I’m sure a lot of you have tried Mister Kebab or some other Persian joint. I’ve had my fair share, since I’ve been a regular of Mister Kebab myself. A few weeks ago, Mich and I decided to try this Persian restaurant in Promenade Greenhills named Arya. We were initially turned off by the price but we were really in for a surprise because the quality of the food was just topnotch! I can honestly say that for now, Arya has the best tasting Persian food in the metro (for me anyway). We tried Wagyu Kebab, Lamb Chops, Beef Kebab, and their Keema. All of them were simply superb.
Arya’s Lamb Chops
QUICKIE FACT SHEET
Name: Arya
Location: Promenade, Greenhills
Type: Persian Restaurant
Price Range (per dish): P300 – P700
Full review after the jump.
Let’s start with the Lamb shall we? I’m not really a fan of Lamb-based dishes but this one really got me thinking. My sister, Danielle, was the one who actually ordered it but since I was paying she obviously offered me a portion (Lol). Man, this is the first time that I actually felt that Lamb > Steak! The sauces they used for this really brought out a flavor from lamb that I’ve never tasted before. The dish also comes with a healthy serving of Potatoes and mixed vegetables. Next up we have the Wagyu Kebab.
Arya’s Wagyu Kebab
I was the one who ordered this. The servings weren’t too big but the quality of the meat was just uhm… intense. The meat was soooooo soft, juicy, and just bursting with flavor that you can’t help but sigh after every bite. If you like it or not, you will end up sighing after every bite because this particular dish will set you back around P550. Personally, I think it’s worth it. Then again, that’s me. Mich actually didn’t like it. So there, conflicting opinons, hahaha!
Arya’s Beef Kebab
Mich ordered Beef Tenderloin Kebab. Yes, it really does taste like steak. The portions are huge and this can easily feed two people. What made this even better was the sauce. This is also a sign of really good customer service. The waiter offered to make us a special sauce using the traditional Persian white sauce combined with the grilled tomatoes that came with our dishes. This is by far the best complimentary sauce I have ever tasted for Persian food.
Arya’s Keema
Last, but not least, we have the infamous Keema. This is actually one of my favorites from Mister Kebab. Arya has a very different take on this though. In Mister Kebab, they just drown the grounded meat with gravy. In King Kebab, they serve it a bit dry. Here, they actually serve it in almost a soup-like manner. I’m not complaining though because I really loved how they did it here. Faith, my other sister, was kind enough to also let me taste this one. This version goes really well with the Pita bread. For rice though, I’ll probably stick to the Mister Kebab version.
SUMMARY
Rating Card
1 – Waste of money
2 – Satisfactory – just okay. Nothing special
3 – Wow, something to remember.
4 – OMGWTFBBQ I WANT MOREZZ PLZZ
FOOD QUALITY: 4
DISH PRICES VS QUALITY: 3
CUSTOMER SERVICE: 4
RESTAURANT CLEANLINESS: 4
RESTAURANT OVER-ALL RATING: 3.75
I would have given Arya an easy 4 if they lowered their prices a bit. Paying an average of P400-P600 per person is too steep. If they don’t want to lower their price, they can make up for it by increasing the serving size. Right now though it’s just lacking in that particular area. By the way, did I mention that the extra rice costs more than P100? Apparently they use a special kind of rice that’s popular in the Middle East (Jasmine / Basmati). Because of that, I don’t see myself going here weekly, but I’ll definitely visit each time I get a massive Persian food craving. Damn it, I can’t get that taste of the delicious Wagyu Kebab out of my mouth, hahaha!
Definitely a good place for “semi-expensive” dates and family gatherings.
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Wauks,
Was just thinking of visiting Arya then I saw your post! It won’t be my first time to go, though. I almost always have the beef kabab (I keep forgetting the name) which is somewhere around the P200 range. Then I just poach off my dad’s lamb order. Maybe the price has increased since my last visit (in July ’08! tagal na.)
Well, for curries and the like, try Assad over at UN avenue, it’s a carinderia kind of thing though.
And yeah, this place is way overpriced for the food.
Hey Ralph! Long time no hear. The beef kebab (tenderlion) is roughly P395 now. I’ll edit the post above tomorrow. I found the resibo with all the prices and the actual names of the food we ordered so I’ll have to make a few corrections on the review.
@Harold: I’ve eaten there already. Good food that’s affordable. In terms of quality though I’ll go for Arya. The only problem really is the steep price. Like what I said above, the should either add more servings or lower their prices.
Arya’s pretty good, had the lamb shank stew (iirc) a few years back and remembered that I liked it. Other (pricey) notable persian places are Prince of Jaipur, Queens, and the best tasting one in my opinion (priciest too I think) is Hossein’s.
@Jed: Is that the one along Makati Avenue? I haven’t tried it yet but I’ve been wanting to eat there for the longest time.
Yea Hossein’s has one in Makati next to station 169, great lamb dishes, and the beryani rice is very good. They have other branches in Trinoma and Serendra, wow do I sound like I’m plugging for them? O.o anyway good stuff, give it a try if you’re intent on throwing some money away on good food.
hi there! i love your site
im a big fan of arya in fact i’m having dinner there tonight 
you might also want to check out kebab factory in megamall its less pricey but equally as yummy 
i have been a regular customer of Arya. I have introduced a lot of friend, both filipinos and foreigners. I must say, the food is just divine. Now that I’m back in the country again, I shall have my regular order…
kebabs are gud but very expensive, hehehe