Assad Cafe

*reposted from my old post in the Multply dated September '07.

Namaste!

Venturing into the "Little India" of Manila opens door to a very wide array of food selections.

If you are craving for an authentic Indian food around the Metro, well you should drop this place a visit.

There is a small South Asian cafeteria named Assad which is just in front of Unilever Philippines. The joint is also just beside the Khalsa Diwan, the Sikh Temple of Manila. We ate at Assad Cafe twice already and we always come out smiling and satisfied. It is just a simple cafe, more of like a school canteen with vinyl coated tables and cushioned chairs. the ambience is good, you wouldn't think that they serve authentic south asian food. The cafe is owned by a Pakistani national who also owns the Assad Mini-Mart.

Now let's get started with the 'meat and potatoes' of this blog, the food.

The food here is so diverse and they offer a wide array of choices. They have meat dishes as well as vegetarian meal. You'll also be surprised that they have the typical filipino cafeteria food, the lumpia and the pancits (surprisingly, they also sell it by the bilao). They have 2 sets of menu, one is the Indian choices, which we took and the other is the normal cafeteria food. The Indian selection even have a separate sections for vegetarian meals.After setting our eyes at the Indian menu, we finally had our choices; Chicken Vindaloo, Beef Korma and Paneer Matar. First entree, the Chicken Vindaloo.

Vindaloo is a Goan way of cooking meat. It is originally a pork dish. It was introduced by the Portuguese merchants/settlers in Goa in the 15th century, if I am not mistaken. It is a way of cooking in heavy red wine and garlic, thus 'Vinha d'Alho' (from "vinha" wine and "alho" garlic in Portuguese). It was modified by the South Asians by seasoning it with heavy spices. Assad serves its Chicken Vindaloo in a platter, It is a 2-piece chicken meal which comes with a choice of rice of or a chapatti. The meal comes in a heavy, sauce-based viand. The spice is just right, tickling to the taste buds. We asked the waiter to zest up our vindaloo and make it spicy since we already tried the medium variant before. Believe me, you should try it out. Anyone up for a spicy chicken dish should try this out. It is quite similar with the Filipinized Chicken Curry only this is more leaning towards the Indian tastebuds rather than the pinoy's palate. This meal comes with a single piece of chapatti but it can be shared by two people since, 'sauce pa lang, ulam na!!!' ('the sauce is already a meal!).

Next is the Beef Korma. Beef Korma is a Mughlai dish which originated from the Mogul Empire's kitchen. This is usually a beef, chicken or a mutton dish since pork is forbidden for muslims. The Korma is a yoghurt-based viand flavored with spices and sometimes, nuts.Assad's version is based from yoghurt, coco milk and a blend of 'secret spices' ( the waiter didn't disclose the spice composition, too bad hehe!) Assad offers their beef korma with a choice of rice or chapatti. We chose the chapatti in lieu of the rice to make our meal more authentic. The meal looks like a meat stew, more of like a mechado in a Filipino Kitchen though it is way spicy. Assad's Beef Korma has a very distinct taste due to the presence of Star Anise, a very strong spice. The taste of the spice sets itself distinct from the other Indian meals that we have tried, like the vindaloo and the different curries. This meal comes with a single piece of chapatti but it can be shared by two people since this is also, 'sauce pa lang, ulam na!!!' ('the sauce is already a meal!).

Last is the Paneer Matar. This is one of my favorites. Paneer Matar is a vegetarian dish made from curry gravy, green peas and the Paneer. Paneer is the most common Indian form of cheese. It is an unaged, acid-set, non-melting farmer cheese that is similar to acid-set fresh mozzarella and queso blanco, except that it does not have salt added, much like hoop cheese. Its texture is like tofu since it is white, and like feta cheese among its cheese brethrens.The Assad's version is one that belongs to the Mughlai way of preparing Paneer, which is cutting it into cubes and letting it simmer in curries together with the peas and other vegetbles. Since it is a vegetarian meal,the Paneer Matar is a very healthy, protein-rich food. We had our meal extra spicy so we can get that 'kick' in the palate. The chef made our meal with the right amount of spices. I kept on telling my girlfriend that if we had chosen rice instead of the chapatti, I could have two to three cups of it to eat it with the Paneer Matar. See how tasty it is? Assad offers their Paneer Matar in generous portions. It is good for two persons but they don't come with a choice of rice or chapatti so we had to order an additional serving of Nan bread. They also serve samosas but we are so full by this time that we will just try it some other visit.

All of these three meals for just around 400 Php for two people?Not a bad bargain for a filling and uber delicious and authentic Indian food. So saddle-on to your elephant and explore the Indian subcontinent just around UN Avenue. We plan to go back here and try their chicken tandoori and the biryani meals. I would recommend that you should try this cafe out. I know Indian food requires a very adsjusting palate due to its rich and diverse spices but believe me, adventures opens door for you and sometimes gives you a very good and unique experience.

Happy chow!

Assad Cafe is located in Midtown Executive Homes, U.N. Ave., Paco, Manila. tel. no. 2-526-1349 and 2-526-5034.