Not Necessarily Vegetarian
February 1st, 2008 by Bel Alvarez, Food StylistPosted in Food and Drink |
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One of the usual concerns of vegetarian travelers is will there be enough places to eat when they get to their destination. A lot of times vegetarian travelers end up eating the vegetable sidings because of the lack of vegetarian restaurants at the places they go to. Or they would live on salads until they got home.
But vegetarians need not look for strictly vegetarian restaurants. A better option is to find non-vegetarian restaurants that serve vegetarian dishes. If you travel with a non-vegetarian companion like I do, then you can eat together. I found two such places in Boracay.
Hama, which opened on December 15, 2007, is the only restaurant in the island that serves authentic Japanese cuisine. Located at the heart of D’Mall, Hama’s menu consists of appetizers, main dishes and a complete set of sashimi. From this list you can find a number of vegetarian dishes. Fresh vegetables and the mushrooms that they import from Japan are in abundance in these vegetarian dishes.
The appetizer Nasu Age strapped me onto my seat as I savored every bite. The fried and glazed eggplant chunks that were tossed in Itame sauce aren’t like anything I’ve tasted before. What made it zoom to the top of my top 10 is its chewiness. With its crushed ginger topping, it could serve as a main dish if eaten with rice.
Atsuage is a very pretty plate of grilled tofu kebabs with teriyaki sauce. Although it is smooth it retained its bite.Almost every Japanese restaurant serves Gyoza but only a few serve it vegetarian. The Vegetable Gyoza of Hama is moist and flavorful.
Tobanyaki is a pot of vegetables and silken tofu. The addition of 3 wild mushrooms gives it its exceptional taste.
Shabu-shabu is a mix of glass noodles, carrots, cabbage, leeks, onions, spinach and shitake. Cooked on your table, its soup has a distinct shitake taste. The spinach sauce that goes with it adds that little zing.
A friend of ours, whose day wasn’t exactly going his way, dined with us at Hama. After the meal he walked away feeling refreshed and reenergized. That says something about the food.A few paces away is Cyma. Cyma, which specializes in Greek cuisine, serves a lot of lamb, chicken, beef, pork and seafoods. But it has outstanding vegetarian dishes.
Launched last December, Spanakopita is a new dish of spinach triangles. Light and fluffy fillo dough triangles are stuffed with a perfectly blended mix of spinach, feta cheese and arugula. Its rich taste is matched by the mild rush the arugula brings. Served with potato wedges seasoned with olive oil, oregano, grated parmesan and parsley, this meal will surely make you full.
Spanakorizo is Cyma’s spinach rice. Made with Japanese rice, the chopped spinach and parsley add-ons are richly complemented by tomato sauce.Cyma is known for its flavor and these vegetarian dishes surely do not come short.
Cyma Greek Taverna is at D Mall, Boracay Island, Balabag, Malay, Aklan. For more information, please call (036) 288-4283 or 0928-5069311.
Hama: Japanese Cuisine is also at D Mall, Boracay Island, Balabag, Malay, Aklan. For more information, please call (036) 288-5978 or (036) 506-3188.
February 1st, 2008 at 1:12 pm
i tried the cyma there although i think the one in shang’s better considering that they have more items on their menu.
February 2nd, 2008 at 8:13 pm
where is d’mall?
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:55 am
Crystal, it says in the article that D Mall is at Boracay Island, Balabag, Malay, Aklan.
February 4th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Thanks for an interesting article. I sampled the Tobanyaki at Hama last weekend and it was indeed a tasty meal (rather big portion–it probably would serve 2).
I am vegetarian and returning to the Philippines after a long stint overseas. Can you recommend restaurants in Manila which, as you say, are not necessarily vegetarian but serve complete vegetarian dishes?
thanks
March 29th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
guys! if you’re going to angeles City of pampanga. try to taste our semi pagkaing bahay vegetareian foods,. for inquiries e-mail us at archie_mina@yahoo.com
March 29th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
im sure you’ll love it… our Vegetarian BBQ, Vegetarian Sinigang, Hawaiian afritada, and many more delicious foods at sa murang halaga…