Finding Filipino food in the UAE is common nowadays, but finding exquisite tasting yet affordable Filipino food, now that’s a place worth checking out!
Amazona’s Ihaw-Ihaw is currently one of the hidden gems of Dubai when it comes to flavorful Filipino food. Located at the Ground Floor of White Crown Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai (Same building of The Pizza Company World Trade Center; next to Nassima Tower), Amazona’s Ihaw-Ihaw managed to impress us with a taste of amazing food that reminded us of top notch restaurants back home- the only difference is, Amazona’s menu items are very, very affordable!
Here’s our review:
The Ambiance
Amazona’s Ihaw-Ihaw welcomes you with smiles from their courteous wait staff, guiding you to your seats. The place, though quaint and cozy, provides a decent amount of space for you to enjoy your quiet time if you’re alone or a great place to bond with friends with their videoke available on the place itself. The staff also provides the restaurant’s specialties to help guide the diners with their choices.
The Food
Liza Guerro, Manager of Amazona’s Ihaw-Ihaw assures that all of the dishes that their restaurant serves come straight out of the cooking pans and into the plates of their customers. “The food items that we serve here are made to order. We serve it extremely hot and fresh,” said Guerro.
Camaron Rebosado. We started off with the signature Camaron Rebosado for starters and upon the first bite, you can immediately taste that the crisp outer layer fused with the juiciness of the shrimp on the inside. The sauce just augments its flavor to give a sweet, spicy taste.
Kare-Kare. A Filipino favorite, Amazona’s Kare-Kare definitely excited our taste buds with its creamy peanut butter soup base mixed with fresh vegetables and tender beef.
Sisig. Served on its classic sizzling plate, each bite of the sisig with the egg on top will remind you of that favorite sisig you used to order at your suking carinderia back home – it has just the right amount of juiciness, saltiness, and spiciness to have you asking for another cup of rice.
“We’re the first Filipino Restaurant here in Sheikh Zayed and the first in UAE to serve Sisig Pusit. We have really good reviews here and people who visit us ask for this because their friends recommended this to them,” said Carielle Catajay, Marketing Manager of Al Khaja Group (AKG) that oversees the operations of Amazona’s Ihaw-Ihaw – the first Filipino Restaurant under AKG.
Bulalo. Even with the rising temperatures of the UAE, nothing satisfies the soup cravings of Filipinos like a hot bowl of Bulalo. The soup alone of Amazona’s Bulalo is already a viand on its own, and when eaten together with its fresh vegetables and beef chunks that slide easily from the bone, each bite is simply heavenly.
Chicken Inasal ala Enchang. With the emergence of many Chicken Inasal concepts in Dubai, Amazona’s Chicken Inasal sets itself apart with its intact flavors of chicken marinated and doused in their signature Inasal recipe and smoked to perfection. You can definitely taste the sauces infused within the chicken meat with each bite, giving that authentic Filipino cuisine deliciousness to it.
The Verdict
From the name itself, Amazona’s Ihaw-Ihaw takes your palates from the busy streets of Dubai right back to the wildlands of the Philippines as they serve fresh Filipino cuisine that you’ve been craving for.
“These are the food that has a lot of time for cooking. And we wanted every OFW to top up their cravings in just a matter of time without waiting so long. It has a distinct flavor on its own in a natural way and it is completely valued with nutrition that every OFW deserves to eat,” said Waleed Ezz, Director of AKG.
Amazona’s Ihaw-Ihaw is currently running their Ramadan specials at Dh 25 per order that consists of the following sets: Inasal + Any Vegetable meal; Daing na Bangus + Any Vegetable meal; or Binalot Chicken or Tapa + Any Starter Faves. All sets include Bulalo soup, rice and drinks.
Amazona’s Ihaw-Ihaw is located at the Ground Floor of White Crown Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai (Same building of The Pizza Company World Trade Center; next to Nassima Tower),
