At QC's Carinderia Sefali, A Filipina Cooks Palestinian Dishes The Way Her MIL Taught Her

(SPOT.ph) Likely owing to its proximity to the University of the Philippines’ Diliman campus, Krus na Ligas is dotted with small shops and charming eateries. Between rows and rows of trees are structures fronted by colorful tarpaulins—and among them is Carinderia Sefali, its name spelled out in pastel, block typography.

There is no hiding the now-telltale red, white, green, and black of the Palestinian flag over the door, nor is there any desire to. Most if not all of the world has been made aware of occupied Palestine’s large-scale struggles, beginning long before October 2023. What remains relatively shrouded, however, is the culture of its people, including the meals and the flavors that fuel them on the daily. These past couple of years, more eateries and related initiatives have popped up in Manila, with the aim of shining light on the flavors of the Holy Land. Carinderia Sefali is among those that have come to be known for their Palestinian food, following an influx of refugees building a new life on Philippine shores.

Tiny space aside, the place comes alive with the kaleidoscope of colors found all around—yellow, cyan, emerald, turquoise, magenta, cerulean. Our eyes are drawn to the guitars on one of the walls, lodged above framed artwork and indigenous textiles. The tables, too, have a mosaic-like appearance with tiles in different hues. Owner Rei Bautista comes out to greet us, herself draped in a dark hijab and vivid magenta dress that—coincidentally or by design—matches perfectly with the backdrop.

Go further inside the kitchen and you’re met with a gallery of backpacks—a hint at the place’s past life as the headquarters of Bomika Outdoors, a brand of outdoor gear that was especially popular with members of the UP Mountaineers. When the recession hit in the ‘90s, the business failed and they ended up using this space as the members’ tambayan. Rei's ex-partner (who owns the place) would often cook for their visitors, and soon proposed that they turn the place into a restaurant. This was officially established in July of 2004, and initially offered rice bowls, sisig dishes, and other Filipino comforts. 

Rei, who graduated with a philosophy degree from UP Diliman, is quite the cook herself. Her family had a catering venture and meat shop in her hometown of Bulacan, which gave her early insight on cooking and running food businesses. She took that passion to the next level by enrolling in a culinary course in the early 2000s, eventually cooking in the kitchens of Malacañang; doing consultancy work at local restaurants; and teaching culinary arts in Malaysia.

It was also in Malaysia where she met her now-husband, Hani Alazaharna, a Palestinian who was born and raised in Dubai. Toward the end of 2018 Rei had to fly back to the Philippines to renew her visa, but ended up staying for longer than initially planned as the pandemic had set in shortly after. Hani was in turn unable to join her due to hiw own visa issues. Currently he’s living in Uganda, and they keep their long-distance relationship strong through video calls. “He’s doing good there. Marami namang Arab doon, so they have a community.” Sadly, he has yet to visit the Philippines to this day, though Rei remains hopeful things would improve for the better. “Maybe, inshallah we meet soon.”

Around the pandemic, Rei shares, Hani proposed that she add more Mediterranean offerings to the menu, like shawarma. “[Between the two of us], he’s the brain, I’m the executor,” she says with a laugh. Rei does have experience working at Mediterranean restaurants in Malaysia, which taught her the basics and general flavor palate of the cuisine. But she also received guidance from her Palestinian mother-in-law, who shared with Rei her own recipes a couple of years back.

Rei tried out the recipes herself, and got the approval of her friends from the Middle East.  “Sobrang strict ako sa mga spices,” she says with a laugh. Where possible, she uses spices brought in from Egypt by her sister-in-law. Rei prefers to maintain the flavor profile of the original recipes than adjust it to Filipino preferences, which usually entails toning down the spice and upping the sweetness. 

“[We do things the] Palestinian way talaga. Wala talaga ‘kong binabago,” says Rei. “How my mother-in-law taught me [to cook], ganoon pa rin.” It helps that they own the lot the Carinderia is housed on, allowing her to to save on rent and keep prices low while the quality stays high and portions, generous. It speaks to the generosity of the cuisine's land of origin that most of their dishes come in B1T1 pricing—which gives you double the portions at a reasonable discount.

On the “Authentic Mediterranean Food” section of their lineup are a number of comforts. The Falafel Plate (P80/four pieces, P85/six pieces, P115/eight pieces) are a great place to start, their version boasting a crisp, browned exterior and fluffy, nutty interior of chickpeas. They also make a light rendition of Hummus (P70/solo, P135/B1T1) that goes on smooth and whippy on the bread served alongside.

Carinderia Sefali’s chicken shawarma mix is moist, dotted with spices that vivify the natural taste of the meat. You have the option of having the meat with rice and veggie sides in the Shawarma Rice (P85/solo, P165/double); or in a wrap with a garlic sauce in the Chicken Shawarma Wrap (P85/solo, P140/with fries or pickled vegetables, P165/double). The latter in particular is recommended; the pita does a great job of holding everything together and soaking up the richness of the sauces and seasonings.

Even more protein-centric is the shish tawook, essentially grilled chicken skewers with the right amount of browning on the surface, and what seems to be a heavier helping of spices—cumin in particular. This is also available with rice and veggie sides in the Shish Tawook Plate (P90/solo, P175/double); with rice, veggies, hummus, and bread in the Shish Tawook Combo Plate (P135/solo, P265/double); or with rice, fries, veggies, and hummus as part of the loaded Shish Tawook Gaza Bowl (P170).

Hani’s mother had gotten to flee from Gaza to Egypt some years back, which rendered her “stateless” and made it impossible for her to return to her homeland; she sadly passed away two years ago without doing so. His other relatives remain in Gaza, but some have also since passed amid in the ongoing attacks brought about by the occupation.

“They have been oppressed by Israelis for a long time, but this ongoing war is the longest,” Rei tells me over chat. “Inshallah they will rebuild again what has been destroyed, and they will go back [to being] on their feet again.”

In a separate conversation, she expresses hope for the better. “[The situation] is really heartbreaking but what we will do is pray for them.” Rei shares further: to die in their own land is considered a martyr act, although there is no shame in seeking survival elsewhere.

The term for martyrs is shahid or shaheed, taken from the root word "shahada" which means "to witness" or "to testify"—a nod to the idea that a person demonstrate faith and conviction in God, often in the pursuit of justice, even when it comes at the expense of one's life.

With the rise of social media as a means to discovering places to go and eat in, Carinderia Sefali has seen more people come their way over the years. Rei is, of course, thankful—not only because it boosts her sales, but because it allows her to reach a wider audience and talk about the situation in Palestine. She’s made (and continues to make) efforts to help Palestinian refugees in the Philippines—those in Cavite especially, encouraging them to sell at food bazaars and offering support as they set up their own food businesses. She also urges visitors to donate directly to Palestinians in Gaza, as they need help the most.

“Vocal ako about the Palestinian cause... As a supporter na talaga and a wife of a Palestinian, talagang 'yun ‘yung magagawa ko for my side,” says Rei. It helps that the students who visit her premises are very much supportive of Palestine, she says.

As far as future plans go, Rei is set to expand the Sefali brand by opening stalls at Area 2 in UP Diliman, and Z Compound in Malingap Street. This smaller leg would serve Mediterranean, Indian, and Malaysian cuisines, and would go by the name of Sefali Makan, makan being the Arabic word for “location” as well as the Malay word for “to eat.”

Elsewhere, Rei shares, she’s been taking her time in the Philippines to look after the local Muslim community. Seeing the lack of spaces dedicated to the community, she dreams of building a masjid (mosque) in UP Diliman that would double as a tambayan for Muslim students. But she admits that that dream may take time to accomplish in full, and shares a more realistically attainable goal she’s looking to complete soon: to rent a house in the area that would double as a restaurant and would have a Muslim prayer room.

By serving real-deal renditions of the dishes that fuel Palestinians to Filipinos, she’s able to raise awareness on a very important part of their culture—and by extension, the daily lives of their people.

The Israeli occuption of Palestine rages on, killing at least 70,000 people (possibly much more) since 2023.

Photos by Majoy Siason

UPDATE (April 15, 12:22 p.m.): The Shish Tawook Gaza Bowl was initially mislabeled as a combo plate. The article has been updated.

Also read:
Inside the Little Gaza Pop-Up by Palestinian + Fil-Palestinian Refugees
Alquds Restaurant: a Dream of Jerusalem in the Heart of Manila