THERE has recently been a trend where old homes in some subdivisions are being converted into restaurants.
Just along the Ma-a Road, a small home at DBP Village has been converted into a restaurant offering Muslim-friendly and a variety of Asian dishes.
Owned by Jamela Abu amd Bai Nishrin Tilendo, Aliments Makkhan seeks to introduce diners to the rich cultures of Mindanao and different Asian countries through food.
"We represent the Mindanawons. Not just the moro but also the other tribes, we represent them through our food," Abu said.
She said the food they are offering are not only Mindanawon dishes but also other Asian cusine like Malaysian, Indonesia, Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, and also Arabic.
Abu pointed out that Mindanawon cuisine has its roots from Malaysia and Indonesia.
"We use similar ingredients and spices," she said.
Abu said with the restaurant, they hope to serve more people who are looking for Muslim-friendly dishes.
She also said they also want to promote peace through the restaurant as a place where people of different backgrounds can enjoy food.
Meanwhile, Tilendo said the name of the restaurant literally means "to eat, to eat." "aliments" is a French word that means to nourish or to eat while "makkhan" is an Asian universal term that is related to food.
Abu said "makkhan" in Maguindanaon means something that can be eaten while in Malaysian or Indonesia it means food and in Indian it is butter.
Aliments Makkhan is located at DBP Village along Ma-a Road. It is open from Monday to Saturday at 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.