Kabalen Restaurant

Grab a gang of fellow foodies and head to Karama for some home-style Filipino food and a warm and friendly atmosphere. Beats the big chains hands down Discuss this article

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From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2009

This is Time Out’s favourite Filipino restaurant. Generally, the country’s cuisine has been given a bum rap. We blame Jollibee’s and Chow King, and the myriad other fast-food chains typically associated with the cuisine. But, the Kabalen Restaurant tempts diners to give it a shot with its homely interior – lovingly decorated with clean, bright yellow walls and fruity tablecloths.

Once you start on the dishes, brought out at the same time, regardless of its billing as a starter or mains, you will be glad you gave it a chance. Even the quality of a simple beverage of buko pandan juice makes it clear there is someone in the kitchen that cares deeply about food and fresh produce.

The adobong manok, which the waitress describes as a tamarind chicken soup, has an old-school feel, as if it is a recipe that had been passed down through generations. But far from dowdy, it’s bursting with vitality. Everything, no matter how disarmingly simple hides a similar, unexpected vibrancy. Dish after dish comes colourful, flavoursome and cooked with real care and skill.

If you steer clear of Filipino food due to past bad experiences, Kabalen Restaurant will make you do a 180 in one meal. Don’t believe us? Try it for yourself.

• Previous reviews
  • 13 September,2008- reviewed by Daisy Carrington

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.