We Filipinos are already familiar with shawarma but most of us only know the Persian type of Shawarma. I have been reading (and hearing) a lot about this place in Ortigas called Jacob’s Shawarma which serves the best shawarma in town.

While we were there on a Wednesday night, we were able to catch the owner of the restaurant who is Jacob Cortes. He’s Turkish and has been in the Philippines for almost a year now. He’s not only the owner, he’s also the cook and is very “hands on” in his restaurant. We had a little chat while eating our Salmon Shawarma. I learned that he’s also a model (ladies and guys looking for men, he’s good looking!) which he does in between manegerial obligations.

Salmon Shawarma is served every Wednesdays. We learned from Jacob that he serves different kinds of meat everyday and that it changes every 7:00 am. So here’s the schedule:

Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays – Chicken (Php 120 pita / Php 125 wheat pita)
Tuesdays and Fridays – Beef (Php 200 pita / wheat pita)
Wednesdays – Salmon (Php 160 pita / Php 165 wheat pita)

Good thing that we came there on a Wednesday because I love salmon and it’s not a common thing here in Manila.

The salmon is fresh and it’s not overcooked. I can still taste the juiciness of the fish. The salsa-like fillings, made of onions, tomatoes and some herbs, complimented the salmon.  Jacob recommended that I pour some lemon juice before taking a bite and my oh my, it became more delicious! They serve it in a 12 inch lavas (bread in Turkish) which is not your typical pita bread that you usually see in Persian restaurants.

Baklava @ Php 50 per piece

And of course, the Turkish experience is incomplete without tasting Baklava. It is a popular pastry dessert in the Mediterranean regions which is made of layers of phyllo dough with nuts and sweet fillings in between the layers. I’ve tasted some baklavas here in the Philippines but this would be the best one I’ve ever tasted.

Jacob’s Shawarma has a very small dining place and has a very simple menu. If you can see on the tables, they have small trashcans there, which is very uncommon here in the Philippines. They also have yogurt drink and Turkish drink.

So if you’re craving for a different kind of shawarma, visit Jacob’s Shawarma. They’re open 24 hours and operates from Mondays – Saturdays.

Jacob’s Shawarma

115 AIC Grande Tower, Sapphire Road, Ortigas Center.
7065699 (for deliveries, 24 hours a day)

No related posts.

Last December 26, we were one of the 25 individuals who attended the Plurk Lakbayan 08. The purpose of the trip is actually to pig out . All 25 of us were in the quest of food tripping in Tagaytay. Our first stop was Manos Greek Taverna.

Pita bread with Tzatziki dip @ Php 100

Since we’re really a big group, Manolo suggested that we divide ourselves into groups so that billing won’t be that hard. I was included in the munchfest group (most of us are food bloggers): Melo, Nina, Gail, Karla and Marc. It’s usually hard being with food bloggers because we have to have a good shot of the food before everyone starts eating . Anyway, we ordered Tzatziki as our appetizer. Tzatziki is made of yogurt and cucumber with garlic. The taste of garlic is very evident though the tangy taste of yogurt is still there. The pita bread is ordered separately, one order of which is composed of 3 pitas already. We did not appreciate the pita bread at all because it was so hard to eat, probably it wasn’t newly made.

Yogurt Shake @ Php 60 each

We were the only ones in the whole group who ordered Yogurt Shake because this wasn’t included in the menu ( Hmm, i wonder why). Well anyway, the yogurt shake didn’t actually taste like shake at all and had iced cubes in it. But nevertheless, I appreciated it still since I am a yogurt lover.

Moussaka @ Php 220

For our main dishes we ordered Moussaka and Grilled Lamb Chops. Moussaka is actualy like lasagna but instead of noodles as layers, eggplant was used. In between the layers there’s the bechamel sauce ( white sauce in lasagna) and potatoes as well. It also tasted good and native ingredients found in Tagaytay were used. Tagaytay is also famous for the vegetable produce and this dish actually utilized their resources there.

Grilled Lamb Chops @ Php 450

The Grilled Lamb Chops tastes ok however it was overcooked that’s why it was so hard to cut it with a normal table knife. I really efforted much in slicing this for everyone, thanks to Marc who helped me slice the crap of this lamb . The fries also seemed overcooked ( as you can see in the picture).

The place itself is not very formal. You can wear anything you want. Also the place does not have air conditioning at all; it’s fresh Tagaytay air that you will experience there. The owner, Manos, himself cooks and entertains the customers there and that is something that you rarely experience in Manila.

Manos Greek Taverna
owned by Manos Sapountzakis and his Filipino wife, Estrella.

Calamba Road
Brgy. San Jose (Olevares)
Tagaytay City
Tel. No. (mobile) 0916 429 8358
Fax (046) 860 2559

Related posts:

1. Grilled Tomato: Kebabs, Keemas and More
2. Persia Grill
3. Abe, where good friends dine

“Ziggurat” is derived from the Assyrian term ziqquratu which means ‘high’. The word Ziggurat actually means temple ( like the ones in the Mesopotamian times).

This restaurant is located in Sunette Tower, Durban St. cor Makati Ave in Makati ( it’s actually near P. Burgos St). They’re open 24 hours by the way so if you’re craving for some authentic kebabs at the middle of the night, this is the place to go. We actually went there at 3 am, after having a round of drinks in Greenbelt 2.

The place is actually cozy and simple. It’s a bit small so it’s better to call for reservation if you’re more than 5 people. They have an open area and an enclosed area. You could also have some hookah there.

They actually have a very extensive menu of different dishes. By the way, they’re actually selling their menu, it’s a gazette ( size of a newspaper, Php 35.00 each). It’s really hard to decide so we just ordered the basics: kebabs, pita breads and dips. We ordered the mixed kebab special ( medium platter) which consists of: 2 skewers of tikka kebab ( we had chicken and beef), 2 pieces of kufteh kebab and vegetable kebabs. By the way, tikka is the sliced piece (somewhat like barbeque) while kufteh is ground patty ( somewhat like longganisa). We also ordered hummus ( hand pounded beans with tahini) and mutabbal ( hand pounded eggplant with tahini) plus Arabian Khobiz ( pita bread, like the one being used in shawarma).

You could also visit their website to see their menu: www.zigguratcuisine.com

Mixed Kebab Platter

Hummus, Mutabbal and Arabian Khobiz

The Ratings:

Food: 4.5/5

I would say that their kebabs are really flavorful. I loved the kufteh and chicken tikka. I also loved their garlic sauce. I also liked the Arabian Khobiz, it’s newly cooked.

Ambiance: 3.5/5

The place is really small so it’s kind of cramped inside. There’s just one table outside where you can sit on the floor ( you know, with the pillows). I have not seen the enclosed area, I just don’t know how it looks like.

Price: 4/5

The price is expensive compared to Mr. Kabab however I believe that the quality of food here is better than the latter. Probably the factor of it being in Makati makes it more expensive. However I understand that the ingredients are expensive so their price is ok compared to Hossein’s. The Mixed Kebab Platter ( medium) is Php 685.00, Hummus is Php 75.00, Mutabbal Php 75.00, Arabian Khobiz is priced Php 10.00 each ( I believe for every 2 pieces, you get 1 free). Probably you can bring a budget of Php 300.00-500.00.

Related posts:

1. Sofreh: Persian Fusion Cuisine