When I was in 5th grade, I clearly remember impersonating Ebenezer Scrooge in my English class. I…read morewas so fascinated with that grumpy character who later became nice. Never thought he'd be the inspiration for a restaurant, but Ebeneezers in BGC sure is not a scrooge! The restaurant fuses two concepts that aren't usually associated together: healthy and naughty! Those are incorporated into the food and the overall feel of the place.
On the first floor, you'll see the shawarma and salad bar. For the shawarma, you have 4 choices: Halal Moroccan Lamb, Premium Grass-fed Angus Steak, Organic Chicken, and Breakfast Shawarma. The first two are seasoned with Moroccan and Lebanese spices respectively, while the chicken is marinated in yogurt, turmeric, and ginger. All three are quite hefty and have a good mix of meat and vegetables. The breakfast shawarma, on the other hand, has Angus beef tapa, scrambled egg, and garlic rice. It's difficult to choose a favorite because each shawarma has a distinct flavor, which is further enhanced by Ebeneezer's array of dips/sauces.
You can partner your shawarma with falafel - huge pieces of freshly-made, hand-pressed chickpeas, rolled into balls and flavored with coriander and select spices. I think they're so chunky and fine, but need more flavor, especially salt, which Ebeneezers can easily provide (ask for salt mixed with lemon and pepper for a tastier experience).
As for the salads, oh my goodness, the fun begins in choosing what to include in your small or large bowl! Their ingredients are so colorful and mouthwatering to look at, and the possible salad combinations are endless! Yes, you get to choose! Strawberries, grapes, watermelon, apples (both green and red), cheese, various greens, eggs, chicken, and a lot more! You then choose your dressing: citrus vinaigrette or raspberry chia.
Already full? Hey, that's just the first half of what Ebeneezers offers! On the second floor, you'll find what they call "The Naughty Room." Nah, there are no whips or chains there, but a cozy, mini bar where you can just chill or even have a meal with your friends or colleagues, especially after a long day at work! Aside from a selection of alcoholic beverages, they also have some really good bar chows!
If you're looking for something light, I highly recommend their Zucchini Blossoms. They don't look appealing, but once you bite a piece, it'll be a cheesy explosion (they use Feta for these goodies)! Every piece also has olives, lemon zest, and herbs.
Another bar chow I really enjoyed is the beef salpicao!!! Had we not been eating a lot of food, I would have ordered rice! It's garlicky and sweet, but the sweetness isn't overwhelming. Flavor-wise, it's so spot on, but the tenderness of the beef could still be improved as what we ate was still gummy.
Then of course, they also have the ever staple pulutan, wings. Ebeneezers has spicy apricot wings, which have just the right amount of sweet-spicy goodness and are generously sprinkled with sesame seeds. They aren't cut into two, so eating each piece seems more satisfying! However, like the salpicao, the lollipop part of the wing was a little bit tough to bite into.
Finally, we also tried the 45-day Dry Age Burger, which came with thick cut fries. This flavorful burger has a dry-aged, grass-fed Angus beef patty with sautéed mushrooms, "bio-dynamic" (similar to organic farming, but with spiritual and mystical aspects) mixed greens, truffle essence, spicy tomato harissa jam, and Gruyère cheese. Not sure if it was just me, but I noticed a bitter, but not unpleasant, aftertaste. Perhaps it was the cheese? Anyway, this is still a good burger.
Ebeneezers is a chill out place with a nice touch of whimsical naughtiness, which will make you understand that Ebeneezer is a geeze, not a scrooge! :)
