MENU Archive 1 July 2007

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Binge there, done that
By Margaux Salcedo
Inquirer
Last updated 04:19am (Mla time) 07/01/2007

MANILA, Philippines – It's 4 a.m., party's over. Or you've just about had your fill of World of Warcraft for the night. Or youÆve just achieved a record 342 pages of Remedial Law. You're just about ready to go home, but not quite. One last stop: You want to eat. Where to go? Here are a few places that have never failed to satisfy my craving for an early morning binge:

Ziggurat (Indian, African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern Cuisine)
The menu says they serve “cuisines of the lands where various Islamic Empires stretched around the early 12th to 14th centuries.” True enough, the menu boasts of Middle Eastern kebabs, Indian and Pakistan curries, plus Northern African and Ethiopian specialties.

The list is quite impressive, actually. For the kufteh (which literally means “pounded” in Persian and refers to any type of ground meat that has been formed into a meatball), Ziggurat not only has beef, lamb and chicken but also duck. For the tikka (cutlets or, according to the menu, “sliced pieces”), not only does the place serve chicken, beef and lamb, but they have tuna and shrimp tikka as well. Aside from your regular chicken or beef curry, there are fruit curries, the choices being coconut curry, which we are familiar with, as well as pineapple, banana, papaya and watermelon curry!

The ambience is very relaxed. You may opt to stay outdoors and hookah your way to the sunrise or stay indoors, which is open only until 1 a.m., and sit on any of the many pillows on the floor. For the road, you may have the TÆElla Ethiopian Honey Beer, which is a sweet albeit dark brew. Dont be fooled by this Cleopatra of a drink: its strength is masked by its sweetness.

Filling Station (American)
The Filling Station serves American food. If you are craving a breakfast menu, they have flapjacks. The flapjacks are actually not as impressive in terms of taste as they are in terms of size, but I usually order the blueberry flapjacks anyway with a chocolate shake, which I believe is nothing fancier than blended ice cream for this station. They also offer a mean Eggs Benedict. For after-gimmick bingeing, there is the Filling Station Burger which is a huge all-American burger, or the Bel-Air Chicken Schnitzel, which, as described on the menu, is “fried boneless breaded chicken breast topped with fried eggs and served with fries.” Speaking of fries, my best friend's favorite is their Chili Fries, a great starter to have when you're winding down with a big bunch of friends.

Ishin (Japanese)

Another favorite after-gimmick place is Ishin. There is nothing like slurping down some Udon to bring down the buzz. Ishin is a straight up and simple Japanese restaurant on Pasay Road (across Park Square, nearer the Edsa side). They have all the Japanese food a Filipino would look for: sushi and sashimi, udon and ramen, gyudon, teriyaki ... you name it, it's on the menu. The servings are good for two and the servers are attentive. For those who get too tired after that concert, there are low tables where you can gather with your friends and sit Japanese-style on the floor. Best of all, they accept Visa and Mastercard if you need to resort to plastic after a night of spending.

Santush (Persian)
This is a tiny new Persian fusion restaurant on Meralco Avenue.

Just like a comfort food restaurant, Santush offers what the reasonable consumer is after: a not-so-common and hearty meal at a reasonable price. Their Beef Kebab Rice is hefty and the Kibda with Eggplant Chutney, which is deep fried liver on a bed of eggplant chutney, is what I would call creative comfort food. Borek, in its true form a flaky filled pastry, was tweaked by Chef Migo Razon to cater to the Filipino gimikero by making it their alternative to nachos. And they offer a Shawarma Pizza which initially is a curious piece of pie, but after a bite turns out to be just right to fill the stomach after your six Mojitos for the night.

Other favorites:
My other favorites include Old Swiss Inn on Makati Avenue near Manila Peninsula. Nothing like a chocolate fondue to cap the night. For the boys thereÆs always Rufo's, which still has amazing tapsilog, and Quik Stomach. For people from the north side of Makati, there is Mister Kebab, which is always, always packed. And for the '80s babies, here's a toast to that old favorite after-gimmick pitstop: Whistlestop. There are the hotel lobbies, of course, and you can have ice cream at the Pen anytime, but nothing beats good comfort food in the early morning to end the night.

Ziggurat. G/F Sunette Tower Bldg, Tigris cor Euphrates Sts., Makati City. Tel. no. 897-5179. (Tigris and Euphrates are private avenues of the restaurant. Z is located behind North Park's Next Door, which is on Makati Avenue)

The Filling Station. Burgos Avenue, Makati City.

Santush. 88 Meralco Ave. cor. Julia Vargas St. Ortigas Center, Pasig. Open 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. but may extend the hours to accommodate the insomniacs.