Mister Kabab would always have a place in my heart...err palate. Pepe Smith and I used to frequent this place during our impoverished (!) dating years. You know naman how kulang a college student's allowance is. During our UP years, a dinner date amounting to P200 is already engrande so guys, if you want to impress your gal in a way that it won't burn your pocket, bring her to Mister Kabab.
How good is Mister Kabab back then? Good enough for us to go back despite the rugby boys who surround the area. Their old joint always have a minimum of 3 rugby boys lurking at their entrance area. I don't know what they're keeping their eyes on: my bag or my shawarma! But even if I get tachycardic every time we eat there, Mister Kebab's Persian food kept us coming back for more.
That's why when I learned that they already transferred places (still along West Ave. though), I was able to give out a big sigh of relief and immediately demanded Pepe for us to dine there. West Ave. is pretty much out of our way (coming from Marikina) that we often go to other nearby Persian establishments in Katipunan (Persepolis & King Kebab) but every after meal, we would rant how Mister Kabab's was much much better. Good thing, Pepe was such in a good mood that he agreed to drive all the way from his office in Mandaluyong to West Ave. to satisfy my kebab craving hehe.
The first thing we noticed when we reached Mister Kabab's new venue is how much bigger it was than it's original location. It was like three times it's former size! And definitely more parking spaces at the resto's front and back area, but of course it was easily filled up as diners began to pour in.
The owner seemed to notice the lack of well ventilation in it's previous site that he had numerous ceiling fans installed in the new place. Now diners won't worry about suffocation anymore! The high ceiling and multiple lamps that adorn the entire place makes diners more comfortable while eating. Oh and did I mention that there are no more rugby boys in sight?!
Fans galore at the new Mister Kabab
No rugby boys in sight!
We ordered the Shawarma Plate (PHP 60), Keema with eggplant (PHP 50), yogurt shakes and pita, of course. Pepe wanted to have the Ox Brain but it wasn't available that time. Of all the Persian eateries we've tried, the pita in Mister Kabab is definitely the yummiest. It tastes as if it's freshly made, unlike in King Kebab where you'd notice that the pita was made days ago. I don't remember exactly how much the pita is per piece, but I know it's definitely cheaper than in the other places I mentioned.
The yummiest pita so far
I was delighted when my Shawarma Plate came. Back in their old venue, the waitress will always tell me that this particular dish is unavailable. We're often left wondering why since their conventional shawarma (the wrapped one) is available and the only difference is the wrapping part. Pepe joked that probably they roll their shawarmas beforehand and serve the leftovers as Shawarma Plate.
Shawarma Plate
Anyway, what I like about this dish is it enables you to eat shawarma the way you like it. Personally, I don't like eating the wrapped shawarma, the ones you'd find in the malls. Sauce would always pour out when you take a bite and the rear part often gets saturated with sauce ending up being really soggy. At Mister Kabab, you can eat shawarma by tearing a bite size part of pita bread, put your preferred toppings (you have a plateful of onions, tomatoes, cucumber and beef) and sauce, then pop it in your mouth. I would have said that this version is completely mess-free but somehow I still end up with sauce dripping from the sides of my mouth and shawarma bits on my jeans, but hey, that's a more fun way of eating shawarma.
My bite-size shawarma
I was a little bit disappointed with the Keema with eggplant as it is dry and has less serving than before. Yet Mister Kabab's version is still much better than the keema at Persepolis Katipunan which was too oily for me.
Keema Super Dry
The yogurt shakes served us a double purpose as a drink and dessert. At PHP 30, it's really worth it, definitely better that cola. I read somewhere that yogurt shakes are served in Persian and other Middle Eastern establishments to complement the spiciness of the food served there.
Yogurt shake
Another thing that keeps Mister Kabab ahead from the rest is its garlic sauce. It's more garlicky in flavor, without the obvious garlic bits that eventually blocks the sauce's way out of the nozzle. I had an incident at King Kebab where a small slice of garlic blocked the nozzle of the sauce dispenser. I tried to squeeze it further so the sauce can get out but alas, the sauce popped out from the bottle and spattered all over my shirt. Curses!
Overall, my reunion with Mister Kabab was pretty much OK, with the keema dish as the only disappointment. I have yet to find a nearby alternative since it's still too far from where I live. I've heard about Ababu (the infamous tambayan of Parokya ni Edgar members in Teachers Village area) which transferred along Xavierville Ave., just a short walk from our condo. The reviews I've read so far looks promising.
My verdict on Mister Kabab? 4.5/5 shoeprints You'd always find yourself back to Mister Kabab!
Mister Kabab
West Avenue, Q.C. (almost across Kamay Kainan)
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