10 Vegan Products to Try at Try Vegan in BF Homes

Joy has been a vegan for over 20 years. She's…

Vegan cheese in the Philippines was a pipe dream a decade or so ago, but today Pinoy vegans have plenty of options for their nondairy fix, and a whole slew of other cruelty-free, yummy products. The Real Happy Cow’s 4-herb cream cheese and pimiento cream cheese (both are wheat-, gluten-, and soy-free) P320 each
Photo from the writer

I once overheard someone say “how sad” about a vegan co-worker who can’t eat dairy. Yes, dairy products are tasty, especially if you’ve had gourmet cheese and couldn’t get enough of ice cream in your previous, meat-scarfing, pig-chewing, dairy-product chugging life.

Fortunately for “sad vegans,” like me, we have better options these days.

When eating out, we don’t always have to go for the mighty tofu, the usual kangkong, and the reliable mushroom. Because there are restaurants with vegan menus and vegan dining places that actually make good food — without relying on animal products. And more recently, vegetarian groceries across different cities are opening up, offering vegan products without the high street price.

For residents in the south, there’s Try Vegan along El Grande Avenue in BF Homes, Paranaque. It’s a small grocery and soon-to-be cafe serving quick meals. The store is a collaboration of three vegan friends who also happen to be Good Food Sundays regulars: The Real Happy Cow, Delicielo, and Jack’s Produce and Lokalitea.

Ferch Santos-Reynoso of Jack’s Produce says the store caters not just to vegans but to the vegan curious as well. And because a plant-based diet is better for your health, Try Vegan also offers healthy options of food that you grew up loving: barbecue, tocino, sardines, lechon, and all the other meaty, cholesterol drenched food items that are now clogging your arteries.

The store, which had a soft opening on Dec. 22, 2018, has an inviting, light, sort of airy mood to it. It makes sense for people to want to hang out and have a meal. But its cafe is not serving yet; soon, Ferch says as they’ve already done a plating sample and they are working on putting together a final menu.

In the meantime, you can get a few items off the shelf or from the freezer to make your own delectable vegan masterpieces.

Have an Authentic Hearty Meal

The Real Happy Cow’s vegan beef and wholefood rending, made with 17 herbs and spices. It’s gluten- and soy-free. It comes in frozen packs at P370
Image courtesy of Try Vegan

Katsu House’s shiitake gyoza, which you can steam or fry. However which way you cook it, it’s one deliciously filling snack. It comes in frozen packs of 12 and comes with sauce at P280
Image courtesy of Try Vegan

If you want that meaty texture still, The Good Choices has some seriously delicious meat substitutes: lentil burger (350g, P295), tocino (350g, P295), and longganisa (six pieces, P295). They also have “pork” barbecue, all of which are made from soy protein
Image from Try Vegan’s Facebook page

Grab a Snack

Vegetari’s wholesome cracklings are FDA-approved. These addictive, crispy, and super tasty shrooms contain natural ingredients, no preservatives and artificial colors and flavors
Photo from the writer

Indulge’s cheesy peppero pizza is at P140. You can cut it in mini pizza slices and be all lady like, or just shove the delicious pie whole in your mouth. We won’t judge. Just don’t forget to chew
Photo from the writer

Dig These Desserts

Earth Desserts’ vegan brownies P190. You can get P5 off on your next purchase when you return the canister to Try Vegan
Photo from the writer

Delicielo’s s’mores 4-inch cake goes for P350
Photo from the writer

Stock Your Pantry

Try Vegan’s organic raw agave goes for P250.
Image from Try Vegan’s Facebook page

The Real Happy Cow’s egg-free mayo (P208) and its chipotle-flavored version (P254)
Image from Try Vegan’s Facebook page

10.

Jack’s Produce offers gluten- and soy-free Spanish style sardines, P165 (in oil), which would be perfect for days when you don’t want to cook or just want a small bite of something with crackers or ciabatta (which is vegan, by the way)
Photo from the writer

So whenever you find yourself picking up a tiny violin or stifling a pent up, ugly cry for vegans, skip the drama.

We’re not sad. We’re not deprived. We’re not missing out.

We’re over the moon because we cut our greenhouse gas emissions (it takes more land and energy to grow animal-based food). We can indulge without worrying about excess pounds and chronic diseases. And we don’t have to roam the earth like sad sacks because with vegan groceries, like Try Vegan, we’ve got access to affordable, heavenly food in the country.

Try Vegan is open Mondays to Saturdays, 11 AM to 8 PM at Unit A, R.A. Suarez Bldg., 363 El Grande Ave., BF Homes, Parañaque

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Joy Soriano

Joy has been a vegan for over 20 years. She's done a wide range of stories for magazines, from music and movies to business and culture matters. She continues to write professionally to this day — like, right this very minute.