me, the flavor of the food is all that matters. Moud's doesn't need ambient music, either. If you go in the afternoon, you might catch the unmistakeable Muslim call to prayer (which is sweet music to my ears) from the mosque nearby. A sign in their dining area also advertises that they sell fresh dressed Halal chicken for P120/kilo.

When you hit the Muslim Quarter in Quiapo, it's easy to miss this place. Unless you really know…read morewhat you want to get, and that's their halal roast chicken. Considering its price (less than 250 pesos for a whole roast chicken), it is one of the softest, most tender and delicious roasted birds I have ever had the pleasure of stuffing into my mouth. The woman who owns it refuses to divulge the secret to the marinade, and with good reason! I came back last Sunday with my cousin just to let him try it. The chili sauce that comes with the chicken is also pretty good, I'm guessing it's made with sweet and sour sauce and mashed siling labuyo. The turo-turo offerings are kind of meh-looking, but you're not there for those things. You go there for the chicken. Inshallah, that's good.

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 always eat at the Uncle Moe's in City Golf. So, I assumed that I'd get the same quality of food…read moreat this branch in F7. To cut to the chase, my meal here was quite...sad. If you've eaten in Uncle Moe's, there are certain expectations that come with your meal. First, you must have butter on your rice. Second, the white sauce should be tangy and peppery. Third, the meat servings are juicy and in big chunks. Basically, I didn't get these three things at this branch. I ordered a Shawarma Rice. The rice didn't have butter (I asked from the server and it never came because he said it "ran out"). The white sauce was sweet (I guess they used the cheap sweet mayonnaise). The meat was dry and tasted like it was reheated about three times before it finally got to me. It was one of the saddest meals I ever had at an Uncle Moe's. The only saving grace was that I decided to order the Chicken Kebab. At least it was juicy and tasty. But, yeah. Not going back to this branch. I'll only go if maybe a friend wants to meet up here for beer.

I have heard lots of good stories about this shawarma place that originated in Ortigas. Apparently,…read morethey are the Mister Kabab of the district. After late night gimmicks and after-work drinks, Uncle Moe's is the place to be. Uncle Moe's opened a humble establishment right in the same building of Senor Pollo and Purple Oven. Kudos to the management of F7 Rallos for putting together such a great combination of restaurants. I had my first taste of their shawarma which was pretty good, but nothing really spectacular. Perhaps I lacked a good story to tell, or maybe a good night out. My second visit was with my brother who decided to taste their Chelo Kebab. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. I was quite disappointed with the Ortigas crowd this time. But since I'm a believer of second chances (in this case, third chances), I will definitely be back for my third try. Watch out for it!