August 9, 2015

Shawarma Bros. at BGC Stopover: A Different Shawarma Experience

Shawarma Bros started as a food truck business, I've seen them in Rockwell and Capitol Commons before. H2004 Ventures Inc. was formed in 2012 by five Ateneo friends who wanted to undertake a food business together. Four of the five co-owners (Abraham Castro, Gabriel Sobrepena, Joey Reyes and Rammy de Claro) were classmates since Ateneo High School while Paolo Layug was an adopted member of the group when they met in college.

 


Early in the planning stage, they initially wanted to franchise a buffalo wings place. However, circumstances steered them in the direction of creating their own brand with a distinctively unique selling proposition instead – cooking and selling from a Food Truck. 3 years later they have their very own concept restaurants one in BGC and one in Pasig City.


I got invited to Shawarma Bros bloggers’ event by Aldous of www.aldousatetheworld.com, who organized this food tasting affair, and since I'm a Persian/Mediterranean food lover, I can’t and have no reason to say no. Knowing there's already too many Persian/Mediterranean restos around the metro, I was curious of what this shawarma place has to offer. 


We visited their branch at the newly-built BGC Stopover, which I am very familiar with because I used to study just a street away from it. The BGC Stopover I've come to know back them is very much different now, but it's still very conveniently located near all the offices and other establishments. I can't remember any Persian/Mediterranean resto in this part of BGC until Shawarma Bros came, and that's a very good thing!




Shawarma isn't new to the Pinoy palate at all, and like most Western food, there's a way Pinoy makes it more enticing to the Filipino palate by making it taste more Filipino. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's not. Well it depends if you are looking for authentic-tasting ones and you are up for the real thing. I'm kinda on the middle ground when it comes to that, I tried authentic Persian/Mediterranean and Indian food once and they were too strong for my liking. I don't like it either when kebabs taste more like longganisa (Filipino sausage) than kebab. Shawarma Bros wasn’t too much of making their food taste super authentic bu more on giving its customers a different experience.

 
one of the co-owners, Abe Castro
 


Shawarma Bros offers a variety of shawarma wraps and rice meals made with chicken, beef, and lamb. Their bestsellers are Pita Strips and Keema, Lamb Steak Rice Plate, Beef Shawarma Rice Plate, Chicken Burrito Bro Wrap, Beef Shawarma Wrap and Beef Burrito Bro Wrap. Their menu and recipe was formulated by an experienced and very skilled chef from no other than the Center for Culinary Arts.

 


The interiors of the resto follows the color combo of Shawarma Bros's logo and food truck design which is black, yellow and white. It follows the current industrial trend/hipster-looking food places which is pretty cozy for me.



Before anything else, let me orient you first on how to order your meal from Shawarma Bros:
So without further ado, here's what we tried during the food tasting event at Shawarma Bros BGC Stopover:
Lamb Shawarma and Keema Rice Plate – “The Bros’ Special”



The lamb was so tender and easy to chew; even if it already got cold the meat and the fat didn't get rancid. The Biryani rice was savory and you can taste the spices. The keema was also good, it was not unlike the ones I'm used to because it wasn't greasy. The meal without the keema was already a handful, I was full to the brim after eating the entire meal and didn't eat until the next day (seriously!)


Lamb Steak Shawarma Wrap 



If you're on the look out of your weight and health conscious, the wraps are your go-to meals at Shawarma Bros. The lamb was as good as the rice meal and tasted the same; but this is minus the Biryani rice and pita bread is the replacement for the rice. I tried the pita bread and it was just the right texture and had the flakiness that met my palate. The wraps for me would best go with the cheese sauce.

Beef Shawarma and Keema Rice Plate 


This was ordered by one of the bloggers who was with us this is just like the Lamb Shawarma and Keema Rice Plate. The beef was tender and tasty too! Just as I like it!
The sauces: Chilli Tomato, Cheese and Garlic Yogurt


Hands down to the garlic yogurt! Shawarma Bros actually culture their own yogurt cool huh? The chilli tomato for me tasted similar to the other salsa dips I've tried before. The cheese sauce on the other hand wasn't a good pairing with the rice meals but was perfect for the wraps. 




If you're health conscious, they have chicken versions of all the meals. Prices of the meals from Shawarma Bros can be steep for some. But hey, they use quality meats, spices and Biryani rice (yes not just ordinary rice mixed with yellow food coloring), so I think it justifies the price range. I am not sure if you can also order the same sauces for your meals and not a mixture of what is available. (sorry I forgot to ask…) How Shawarma Bros concocted their food entries was a perfect match to my liking, not so Pinoy and not so authentic. All in all, I agree with their tagline (which is highly influenced with my love for Mediterranean food), it was truly “A Different Shawarma Experience.

 
SHAWARMA BROS
Bonifacio Stopover Branch:
2nd Floor, Bonifacio Stopover, 31st Street corner Rizal Drive,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Operating hours: Mondays to Saturdays - 11:00 am to 1:00 am Sundays – 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Inquiries/Order for pick-up: (0977) 325-7032.
Pasig Branch:
C. Raymundo, Pasig #276 C. Raymundo Avenue,
Maybunga, Pasig City
Operating hours: Open daily - 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Inquiries/Order for pick-up: (02) 631-6556
Food Truck:
Scheduled on a weekly basis.
Schedule is posted on our Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Available for events and private bookings. 
Book through: (02) 631-6556
Website: http://shawarmabros.com/
Email: inquiry@shawarmabros.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ShawarmaBros
Twitter: twitter.com/ShawarmaBros
Instagram: instagram.com/shawarmabros/


For more information and restaurant reviews, check out their Zomato profile:
Shawarma Bros Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
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