My friends and I were lured by Spatzle's cute decor/design and Wi-Fi connection, plus we were…read morealready quite hungry, so we chose to eat here. Everything we ordered saved for 1 dish needed some salt. :( For starters, we tried the classic rosti, which is basically a potato pancake. However, I think it had more onions than potatoes, and I wish it had more sour cream. Next, we tried a pizza-like dish, the Monte Blanc. This is topped with chips, which were sweet! :( Super fail :( Potato chips are supposed to be salty! The actual pizza tasted ordinary, nothing spectacular about it. My main choice was the smoked salmon Benny, and it's such a disappointment! The thinly sliced salmon didn't have a smoky flavor at all, the egg was soft-boiled, and the salad had a horribly sour dressing. Such a waste of money, IMO. My friend's wife tried the roast chicken on sausage on mushroom. This came with mashed potatoes, which still had some lumps, but that's fine because I loved chewing them. This was decent tasting, but tasted better with salt. Finally, the best dish was the carbonara, which was easily the most flavorful one among those we ordered. Overall, this place is good for one dining experience only. Ordinary food at extraordinarily high prices haha =p

Spatzle, or literally means "little sparrow" is made from eggs, flour, and salt. It is commonly…read morefound in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. It is far from the usual-shaped pasta and is more filling, much like a gnocchi. Here, Spatzle is a European restaurant located inside Shangrila Mall. It has a European al fresco cafe vibe. One night, my friends and I visited this place but ended up underwhelmed. Since we went there very hungry, we ordered quite a number of items in their menu: - Smoked Salmon Benny (Php355) - Smoked salmon on a bed of mushrooms and lettuce topped with egg on a warm brioche. The smoked salmon pieces were a few as you could taste more of the mushrooms than the salmon. The entire dish was bland. It is served with a side salad of lettuce and a somewhat honey mustard sauce, or maybe just mustard because it was too sour and doesn't stimulate the appetite. - Classic Rosti (Php160) - Rosti is a potato pancake from Switzerland. It is the first dish I learned to make in culinary school. I love Rosti because of its simplicity of ingredients yet the flavor it brings. The sour cream and lemon on this wedge brings out the flavor, but it wasn't enough. Maybe because it was "au naturelle", but adding a bit of salt should suffice. - Spatz Carbonara (Php295) - one of the better dishes of the night. This egg and cream-based dish is filled with pancetta and bacon to add flavor. I like how the sauce covered each spatz (singular form of spatzle), although I would prefer more of the classic Italian Carbonara of egg and cheese. Although I ordered a solo size, this is meant to be shared as it gets a little satiating after a few tablespoons. The spatzle tends to be quite doughy and the sauce doesn't do much help. - Tarte Flambe Monte Blanc (Php365) - Spatzle's version of a thin crust pizza, topped with mozzarella cheese, spinach, mushrooms, pancetta, and paprika chips. Remove the chips, and it is like a doughy bread with gooey, tasteless cheese. Add the paprika chips and it becomes weird because of its sweetness. Maybe I am just used to eating chips with a salty flavor. I do not see how the flavor of these chips complement the bland flavor of the pizza. Furthermore, it is difficult to eat because when you lift it up, the chips fell. - Roast Chicken Sausage on Mushroom Spatzle (Php265) - roast chicken roulade stuffed with sausage. I am not sure how to comment on this. The roulade was okay, a bit crunchy because it was fried to a crisp. And because it was fried to a crisp, I had a hard time looking for the chicken and the sausage. Taste wise, quite okay. It came with mashed potatoes and gravy. The mashed potatoes had some potato cubes inside but I find it more "real" and has good texture. - Mint Lemonade (Php125) - has good flavor of mint, but a bit sweet. I remembered adding a lot of water to balance the sweetness. The restaurant has a relaxing atmosphere and has free wifi. It can be a good place to catch up with friends or a quiet time alone. The price is on the high side if you compare the dish they serve. Overall, just an okay for me.

This has become a regular stop when my wife and I are in Manila. The food is always good, and there…read moreis a wide selection to choose from. I see some other reviewers talking about service and cleanliness, but both have been good, in my experience. As for price, I am sure you can find a cheaper kebab place, but you won't find one this good.

The food took forever to come out and didn't taste very good. It was also expensive. Even better, I…read moreroasted for two days in bed with a fever and vomiting from food poisoning. World's worst restaurant! Bad service too

From the Arabian Nights theme to the authentic taste of the Middle East, you wouldn't go wrong with…read moreShomal by Hossein when you want something different and unique. Their excellent restaurant setting, wherein you'll feel like an Arabian princess when you sit on one of their semi-private tables at the left side, creates great impact when you finally get a taste of their dishes. Start your meal with an order of their famous pita bread appetizer, but remember not to go full just by eating those. Order the Lamb dish, and you'll reach seventh heaven.

I have this hunch that there's a bit of a consensus among Metro Manila dwellers that the Hossein…read moreline of restaurants is the standard for Middle Eastern and Persian food when it comes to quality. I myself am a fan, that's why it's nice to see Shomal; a Hossein restaurant around my area. I've dined here a few times and the quality is as good as the more popular branches in Makati or Taguig. it's also a personal "safe haven" when Trinoma gets too crowded, especially when I'm there on weekends. There's always enough space and "room to breathe" in Shomal. The side dining areas are also nice and cozy with all sorts of curtains hanging from above. The service is also always on-point. Some of the things I usually enjoy here: the ox brain, hummus, and any of the kebabs.

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 hear this place is pretty popular. Came highly recommended. Love how open this restaurant is…read more Large windows, ceiling fans, no ac. Very old school. The staff are super friendly and helpful. They have huge servings, so come hungry. Came for lunch. Ordered samosa sampler, hummus with pita, chicken shawarma plate, beef chelo kabab plate and a lamb kabab plate with basmati rice. Everything came out fresh and hot. I can see why Mr. Kabab has a huge following. Big servings of freshly made food. Overall, I thought the spices were very understated. The samosas were hot but not much flavor, the hummus was on the runny side and needed a little bit more cumin or something. The chicken shawarma was pretty crunchy, not how I prefer my shawarma meat. The kababs were juicy, but again barely any flavor. It's a good place to eat but if you're looking for authentic flavors, you won't find it here.

This is one place I will always be going back to whenever I'm here. Ever since, I have always…read moreordered sizzling keema with eggplant or ox brain with pita plus a yogurt shake. Taste has never changed. I docked a star though because my sizzling keema did not come in sizzling even as I dumped in the gravy. I was surprised on how the ordering has a new process now where you have to go to the counter to order. This visit also led me to discover that they also make very good pizza. My niece's cheese pizza came in fresh and its dough was perfectly made. Would always be coming back here!

Al Farsi has been serving good Persian food in Sikatuna Village for years now, and I am glad that…read morethey put up another branch closer to my house which is in Mahusay Street in UP Village. Their new branch, which is near the gym and the new string of stores and restaurants in Central Maginhawa, serves up really awesome and inexpensive Persian food. I love the decor, and how it opens up to the street so that you can people watch and take in the fun Maginhawa atmosphere. I just love the food here. The hummus is very well seasoned, and I love how the garlic just shines through the rich chickpea mash. I also tried their falafel, which is a fried log of mashed chickpeas served with a small serving of fresh salad.The texture of the falafel is ace, and the crunchiness of the exterior was perfect. I ordered an extra pita and made a wrap out of the falafel and the hummus, just like how it's done in other restaurants. At only around P100 for the whole Frankenstein toss-in, I was very satisfied and full. I will be back for more of their falafel.

Quite average, but reasonable with the price. We ordered the combo kebab meal; my friend and I both…read morethought the sauces were a bit bland and lacking. The grilled tomato were ripe and good, but needed a little more grilling.

My family took us here to try the food. We got seated right away. The atmosphere was nice. The…read moreservice was very good. The food were delicious, sorry i did not get a chance to take pictures. They have parking spots but very tricky to get in and out. Will definitely come back.

Hossein's interior is gorgeous as well as apt for its motif, all dimly lit curtains tinged with a…read morewarm, sun-baked palette. I learned about Hossein through my best friend, who loved their food so much that she couldn't stand up after clearing her plates. Neither could I, and that's a good sign. First things first: one does not simply enter Hossein without trying their Roti Channai (P125). Served with a mild sauce mixed with Indian spices, the roti is soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. As for mains, I strongly recommend their Lamb Shish Kebab (P550) and their Raan Masala (P2780), the latter of which is leg of lamb cooked in a creamy and thick curry sauce, mixed with special herbs and spices. In my opinion, the Raan Masala is definitely the star of the menu. Even the sauce of the masala goes really well with the kebab. So much so that I ended up dipping my kebab in the sauce of the masala instead of the actual sauce of the kebab. All of this doesn't come with rice yet, so you'll definitely want to order a heaping of buttery-hot Biryani Rice (P180), good for two people. I used to have a "don't love it, don't hate it" attitude toward Persian cuisine, but because of Hossein, I am now stuck in the "will eat everything until I puke" phase. Easily the best (and priciest) Persian restaurant I've tried in Metro Manila.

The Good: Authentic Arabian food! As good as it gets in Manila…read more The Bad: It's traffic getting to the place and the ambiance isn't the best. Pro Tip: The biryani rice is a sleeper hit! As stated above, this is probably the best Arabian food place in manila. You know an Arabian place is good when Arabians go there to eat! Whenever I'm in the general area, i take the time to do a side-trip to this place! Always awesome, and never disappoints! The place may be abit old and dirty, but I think it's all part of the charm! Try the kebabs, sharwama and my personal favorite: the biryani rice!

Our favorite place for Shawarma (Middle Eastern dish). Place was upgraded and they now have a "fast…read morefood branch" nearby. Skip their "Shawarma Meals" fries included was very disappointing!