Moshi moshi everyone! I'm back from some short trips (Singapore and my very first Just Jonesing Tokyo Tour! More on these on the blog later..) and so far it's been pretty action packed.
So there's this Pakistani joint (pardon the stupid joke up there) located in a space I knew and loved as a Syrian restaurant if I'm not mistaken. It was called Manaish and it was delicious.
I ate there several times and even back then the crickets could be heard chirping - it was so empty.
On the day of my visit, the new incarnation was pretty quiet too - the inventively named Kabob And Curry - and that's promarily why I want to write and share this post. It's some of the most delicious stuff I've eaten in awhile!
Me and my host Rafa started with some of this really good organic okra in a spicy tomato based sauce called Bhindi Masala which we ate with hot naan bread (a must as well!). The okra was cooked perfectly - the okra police can breathe easy as there was no slime - and was sufficiently spicy and seasoned just right.
Daal Chana, or lentils in ginger and garlic and cumin was a revelation -- the lentils didn't break down into mush. You could see every bit of it and it had a little bite then dissolved into creamy deliciousness. To me it was amazing!
To satisfy our manly meat eating cravings, Rafa ordered some juicy grilled Chicken Tikka and a whole rack of marinated and grilled mutton ribs, good for 4, because we were 2. Does that make sense? Well, it rocked, and he did have some to take back to his cave and feed his wife.
And to complete our meal, we had rice. Because of course we should - we're Pinoy, dammit.
Mutton Pulao, a mild biryani type dish, was moist and so flavorful, I'd come back just for this. A lot of these rice dishes I've tried locally are tasty but they often dry out. This one gets it right.
The crickets are chirping...eat here now!
The food is well priced and in big portions, and it's cooked by a Pakistani chef. It's goooood, and there are so many other things I would like to try. But as I said, there was no one there that lunch time. On Sundays they have a 500 something peso buffet -- and it's normally filled with home sick Pakistani nationals. I'd go for ala carte during weekdays and try all this glorious stuff, and give some din to this restaurant to keep the chirping crickets at bay!
KABAB & CURRY - 20 Jupiter St