FROM TACOS TO PIZZAS: DELICIOUS PLANT-BASED FOOD FINDS
Twenty years ago, I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian.
Back then, there weren’t a lot of options for meat-free meals here unless you cooked them at home, especially for a vegetarian who didn’t exactly like vegetables. (Makes no sense, I know.) As far as I can remember, there was just Bodhi. And so my diet consisted mostly of potatoes, Cibo’s spinach dip and CPK’s BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad (minus the chicken, of course).
I went back to eating meat after 11 months (my then editor asked me, “How can you write about food if you can’t try everything?”). But over the years, I continued to hear friends and relatives complain about the lack of vegan and vegetarian offerings in the Philippines. (I usually took them to chef Ed Bugia’s Pipino.)
But we’ve made strides in the last few years, with the introduction of vegan alternatives like Beyond Meat, Omni Pork and Unmeat and the rising consciousness about the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Even some fast-food restaurants have started offering plant-based selections—Burger King Philippines has PlantBased Whoppers on its menu.
There’s no shortage of food finds for vegans and vegetarians now. Here are some that you might want to try:
Plant-based cupcakes
Sonja Ocampo will always be the country’s queen of cupcakes, and one of the great things about her is the effort she makes to ensure no one misses out on her delicious baked goods, no matter their dietary restrictions.
A few years back, Cupcakes by Sonja made gluten-free and sugar-free options. “I feel bad when we have to turn down customers so we always do our best to come up with what they are looking for,” Ocampo said.
Recently, they added plant-based desserts to the menu. The first offerings were sugar cookies, inspired by a little girl who couldn’t enjoy cookies at a party because she’s allergic to eggs.
Then, after a lot of research and experimenting, Ocampo introduced vegan versions of some of their top-selling cupcakes: Chocolate with Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frostbutter
ing, Vanilla with Vegan Buttercream Frosting, and Red Velvet Vixen with Vegan Cream Cheese Icing.
These cupcakes are 100-percent plant-based—they’re made without eggs, cream, cheese, milk,
or any animal-sourced ingredients.
“It wasn’t just a matter of eliminating ingredients. We want it to still be an indulgent experience and give our vegetarian and vegan customers something that really tastes good,” Ocampo said.
And they do taste good. I bit into the vegan version of my Cupcakes by Sonja favorite with trepidation but my mind was blown. It tasted just like my beloved Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
You can request these vegan cupcakes in bigger cake versions, too. (Cupcakes by Sonja Serendra, tel. 0917-1931962; SM Megamall, 0917-1397121; Molito Alabang, 0917-1931455; Chino Roces, 0917-1402604; @cupcakesbysonjaofficial on Facebook, @cupcakesbysonja on Instagram; Cupcakesbysonjaonline. com)
The good, green pizzas
PizzaExpress serves a variety of vegan and vegetarian pizzas—there’s OmniPork Tofu and Mushroom Sisig, Beyond Teriyaki, Beyond Sausage and Spinach and Vegan Garlic and Mushroom. There are pasta offerings, too: OmniPork Spaghetti Bolognese, OmniPork and Spinach Lasagna and Vegan Spaghetti al Funghi.
Earlier this year, PizzaExpress partnered with The Green Mondays to encourage people to go plant-based even for just a day a week to help combat climate change, planetary devastation and animal suffering. (@pizzaexpressph on Facebook and Instagram; bit.ly/ pizzaexpressph-order)
Beyond Burger and Beyond Mashed Potato
Kenny Rogers Roasters has partnered with Beyond Meat to provide healthier but still tasty options for its customers. Its offerings include Kenny’s Beyond Burger and Kenny’s Beyond Mashed Potato. You’d forget you weren’t eating meat.
These dishes were launched earlier this year in selected branches and they were so popular they sold out fast. Now, they’re available at all Kenny Rogers branches nationwide. (Tel. 8555-9000; kennyrogersdelivery.com.ph)
Ginataang Ice Cream
Sebastian’s September ice cream flavors are inspired by the Filipino flavors of ginataan. There are three: Ginataang Mais, Ginataang Munggo and Ginataang Halo-Halo. These ice cream flavors are delicious, vegan and dairy-free. (sebastiansicecream.com)
Vegan birria tacos
Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out on food trends. Budhi Bowls serves vegan birria tacos using slow-cooked soy meat, four Mexican chilies, spices, corn tortilla, vegan mozzarella cheese, onions, cilantro or chives. Enjoy it with their consomme dip, salsa fresco or shredded elote. This vegan cloud kitchen also serves their take on ramen (it’s what they’re known for), tsukemen, gyoza and more. (@budhibowls on Instagram; budhibowls.com)