MANILA: More and more Middle Eastern restaurants are popping up across Manila, influencing Filipino dining with flavors and styles that differ from local food traditions.
Everywhere you turn, there is a new spot serving comforting, smooth, creamy hummus, perfectly grilled juicy kebabs, shawarma with tender, seasoned meat wrapped in pita, and more.
“They’re everywhere and I love it,” said Jacob Lazaro, a journalist in the Philippine capital, who has developed a taste for Arab food over the past few years. And he is far from alone.
For fellow Manilenos, Trisha Santa Cruz and her husband, a trip to Meshwe — a Lebanese restaurant in the capital region’s Quezon City — has become a habit, especially after workout, when they want to eat healthy food.
“It’s complete with protein, there are carbs, and there are always vegetables. So it’s complete, very palatable to our taste,” Santa Cruz said.
The owner of Meshwe, Nathaniel Mounayer, who opened the restaurant in 2013, has in recent years noticed a growing interest in Middle Eastern food among Filipinos.
“When I was still a college student, Middle Eastern food was a very niche market ... but the Filipino palate has been growing ever since, and we’re getting more and more newcomers — not necessarily people who have visited the Middle East, just people who want to explore and try different cuisines,” he said.
Filipino customers were initially most interested in barbecued meat dishes, and the restaurant catered to them. This is also reflected in its name, which is Arabic for “grilled.” Over time, however, especially when the spot became popular with Arab students, Mounayer started cooking traditional Levantine home meals for them, which included vegetable specialties.
“Filipinos were like: ‘Hey, can we try?’ From then, it grew, and it grew, and we started adding them into our menu regularly,” he said.
“Filipinos have always been very adventurous in trying different cuisines. So, it gives us, as a restaurant, as a chef, more confidence to introduce not only the typical Middle Eastern dishes, but (also) dive into more regional, more traditional home cooking.”
More exposure to Arab cuisine has allowed Filipinos to also appreciate its nutritional value and the way the dishes are cooked.
“I like Middle Eastern food because I know it’s halal and healthy. I trust the way it was prepared. My introduction to Middle Eastern food was through the shawarma. Then I tried hummus and kebab. I also discovered mulukhiyah, or we call it saluyot, and their special desserts,” Baleno Reyes, a government worker, told Arab News.
“Now, I usually order Middle Eastern food online instead of pizzas, which used to be my go-to food when I didn’t feel like cooking. Growing up, it was always pizza for me ... as a kid I always loved pizza. But now, it’s time to go healthy.”
In their weekend evening outings, Filipinos most often opt for shawarma. Friends Weng, Rissa, Joey and Hannah, who were enjoying the dish at The Melting Potluck in Quezon City, said they were “team shawarma” and would not pass up any opportunity to have it together.
“Whenever we get together, it’s not possible without shawarma. It’s automatic,” Weng said, as the others laughed.
“It’s filling, not oily, and of course it’s delicious,” Hannah added. “Especially when there’s garlic sauce and it’s spicy.”
The Palestinian owner of The Melting Potluck, Khaldoun Asad, estimated that 99 percent of his customers were Filipinos.
When he opened the restaurant eight years ago, shawarma was the only dish he sold.
“It was a shawarma wrap with pita bread, and then we introduced rice. The Filipino people love rice. After that we put up another dish, hummus, and they loved it. And then we put up biryani and kebab, and all these dishes are our best sellers,” he said.
The flavors that he offered were the same as those he would prepare for his children at home. He believed that authenticity of flavor was what would attract Filipinos most.
“I did not make any adjustments. I stick to the originality of our food and that’s what the people love about it,” he said. “If you taste our shawarma, it’s very authentic ... and they love the authentic flavor.”
Middle Eastern restaurants are giving Filipinos a taste of something new, and they’re embracing it — along with the shared, family-style meals that perfectly align with the Filipino “salu-salo” (get-together) traditions.
Mohamed Al-Malek, a restaurant owner from Saudi Arabia who opened Arabic House in Manila two years ago, said the Arab style of dining “aligns perfectly” with Filipino culture.
“Filipinos love family-style meals, and sharing platters like what we have in our menu makes Middle Eastern cuisine a natural fit,” he told Arab News.
“Over the years, I’ve seen a growing curiosity and appreciation for international cuisines, including Middle Eastern dishes, as Filipinos become more adventurous with their dining choices. Middle Eastern cuisine has seen remarkable growth.”
Besides Filipino expats returning from Arab countries and Arabs settling in the Philippines, the driving factor for this growth has also been a “mix of curiosity about international flavors” and the “rise of health-conscious eating,” which boosts interest in dishes such as hummus, moutabal and mulukhiyah, Al-Malek said.
“Middle Eastern cuisine is carving its own niche. While Japanese and Italian are staples, Middle Eastern food offers something unique with its bold flavors and communal style. The future looks exciting.”
