First Bite: Hummus Elijah

I love to munch on junk food and indulge in soda and milk tea for days. It can get even crazier when I'm stressed or down. Thankfully, my body can recognize when it needs something healthier as I get intense craving for salad or anything fresh. And it was timely that Hummus Elijah opened a branch just a few blocks away from home. 

Hello, Hummus Elijah. 

Hummus is often treated as a side dish to complement one's meal here in Manila. We'd usually have it with a plate of kebab or shawarma. But this healthy treat is enjoyed as one's breakfast, lunch or dinner in Israel. In fact, there are several restaurants in Israel that sell only hummus and pita. And Eli Lapid, owner of Hummus Elijah, wants to promote that this is a great alternative to one's usual meal. 

Hummus Elijah started as a side business of Eli back when he was still working corporate. He'd sell his homemade hummus to office mates and eventually ventured out to selling through foodpanda. But when a couple of orders became too many to handle, Eli decided to do this full time and opened Hummus Elijah in Makati sometime in 2015. 

And four years later, the famous hummus of Makati finally found a new home. Located at SM Aura's Sky Garden, Hummus Elijah is finally more accessible to me and those who refuse to fight with Makati's insane traffic. 

As a first timer, I was planning to order a small plate of Hummus Elijah (PHP200) and Falafel Balls (PHP150, 5 pieces). But Eli recommended its Elijah Combo (PHP390) instead which includes the ones I want to try plus yellow rice and salad! Sounds like a pretty good deal. 

Service was pretty fast as I got my filling combo meal in under 10 minutes. 

Elijah's Combo comes with a small plate of hummus, two pita, salad, yellow rice and three falafel balls. 

I now understand why hummus lovers can't get enough of this. It had that lovely light taste of chickpeas and nice grainy texture which I love. I tend to go crazy with tahini whenever I feast on hummus. And Eli saying that tahini is one of the healthiest sauces in the world definitely did not help in my addiction to this sauce. (Tahini is made of grounded sesame seeds, lemon juice and water.) 

The Falafel Balls were good too! These healthy vegetarian balls can be enjoyed with yellow rice or stuff it in your pita and top it with a bit of Harif (a homemade chili sauce), salad and of course, a generous serving of tahini. 

I'm also impressed with how well the falafel balls stay intact. The usual falafels I've had before tend to crumble and simply give up after one bite but this one holds its shape. And that shows how well Hummus Elijah is in the kitchen. 

I was also in for a treat when I got to try its Burekas (PHP220). You have an option to choose from Feta cheese, spinach, potato, eggplant or mushroom when you order this puff pastry. Eli recommended that I go for Feta cheese and I have no problems saying yes to that given my immense love for cheese. A plate of this sandwich comes with hard boiled egg, picked cucumber and fresh diced tomato. 

And it was divine! It was light yet filling at the same time. The taste of feta was prominent yet not overpowering. It definitely went well with tomato giving it a more refreshing taste to it. Make sure to grab a pickle or two for that addictive sharp tangy flavor.

I had some Baklava (PHP55/piece | PHP200, 4 pieces) to cap my meal. 

The nutty texture of this dessert bar could easily make one hooked and want more. But what's best about this is that it had the right level of sweetness that won't make you gasp for water. But I'll definitely try Rose's Mango Graham Cake (PHP170) next time as it says "best cake in the world"!

Overall, it was a lovely meal. The dishes were light in taste and helped me appreciate flavors that are often masked in other cuisines. It was one filling and guilt-free meal and I can totally see myself going back for more. 

Thank you, Hummus Elijah!

Hummus Elijah is located at 5th Floor, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.