Shawarma on a mission

THE food scene in Cebu is on a roll. From malls around the city bringing in more and more homegrown brands to pop-up events promoting start-up culinary concepts, this town has gotten even more tasty since the years of fruit yogurts, cheap pizzas and street dumplings.

Then, there are also the secret gems like Eastern Hub, places that reward only those who seek them out, places deserving of a spot in people’s food trip itineraries.

Surrounded by a crowded nightly Filipino barbecue joint—which also serves anything and everything from instant noodles to a bowl of spicy fish stew—Eastern Hub is a proud place and rightly so, as it stands in the middle of a market, which, after all this time, has never really gotten its hands on a real and authentic Arabic shawarma.

What?

“We wanted to share what a real shawarma is all about,” said proprietor Jeramy Alnjm. “The ones here are filled with cabbage; this is not supposed to be the case,” she said.

According to Jeramy, a shawarma in the Middle East is basically composed off the wrap (that’s not sweet), the meat, specific sauces that goes with the kind of meat selected, some potato fries, parsley and pickles. Here in the Philippines, shawarmas have taken a turn for the local palate: Mostly sweet, and filled with chopped cabbage, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.

With it’s dedication to authentic Middle Eastern flavors, Eastern Hub is frequented by customers from the Middle East as well. Food aficionados have already found their way to this place as well. But despite its stand for not compromising its recipes for the local market, the place is fun, full of life; sometimes, an acoustic band comes in to play a few tunes—it’s taken on a Filipino home.

Of course, the place is not just about shawarmas, other food items include kebabs, salads, fried chicken, hummus, samosas and pizzas. Looking for a rice meal? Shawarma rice also finds its way here but prepared with Middle Eastern flair.

The restaurant is far from snobbish. It is a food place set up with great intentions, hoping to provide Cebuanos a taste of the other side of the world at a fraction of a cos, sans a round-trip plane ticket to the UAE.

Eastern Hub is located along V. Rama St., Guadalupe, Cebu City, right across the road which leads to Guadalajara and is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

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