Love at First Bite: Jamie's Kebabs

Growing up in a household not very fond of Meditteranean food made me appreciate this cuisine later in life. I never thought that I'd love kebabs, hummus, pita, and dip almost everything in garlic sauce. It even became one of my constant cravings during Manila's lockdown. And I'm so glad that there's a new place in town that serves superb Middle Eastern food.

Hello, Jamie's Kebabs.

Jamie's Kebabs is the newest food concept by the people behind Main Street. It serves the classic beef, chicken and lamb kebabs as well as other staples like hummus and pita wraps.

Love at First Bite: Kitchen Corner by Zula Hostel

There's no denying that food delivery is now part of the new normal. As more and more restaurants now offer in-house or through food app deliveries, ordering food for lunch or dinner gets a bit harder each day. I'm not complaining though as this allows me to try new restaurants with just a few clicks and without getting stuck in traffic. And I'm so happy to discover a new favorite-- Kitchen Corner by Zula Hostel.

Hello, Kitchen Corner by Zula Hostel.

Kitchen Corner is a new player in the very busy street of Makati Avenue. It opened primarily to service Zula Hostel's guests. But the ECQ made it shift its attention to cater to a wider market. And I am glad that they did as I got to try its superb dishes!

Restaurant Favorite: Mister Kabab

Mister Kabab has been one of my go to restaurants back in college. Its mouthwatering and affordable kebabs are just too good to resist. And when it became available via food panda, I regularly order some for dinner. But nothing beats dining in. 

Hello, Mister Kabab. 

I used to frequent its air conditioned Pearl Drive branch and order my favorite Chicken Kabab. But gone are the days when driving to my alma mater University of Asia and the Pacific would only take a few minutes.

First Bite: The Halal Guys' Spicy Chicken BBQ

Spicy food never excite me. Just thinking about gasping for water after a few mouthfuls make me cringe. But I simply could not say no to The Halal Guys new Spicy BBQ Chicken Platter.

Hello, The Halal Guys!

First Bite: Liberation Shawarma

It has been a long while since I've visited Century City Mall. The horrific traffic in Makati never fails to keep me from this establishment. Luckily, I managed to drop by one Saturday with K before a foodie gathering. And of course, a trip to Century City Mall wouldn't be complete without visiting Hole in the Wall. This time, I made sure to try some of the relatively newer concepts and I started with... Liberation Shawarma. 

Hello, Liberation Shawarma. 

I was craving for sharwarma for weeks and it was timely that I spotted Liberation Shawarma at Hole in the Wall. Without spending an extra second to decide, I decided to go with Beef Pita Shawarma (PHP290). It is also available with rice (PHP380) but I wanted to save space for the other food finds in the area. And I also had a party to attend that afternoon. 

First Bite: Sultan Mediterranean Grill

Kapitolyo never fails to fascinate me. I've seen it transform from a quiet residential area to a food haven with countless restaurants and concepts. Now, with the area being too saturated and parking becoming even scarcer, we'd see the newer establishments opening nearby instead of within Kapitolyo. One of the streets becoming busier is Brixton and that's where I spotted Sultan. 
 
Hello, Sultan Mediterranean Grill.

First Bite: Ebeneezers

Checking looloo has been part of my daily routine for months now. I get to discover new restaurants through the app. It is making me fat and poor but happy. And just last night, I went to this new restaurant by the brilliant minds behind Lulu (now Catch) and Hooch.

Hello, Ebeneezers!

I have read a few reviews about this place and all are positive. Food's not that expensive so it definitely caught my attention. And when R and I walked home from Melo's one night, I made a mental note to visit this place soon. And I did last night.

I never noticed this place to be beside Shangri-La at Fort. It must be because of the chaotic view of construction. But if you're walking towards Burgos Circle, it's hard to miss this place with its neon signage.

Since I was still stuffed with my heavy lunch, I just opted to get Ebeneezer's Mezze (PHP188) and a glass of Rose Cooler (PHP150). 

Service was quick and my meal was served in less than 5 minutes. 

The Mezze was served on a take out box with foil lining. One order comes with grilled pita (which I asked to be soft), marinated olives, roasted eggplant baba ghanoush and hummus. 

First Bite: Jack's Joint

R told me that we were heading to Tomas Morato one Saturday night to visit his friend's new restaurant business called Jack's Joint. It is not exactly a new brand as this is the second branch of the well-loved kebab place in Tondo. 

Hello, Jack's Joint. 

The place looks deceiving from the front as it would seem like a very small place but it actually has a deep space and could comfortably sit around 40 diners inside. 

Since we were not really hungry, R and I decided to share a Quarter Pounder with cheese (PHP85) and Special Kebab (PHP195). For drinks, we went with Mango Yogurt and Strawberry Shake (both are priced at PHP75 for small and PHP95 for large).

I was surprised with our large drinks as both glasses were filled to the brim! It was value for money in terms of quantity. As for quality... 

Well, of course, you wouldn't expect the strawberry shake to have real strawberries in it. But it was pretty good. I loved my mango yogurt more though because of the delightful tart of the yogurt. I can't stop sipping!

The special kebab was served next. Simply plated, it proved how this is a no-frills kind of place. It was very straightforward. 

Arabian Night: World Class Persian Kebab

For some odd reason, I craved for shawarma in the middle of the night. I even told my mom that I plan to go to some place one night just to satisfy my begging taste buds but since it was almost 11pm that time, she didn’t allow me to go out at all. Thus, my craving lasted for two days. Luckily, a friend was planning to have a mini shawarma dinner (and I had no idea why) and I thanked the food gods for it. 

One Friday night, I found myself standing in front of the World Class Persian Kebab. I heard from some people that this place serves really good kebab. I’ve known them as foodies so I trust their taste.

As we entered the place, the first thing that registered to my mind was a carinderia type of place as it was not a pretty sight at all. We decided to dine at the second floor and the set up there was much better. It looked more… Arabian.

The menu was quite extensive. There were different kebabs and other Mediterranean dishes and very affordable as well. I have this knack though of unknowingly ordering one of the pricey dishes available. At least this time, it was still very much affordable.