Happy Veggie

Happy Veggie
958 G. Masangkay Street. Binondo, Manila
Telephone number: 245-9257
(Cash basis only)

Are we in Taiwan? Nestled amongst the many little shops lining up Masangkay Street in Binondo, Happy Veggie has a very unassuming store front. Steaming hot vegetarian buns right at the store window invite hungry souls. My personal favorite? The mushroom bun (Php 25).

The happy logo. The brightly lit entrance to the restaurant welcome guests. Is that an ampalaya (bitter gourd) peeping behind the restaurant name? The restaurant interior uses warm colors that naturally stimulate the appetite -- lots of yellow and orange there.

It's time for lunch. Happy Veggie boasts of clean interiors. The only smells are that of their sizzling dishes. Bringing meat products inside the store premises is strictly not allowed. Happy Veggie has some dishes that contain egg and some dishes where egg is optional.

When a picture stimulates a thousand taste buds. If you're undecided on what to order, simply look to the wall for some ideas. Happy Veggie has mounted blown up pictures of their house specials. You can also request for their "photo album" which has realistic pictures of the dishes (no Photoshop tricks).

The sizzling tao pao roll (Php 150). Tao pao refers to the "skin" of the tofu. It has a unique texture and has the ability to absorb sauces well. This dish is extra tasty.

My all-time favorite, mushrooms with sesame (Php 97). They look like baby eels. Practically all the friends I brought to Happy Veggie love this dish. You wonder how they made the black mushrooms into extra-long strips. They're fried into a crisp in a light batter and topped with a sweet tangy sesame sauce.

Going vegetarian at home. Happy Veggie carries a number of vegetarian products, mostly from Taiwan, although there are a few local products. You can find wheat germ, powdered almond milk, vegetarian meat floss, vegetarian fish cakes, vegetable based broths (using mushroom extracts) and many many more.

9 comments:

  1. hi sherilyn,
    neat site!
    i enjoyed reading about your review especially your anecdotes about food and on eating healthy. i hope soon, you can add more to your roster of vegetarian places in manila in this site.

    keep it up!

    ReplyDelete
  2. hi sherilyn,
    i'm so glad someone like you decided to start a site like this. like i've told everyone, vegetarian restaurants in manila you can count on your fingers. there's not too many, and we really need people to talk about them and give their reviews.

    do come and visit our multiply page: www.veggieboutique.multiply.com

    i've already posted a link to this site on our links section.

    we'd love to feature summaries of your restaurant reviews on our site!

    ReplyDelete
  3. hi again sherilyn,
    may i post a slightly-shortened version of this post under "Restaurant Reviews" on our multiply site?
    please let me know. :)

    thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  4. hi again sherilyn...
    just want you to know i posted this post on our multiply site, www.veggieboutique.multiply.com, with a link back to your site.
    hope it's okay!
    please let me know if it's not...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Sherilyn,

    Thanks for making a website dedicated to vegetarianism in Manila!

    I can testify that the Tofu Walnut Burger at Corner Tree CafĂ© in Makati Village is a must-have. Simply put, it’s the best veggie burger I’ve ever had!!! Check out this link for more information on some of the best veggie options on the planet http://www.petaasiapacific.com/feature-VegEatingInThePhilippines.asp!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anyone who works in the food industry knows how critical an issue it is for food handling and safety protocol.
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    ReplyDelete
  7. we are a small mushroom farm in manila. we grow fresh organic oyster mushrooms right here in Manila. Email us at manilamushrooms@gmail.com or call us at 831-5830 for inquiries.

    ReplyDelete
  8. So sad that this restaurant already closed. it changed its name to Wisdom Buddha still it was not able to make it. Upon coming back to Binondo there is a different restaurant that is occupying the space.

    ReplyDelete
  9. So sad that this restaurant already closed. it changed its name to Wisdom Buddha still it was not able to make it. Upon coming back to Binondo there is a different restaurant that is occupying the space.

    ReplyDelete