Top Vegetarian Restos

Bodhi is on the top 10. :-p

Not that I'm a fan of gluten and veggie-meat... but for a mobile vegetarian pinoy in the city, Bodhi is definitely my number 1 fast food option.

Read Ivan Henares' blog entry here.

Thanks Ben for the link.

Vegetarian Corner Tree Cafe Now Open

Received this from Jeannie last June 5.

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Hi to all,

Just to let you know that my new veg cafe is now open to serve you. It's located at 150 Jupiter Street, Bel-Air. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, lunch to dinner (opens 11am). For reservations, pls text or call me at 0917-848-1004. Hope to see you there!

Chiqui

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Here's the current menu:

CORNER TREE CAFE

STARTERS

Corner Tree Starter Plate - v

An interesting combination of Dukka and White Bean Hummus, good for sharing P 180

Dukka – v

This distinctly Egyptian snack is a blend of spices, seeds & nuts. Earthy & fragrant. Served with extra virgin olive oil & warm chunks of whole wheat bread (dip bread in EVOO then dip in dukka) P 110

White Bean Hummus - v

A lemony white bean dip served with vegetable sticks on the rocks P 110

Spinach Feta Croquettes -

An all-time favourite: 3 tasty croquettes made with fresh spinach, feta cheese & organic rice, served with a mint yogurt sauce and our very own harissa (optional) for chili lovers P 160

Mixed Olives - v

The green and black olives with extra virgin olive oil, rosemarie, thyme & garlic will take you back to the Mediterranean. Served with wholewheat breadsticks P 140

Sicilian Tomato and Bread Soup – v

A healthy hearty soup made with organic tomatoes, brown bread & lots of extra virgin olive oil

cup P 95 bowl P 150

Spinach & Pechay Chowder - vo

A comforting pureed soup of leafy greens and potatoes

cup P 95.00 bowl P 150.00

SALADS

Bocconcini Caprese salad

Fresh Bocconcini mozzarella, organic tomatoes & fresh basil drizzled with balsamic vinegar & extra virgin olive oil - P 190.00

Corner Tree Café’s Raw Organic Salad: - v

An all-organic cornucopia of carrots, red beets, cucumber & jicama ( singakamas), raw walnuts with greens & a choice of tahini dressing or a lemon mustard vinaigrette

solo P 180 Good for sharing (or for a very hungry vegan) P250.00

MAINS

North African Vegetable Stew - v

A rich flavourful stew infused with saffron & Moroccan spices served over couscous, and topped with toasted almonds & fresh coriander. Served with our spicy harissa, extra sauce and organic greens on the side P 260.00

Japanese Platter – v

6 pieces of nori rolls with shiitake mushroom, asparagus, carrots & organic red rice, served with a Japanese cucumber & seaweed salad and a bowl of miso soup. A clean, light tasty meal P 235.00

Broccoli Parmesan Torte

A golden baked dish with broccoli, parmesan cheese, organic red rice and eggs served with an organic green salad P 220.00

Spaghettini with Broccoli, Pine Nuts, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Lemon - vo

A unique combination of ingredients that work together for a tasty pasta dish. (Vegans can omit the parmesan cheese) P 320.00

Baked Tofu Walnut Burger – v P 240.00

A big healthy burger in a whole wheat bun served with sweet potato fries & our homemade mayo or an organic green salad.

Add P35 for a slice of gruyere cheese, P 25 for crispy onions

Or as a dinner plate with our vegetarian gravy, crispy onions, organic red rice and organic greens P220.00

Dilled Egg Salad Sandwich

Made with our homemade mayonnaise, this is our delicious version of chopped free range eggs, capers & dill, with tomato slices & greens served on toasted ciabatta bread, with a choice of sweet potato fries or organic greens P 220.00

SIDES

Sweet potato fries with Homemade Garlic Mayo P 95.00

Organic Green House salad P 80.00

Whole wheat Breadsticks (2thick pieces) P 35.00

Homemade garlic mayo P 25.00

PINOY DISH OF THE MONTH

Kare-Kareng Gulay - V

A traditional Filipino stew made with garden fresh veggies, a zesty peanut sauce, served with organic red rice and a vegetarian bagoong(!) P 130.00

V – Vegan

VO – Vegan Option

Taj Minar Indian Restaurant & Bar in Davao

One of the things in my to-do-list-in-Davao was to try the Taj Minar Indian Resto-bar. I was able to convince my high school buddy to have lunch with me there yesterday. It was my friend's first take at Indian cuisine so I ordered the more familiar dishes.

Papadum and Vegetable samosa for entree. Basmati rice + tandoori for Ryan and Palak Paneer + Naan for me.

The papadum was good but it didn't come with a dip so I asked for mango chutney...

which had too much ginger so I didn't like it.

The very colorful plain rice. I was expecting plained steamed basmati rice so it was a good surprise. An "A" for presentation. ;-)

The garlic naan didn't impress me. It tasted like a flat unleavened bread pan-fried in garlic butter.

The battery went empty when I was about to take a photo of the Spinach Paneer, which was also very disappointing.

I haven't been to India but have tasted good Indian food in Manila and Riyadh. Only the samosa passed my taste buds but it also needed more cumin.

The Chef came to the table and asked if we liked the food. I had to tell him honestly that the food was too Filipinized. I guess they had to lessen the spices to suit the Pinoy tongue as a lot of Filipinos don't really Indian food.

But is it really the solution? I remembered the Filipino waiter at the Tajbah Restaurant in Riyadh telling me that many Filipinos liked Kofta and other dishes in tomato-based sauces. The solution to make Pinoys like Indian food might not be to tone down the spices but to let them try dishes in tomato-based or yoghurt-based sauces.

Toning down the spiciness of an Indian dish is like diluting the teachings of yoga so that it becomes more acceptable to a given group of people.

I just had to post this. I'm a coconut-loving convert.

I need to have my durian shake before I leave tomorrow though.

Peace.

Yoga Cafe

This is Sandy's (my first yoga teacher) famous grilled tofu dish. She has taught me the basic recipe and said the combination is actually endless as one can add more herbs and spices to suit one's taste. I haven't done this in months but everytime I make one, it's always a hit even for my non-vegetarian housemates. It's not sattvic though as it uses a LOT of garlic. But garlic is good for the health... just not on the pulse. ;-)

Sandy, I believe, had stopped teaching yoga but opened the Yoga Cafe Food Delivery late last year.

You can read the article by food stylist Bel Alvarez on Yoga Cafe's menu here.

Yoga Café delivers to Makati villages Bel-Air, Dasmariñas, Ecology, Forbes, Fort, Legaspi, Salcedo, San Lorenzo, and Urdaneta.

For inquiries, contact Yoga Café at 893-0230 or 0927-401-8191 from 10am to 7pm.

Taj Minar: Indian Restaurant and Bar in Davao

Doing my favorite past time here in the desert... that's getting lost in cyberspace... I came across the Taj Minar website... an Indian Restaurant and Bar in Davao City. It was just a shame that I was only able to know about this place now that I'm back in Riyadh. Will make sure to visit the place in July. It might be a good place to start promoting ashtanga yoga in Davao.