Hearty vegetarian fare at Agico

MANILA, Philippines -These days, there are more than five ways to serve a burger — even without using beef or any meat for its patty. Having a rice bowl meal every day can also be a guilt-free indulgence. The boom in healthy dining and good veggie food in the country has never been this fun and delightful, thanks to the well-crafted green menu of modern vegetarian restaurants.

Agico Vegetarian Café, as the name suggests, runs a huge variety of Japanese inspired meat-free and hearty dishes — from sushi, noodles, sandwiches and rice bowls to desserts — which satisfy the vegetarian standards. The names of the items on the menu may sound meaty — beef ramen, chicken teryakidon rice bowl and Smokey BBQ Burger — but they’re all absolutely meatless — and taste exactly like the real thing.
Everything on this restaurant’s menu is purely veggie-based, carefully conceptualized by its owner Andru Co. “When you say ‘vegetarian,’ many people will think that it’s boring. We want to change that notion, that’s why we have given healthy vegetarian eating a new twist. We also want to create a happy dining ambience,” Co explains.
Co and his family are practicing vegetarians, and are committed to sustainable, organic — and healthy — lifestyles. Sharing the value of vegetarian eating is one of the reasons why they put up Agico.

“Many people have started to become health-conscious, that’s why we thought this is a good way to encourage more people to live a healthier lifestyle,” Co says. Realizing that organic ingredients could be fashioned into gourmet delights that are free of meat, dairy, eggs or any other animal products, Agico developed a good deal of assorted, innovative and tasty vegetarian-friendly dishes for a Japanese-inspired menu, which even those with carnivorous cravings will fancy.

To start with, diners will find delicious options of hors d’oeuvres such as their freshly made salads, most of them available in purely vegan style. The Agico Salad Special is among the most recommended offerings here. It is served with lettuce, cucumber, kani, “crab,” grapes, mango, “prawn” and “chicken nuggets.” The takoyaki and the vegetarian version of gyoza dumpling are also a delightful way to kick off your meal. Agico also offers tasty appetizers hot off the grill such as fresh shitake, okura, butayaki, salmon, tofu and fish balls.
Agico’s menu lists a motley assortment of fresh and flavorful sushi and maki, ranging from the all-veggie varieties such as the Mix Vegetable Sushi — filled with asparagus, zucchini and takuan (Japanese pickle), and Mix Mushroom Sushi — with enoki, shiitake and shimeji. Exotic maki variants are also worth a try such as the Philadelphia Torch Maki (torched Philadelphia cheese maki); and the Butayaki Maki (with a taste of liempo). A must-try here is the Crispy California Maki, which has mango, cucumber and crabstick that’s crispy on top.

Whether for lunch or dinner, it’s always a great time to enjoy their Rice Bowls, and one of the recommended rice bowl meals is their best-selling fish with tausi. Katsudon is also a greatly satisfying rice meal — a “pork” cutlet over rice that diners won’t even know isn’t really pork. Agico’s noodles are also an excellent choice especially for those with a big appetite. Kakiage Soba is a vegan favorite here, with vegetable fritters in soba.
For some delicious nibbles, diners can try the side dishes such as the tofu steak, served with steak sauce with pepper and mushrooms; ebi tempura, oyster mushroom tempura; or Yasai Tempura, which is an assorted vegetable tempura.

There’s absolutely no reason the vegetarian version of a burger can’t be just as flavorful and savory as its carnivorous counterpart — if not even more of a gastronomic joy. Served with camote fries on the side, Agico’s Pinoy Best Burger is one the most amazing offerings here, and it is 100-percent meat-free. The soft and juicy patty is made only with healthy ingredients such as soy protein, but it tastes as good as a high-quality beef. The burger buns they use are also whole wheat. Other flavors of their purely veggie burger also include Smokey BBQ Burger and Vegan Burger.

To cap off a nourishing meal, some sweet options are also available on their dessert menu. A recommended sweet treat here is the Sesami Mochi, which is a serving of soft yummy mochi balls with black sesame filling. The Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream is also a good choice for the sweet tooth.

For a healthier and more refreshing gastronomic experience, customers can also delight in their fresh juices and fruit shakes, which come in different flavors such as apple, carrot, or a combination of the two. There are also cucumber and apple combinations, celery and mixed berry, lemongrass juice, and their specialty drink, Goji Berry juice.
Coffee-based ice blended or hot treats includre flavored lattes, mocha, caramel, white chocolate mocha, choco macadamia, choco peanut butter, couble chocolate mint, and vanilla bean, among others are also available.

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Agico Restaurant is located at 83 Araullo St. in San Juan City. Contact them at 705-1997, or visit their website agicovegetariancafe.com or on Facebook: Agico Vegetarian Café.