Mazza Shawarma ( Eton Centris )

Mazza Shawarma is one of the restaurants here in the Philippines that serves Middle Eastern cuisines. It is located at U/2C Eton Centris Walk EDSA cor Quezon Ave West Triangle, Quezon City. Shawarma seems to be one of their best sellers and they are famous because of it so

The Beef Shawarma Rice is made out of sliced beef sirloin served on a bowl of steamed rice with diced cucumber, onions and tomatoes on the side. The meat tastes good and it comes in big chewable chunks, unlike the way other shawarmas are served wherein the meat is almost ground. It also comes in ample servings for just 100 pesos. You can choose from two different sauces to enhance the flavor of the dish if you want to. They also have Chicken Shawarma Rice for the same price.

The Beef Shawarma Wrap is also made from marinated beef sirloin, sliced cabbage, diced onions and tomatoes and an option to add cheese for 10 pesos. You can have it wrapped in pita bread or served on a plate, unwrapped. Also for 100 pesos, this meal comes in big servings. The meat tastes good and the vegetables are still crisp and fresh. The pita bread is thick and soft. The meat is flavorful and tender. There is also a chicken variant of this dish for the same price.

The bottomless red iced tea costs 50 pesos. The flavor is just right, not too sweet.

Mazza Shawarma not only offers good food at a reasonable price, the service is also good and the place is very relaxing. They also have tables outside to accommodate more customers.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Delivery:
Operating Hours:
Contact Number:
Branches:
- pasig
- mckinley hill
- alabang
- eton centris
- eastwood city walk 2

A Taste Of Heaven Mimkshake Hub ( Maginhawa St. UP Village, QC )

Another popular place for foodies is UP village, different restaurants are located along Maginhawa street. We decided to have a quick snack at one of these restaurants, the one called A Taste of Heaven Milkshake Hub. 

The place is not that big but it is clean. The only problem we encountered was looking at the menu, it's hard to read it from afar due to small fonts and low contrast of colors.

There are only a few tables but there wasn't many customers when we went here. Most of them just take only a few minutes to finish their milkshakes so you don't have to wait long just to be seated, in case that all the tables are occupied.

We tried one of their premium milkshakes and also one of their best sellers, the Jamocha Oreos. It wasn't too sweet as I've expected, it's like sipping melted ice cream with a subtle taste of mocha and a few crushed bits of chocolate cookies. It has whipped cream on top, but you can opt not to add it. It is drizzled with chocolate syrup on top. It's not the best out there but it's not bad for a 130 pesos milkshake.

Customers can customize their own milkshake here. You can choose from vanilla, chocolate and strawberry for 80 pesos then add whatever toppings you want from their list for 15 pesos for one, 25 pesos for two and 35 pesos for three add ons. We tried the classic vanilla and added m&ms peanuts and oreos. I do not know how much of the add ons they mix with your customized milkshake because we cannot see it while they are preparing it. The vanilla milkshake also has a subtle flavor and not too sweet. I can hardly taste or feel the m&ms peanuts, it must have dissolved or was blended with the vanilla together with the chocolate chip cookies. It would be better if the customers were also given the freedom to decide how much of the add ons do they want to be mixed with their milkshake and just pay for how much they have added depending on the weight. That way, customers can totally control how their customized milkshake would taste. But that's just a suggestion.

Their Freedom Chips is a must try. It is made from thick slices of potatoes and cooked just right, with the skin on, and sprinkled with powdered flavorings. It is also served hot and goes well with the milkshakes. You can enjoy this delicious fries for 60 pesos.

They offer good service here but not that fast. Be sure to remind them about your receipt in case you need one, we just got ours when we asked for it. Parking space may also be a problem here since it is located alongside the highway. The place is air conditioned so there's no need to worry about the dust, smoke and noise from vehicles passing in front of the shop. They also serve low fat milkshakes only, as written on their menu. So, is this truly a taste of heaven? I can say that it is almost a taste of heaven but something is still missing or needs a little bit of improvement.

RATINGS: 

Food: 4/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 3/5

Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: beverage shop

Cuisine: 

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: M - Sa: 12pm - 11pm, Su: 12pm - 9pm 

Contact Number: 0906 223 3644

Branches: 

- maginhawa st UP village, qc

- one archers place, manila

Jordan's ( Visayas Ave, QC )

Jordan's is located at 34 Visayas ave Vasra, Quezon City. It is one of the new budget friendly restaurants along Visayas Ave. The place is air conditioned so you don't have to worry about the smoke, dust and noise coming from the vehicles passing by outside. It is also spacious, though it tends to be a bit crowded during meal times.

Their Flaming Sisig is a must try. It is good for up to two persons. It is served with egg and drizzled with mayo on top. It is not too spicy which is good because the other flavors aren't overpowered. Another good thing aside from the taste is that it only costs 99 pesos.

This restaurant seems to have joined the bagnet craze. They have a combination of kangkong and bagnet which they call, Bagnet with Garlic Kangkong. The kangkong also known as swamp cabbage, river or water spinach, etc., is sauteed in garlic tgen topped with deep fried pork or the Ilocano version of lechon kawali. This dish comes in ample servings and can be shared by two to three persons. The crispy pork complements the fresh taste of the kangkong. For just 155 pesos you can enjoy the famous bagnet and it comes with a little bit of twist.

They have bottomless or unlimited iced tea for just 29 pesos. 

 

The odd thing here is that for some reason, the serving of their extra rice is more than that of the initial serving. 

They are also open for franchising, as seen on the ads on each of their tables.

Even if Jordan's is a new player in the industry, they certainly have an edge because of the great tasting food that they offer at low prices and big servings. They also have a wide selection of dishes and desserts on their menu. The service is fast which is also a plus.

RATINGS:

Food: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Price: 5/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant
Cuisine: Filipino
Delivery:
Operating Hours:
Contact Number: (02) 455 2208
Branches: Visayas Ave, QC

Stoops Bagnet Ilocos ( Visayas Ave, QC )

Visayas Avenue in Quezon City is really filled with lots of good restaurants that are budget friendly. Stoops just recently opened a branch at AL3 bldg 53-1A Visayas Ave. Vasra, QC and they are one of the many restaurants here in Metro Manila that serves the sought after bagnet of Ilocos.

Bagnet is perfectly partnered with rice at any time of the day, so even if it's dinner time we decided to have some. Customers can choose between two variants of the Bagnet Meal, the regular and the spicy. The regular version costs 105 pesos and an additional 5 pesos for the spicy version. Both comes with a side dish of your choice. Choices are, KBL ( Kamatis, Bagoong and Lasuna ), KKB ( Kamatis, talbos ng Kamote and Bagoong ) and TBA ( Talong and Bagoong Alamang ). We opted to have the KKB side dish for this one. You can also choose between plain and garlic rice, and order for an additional egg. We have tasted almost all of the bagnets that are being served here in Manila, but not one of those tasted like the authentic bagnet from Ilocos aside from this one, which was also noticed by my girlfriend who is an Ilocana. The crispyness and the flavor of the pork that we have tasted in Ilocos is there. The serving is good for one person only but an extra rice is always welcome. I must say that this is a must try.

This seems to be the only restaurant that serves Chicken Bagnet as far as I know, and the first time that we are about to taste one. The Quarter Chicken Bagnet also has two variants, the regular which costs 125 pesos and the spicy version for an additional 5 pesos. You can also choose between plain and garlic rice and an option for additional egg. It is also served with one of the three side dishes of your choice. The chicken bagnet is very crispy on the outside but not too dry on the inside. It is basically just a deep fried chicken sans the breadings. The good thing here is it is not oily as what you would expect. It tastes like it was just flavored with salt and pepper which is good. The serving is good for one person, but with the size and taste of the quarter chicken, a cup of extra rice is a must.

For dessert, they have ice cream in cups for just 25 pesos. They have a wide variety of flavors to choose from. We tried the Coffee Mocha Fudge. It's not too sweet and you can taste the flavor that was written on the label unlike other ice creams with unpopular brands

For beverages, customers only have two options, iced tea for 25 pesos or soda in can for 35 pesos.

They have bagoong and sukang Ilocos if you want additional flavors on your food. The bagoong Ilocos mixed with a little bit of vinegar or calamansi makes a great dip for bagnet.

Stoops serves a wide variety of Ilocano dishes from bagnet to empanada and longganisa, the only thing missing is the famous miki from Ilocos. The place is not that big but it is still enough to accommodate a few groups of people for lunch or dinner. The place is clean and comfortable. Service is good and fast. Parking space is also available outside. These factors combined with quality good food and budget friendly prices will make Stoops stay in business for quite a while and a worthy competition for other restaurants which serves the same delicacy.

 RATINGS: 

Food: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Ambiance: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Price: 4/5

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Type: casual dining restaurant

Cuisine: Filipino, Ilocano

Delivery: 

Operating Hours: 

Contact Number: 

Branches: 

- the zone, makati

- visayas ave., qc