Following the much-hyped opening of Venice Grand Canal to the public, many likewise anticipate the opening of more restaurants at the Italian-themed mall. That includes me and my friends, who wanted to get more decent food other than pantry meals and fastfood. And since I’m a lover of anything Persian, I tagged them along to Shawarma Bros – a new addition to the string of food concepts in Venice Grand Canal Mall, McKinley Hill.
Shawarma Bros became popular as a food truck in night markets and food bazaars. But now, shawarma fanatics may enjoy their favorite meat grub comfortably as it has now transitioned into a full-fledged restaurant with branches in BGC Stopover and now, McKinley Hill.
It recently opened this July 2016. Located at the second floor overlooking the Grand Canal, Shawarma Bros is quite hard to find with its isolated spot. However, as the place beams in bright yellow and a flashy signage, you would recognize it immediately. The restaurant sports a pay-as-you-order and self-service dining style.
Their menu basically consists of rice meals and wraps in variants of beef and chicken shawarma, lamb and keema. They have three selections of sauces: cheese, garlic yoghurt and chili tomato. You can ask for an extra serving of sauce without additional charge. The chili tomato is just mild, so spice level is kept to a minimum.
We ordered Beef Shawarma Rice and Chicken Shawarma Rice. The rice meals are accompanied with vegetable sidings (tomato, cucumber and onion). According to my friends, the beef is seasoned well and tender, but some parts are chewy. The portion size of the meat is good, but the rice serving is too small.
The Chicken Shawarma rice was likewise tasty and well-marinated. To enjoy it more, spread the sauces evenly with the vegetables and meat. The delicious meat made me crave for more rice but finished it anyway to avoid carbs overload.
Corporate junkies like me now have more options for enjoying their lunch breaks, and quit the conventional fast food by exploring this side of Grand Canal Mall. Shawarma Bros reinvented the way we look at shawarma stalls, adding class and better flavors than the usual ones. The start-up of a restaurant meant it is gradually gaining the approval of the masses with its highly-differentiated shawarma. Something to spice-up a lousy day at the office, and play with strong flavors.
Next time, we will try their shawarma wraps to fill our big appetites and wouldn’t exclaim “Bitin!” For me, Shawarma Bros is an affordable way of satisfying my random Mediterranean cravings without shelling out too much. Few things to improve on like food temperature and texture, but otherwise they are doing good. Hope to see more from the menu in the coming days, months or years! 🙂 -D
Shawarma Bros
Second Floor, Venice Grand Canal Mall, McKinley Hill
Taguig City
Check out their Facebook and Instagram for more details
Diamond in the Rough 