Saturday, August 27, 2016

Live Life Vegetarian Restaurant, A Wonderful Foodie Discovery


Every time we would go to Wilcon Depot, in either of  the two branches along Chino Roces Ave.(formerly Pasong Tamo) I would see a sign bearing a vegetarian restaurant.  I didn't realize that it had been a year since that time hubby and I were that busy shopping for construction materials when we were renovating our kitchen.  And it had been a year that I've been meaning to check out this vegetarian resto - Live Life.

Live Life...

I just love how it sounds and perhaps it has a deeper meaning sorted out by the owner/conceptualizer of this said food hub. What does living the life truly means?


Living the Life means being engaged in a continual restorative work.  Becoming that unique, creative masterpiece you or I were created to be! But, like a painting that has become faded and tarnished and its value is hard to recognize, you and I become tarnished by life. The lives we live fall short of what we were created for.  We get frustrated and demoralized because we can’t get where we want to be. It seems like there’s an impenetrable wall that we cannot break through and we become discouraged and disillusioned.
These are words I lifted of from Live the Life blog.

It is acting upon the life in which you are gifted with, and involves an outpour of love, faith, hope and bliss. Enjoying every day of your lives with gratefulness and with fervor whilst traveling, indulging on a new food discovery, pursuing your passion or just spending time with your love ones.

But then, I would likely revert to the more important fact about life, health!  If it is not in your list, then think again.  For without good health, life wouldn't be as good as you'd expect it to be.

I mean how can you even trek a mile to see wonderful sceneries, if you can't handle walking for 15 minutes. Or would you enjoy a buffet if you're cholesterol and sugar is intolerable?  You see, good health is a major, major component if you want to live "the life."

Alright, going back to this vegetarian resto discovery, well, I finally had the chance to see and try it out for myself.  Thank God, I answered yes to a blogger friend's invitation, though it was a short notice, I didn't mind as long as it is near our place and it is worth the time.



The restaurant is tucked in behind Cancio Furnitures.  The compound is actually owned by the family and the restaurant spot used to be a meet up center for the owner's friends and colleagues.  It is where she used to experiment with vegetarian and organic dishes, and would have her friends gather and try it out.

The place was quaint and coming inside is a bit tricky, since it is located within a cafe/bakeshop/store with its door on the left side.  It's like discovering a secret place and yet expecting something else...

The menu was straight forward nothing fancy just plain healthy.  No meat, not protein in the menu,, with tofu acting as the main component of the entree.

Let us now look wee closer, starting with Mushroom Cheese Wantons with Tomato Salsa.


It's just the clean and light taste of mushroom and cheese to whet your appetite.  The salsa has that creamy texture which goes pretty well with the wontons.


Nothing like a fresh and light meal from vegetables doused in savory and sweet sauce.  Live Life's Lumpiang Sariwa is the meatless version of traditional Lumpiang Ubod (heart of palm).  Extended with other fresh salady veggies such as carrots, lettuce and blanched stringed beans, this version fills your tummy making up more of the body's need for fiber and minerals.


The sound of curry without beef of chicken sounds sacrilegious  I mean have you ever had one, a spicy and creamy stew, spiked with Asian or strong Indian flavors from the spices that make up a curry?  I can't think of any instance in my life, till this.  

Though, this Vegetable Curry with Coconut Cream really surprised me.  Even without the meat, the curry soup base still was savory and with the perfect taste of the curry sauce thickened and sweetened by the coconut milk, you just can''t go wrong with it.

This is perfect with steamed brown or red rice, or with their choice of quinoa.

Pineapple Quinoa

There are two quinoa varieties to fill yourself up with.

Pronounced as KEE-nwah, it is highly regarded as a superfood, being a complete protein because of the 9 amino acids that can be found in it.  That makes me want to cook this more at home. or better yet bring my family here and enjoy either the Pineapple or Muchroom Quinoa.

Mushroom Quinoa
The kids might not enjoy it at first, but once they got the hang of it (and knowing it's health benefits as compared to rice and other grains, what the heck, you can have as much as you want.  Oh, did I also tell you that it's gluten-free.


Eggplant with Saikyo Miso is something that would burst anyone's bubbles.  Don't you find it interesting?

Ok, if you're not in the gourmand radar, then knowing that Saikyo, doesn't only sound gourmand, in fact, it is common in Nobu (part of Japan).   Recently, it has become popular on the menus of many famous restaurants--Nobu being one. Saikyo miso adds a wonderful flavor to meat, fish and vegetables that need only a slight hint of sweetness.

Saikyo is a variety of miso, mostly based on the ratio of soybeans to rice and the length of the fermentation period. Saikyo miso comes from the Kyoto region of Japan and is known as the sweet miso--more rice than soybean is used.

It is incredibly versatile and is often used to marinate light seafood such as cod, sea bass and scallops, however it also works well with vegetables, such as in this manner, grilled eggplants.


You can also find several pasta dishes in the menu, my favorite would be their Pesto Pasta.  It's not like any pesto dish that makes you cringe with too much garlicky or leafy (herby) taste from the basil. It's a milder version but all the more sumptuous.

This is the pesto that you can say "hindi tinipid," you can find whole pine nuts and chopped basil leaves strewn amongst the pasta.

This is the dish for the day that had me getting many second helpings.  One serving is ample for two or three, and make sure to order their garlic bread with it.


When you come ordering for some refreshments, what you'll get is a meal in itself in the form of cold smoothies or shakes.

I had this glass of Chocolate, Banana with Agave.  The dense icy bev is composed of well-blended raw cacao, banana, almond milk and sweetened with Agave.  Yes!  It does sound ultra healthy and YES!  it is ultra yummy too!





I thought, my choice of beverage is enough as a dessert too, but then we were also made to try their turon.

Nothing too fancy, but still is something to look forward to. It has slices of sweet jackfruit tucked within the slices of bananas.


Finally, Halo-halo.  If you think P 150 for a serving of Halo-halo is too much, then kindly scrutinize the menu again.  This is not your ordinary halo-halo, I would pick this anytime over my husband's favorite Original Digman's Halo-halo.  

Why?

"Wala lang!"  May chia seeds lang naman at almond and milk ang ginamit instead of condensed milk.

It has chia seeds would you believe?  It also has the rudiment of halo-halo, like bananas, red beans, garbanzos, sago, rice cripies and ube halaya.  The coconut milk not only added more flavor, but creaminess as well.

To end with, let me leave you a question.

Can vegetarians be better foodies?  You are most welcome to answer that in the comment section below.

Enjoy life!






LIVE LIFE VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

Address:  2240 Chino Roces Avenue, 
                Bangkal, Makati City

Live Life Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

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