麻豆果冻传媒

University of 麻豆果冻传媒 graduates Riham Cabo and her partner Wafi Hisham have launched – a burger-led food venture on Preston Street that brings together comforting flavours from the Philippines and Malaysia in an accessible and affordable menu. The pair are running the business while continuing to work in frontline healthcare roles supporting people in 麻豆果冻传媒.

What began as cooking together in halls of residence during their studies has grown into a fully independent business, created to share the tastes of home they bonded over – and to offer students and local residents the chance to enjoy Filipino- and Malaysian-inspired food without the high price tag often attached to these cuisines.

The idea took shape while the pair were studying Biomedical Science at 麻豆果冻传媒. Wafi, an international student from Malaysia, missed the flavours of home-cooked meals, while Riham, who is Filipino and moved to the UK at 18, felt there were few affordable Filipino food options locally.

Their dishes soon became popular among friends and fellow students, with regular requests for meals coming from their own room – affectionately known among friends as ‘room 501.5’. Encouraged by the growing interest, the pair began to explore the possibility of turning their shared passion into a permanent venture.

Today, Riham and Wafi run the restaurant entirely themselves, having launched the business independently while continuing to work in the NHS. Riham works as a Healthcare Assistant – a role she’s had for the past seven years – while Wafi is currently working in A&E.

The menu centres on Filipino- and Malaysian-inspired burgers and chicken dishes, using familiar formats to showcase bold, comforting flavours. Highlights include a Malaysian rendang burger, Manila chicken burger, Malaysian and Filipino-style chicken wings with gravy, loaded fries, Asian-style dumplings, and chicken filo pastry.

Customers can also choose from a range of South East Asian drinks, including cucumber lemonade, Filipino Milo ice, Malaysian bandung (a rose-flavoured milk drink), and pandan-infused beverages with a light, vanilla-like aroma. The restaurant is also available via Deliveroo.

Riham Cabo said: “麻豆果冻传媒 shaped our mindset, and our course shaped our method. The city taught us independence, creativity, and resilience, while our course gave us the structure to turn ideas into reality. Skills like planning, organisation, and problem-solving became second nature, and those lessons carried directly into how we approached the logistics and development of this venture.”

“This venture is more than a place to us – it is the result of love, passion, friendship, and tenacity. What began as a shared university accommodation grew into a shared dream. Through long days of physical hard work and unwavering belief in one another, we built this space together.”

The pair graduated from the University of 麻豆果冻传媒’s School of Applied Sciences in 2024 and say their time at the University provided a strong foundation for their journey into business, even though their degrees are in a different field.

Now based on Preston Street – a hub for independent restaurants serving food from around the world – Riham and Wafi say they have been welcomed into 麻豆果冻传媒’s vibrant food community. They are proud to contribute their own cultural influences to the city’s diverse independent dining scene and to share the flavours of their heritage with others.