Over Rice serves up an authentic New York halal experience

Over Rice offers a unique yet affordable dining experience. Photos: Mikael Angelo Francisco

Somewhere along Katipunan Avenue sits a quiet and unassuming food joint that’s almost too easy for the typical passerby to miss. Fortunately, the area is populated by students, residents, and hungry commuters perpetually in search of unique yet affordable dining experiences—the exact same gastronomic adventures that this small establishment named Over Rice offers.

With Over Rice’s menu of halal favorites at friendly prices and serving sizes, the establishment’s owners (cousins Sonny Valencia and Emil Javier, along with their lifelong friend Mark Lester Lodriga) promise to deliver the genuine taste and feel of eating at the halal street carts in New York City. It was the time the cousins spent in Manhattan—and their subsequent immersion in the bustling borough’s diverse street food culture—that served as the impetus for their first joint entrepreneurial venture under their newly minted food company, Chow Chaps Food Services.

Over Rice's owners spent time immersing themselves in New York's street food culture. Above: the Over Rice Plate.

The store’s layout and design are as simple and no-nonsense as their halal dishes. With on-the-go students and professionals with limited time for lunch as the owners’ main focus, the driving concept behind Over Rice is the same one that applies to the street cart delicacies of New York: Fast, delicious, and affordable food that’s perfect for take-out or short meal breaks.

While the serving time at Over Rice may be quicker than most establishments, the food they serve is definitely anything but rushed, with the pita flatbread made by hand, every single day.

Over Rice’s beef gyros and chicken gyros (regular at P79, large at P135) are cooked just right, the meat perfectly complementing the softness of the homemade pita bread, the distinctively flavorful rice, and the crisp vegetables.

One of Over Rice's Gyros.

Over Rice’s other main offering, the Over Rice plate, features slices of meat drizzled with the eatery's signature cream sauce over flavored rice, and served with pita bread, tomatoes, onions, and greens on the side. Available in regular (P99), double (P179) and barkada (P349) serving sizes, the Over Rice plate is both a sight to behold and a delight for the taste buds.

If you’re in search of a delicious and filling snack, you can also opt for the Beef Over Fries (P129): essentially the same concept as the rice plate, but with fries that are crispy on the outside, yet soft and juicy inside.

The Beef Over Fries.

After filling your belly with a sumptuous halal meal, wash all that food down with a cold glass of Over Rice’s unique Cucumber Lemonade blend (regular at P18, large at P28) —a refreshing take on the traditional sweet-tangy drink.

The word "halal," when used in the context of food, refers to food items that are permissible to eat under Islamic law. In seeking to deliver the authentic New York halal experience, it’s safe to say that Over Rice’s offerings have succeeded in transcending halal, in a sense. You won't just eat them because you can—you'll eat them because you'll want to. — BM, GMA News