The family is constantly in search of new gastronomic adventures so for my mom's birthday I book us a reservation at Al Batra Restaurant & Coffee Shop.  I found this restaurant through Tripadvisor.  This is one of the rare halal restaurants in the Metro.  It's conveniently found at the heart of Makati too.

It has a huge green and white sign.  

But, it took as awhile upon parking to notice that the entrance is at the side as it is located on the second floor above 7-11. 


It was surprisingly very spacious and segregated into two parts: the cafe area with small table able well-cushion loft seats with a window view of Jupiter Street.   


and the dining area with big round black tables near the kitchen and the frozen fish display area.  There were foreign customers at the cafe area but we were the only group at the dining area.  Did I mention they are open 24 hours? 

The supervisor welcomed us and was quite hospitable but for the first time ever we've encountered this peculiar problem: they ran out of utensils so half of our group had to use plastic utensils (which was bought from 7-11).  The supervisor was kept apologizing about it stating that Middle Easterners only use their hands when eating.  Is this true?  So with plastic spoon and forks at hand, let's proceed to the food.  We occupied 4 big round tables.  And, there were many seating yet to be availed of so the shortage really surprised us.

Food


Cold Appetizers

Mixed Al Batra Appetizer Small (180 php)

Since our table wanted to try as much as we could of the menu selection starting with the appetizer, we ordered the Mixed Al Batra Appetizer.  It had Hummos (chickpeas and oil), Mutable (mashed eggplant oven baked with yogurt in olive oil), Tabula (mix chops vegetable salad with burgol seasoning in olive oil), Green Salad (carrots, tomatoes, cucumber,special spices olive oil)  served with 2 Al Batra Bread.  Although I usually love flat bread, the Al Batra Bread did not appeal to my liking because it was neither soft nor crunchy.  We also wanted to try the Sambusa best seller but out of stock.

Main Dishes

Meat Biryani (450 php)

We had no idea that the Meat Biryani would be goat meat with biryani spices in biryani rice.  I was the only one who appreciate this. 

Chicken Curry (390 php)

Being a curry enthusiast, I ordered the Chicken Curry.  It was good but it failed to stand out against the rest of our orders.  
 

♥ Broasted Chicken (360 php)

I'd never imagine myself ordering Broasted Chicken in a Middle Eastern before but our excited parents were so sold by our table's server that they ordered one for each table.  I'm glad they did because it was really good!  It was served with fries but we opted for rice.

Grilled

♥ Meat Kebab Small (300 php)

My cousins husband Matt who was the only man on our table was yearning for some meat so we ordered the Meat Kebab.  

♥ Meat Kebab Small (300 php)

The Meat Kebab is served covered under two thick and warm Al Batra Bread.  It was tender and succulent.  It is one of the best kebab I've ever tried!
 

♥ Lamb Chops Small (390 php)

The Lamb Chops was served skewer-style with grilled onions and bell peppers in between but without the stick. 

♥ Lamb Chops Small (390 php)

The Lamb Chops was another hit among us!  But, the experience would have been less tiring if we were not using plastic utensils to dissect the big chunks. 
 
Fresh Seafood

♥ Hammour (Lapu Lapu) (100 php/100 grams)

As soon as we arrived at Al Batra, my uncle was enthusiastic about their very affordable fresh seafood so he ordered one steamed Hammour (commonly known to us as Lapu-Lapu) for each table.   I usually encounter steamed Lapu-Lapu during our lauriat Chinese dinners but I have to admit, this tops all of those.  They use different herbs and spices which works like magic.  It was cooked with outstanding precision too.  All tables were amazed with the soft, moist yet solid consistency of our beautiful steamed Hammour.
 
Rice

Kabsa Rice (120 php)

Kabsa Rice is a tomato based rice.  It's my first time to try this but it felt as familiar as eating any tomato-based stew with rice.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
If you're looking for impressive authentic Mediterranean cuisine, definitely try Al Batra Restaurant & Coffee Shop.  We were all very satisfied with all our orders.  It is one of the best we've tried.  We'd love to come back...  Hopefully they have utensils enough for us by then and the air-conditioning is better.

I knew I've tried The Cafe Mediterranean before.  At first, I can't seem remember.  But, dining there refreshed my memory that the family ate there upon the opening of Rockwell Powerplant Mall way back in 1994.  



It was the first Mediterranean Cuisine I've encountered and during that time.  But, unforunately, I haven't grown the palette to appreciate at that age.   As I've shared before, it was in such an age when my taste buds were limited to visiting and revisiting my favorites: The Old Swiss Inn's fondue, Schwarzwälder's  "Kraeuterhend'l", Yum-Yum Tree and Pancake House. 
 

Well, I've come a long way from that.  I've become more eclectic and more adventurous and I've come to love Mediterranean cuisine among other cuisines.

After trying a lot of other Mediterranean places (click label to see the other 25 which I've tried for the past 2 years that I'm blogging), it's time to go back to where I started.

Food

Hot Sauce and Garlic Sauce

Laid on each table is their Hot Sauce and Garlic Sauce.  I implore you to use this to your hearts content as I did especially for the grills.

Appetizers & Little Plates

Sampler Plate of 3: Labneh, Hummus and Falafel with Pita Reg (275 php)

For starts, we had the Sampler Plate of 3: Labneh, Hummus and Falafel with Pita.  This is my first time to try the Labneh and Falafel.  The Labneh is like thick and smooth cream cheese with a comforting tanginess since it's yogurt-based.  I loved it!  The Falafel is a deep-fried ball filled with chickpea fillings.  The coating was a bit thicker than I expected so it was rough and surprisingly filling to eat.  It left a pretty good first impression for me.  The hummus is one of my favorite Mediterranean dishes.  Their version of the Hummus was very good.  It was the richest and creamiest I've encountered yet. 

Sampler Plate of 4: Moutabal, Falafel , Foule and Hummus with Pita Reg (275 php)

The Moutabal was really good because it has a bold smokey and sweet taste.  I think this is the best moutabal I've tried yet. 


Sandwiches (all served with fries)

Panino Vegetariano with Housemade Yogurt (210 php)

I've indulged so much on the starters so the next course is lighter.  The Panino Vegetariano with Housemade Yogurt is filled with grilled zucchini, eggplant, onions and fresh tomatoes.  The Ciabatta was prepared well so it was crispy on the outside yet soft to chew. 

Pizza

Pizza Mediterranea (385 php)

My companions requested the Pizza Mediterranea without the anchovies which is probably why it lacked the X factor for me.   It could either be because it almost has the same ingredients as the Panino Vegetariano with Housemade Yogurt which we had just before this.  On the bright side, I liked their tangy herby sauce and their crispy yet chewy dough.


Large Plates

Shish Taouk with Basmati (315 php + 30 php)

I was very impressed with their Shish Taouk!  It is definitely very far beyond the other shish taouks I've tried.  It was so tender, juicy and flavorful.  YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS!

Moussaka with Basmati (310 php + 30 php)

I've always loved the moussaka and order one whenever I see it on the menu.  Somehow this Moussaka failed to leave a positive impact for me to order it again.  But my companions continuously praised it.

 

Eggplant Parmigiana with Whole Wheat Pita  (295 php + 30 php)

The Eggplant Parmigiana was cheesy but too oily for me.  Perhaps, I would have liked this better if the sauce was more zesty to counter the oiliness.  My friends seemed to enjoy it though.


Kebabs

Grilled Beef with Basmati (395 php + 40 php)

The Grilled Beef is served with Labneh and Tabbouleh.  I loved the Grilled Beef for its superb savoriness and tenderness.  It was pillow-soft and goes well without sauce or with any sauce.  This is definitely one of the best kebabs in Manila!  The Tabbouleh however, lacked the slight crunchy texture and minty essence from the parsley that I'm yearning for.


Desserts

Panna Cotta (100 php), Tartufo Al Cioccolato (100 php) and Tiramisu (175 php)

The Panna Cotta has a smooth, creamy and gelatinous texture.  It goes so well with the orange sauce.  The Tartufo Al Cioccolato is a very rich with mini chocolate bits to boot.  Yet, it's the kind of richness that you'll want more of.  The Tiramisu is more mascarpone than the coffee and liqueur component so alone it was lacking for me.  But, I've discovered that eating the Tartufo Al Cioccolato together with the Tiramisu delivers a surprisingly magical sensation.

Drinks

Mango Lassi (135 php)

The Mango Lassi is very refreshingly sweet with only mild sourness.  Compared to the other lassi I've tried, I think this is suitable for those who want to be initially acquainted with this drink as the tartiness won't overwhelm them.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The Cafe Mediterranean is definitely worth visiting and revisiting over and over especially for their kebabs!  I'm not even a fan of kebabs but they just made me an avid fan of it.