My second time dining at Persia Grill. I've decided it's a solid 4 star. I'm a recent expat living…read morein BGC. Persian has always been a comfort food for me. My standard order os's babaganush and kubideh. The food itself is decent, although the babsganush was better spiced the first time. The service is standard Pinoy: usually attentive. The decor is a bit tired but definitely Persian. It's doing the job in terms of the comfort food vibe. Just wish it was a little more flavorful. Oh, try the iced tea. It's masarap! But be prepared to be up for hours... it's strong!

I was at the adjacent hotel when I saw a hookah in the window of Persia Grill. Desperate for…read morehookah, I took the chance and got some hookah, along with a pot of calamansi tea with honey. The calamansi tea was excellent, and the hookah was passable and much cleaner than the other hookah bars i visited, despite the lack of flavor selection.

As I have written in my previous posts, Persian/Middle Eastern food has only been in my radar for a…read morecouple of years now. And because of that, I promised myself to expose myself to more food spots that offer the best of Mediterranean cuisine. Just last Friday, my boss and I checked out Persiana along Pioneer Street for lunch. She was game for some Kebab and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to test this place out. We got there at around 11:30am and the place had more people than I was expecting. I guess they fill up pretty fast during lunch. There wasn't anything spectacular or notable about the interiors of the place. It didn't look like just another fast food chain but it wasn't high-end either. It was simple and reminiscent of Middle Eastern food spots, I think. My boss ordered their kebab with rice and I opted to go for one of their combo meals - keema and kebab with rice. Let me go straight to it - the food was great! Although they had a different take on the kebab and (my new favorite) keema, they were still very enjoyable. The meat on the kebab was cooked well - it wasn't dry and it was seasoned quite well. Their keema was also a winner for me. I still like Mr. Kabab's keema better but this is a close second. When you order their kebab, they give you three roasted tomatoes. I LOVE ROASTED TOMATOES so I wasn't complaining when my boss gave two of his to me. We also got to try their Baklava ala mode. It had almonds and white chocolate inside. A little too sweet for my liking, to be quite honest, but everything else I truly enjoyed.

"Mamma mia, this is-a some-a good-a couscous!" I declared excitedly, clutching a pizza in my right…read morehand. And thus, you just found out what I was doing in the middle of my meal in Persiana. Confusing? Oh, it gets better. Relatively close by, Persiana is the most accessible way for me to indulge in my love affair with middle-eastern cuisine. Granted, it looks more like an Italian bistro, enough so that you suspect the owner is one Guiseppe al-Napoli, but middle-eastern cuisine, especially contemporary Arabic, does include pizza (and fried chicken, yeah-iah!). The menu is still choc-full of middle-eastern favorites such as hummus, kebabs, and tabboulehs, but the single most arresting dish here is the couscous. This one is served with a stewed beef that positively reminds you of Greek influence, and each bite is a granulated delight. It's a great place to eat Persian/middle-eastern cuisine without having to go far.

I'd passed this place without giving it a second thought. It looked like just another shawarma…read morespot. There were five million other shawarma spots and this place looked pretty small. Man, was I wrong. This wasn't just a shawarma place. It was a legit grill place. Shawarma, kebabs, chicken fillets, dapas... you name it. Impressive. And for a price that didn't go over 100php for most items. Even more impressive. What stunned me though was how much bigger it was on the inside. It added a lot to the ambiance of the place. There was lots of room and lots of seats, giving it a rather cozy feel. The food itself is pretty good! Not dry, tasty and that's without drenching it in sauce as is my usual modus when it comes to these wraps. Despite the price, it wasn't at all small and they didn't skimp on the fillings which is something that doesn't happen very often. So if you're looking for something light and filling but won't kill your wallet or make you feel like you didn't eat enough, this is where I'd suggest to go.

At first I was a little frustrated because Mandi Persian Grill replaced this cool café on that same…read moreplace. It was the only one with turtle pie then. It took me some time to warm up to it but my love for hummus has overcome this tampo, so I decided to try it out. Needless to say, it was on a whole different scale than the café it replaced, but I still like it because of my love for Middle Eastern food. PROS: You'd be surprised how roomy it actually is. On the ground level it would just be around 4 tables and you have to scoot to get to the counter and place your order. But downstairs, it's comfortably spacious; I love samplers! So of course I had their Mandip Trio. It was so fun to eat because I got to try the Moutabal and Keema too, which is quite good; I liked reading this little story on their menu on how Mandi got their name. CONS: Orders take a bit of time to prepare; We could use for more pita for the Trio. TL;DR: Authentic Persian food that's not just some random shawarma place. More Mandi!

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.

From the appetizers to their meat dishes, this place is amazing! Their portions are generous which…read moreusually let's you take a little reheated portion for midnight snacking. We always order The Sultan's Kebab Platter. It's a combination of any 4 kebabs and/or koobideh of your choice. The platter also includes grilled tomatoes and shirazi salad. Their Braised Lamb Shank is mouthgasmic. The meat is fall of the bone and the sauce is delicious with buttered rice. Also, buttered rice ALL day! All in all, the price is super fair for quality and quantity! You are limited to beers and wines for beverages. But, do try the yummy Yogurt Shakes!

Can I say that World Class Persian Kebab is my best-kept secret? I really want to, do allow me to…read more Because despite being one of the dirtiest places to eat in Quezon City, they whip up an amazing dish of Chelo Kebab and yogurt sauce every time. I'm a little ashamed to admit that this place is really one of my favorites. From afar, the place looks like an old and smelly establishment that reeks of dirt and sweat. Although partly true, I would like to think that this is part of their charm. Their yogurt sauce is quite rich without the usual sweet taste. So with a slice of tomato, a slice of onion, a piece of Chelo and rice slathered with yogurt sauce, there's a party in my mouth. My dad absolutely refuses to eat here so me and my brother try to sneak out and dine here without him knowing. And let me tell you, it's worth it every damn time.

My girl friends and I were coming off of an art and zine thing from the basement area of the same…read morebuilding and we were tired and hungry, so we decided to take a break from art and the crowded basement and went out into the street to look for a place to eat. Unfortunately, most of the eating options were farther out in Morato or E. Rodriguez, so we decided to have some Persian at the World Class Persian Kabab. I've always seen branches of this around and was always intrigued by its 24/7-ness and its garish design, though inside it was a little more raw and broken-down than I would have liked. Still it was a pretty nice spot to be sitting outside despite the rain and traffic around us. My friends got a chelo kabab and I got a shawarma, which were good and fine, but nothing to write home about. I've had better, though definitely not at the prices they had--they're cheap given the portions they put out, I'll give them that. They're probably better for a post-drinking bite to eat, rather than a place to go when you're looking for comfort in food. They did seem to have karaoke upstairs, though... Curious. I'll have to see what's up with that.

Sigh, shawarma. I have a love and hate relationship with shawarma for the simple reason that I love…read moreeating it, but at the same time hate eating it because it makes me smell. I don't know what it is exactly about shawarma that makes a person smell after they eat it, but that odor is what makes me hesitant to even try eating it out of fear of offending people. Anyway, smell aside, I am a huge shawarma guy and I have to say Turks is one of the best shawarma stand shawarmas I have ever had. For me, it's not just about the meat, it's also about the garlic and cheese sauce. I wish that their sauces were a little bit more liquidish than fluidish, but other than that the taste is great. I also like how they wrap their pita. I'm not sure if it's their pita or the way they wrap or both that prevents the shawarma from spilling over and creating a mess, which is for me a huge accomplishment. I know consider this to be my new gold standard for shawarma stands.

Okay, I held off reviewing Greek Kouzina for awhile because I wanted to try more of their menu and…read moretoday I got the chance. One thing I never fail to order is their stuffed zucchini because it's really good and feels really healthy... it's "greek rice with pine nuts, raisins and tomatoes stuffed in zucchini". However, today I found out that they modified their menu and there's no longer stuffed zucchini (sob!); instead, they changed it to stuffed red bell pepper! Badly needing my rice fix, I ordered it anyway, but very doubtfully. We also got the beef gyros (small pieces of beef, greens, and feta cheese in pita wrap) and the crispy calamares. The good news is, the stuffed red bell pepper was surprisingly even BETTER than the zucchini. It's the sweetest pepper I've ever tasted! Truthfully I'm not a fan of bell peppers because the green ones turn me off so I thought they all taste weird, but this red bell pepper was a game changer for me. TRY IT TRY IT! The other ones we ordered were pretty good as well. So far, I haven't tasted anything that I particularly disliked from Greek Kouzina. I also like their Lamb Meatballs. For dessert, their Greeka Yogurt is a must-try. The honey mixed with yogurt is amazing. If you run out of honey you can always ask for more.

With my job constantly taking me places and me having to find routes to get from one point to the…read moreother in the fastest way possible, I pass through random roads a lot. Whenever I take Little Baguio, I always see small restaurant with lots of cars parked outside it, even on the street. One day, a client of mine asked to meet at Greeka, though not the one in San Juan, but the then newly opened branch in SM Aura. Because I already have a major favorite from another restaurant, thought it would be "safe" for me to try Greeka's version, and maybe even compare to see which one I like better. So, I ordered the htipiti, which is basically a feta cheese dip. It was a bit coarse, with small bits of feta and not spicy like the one I have been accustomed to. Their pita is also a bit on the heavier side. Then I had their Roka Garides pasta, which I was unsure of at first, because I didn't think arugula would work well with shrimp and pasta. However, I was glad I tried it because it was good! Being able to enjoy pasta with vegetables is good, but with this, it's just wonderful. Overall, I found that it cannot be compared to my favorite Greek resto, as Greeka has a totally different approach and feel, not just to the eyes but to the palate as well.