Shawarma Guys

September 21. Saturday.

Kim and I love our shawarma and kebabs, so when an opportunity comes up to try a new shawarma spot we don't pass on it. We were in The Fort Strip with our good friend JT to watch a late show and it just so happened that Shawarma Guys was located there. Since we haven't had dinner yet, we decided to dine there.

We've read good reviews about it online and have always kept a mental note to try it out. But I'll warn you now, this has got to be one of the worst dining experiences we've had. From the food to the service, everything was just bad. First the wait staff was really slow and inattentive. Considering there was only our group and another group dining, then they should really be efficient and attentive but that just wasn't the case. The waiter took his sweet time to get to us to take our orders, but was such in a hurry to clean up that I haven't even finished my food yet and he was already going to take my plate out. Yes, he asked if I was done already, but only AFTER he has lifted my plate off the table. Disgusting behavior. On any other occasion, I would've smacked the living hell out of him but I tried to keep my cool since we still had a long night ahead.

Then the food. It was burnt and overcooked. And for the price of the meals, really just a quarter of a teaspoon of butter? I was just really hungry to complain and the staff really didn't seem to pay attention as they just chattered about themselves.

Kim ordered the Lamb Kebab.

Lamb Kebab. 250php.

The lamb was tough and chewy. It was burnt, and the sweet taste of the sauce and lamb itself really made for an unappetizing meal.

JT and I got the Beef Kebab.

Beef Kebab. 190php.

Compare the picture from their menu and Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=220035614837860&set=a.125795090928580.24173.125513780956711&type=1&relevant_count=1
And take a look at what we had. Just disappointing. The kebabs were very dry and tasteless (except for the burnt taste).

I also ordered a Beef Shawarma.

Beef Shawarma. 150php.

Kanto shawarma stalls serve better shawarma than this! Bigger and meatier at half the price, too.

Considering Shawarma Guys is from the same group behind URBN and Relik, this was really disappointing. Maybe it was just a bad night for everyone in their staff, but after dining I saw three of their kitchen staff just lounging outside and smoking looking relaxed. So maybe they really don't care about the service. To anyone looking for their shawarma and kebab fix, I'll just tell you to consider other joints. You'll be better off spending your money on Mister Kebab, Uncle Moes, or even Tri Mo Shawarma Co.

*We forgot to ask for the waiter to get a photo of us, maybe because we were so hungry then or we were so dismayed.

Shawarma Guys
G/F The Fort Strip
BGC, Taguig City
https://www.facebook.com/ShawarmaGuys

Mister Kabab

April 6, 2013. Saturday.

We left the cold comfort of our homes, and braved the very hot weather the country has been experiencing the past few weeks. You would think we were crazy for doing so. But I'd brave the heat anytime if it means a food date to Mister Kabab!

Mister Kabab has been around for as long as I can remember. But it's not in the form that most people know today. People are familiar with the new West Ave. and Ayala TechnoHub branches, which are both nice and modern (-ish, I guess), but once a upon a time it was a little hole in the wall joint in Delta West Ave. It didn't have most of the modern amenities that the new branches have today. It was al fresco dining. It was a little dingy but the food was always great! My friends and I used to walk a good 3 and half kilometers from our high school just to eat there! That's how great the food was! That and we were still living off our measly allowances and needed to save every peso just for a taste of that heaven set garlic sauce and for that important extra rice.

That old place is now gone, and in its place now stands a supermarket. Mister Kabab has since moved on down the street in West Ave, and they also have a branch in Ayala TechnoHub. Both places are not as charming as the original one for me, but at least both offer better ventilation. The West Ave branch is still not air conditioned, but it has more fans and better exhaust than the old one. On the other hand, the TechnoHub branch would look like a Michelin starred restaurant if you compare it to the old, dingy joint. For starters it has air conditioning. It is also very well kept and has great charming interiors. Which is why we chose to eat in this branch.

But enough about the changes that Mister Kabab has gone through in the past years! The food has always been great and that's what's important. We ordered the following:

Keema with Eggplant

In Mister Kabab's version of the keema, you can order it plain or with eggplant. We ordered the one with eggplant as it offers a very subtle taste that blends in nicely with the minced meat. I've always liked their keema because it tastes a little richer compared to most other keema's. If I didn't know better, I might think this actually had some liver in it. Just like with most dishes on their menu, this one goes very well with their very popular garlic sauce.

Special Beef Chelo Kabab

This is one of Mister Kabab's best seller! I guarantee you that most who frequent this establishment has ordered this on at least one occasion. The meal consists of one strip of tenderloin, a strip of ground beef, grilled tomato and buttered rice. All of those combined is like the perfect storm of ingredients coming together. The rice is served steaming hot, easily melting the butter in it. The kabab strips are cooked just right, tender and still very much juicy. And just like above, this is best eaten with their garlic sauce.

Lamb Chelo Kabab

Kim has been on a lamb craving lately, so she ordered this one. The ground lamb was tender and juicy, but it didn't have that distinct lamb flavor to it. But Kim was fine with it that way, since lamb sometimes has too much of a mutton taste to it. This plate also comes with buttered rice and grilled tomato.

Extra Fried Egg

Cause everything is better with fried egg on the side.

Watermelon Shake.

Since the summer heat is in full bloom, we ordered watermelon shakes to quench our thirst. It was really refreshing! Kim said she thinks it has milk in it, but I'm not sure. It was good though.

One constant knock on Mister Kabab has always been how it is not authentic in taste. For me that doesn't really matter. Yes it might be a little watered down in taste compared to authentic Persian restaurants, but I think what they serve is just right for the Filipino taste. The prices have about doubled since I first started frequenting the original Delta location more than a decade ago, but it is still more than affordable! A good meal here would be 200-300php, and the serving sizes aren't bad either.

Mister Kabab
UP Ayala TechnoHub,
Commonwealth Ave., QC
(02) 332 - 3935

Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub

November 10, 2012. Saturday.

We wanted to hangout at Citizen Pub but it was still early when we arrived at City Golf. I thought they opened a little earlier in the afternoons during weekends, but I guess I was wrong. It was about 4PM and they don't open until 5. Since we were already parked and we were hungry, we settled for Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub.

I frequent Mister Kabab and Ababu for my shawarma and kebab fix, but I've never tried Uncle Moe's before. A quick browse through their menu would show that they are priced almost at the same range as Mister Kabab and Ababu. Uncle Moe's also serves beer and for a good reason, they're located in the middle of Ortigas and Pasig which is accessible to a lot of office workers and residents looking for a place to hangout.

We got the ball rolling with a plate of Ox Brain.

Ox Brain. 75php.

I was surprised at how small the serving of Ox Brain was but then again, it was only 75php. And that might also be a good thing, since ox brain is very fatty and high in cholesterol.

Kim got Keema with Buttered Rice.

Keema with Buttered Rice. 110php.

Keema is minced meat. But this one looked more like the ground beef you get from the market or grocery. It tasted good, though. It was seasoned well and the onions provided a nice aroma and sharp taste to the meat. And as is it is with any other fried meat, it really went well with the steamed rice topped with butter.

And I ordered the Kebab Platter with Buttered Rice.

Kebab Platter with Buttered Rice. 170php.

The platter had 2 pieces each of beef and chicken kebab and buttered rice. Both were really tender and still juicy. I just thought that the beef was a bit bland, that's why I had to put copious amounts of the garlic sauce on it.

Compared to its neighbors in the City Golf coumpound, Bugsy's and Citizen, Uncle Moe's is a no frills, stripped down establishment. The menu is cheap and the place is simple, but the food is good enough. The servings were a little smallish compared to Mister Kabab and Ababu, but at their prices, it's nothing to complain about. I don't know how the place looks like during the night time when the people start to trickle in, but then that would be a good excuse to come back here and take a look.

Uncle Moe's Shawarma Hub
City Golf Compound, Julia Vargas Ave.,
Brgy. Ugong, Pasig City
(02) 469-4787