Kakain Na!

So proud of this one.

We believe Al-Shams is one of the South's finest Indian restaurants. HANDS DOWN. We're lucky to have dined there twice already. Looking forward in eating there again. We're afraid it might close some time soon because every time we pass by Al-Sham's its always idle or they don't have customers at all. Such is the curse of a good restaurant with a bad location. Don't die on us Al-Shams! These fools that don't know great Indian food even when it smacks them in the head don't know shit about your awesome food!

We testify with all our heart that the food here is just overwhelmingly superb and fucking glorious. Its just that its price isn't budget friendly. One pricy meal can't serve 2 people, and for huge Indian food lovers like us one set of their meal is always NEVER enough.

Ambience is OK, kinda stiff and flat for the interior but its still classy and simple. No pretensions at all. The first time we dined there, the restaurant was already closed. Dropped by around 2:00 AM. Just our luck, this awesome guy was there to accommodate us:

Photos are from Al-Shams BF Homes Facebook Page

Meet Adil Khan, owner of Al-Shams

That guy is the shit. THE. SHIT.

Adil and a bunch of his friends were still outside his restaurant celebrating an article written about Al-Shams at the The Philippine Star. It was January of this year. He was so happy to have us there as late drunk customers, he offered us one of the restaurant's specialty from the grill even if the kitchen was already closed:

Chicken Tikka (225PhP)
We ordered two plates of this plus a platter of buttered basmati rice. It was heaven! The boneless chicken parts were perfectly grilled and flawlessly marinated in a lot of amazing spices and homemade yogurt. Best chicken tikka. Ever. Btw, this is kinda reasonable for it's price.

Chicken Tikka

We had an awesome conversation with Adil as we waited for our food to be served. He told us stories about his journey and love for food, as well as cooking it. We also found out how close in his heart the food he cooks. Apparently, his dad was the personal chef of King Khalid of Saudi Arabia. And here's some first hand information: his dad is the one who trained the chefs in Hussein's. With that kind of history resting on his shoulders, it is no wonder why the food here is just so goddamn exceptional

So when we came back, we tried this wonderful dish suggested by Adil himself:

Rogan Josh (350PhP)

This meal was really good and we had a lot of fun eating it. It was so damn spicy and hot and flavorful, all at the same time. The lamb was perfectly cooked, it melts in your mouth together with the spices and yogurt. Ordered this dish with Naan Bread (65PhP) instead of rice.

Rogan Josh

All in all, we would love to dine again in this humble yet rich provider of kick-ass Indian food. Just don't close your doors anytime soon, Adil Khan.

Here's their menu:

Click the photos to enlarge.

* Al-Shams Pakistani, Indian & Middle Eastern Restaurant

66-A Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes Parañaque City

(02) 553-3587/216-3891

Overall Rating:

Ambience ★★★☆☆ | Food ★★★★★ | Service ★★★★★ | Price ★★☆☆☆

One of our favorite restaurants in BF Homes Parañaque. Never fails to provide us with excellent service and generous serving of dope food. Also, prices in the menu are affordable as shit, you can't beat these kinds of savings. Ambience was good, love the red walls and the mexican-s lash-cuban thing they got going on, the smoking area where we usually seat (even though you tend to get bitten by a fuck ton of mosquitos), even the restrooms are clean.

We're particularly impressed with the way they serve us the house water. Each glass comes from a pitcher of iced cold water with slices of lemon. Its a very refreshing drink, even if yes it is just water. They also have these empty Jose Cuervo bottles with a speed pourer, filled to the brim with hot sauce. Plus hip points for the resourcefulness Alma De Cuba!

The cook knows exactly how to prepare the food, with the menu also being well planned out. I bet they execute the proper cooking method for every dish they serve; as every self-respecting restaurant should in the first place. Although, there was this one time when they served us a dry and overcooked chicken, but besides that, four out of the five times we were there was fucking great.

Menu (c/o: Alam De Cuba's Facebook Page )

Click the photos to enlarge.

Here are some of our favorite dishes:

Nacho Grande (185 PhP)
It was OK. Not the best Nachos we have tried (the #1 forever in our hearts are the nachos from Dematisse Bar at Leon Guinto, Manila, with Agave Mexican Cantina coming in close second and Jollibee's phased-out menu of their own version of cheesy nachos with salsa and fries, Jolly Cheezy Fries - sue us. We have yet to try Neighborhood's Cafe in BF Homes Pque's nachos, which already 2 our friends suggested.

ANYWAY.

Not to take away anything from Alma De Cuba's Nacho Grande, its still damn good. It comes with their own pico de gallo, beef, cheese and creme fresh - and a price that can't be beat. The presentation was too flat though. And when we hear the word "GRAND," we think mountain high chips having a cheese and toppings eruption. But cest'la vie, such is life.

Also noticed they serve creme fresh (Crema Fresca) instead of sour cream, which is a pretty nifty idea.

Queso Fundido (185PhP)
We're not sure if the english term is Cheese Fondue (?) all we know is, when we hear the words queso fundido, it MUST come with hot, melting cheese. The other version (Maya Mexican Restaurant & Agave Mexican Cantina) we had before has spinach, artichoke hearts and two to three types of cheeses (usually monterey jack and sharp cheddar cheese), mostly served with crispy fried flour tortilla triangles.

Alma de Cuba's version however comes with ground beef, beans, melted cheese topped with cilantro, jalapeños and creme fresh and is served with nachos. It's an awesome substitute for Nacho Grande with the same price, so we mostly order this one. Here is a photo c/o lefanglekwatsa.blogspot.com :

Queso Fundido

Soft Carne Asada Tacos (195PhP)

Impressed by the way they serve it with potato wedges on the side. It also comes with salsa and creme fresh. Disappointed on how they lack the cilantro-lime combination that we usually taste coming from a good pico de gallo. Overall, you still can't complain on how it is presented , also you'll definitely be stuffed on your way out. There's no chance you won't finish this meal. Its really good. Also, you can choose one soft and hard taco. Another photo of the food c/o lefanglekwatsa.blogspot.com :

Soft Tacos

Grilled Chicken Latino (155PhP - Solo)

Two servings of grilled chicken breast marinated in I-have-no-idea. Served with mexican red rice or mashed potatoes, cob of corn or a lovely mix of our favorite vegetables (brocolli, peas and carrots with dry herbs) in butter. Also comes with salsa and chicken au jus as gravy. Its so good we'll be doing fucking backflips if we were not so full already.

Baked Cuban Herb Chicken (165PhP - Solo)

Same shit with the grilled chicken latino, just that chicken was cooked and marinated in a different way. Still awesome.

Some of the to-die-for dishes recommended by friends we haven't tried yet: Honey Bacardi Baby Back Ribs (585PhP good for 3-4 skinny bitches), Latino Chicken Fajitas (235PhP) and Latino Chicken Salad (245PhP).

Don't forget to order a picther of their classic Mojitos. Remember, our cardinal rule: alcohol and good food always come together.

* Alma De Cuba Latin Grill & Cantina is currently closed and is due to be relocated. It's been almost 5 months and still no sign of it at Le Souk. We fucking miss you! Pleas come back already!

Can't remember this last meal, we were hungover as fuck:

WE WANT YOU SO BAD.

Overall Rating:

Ambience ★★★★☆ | Food ★★★★☆ | Service ★★★★☆ | Price ★★★★☆