AS architecture students, we would have regular design projects—or design “plates,” as we call them in school. Maybe we were not given enough time, or maybe we simply liked to cram, but back in design school we would often find ourselves sacrificing the commodity of sleep just to meet our deadlines. I really think that one of the essential “skills” a student must have in order to successfully go through a course like architecture (just like medicine or law) is to be able to stay up until the wee hours of the morning because of the sheer load  faced by the student. Of course, there’s the not-so-secret weapon called caffeine to help us keep our eyes wide open while trying to remember which line we last drew. Another strategy that we had was to boost our spirits with delicious and affordable food that we would only find in hole-in-the-wall places.

One such place was Mister Kabab, a Persian restaurant that we all looked forward to every time we had all-nighters. The restaurant was nothing fancy; in fact, it was right beside a sing-along carinderia, but people would wait in long lines just to be able to get a quick Persian fix. My favorite dish was the keema (ground beef) with eggplant that was usually served with tomatoes and onions. I would roll it in pita bread (four to five orders were not unusual for me), drown it in their customized garlic sauce, and then toss it in my mouth for the ultimate mouthwatering pleasure. Just a tip, though, if you decide to go on a budget date in Mister Kabab and plan on using their garlic sauce: make sure you sneak in the toilet to brush your teeth, or at least pop a strong breath mint because if you don’t, expect that your date would rather take public transport going home than have an up-close-and-personal post-kebab conversation with you.

We would also order the ox brain everytime we ate there because it had such a rare and exotic taste, although it was often unavailable. It tastes similar to the yellow part of balut, but with a tenderer and softer texture. Another famous dish is the Chelo Kabab, which is a mixture of chicken, beef and lamb meat on skewers that is served with buttered rice, onion and tomatoes. I never got used to buttered rice or margarine rice when I was growing up, but when I got to try this particular dish, I kind of wish I did.

I’m guessing a lot of people have discovered this restaurant since my years as an architecture student because Mister Kabab recently opened in a new location along West Avenue, Quezon City, with a much bigger space and much more parking capacity compared with the original. The new interiors are a bit of a step up from the old look with an eclectic mix of clay tiles, brick accents and arched beams. The good thing is that the upgrade isn’t too radical a departure from the original look, which makes old regulars like me still feel at home.  

§          You may e-mail the author at design@buensalidoarchitects.com and visit his web site at www.buensalidoarchitects.com.

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Urban Monologues: An Authentic Persian Experience

AS architecture students, we would have regular design projects—or design “plates,” as we call them in school. Maybe we were not given enough time, or maybe we simply liked to cram, but back in design school we would often find ourselves sacrificing the commodity of sleep just to meet our deadlines.