The Vegetarian Kitchen

My husband has been begging to try the vegetarian restaurant which I casually mentioned to him in passing. Don't get me wrong. I love vegetables. I would choose a vegetable panini anytime over a meat based panini. I would also be just as happy with a salad for dinner. But I'm not a fan of fake meat after my husband brought home fake bacon from the U.S. and insisted that we replace it with Lean and Mean bacon. That bacon was really nasty. So, I finally agreed to a date night at The Vegetarian Kitchen knowing that Burger King was just around the corner. At the last minute, my son said that he was coming home for dinner. What? Dinner at home with the parents on a Friday night? Great! My son, the carnivore, would never agree to eat in a vegetarian restaurant. But, surprise, surprise. He said that the location was perfect since he had to meet up with his friends a block away after dinner.

The menu noted that the servings were good for sharing and so we decided to order two dishes.

Shredded Korean Spareribs with a side vegetable and buttered rice at Php 190. My son loved this dish but we all noted that it could do with less sugar. He said that it tastes just like meat. The texture of the "meat" is similar to corned beef. We were told that this was made of vegetable protein which is marinated in the sauce for 3 days to absorb its flavor. The rice was just as good. You could really taste the butter in each morsel of rice. My son commented that since the owners were into vegan because of their religious beliefs (Hare Krishna) it does not mean that it needs to be healthy. Thus, the sweetness of the meat and the buttery rice.

Green spinach lasagna with tomato sauce at Php 270. This was so creamy and really tasty. What is so interesting is that eggs, onion and garlic are not allowed because of their religious belief but the dish is still full of flavor. How did they do that? 

The side salad that is served with the Lasagna. It has greens, corn, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and cucumber.

Oops, I forgot to take a photo of our guava lemon cooler drink. It was excellent at Php 60. 

After the meal, my son announced that we will have to return to try out the other dishes. I am curious to try the pastel. I was told that it will contain morsels of "meat" which is also formed from the vegetable protein, vegetables and gluten. Their meatless dishes, fish and prawns are also made of this protein thingge. Interesting. 

The only downside about this restaurant is that it is closed on Sundays and Mondays and they close early too at 9 pm. Of course they will not shoo you out after 9 pm but you have to come in before 9 pm. Why Mondays, I asked? Our car is color coded on Mondays, Kiko replied. Haha...

The Vegetarian Kitchen

62-B Mother Ignacia Ave. (a few blocks from Crossroads and across St. Mary's College)