Manzil Al Taam

Having teammates from India is something I am very thankful because I treat them not just colleagues but friends as well. And with my conversations with Naveen and Deepak during work breaks (greetings to my teammates Naveen, Deepak, Ankitha, Ankit, Noel, and Jeetesh all the way in India!), mostly if it's not about COVID, it's about food! Imagine how hard it is for me every time they discuss about their biryanis and chapatis in the middle of the night when I have no idea how to make it but definitely would like to try it! Luckily, we have a place at the city's suburbs which is known for its Indian and Middle Eastern offerings!

Chapati and Hummus

The first time I tried Manzil Al Taam, it was through my dear cousin Ate Carmeline sometime last year, who ordered a wide array of dishes including different kinds of bread that I really love! Ate Carmeline is the kind of sister who always shares to us, to me, all the yummy things that she know. Thank you Ate Meh for always, love you!

One of my best friends, Lea, celebrated a party yesterday in remembrance of their grandmother's birthday. Being based in Kuwait for years, she wanted some samosas served on their table. I saw it on pictures and I thought, okay, the wait is over! So I messaged her and she encouraged me to order via delivery (since Manzil Al Taam only does delivery on this lockdown). 

The person was nice to talk to via Facebook and the process was a breeze, understandably was the queue due to the volume of their customers, I had to wait for a good 1-2 hours but I readily called earlier before our Merienda (3 pm meal in between lunch and supper). I ordered quite a few goodies for me and the family and a few more flatbreads that I'll throw on the fridge and toast up on the coming work nights. I bought a couple of chapatis and a couple of parathas.

Vegetable Samosas

These were the ones on Lea's lunch table that made me wanna order. These are deep fried vegetarian samosas that has peas, lentils, and diced carrots inside. It comes with a tamarind sauce which gives a tangy contrast to its savory filling. I have to say though, the tamarind sauce is completely optional since I tried my first pyramid without it and it's already good as it is! But of course, I also had to try it with what it's supposed to be paired with and I did not regret it!

My Dad's favorite Shawarma

This one is not Indian but Turkish, the Shawarma. Toasted Pita bread filled up with slices of beer, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, and lavishly blanketed with a creamy yogurt based sauce. Almost everyone in the Philippines is a lover of Shawarma but I would say this one is quite authentic (okay I haven't been to Turkey or the Middle East but I know for a fact that the recipe of the ones sold here at malls and stalls are engineered to jive with Filipino taste, one that is rather on the sweet and savory side rather than with all its exotic and awakening spices! 

This one is definitely the later, it was good and filling because for its price of 85 pesos, it's double the size of the ones sold by Turk's, a famous Shawarma chain here that sells theirs at 60 pesos.

Flaky Paratha and Masala Sauce

Okay, so the one on the first photo, the chapathi, is completely different from the paratha, though they look somewhat similar at first look. The chapathi is a soft and unleavened flatbread which is also called roti in other instances. Manzil Al Taam sells their masala sauce as a bundle with their Chapati (120 pesos) so do not be misled by my photo above that I paired it with paratha. 

Paratha on the other hand is a layered version of the chapathi, though the layers are not really thick, rather truly thin and made that several of it sticks together per piece. Oh I love both of them but the paratha has this buttery taste that I really like so I love pairing it with Masala for a hearty balance of light and dark. the chapathi above, I will be pairing it with Hummus so that its simplicity can match the hummus. But that's just me okay, you can mix and match and they would all be yummy!

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If you are in General Trias area and you are craving for some Indian and Middle Eastern food, Manzil Al Taam is just a DM away from your Facebook Messenger! They only serve through deliveries on this quarantine period so better send them a message to enjoy these goodies! This is not a sponsored post whatsoever, just wanted to share how I enjoyed their food, I hope if they will read this, they'll be glad. Linking up their Facebook page and contact details below. They deliver via Lalamove on your expense so even if you are a little far from General Trias, they can cater your cravings!

Manzil Al Taam

Lancaster New City,

General Trias, Cavite

facebook.com/manzilaltaamcavite/

+63 46 458 9277