One of the best things about living on Katipunan (or K-Street, as some local hiphop heads and graffiti artists would have you know), is the abundance of cheap eateries around. What else would you expect from a thriving university town? The kids have to eat, and so do I.

One Sunday evening, my boyfriend and I decided to check out a Persian joint that had recently put up shop near the Shell gas station at the tail-end of Katipunan. Persian being one of my favorite cuisines for its strong flavors, cheap prices and propensity for being open 24/7 (Mister Kabab and Ababu, I mean you!), I leaped at the chance to try it.

We arrived a little past 6:00pm, to a very small crowd of people. It was a good thing we did, because shortly after, people started pouring in, catching the staff off-guard. I guess they didn't expect an influx of people on a day like Sunday, but more on that later.

It doesn't show but I left the house in the rattiest boxers, which I refused to change out of because I am a libertine like that (read: lazy). I make no apologies for this.

Compare that to my boyfriend's very put-together outfit that would probably make Scott Schuman proud. Moving on, here were our orders:

The first to arrive was my order of Upside Down Rice. They call it upside down rice because the Persians cook the ingredients, such as beef, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, peas and other vegetables in spices in a casserole, which they turn upside down before serving. Being familiar with the Mister Kabab version, it was very nice to see that this version did not scrimp on the spices at all. It tasted more authentic than most local Persian joints make it, which is a good sign.

Next up was the Ox Brain. This particular version lacked the eggy texture and balut-like aftertaste that most versions have, because it must have marinated in spices for days before being served. This might not necessarily be a bad thing for people who don't like that eggy aftertaste, but I do.

There was a mix-up with the orders, and my boyfriend received a single Chelo Kabab order, although I was pretty sure he ordered the rice meal. It was alright, as most chelos go, but it wasn't the best. This order took near 30 minutes to come because the restaurant was terribly understaffed in the kitchen, and the customers were pouring in. I guess they didn't anticipate the Sunday dinner crowd. If anyone affiliated with Aezien Persian Food Empire is reading this, don't underestimate the Sunday clientele! You could make more money if you decided to work at normal capacity on those days, and avoid angry and disillusioned customers in the process.

Our last order was the Vegetable Pakora, which they insisted was chicken pakora. After 30 minutes of waiting, we weren't choosy. The pakora was light and flaky, and full of spices and bits of chicken. It was a shame because the long wait and the obvious meltdown that the servers and lone fry cook were going through tainted our dinner experience.

I'd be willing to come back here because the food is the most authentic I've tasted among the many Persian restaurants on Katipunan, but I wouldn't come back on a Sunday unless they get their act together. Combined, this meal cost us about 200 pesos per person, which is a steal! Make sure that you come on a weeknight or Saturday, you'll probably get better service than we did.

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Aezien Persian Food Empire is located at 361 Katipunan Road, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.